Hello again! This year of traveling is flying by! The Eggs are nearing the half-way point of their trip as they land in New Delhi, India!
A Teachable Moment
Shelly introduced the Eggs to her friend, Rashi, whose family owned the hotel the Eggs were staying in. Rashi greeted the Eggs with a bow as she said, “Namaste!” Benedict was curious as to what she meant, so Rashi walked over to Benedict, put his palms together, had him bow slightly and say nah-mah-stay. "It means 'I honor you,'" she instructed.
“I understand now. Thanks, Rashi,” replied Benedict with a smile.
Rashi finished welcoming the group to her family’s hotel and told them about her sister, Bani’s, upcoming wedding. “I’m so glad you’ll be here to celebrate with us!”
So Much To Look At!
After the Eggs were shown to their rooms, Megg and Seggourney, laying on their beds, stared up at the beautiful turquois and yellow designed ceiling. “Everything is so colorful and detailed here. There’s so much to look at!” remarked Megg.
Seggourney pointed out the sparkling jewels on the lamps. “This is gorgeous – I’m so excited to be here!”
The girls talked a bit about the upcoming wedding. “I bet it will be so romantic!” They giggled and soon fell asleep for a much-needed nap.
A Taste Fest
Later that afternoon, the Eggs met at the hotel restaurant, where Rashi greeted them and showed them to their table.
“My mother is in charge of supervising the restaurant and cooks most of the meals,” she said proudly. “I recommend Tandoori chicken, which is made with yogurt and vegetables, or a combination platter with rice, vegetables, and fish.”
The Eggs’ eyes grew wide at the site of the delicious food. They ate until they were full and thought they were done, until Rashi’s mom brought out a chocolate fudge dessert called Bal Mithai, coated with white sugar balls.
“Whoa!” they all exclaimed as they ate the dessert. “Delicious!” exclaimed Ms. Poach. “Chocolate is my favorite!”
A Hindi Lesson
After a bit of a rest, Rashi gave the Eggs a lesson in a few Hindi words. “We already know what namaste means,” she said as she smiled at Benedict. “Here are a few other words that might come in handy during your stay. Shukriyaa means thank you and alvida means goodbye.”
“Well, shukriyaa, Rashi!” said Seggourney. “I’m sure we will use these words often!”
The Eggs stayed up a bit longer but soon all retired to their rooms for a good night’s rest.
Family Activities
We saw bowing is a sign of respect not only in Japan, but in India as well. Search other countries that consider bowing a sign of respect.
Indian cooking uses a lot of interesting spices - look up what is most popular and used most often and try to use some in your cooking!
With your kids, look up more words and phrases in Hindi. Can you count to ten in Hindi? Or how do you say "good morning" or "my name is"?
See you next week!
Wishing you all GOOD things,
Sandy
