Not very interesting

I went for a class today, which was really interesting. The debate was why some countries show fabulous growth and others with the same inputs don't. Loads of times when I felt like making a point, but then stayed silent as I would be taking student air-time, which would be wrong. Anyway, he threw a very interesting perspective on the issue and now I am waiting to lay my hands on the reading material.

But I think I am slightly mentally fatigued. We had the welcome week presentation today. Roo, Roosevelt, Kiwi had all made notes - Roo, in fact, was practically reading from notes. And I had decided to do an impromptu. As a result, I obviously forgot half of what I wanted to say. Learnings for the future - at least have bullets on the topics you want to mention. That way you dont wander. Also, I have to work on my stage fright. My eyes take on the look of a cat caught in the headlights of a car coming at 120kmph. Post presentation, we had the cocktails and that's when I realised that I am tired. I just didnt feel like interacting with anyone. Did catch up with a couple of people but only the ones that I felt like talking to - just didnt have the enthusiasm to push myself to go meet some new ones. Its ok - slow and steady......

Another issue, I guess, is that I am soooo tired of babies - every second person has two or is pregnant. So, the conversation is also centred around baby things - I think I will just start moving away whenever I see a waist over 28-30 inches.

Everyone's back

I'm feeling like I have been picked up from the Fonty forests and air-dropped at VT during peak office going hours. So many people! And of course, we've had the place to ourselves for so long, that it is feeling like a personal invasion. Still the morning routine went by smoothly. Dropping him, my walk, playing the violin, yoga and then to school to man (er, wo-man) the welcome desk. The new guys look just as lost as we did - cards, presentations, scavenger hunts, lunches, carte de sejour. The initial welcome makes you feel - Wow!! There's so much to do! And then gradually it petters off and you have to find your own place in this new society, because it is a whole new civilization - people from everywhere (71 countries) forming their own culture, traditions, rights and wrongs, not that there are many wrongs. Everything goes.....

Weekend before the storm

This is Versailles - if you have visited Marie Antoinette's hamlet and the gardens first, you will be tired enough to fall asleep at the first available seat else you will be walking around from one room to another with the audio guide, staring blankly at the walls and the paintings. Still, I must say, taking the audio guides is a must. It really improves the experience. I loved the chateau, marveously decorated, immense and what riches! This was Louis's private sleeping bed (supposedly, not good enough to display) and then there was a bed for the kings to wake and sleep for the public who came to watch everything they did. The public sleeping bed is crazy with drapes and tapestries and what not. Each room has gorgeous painted ceilings, inticately inlaid furniture and fabulously carved statues. Saw Antoinette's bed in which French queens had babies for the whole world to see (ridiculous!), the room from where she had to flee when the crowds attacked etc.

Actually, the whole day was memorable. Seattle-Kota were here for the weekend. Saturday, by the time, the four of us got ready, it was afternoon, half the day was gone and the rain was just starting to come in. Then came the idea, why not just drive down. So with beer and cake and croissants packed in our bags, we started off. Believe it or not, we didnt get lost!! The weather was perfect, which made it even more pleasant and Seattle is a non stop collection of jokes. Post Versailles, it was Carrefour, because they wanted chocolates and wine for friends and then back home for the most eclectic spread of food ever. Turkish kababs, grilled chicken, paella and rajma along with french bread.

They left early today morning and we went back to bed immediately to catch up on sleep, me because Tweedledum is back, he because he just hasnt slept......and the madness starts from tomorrow.

Le retour est demain!!!!

Tried out some fabulous routes today. Started with the other side of Route de la Grande Vallee. One of the turns looked temptingly broad and I felt reasonably certain that I won't loose my way, inspite of there not being a name board. Am glad I took it because it led on to totally different landscaping, the Plaine Vert, which turned out to have too many routes leading away so I had to turn back to avoid confusion. Continued further along Grande Vallee and reached a junction with a turn called Route du Mort. The last track that I would want to be on. A U-Turn and then a right on a track called Route de Neant which led me back to Plaine Vert. One of the turns looked interesting, took it only to find myself once again on Route du Mort, which I now discovered to be extremely badly named, because it was a nice boulderly sort of a route. And then it was time to start heading back. It is a beautiful day. Look at the sky.

The gardener was working today morning too. I had seen this a couple of days ago. Now, thanks to his hard work, all the mushrooms are gone.

Gardeners day in

Murphy's law strikes once again. I had Roo and Roosevelt over for tea today. Scones and bagpipes joined in too. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were sitting on the stone benches outside soaking in all the sun and thats when the gardener decided to mow our side of the lawn. Damn! We all had to come trooping in and well, there is just no space for these many people without taking out all the dining table chairs. I had no idea how to do that and, of course, I wasnt going to experiment with all these people around. But we just accomodated ourselves and I went off to make another round of tea.

The beauty of the day - when I was going to pick up Roosevelt, there was this fragrance in the air at our gate (thats our gate in a distance) and it got the brain clicking. Why does this forest feel like a dream? It reminds me of all the walks with my dad as my kid. I loved the feeling that I was the only one who could match my steps to his. In hindsight, I doubt that very much. A ten year old matching steps with a six feet tall man just doesn't seem logical. But thats what he used to say and I would feel thrilled. There were walks early in the morning when it would be drizzling slightly and we could hear the raindrops falling on the trees which formed a protective canopy over us. This forest reminds me of those walks, the greenery, the rustling sound, the wind through the trees, a snap of a twig under your feet and most importantly, the smell of the leaves. Can't describe it - slightly tangy, slightly sweet. Ironically, all these wonderful memories were triggered by the smell at the gate which I, unfortunately, placed a little later - the smell of the samples in the biology lab. Yucks!!

One down, three to go

Well, hopefully, if I fall asleep very soon, it will actually be two down two to go.

Considering the amount we fight and the number of times I have taken the decision that I might be better of working somewhere far away from tweedledum, it is amazing how much I am missing him. He is constantly at the back of the head. The alarm rings and the first signs of consciousness is the thought that he is not around. As for the rest of the day, I'm alone and it is the same when he is at school or working (at least for this year, when I am not) but still the fact that there is a Suez Canal in the middle is disconcerting.

So what have I been upto? Played a lot of violin. I seem to be destroying my bowing hand all over again. I really need the mirror in front of me to see whether I am moving the upper arm or not and somehow I am just not getting the right placement in this house. Figure I will have to practice scales etc in front of the mirror before coming into the living room to play my 'repertoire' of pieces. I feel so sorry for the poor professor. I thought he had left on Sunday but he has been in the house all along and the poor thing has to bear with me screeching along. He must be rueing the day he gave us the house.

On the food front, went to Champion on Monday and picked up some baked aubergines, lapin pate and another frozen assortiment to last me this week. Hate cooking for myself. The pulses I made Sunday night are going to be sufficient till Friday. Also, I've been watching a bit of TV and trying to catch individual words. It is such slow progress. Somewhere along the line, the brain just stops translating and you start watching the pictures and then you have to pull yourself back and start listening to individual words again.

To put myself to sleep, I have discovered that the internet works even when I am in bed and as a result, I have finished two of the PG Wodehouses which are online. Whenever there is a nocturnal sound, I need to take a deep breath and tell myself, its just a sound, its just a sound.... But tonight I feel really brave. I have actually ventured out for dinner. Our friends from Tel Aviv had everyone over for dinner - the Roos, Scones and Bagpipes and another stranger. Didnt want to go without Tweedledum but she insisted and I figured, what the hell, its about time I got out of the house. The last two months I have had so much time to myself that I seem to have forgotten how to talk to people. But it was nice seeing all of them again and we had some really good food. One was a spinach quiche. Buy the pate and the mixture is spinach, white cheese, eggs and the rest of the condiments on choice basis. In the oven for 20 minutes. I really liked it. And he has a good taste in wines. We started with the Riesling Tweedledum and I had used to celebrate his first salary. So I, of course, went right back into the miss him mould. Dessert was a spread - an Israeli dish called compote (yes, I know its french too, but this was different), tarte tatin, strawberry pie, ice creams, chocolates. I have no idea why people serve dinner at all, I could survive just on the sweets.

Hopefully, the Roo will pass on this biography she's just read on Indire Gandhi. Wonder who the author is. That, frankly is all that differentiates a well written biography from a maudlin one.

Have found a pdf copy of the XBF exercise series on the Internet and have started doing it all over again, I think in good earnest this time. It is so strange. When my dad insisted that it was a well constructed series, I was in no mood to listen and now that I am on my own, I am appreciating the all roundness of the exercises, the fact that it takes only 12 minutes, has an achievable target among various other things.

And finally on my walks, tried one half from the Carrefour. Tomorrow, I try the other. According to everyone at dinner, there are animals in the forest but it seems they are more scared of me than I of them and the sound of my footsteps will have them scurrying away before I can say 'Tally ho!' Hope so. Today morning, there was this oinky sound and I was totally confused whether it emanated from my extremely hungry stomach or the oral regions of a boar. It certainly had me looking over my shoulder for the rest of the walk.

Sunday

People's sweetness amazes me sometimes. 'Shy experience' called again asking me what I am going to do for the whole of next week and that I must come to London. She sounded so amazingly sincere - I am quite sure the call wasn't a formality. Unfortunately, it is out of the budget. But then she actually managed to convince me to check out airfares or bus fares. I did. Too high. It will just be a waste of money. Lets hold on for the time being, especially since we have no idea what the next couple of months holds for us.

While on the subject, 'Shy Summit' has gotten his confirmation post internship! What makes this fascinating news is the fact that there are absolutely no airs about the person - just pure intelligence and a sharp mind. He has still got all the small town simplicity about him. Its the fact that he was practically on bed rest during May-June and he used to keep studying even then. I've discussed derivatives with him. Talk about clarity of mind! Its the fact that he has no prior experience in the field - just the will. Its the fact that he doesn't go drinking with the guys to try and network. He still talks about the milkshakes that the bank's cafetaria serves. Tweedledum and I were thrilled with the news. Which was another amazing thought. If you get down to it, we have met these guys just a couple of months back. And at the end of the day, he is another batch mate. But somehow, it felt like there was some good news in the family.

We've purchased a new suitcase for Tweedledum and his packing has started. He leaves tomorrow.......could I possibly feel lower.......

So many walks

Went out today with my cell to try and discover some walks which I can follow every morning. This place leaves me spellbound! I thought the road leading up to the Mare aux Fees was enchanting. It is. And then it got even better. I got down from this Route de Chemin something and there was another broad track on the left - Route Pascale. I thought, I won't go very far but lets check it out. Route Pascale led on to Route de Grande Vallee and well, the beauty of this place really leaves me speechless. Let the pictures try and do their bit of talk.

I think I'll keep trying one of the paths every day. Just don't want to run into any boar or deer. Encounters with dogs seem like child play now.

Oh dear...

Just when we were settling into the new house, Tweeedledum has found out that he needs to go to Egypt......for a WEEK. Thrilled for him!! But what am I going to do in this jungle home of ours, all alone. Suddenly, can see all the other beauties of the place. There's a well with moss and green growth all over. Its a deja vu of a scene out of 'The Ring'. Haven't ventured too close to it and now, for some time, I'm going to stay miles away. Before I start sounding like a weak, spineless mutt, its not that I am scared of being alone. All I can think of is that, with time I have become more and more of a Linus, and Tweedledum is the proverbial security blanket.

I sleep better knowing he is in the house. The times when he's working and doesn't go to bed at the same time as me, it will take me 30 minutes to fall asleep. When he does, it is instantaneous. And when he isn't there I stay awake for hours, listening to the sounds of the night.

Maybe I'll have the first movement perfected by the time he gets back.

Other than the house, even for him, this whole experience is too much of a test for an intern. When you are at work, people see your intelligence, team skills, responsibility levels. Now, its even more, how you interact in public, how well travelled you are and the rest of the superficial gloss. But I have a lot of confidence in him to pull through. Lets wait and watch....

The Internet is back

Today, I can finally say that we have settled into the new home, the internet is alive once again. After all the reconfiguration and fiddling and fixing and innumerable trips to Carrefour, all that was needed was patience. They took their customary 8 days and lo and behold, on the ninth day, the diode finally stopped blinking 'cinq fois par seconde', and became stationary. I almost started doing a salsa, bhangra, hiphop jig in exultation.

And now for a small description of the house....but how do you describe a dream come true. I wake up in the morning from a dream into a dream. Everything about the place. Its located almost in the middle of the forest, with huge trees all around. No curtains needed because there is no one around. The professor's house is on the same estate but there is no way for one house to look into another. A 30 feet tall Christmas tree. Little stone benches and table under a huge tree to have a small picnic on a nice sunny day. The bed which doesn't creak and the duvet arrangement...parfait! And the bathroom with the superstrong shower and a cubicle. Actually forget the shower cubicle, check out the view from the bathroom window. This place is magical. I wanted to live in Sikkim, this is it!!

And, in a materialistic sense, there is a television! After the last eight months in the dark ages, I stare at the TV like an egg head, marvelling at the sound and pictures that the box produces. There are 6 channels, all in french. So what, I tell myself, I can practice my french. And then there are the bonuses like yesterday, when there was an Ingrid Bergman movie on.....in English. Cooking is a new experience too, because there is an electric stove rather than gas. Trying not to get too experimental initially. Slow and steady. Have tried all my pulses and vegetables, even tried pork. So far, so good.

On the to-do list - finding a track for my morning walk. The poem says
'Water water everywhere,
Not a drop to drink'.
In this case its more like 'Miles of tracks everywhere,
But I'm sureI'll get lost'

Just a week but how eventful its been

Let me start off with the London trip. Excellent! On the homely front, one of the beautiful events was that the ice finally seemed to break with 'Shy Experience'. She has always been rather quiet and I used to feel a little uncomfortable, the feeling you get being around someone who doesn't particularly like you and isn't too good at hiding it. But this time, she was in her element. I think Tweedledum makes her comfortable. And I really like her. She's quite a girl. Great brain, great at sports and an amazing cook and home-maker. What a fabulous package! And when I say amazing cook, her food has to be eaten to be believed and the speed she whips it up at......supersonic!!!

And then for the rest of London. Made it to the British Museum this time. Saw the mummies. I don't know what I should be more amazed about - the amount the Britishers have 'stolen' from other civilizations or the manner in which they have managed to transport it all back home. Entire temples, huge gates, gigantic statues, its a mini Egypt/ Turkey/ Greece, you name it. And then went to a church called Martin in the Fields for a lunch time concert. What an experience. The entire group was only horn instruments - trumpet, sax, trombo, tuba....the musicians were students, Phds from the Trinity School of Music. At the end, they got a standing ovation and had to come back and play some more. Now that the Internet is back, I have to figure out what all they played. It was a very good repertoire.

Also, found the soap that I had bought in Colombo, something I have been raving about to everyone possible for the last 4 years. Its called Lush and it seems to be quite a big thing. There are about 6 shops in London itself. I went to the one on Regent Street in a place called Quadrant Arcade. They even let you try some of the samples. I had to desist since the budget was just about one soap strong. Imagine, creams with chocolate flavour. Thats the end of anyone's diet. I've bought a soap with a lemony flavour (I think I wanted to say smell) with sand on one end to provide a scrub effect. Will save it only for the face. Also, found a place called Denmark Street, which is a guitarists dream come true. Came back home, picked up Tweedledum and dragged him to see it. Should have known better. His passion, these days, is totally, completely, absolutely, getting a break into Investment banking. I think his guitaring days are behind him.

Ça va

Back home, we were working on a project to test the possible usage of the mobile phone SIM card as a credit card. It was supposed to be a highly advanced concept and thrilled those of us who were happy enough just to report the ever increasing penetration levels of the credit card. Having seen cousins from the US flaunting multiple cards forever, I find the French habit of paying by cheque amazing! It doesn't matter how advanced the rest of the world may be, the so called third world countries included. It doesn't matter how many people there are behind them in the supermarket queues. They will diligently take out the cheque book, look at the figure on the counter, fill the cheque, look back at the counter, look back at the cheque, then they will sign the back. After it has been handed over, come the identification papers, which will be duly checked. Some other official looking document comes therafter (for all you know that must be the baby producing discount that society allows them). Finally they will go through the routine of putting all this back into their bags. And all this while, you are standing there tapping away with your foot because you took this queue thinking - 'Hey, here's a short one. I'll be out of here in a jiffy'.

Meanwhile France Telecom, I feel, has been unduly bad-named. All the horror stories I had heard had me believing, I will have to wait in line for 6 hours only to be told to come the next day or that I have some document missing or be given wrong information, and of course, all the above in fast French. I entered with truckloads of trepidation. Well, I had to wait just 10 minutes and then they opened my new telephone line and transferred the internet connection in another 10 minutes. He even let me select my own number from a list of three. Amazing! And all this on a day when my hair had static and looked oily, I had no lip stick on and I can feel the risings of a huge pimple on my cheek. This is when you know that the shop really believes in customer service.



But then beauty, as they say, is more than skin deep. And on the subject of beauty - Isn't this beautiful?.....Painter-Toulouse-Lautrec.

This, too, will soon be the past

"I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart.”
-Jerome K Jerome.

And I know exactly what he is talking about. Have been doing the same thing for the last couple of days. But I just had to start today. So now I have to pack and clean the house and connect/ disconnect all the connections in 2 days flat. And let's not forget that for the past two months, I have been puting all bills, scraps of paper, mail, maps into the drawers thinking, I have to clean them soon anyway. Well, soon has come....Each room looks like its been hit by a cyclone. Tweedledum's clothes which have never been folded, mine which have never been ironed. And if that wasn't enough, 3 loads of washing since morning all hanging outside to dry and what do you know, a bright sunny day turns cloudy and the rain comes.....Has the meteorological department gone on leave too! And all this when I haven't even got to the kitchen as yet.

And of course, the two of us and our brilliant management. EDF/ GDF is through but when it came to France Telecom, what do you know, I can't find our new house contract. This, of course, implies no application till we move into the new house. The thought of a week without Internet is giving me high blood pressure palpitations.

So, what do us brave souls do at moments like this.....play some music and go dance!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58E74YWQa8A

The devastating effects of Cannelloni

This is a mail that I recieved from Tweedledum today......to think that I have been brave enough to marry this guy, to love, honour and obey him. So, help me god:-)

"Here is a formula for an orgasmic burp that will put all to shame. Just to remind you, this is patented and I strongly suggest that you do not plagiarize it.

The Royal 'Tweedledum'* Burp: Eat a stomach full of spicy food. As your tummy starts feeling the pain, take a chilled bottle of soda or coke, as per your preference. Gulp down the cola and feel it slide down your throat. As the cold soda come into contact with the spice at the basement (and sometimes the throat) of your tummy, you feel the trembling of the first eruptions from deep within. As the gas rushes upwards (or sometimes downwards) to find a cavity to escape, gently open your mouth. Hold the upper row of teeth with your right hand and the lower jaw with your left. When you feel the gas reaching the top of your throat, for an infinitesimally small moment, close your mouth and try to hold on to the gas at the entrance to the throat. Just as it becomes uncomfortable, yank open your mouth with your hands pulling the jaws apart and let the gas out in orgasmic delight. ………..ooohhhhhhh Nirvana!

Enjoy the Royal 'Tweedledum'* Burp and spread the love!"

*name withheld to ensure that he still has some friends left, if they ever get to this blog

Horse blinkers

The park is at its most amusing best these days. Whenever I have gone for a walk over the past months, there have been people walking their dog but who haven't put on a collar (on the dog that is). These days they see me at a distance, call their dogs and put on the leashes. Can't help thinking, is it out of consideration for me? Or are they trying to protect 'mes petits chiens' from the nutter who's actually afraid of all sizes of dogs. Moreover, the change seems to have happened overnight. Previously, I would have to look imploring at the owner and croak 'J'ai peur de chien. Est ce que vous pouvez removing this thing from around my foot'. It almost feels as if at all the tea parties in Fonty, I had suddenly become the topic of conversation and both master and dog have decided to tolerate me till the academic year gets over. I try to reciprocate their generosity with my sweetest smile possible and a pleasant enough Bonjour. But this leads to even more hilarious situations. Yesterday, one of these gentleman decided to start up a conversation. Anyway, after a Bonjour exchange and an 'Il fait beau' from his end and an 'Oui, tres beau' from mine, I was suddenly totally lost. He spoke. I didn't understand a word. I smiled. He spoke again. I smiled again while my brain was racing - 'Is my french deteriorating by the day, instead of improving. Why can't I understand a word?' This could have gone on for a while but after a bit of a struggle (a lot actually), I decided the problem was not my french. It had to lie elsewhere. So, I took a chance and asked 'Quelle langue parlez-vous?' Wellll, it seems, our man thought I was Iranian and he had been trying to speak to me in Farsi.....

French/ Farsi...for followers of the Queen, its all the same.

Am roughly playing the first page. Need to keep playing and replaying to build up the speed. Can't think of anything else these days.

There never was a good war or a bad peace

A colleague's grandfather was part of the French resistance in WWII. He worked as a newspaper delivery boy to the German HQ but his lead responsibilities were running arms and relaying information picked up from the headquarters in Paris. Couldn't help thinking, he must have been a teenager. You would expect that such a person would have become hard and embittered after all the death and dying he would have seen around him. But suprisingly, his belief is that you can't hate the German army men. When you are at war, the men on the other side of the fence are the enemy and you fight them for the honour of your country, which is what the Germans did. He does, however, maintain a distinction between the army men on the battlefield and the officials of concentration camps, who can have no defense.
As it happens with most of our conversations, at this point of the discussion, we meandered off to the Nazi concentration camp defense of 'I was only following orders and I didn't know what I was doing'. It has been my thinking that we are impacted by stories of WWII because of the numbers involved and the methodology chosen to exterminate. However all armies rape and plunder and there is absolutely no exception to the rule. Tweedledum ended the discussion when he said - 'Every army may do it but every army man does not. We respect those who don't.'

The conversation seemed deeper at a time, when all we hear is news of those dead in Lebanon, with no idea of who is right and who is wrong. Hasn't Israel forced itself on Palestinian land? What right do they have to be there - the fact that Moses led them to the Promised Land? But just when a solution could have been reached, isn't it an act of terrorism to sabotage the peace gestures. What is right or wrong? Sitting here in front of my computer I can say that the Isaraeli reaction is completely out of proportion. It was just 3 soldiers. How many men, women and children will they kill for those 3 men? How many more will they displace from their homes? But, in my heart of hearts there is that little voice - what if it was my country and my soldiers? What if one of those soldiers was my father, brother, husband? Would I be saintly enough to care how many died across the border? I give myself the benefit of doubt right now - surely I would care. I wouldn't condone this extreme a reaction....but, I still wonder....

The UN must have been created to control the military reactions of countries in various scenarios. The only thing that this episode shows is that the UN is one of the most redundant organizations possible. How many more slaughters do we need...My Lai, Srebernica, Sabra, Shattila and the countless others that I am not mentioning here. I wanted to put pictures of the bombing at Vietnam, Sabra and the countless others that have affected me over the years but somehow I cant bring myself to do that. I take a look at them and feel so depressed.

This seems so much better and promising. Music always makes one feel better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNqMGsVWDEk

And the one picture I will forever remember of the triumphant human spirit. It may have lost then but in subsequent years, all we are reading about is the economic growth of China and its impact on the rest of the world. So be it - if this is the way to feed your people and give them a better life. There is always a beginning somewhere......

I love my violin

All this while I 've been totally focused on trying to master the Bach piece before the Kiwis get back. And what do I find out today....what I have is just the first movement. There are three such movements. Hell and damnation!!!

Oye-No pressure please

With results out, the next question is - What next? The question isnt any closer to being answered but i am certainly feeling nostalgic about the carefreeness of July. So, here are some of the pictures from Paris.
The front of the Sorbonne.

Place de la Vendome - up close and personal.



The outside of the Louvre gets neglected because of the genius on the inside.

Can you imagine how much George must have been teased in school.....

The Gallo-Roman baths at Musee du cluny.


Don't remember the name of this walk in the middle of the Seine. I had a beautiful time sitting here gazing onto the river.


Cherubic children and different angles of the Tour d'Eiffel.

Hallelujah! The chill is back

Well, my trips to Paris are over and Murphy's law, the weather has finally improved. This feels more like the Europe that I had heard of.
Agenda for the month of August, make CV, try and play the second violin in the Bach Concerto in D minor, read up on microfinance and for heavens sake achieve clarity of mind on future agenda.

However, before I get all serious minded, some of the pictures from my jaunts in Paris, which never got posted.

I have no idea what this building is. Spotted it on Rue de Rivoli.

And this one is the temporary abode of Louis and Marie, before they were moved to the Basilique Saint Denis. I liked it in a shop window...why I can't I have normal tastes.....

During one of our conversations, Tweedledum mentioned that the beauty of the developed world is that they dont have dust along the roads, on the pavements. This is another one of the differences. It was growing along the sides of a thoroughfare. Noone would break it off....to feed themselves.