11th June 2011, Saturday.
Lawngtlai
After I slept like a log from exhaustion and sleep deficiency, I woke up at 6:50 AM. I got out of bed to realize I woke up at mid-morning. People get up really early here, and it’s already late morning before you know it.
After brunch, I headed towards my uncle’s place. My uncle who hailed from the same village as my dad, was supposed to be my first informant. My ‘bey-blade’ addict nephew (did I get that right??) was sweet enough to show me the way. My uncle’s house was perched on a little hillock with a little fruit orchard surrounding the picturesque old house. After spending two hours with my uncle who sometimes scratched his head and closed his eyes, trying to remember some Lai words that I asked him, I headed towards my cousin’s shop at the market place.
Auto-Rickshaw in Lawngtlai!! Where did I hear that autos can’t travel uphill??? Well not here in Lawngtlai. They climbed steep slopes and rugged terrain and don’t even seem to face a problem. Or are there different types of autorickshaws??? Mind you, I didn’t use an auto during this walk to the market. It was a beautiful day, clear skies and warm sunshine after the rainy yesterday and I walked half a kilometre and looked away as I walked, staring at the buildings and terrain as I walked. People stared as I passed them. I must have looked stupid and out of place. When I reached my cousin’s shop, she scolded me for not taking an auto. Well, who would?? It’s a beautiful day and it’s meant for walking.
If you are from Lawngtlai, you may not agree to this. But for me, it’s funny how people know what other people have. I was still at my cousin’s shop helping her arrange her fresh arrivals of shoes when two young ladies came in. One tried on one pair of shoes and liked it, the other one promptly told her that a Mahumi from the same church has those shoes and with a whiff of ‘a common thuai ang’, they left. I giggled. People know each other so well here. It must have its shares of ups and downs.
So I left early to cook dinner but my cousin’s husband beat me to it. So I just lazed around the house when a friend whom I’ve met and chatted with on Facebook payed me a visit. Ah! Us!! We talked as if we’re old friends and chatted the hours away until he left before dinner.
After dinner I went to visit my aunt, my mom’s youngest sister whom I haven’t met for years. The last time I met her was when she was preparing to get married. I remembered throwing a fit because I couldn’t attend the wedding because of my third year exams. Well, this time when she already had three productions kids. Her youngest was eight months and a KingKong size. I’ve never seen such a huge baby in my life. My thin and waif little aunt laughed and told me that people said ‘I fa hi I paw taih taih zel’.
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| The KingKong baby |
A good day today. Working as well as catching up with families and meeting tons of cousins and nieces and nephews I haven’t met before.
Arama, the FB friend, hooked me up with another informant which I can hopefully meet the tomorrow. Tomorrow’s a Sunday, but when you are on the field, you are on the field. I have to make sure that I spend each day productively.
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