The Indian Head Bob

Ok, I've decided to come out of blogging retirement to address a dire, rapidly growing problem...

I have recently had a few friends visit who have picked up that I've become 'very' Indian -- speaking in Belhi English and using Indian inflection/intonation. Most importantly, they claimed I have picked up the Indian bob (the head movement, not the hair cut).

The Indian bob has been getting a lot of air time lately, Conan's Amex commercial, the Indians in 90 Seconds video (below), and NBC's ill-conceived sitcom 'Outsourced' which I had the recent misfortune of watching.

If 1 billion people used the exact same expression for 'Yes' and 'No,' I doubt the country could function. So clearly, the 'Yes' bob and the 'No' bob are different. Here's an idiot's guide on how to spot it:


1) Watch the Face: 'No' bob expected has a strong negative expression (e.g. squinted brow)

2) Watch the Speed: 'No' bob is the 'Yes' bob's must faster, jittery, ADHD brother

3) Don't forget the context: Did you ask question that should definitely be answered with a 'Yes'? Or 'No'? If so, why did you ask this question? You're gonna get punished with a wrong/ambiguous answer. You deserve it though.

Blogsistential Crisis : Good Bye Repat Journey, Hello New Home

When does a journey become a commute? It's been over a year since I moved to Mumbai. Things continue to strike me here and yet there's an odd feeling of comfort and home. Despite the constant travel and stimulating experiences, life now has a routine.

Simultaneously, I have fallen into crisis over the purpose of this blog. A hundred posts about my life is plenty. Even for me, this sort of narcissism is becoming too bothersome to maintain. Henceforth, I am suspending my blogging campaign after this post.

A quick recap of the blog pre-crisis:

I might consider resuming intermittently if some strikes my fancy. In the meantime, feel free to check out some of other favorite recollections of expat experiences in Mumbai:

* My friend AR's wonderful, richly narrative blog called 'Bagels and Lakhs' about her life after to India from New York and founding a non-profit here
* Another friend, Thane Richard's equally circumspect blog called 'Indians and Cowboys'
* And just for fun, twitter feed I ran across recently called 'Bombay Expat Says Wha.' It's not very active yet, but I'm hoping the writers will find more good material soon.


Thanks for taking the time to read over this past year. I have really appreciated sharing this experience with you all.