So last few months have been quite a roller coaster ride.
I've travelled to Delhi and back several times to sort my visa, as people at the Mumbai office say one thing and the Delhi office say another. Finally when all the paperwork was in order I had to pay the outstanding amount for the last three visas and for the current one as well. I knew that I'd have to pay, but the amount was a lot more than I'd expected.
I've been made homeless by an unscrupulous landlord who failed to give back the full deposit amount and even went as far as giving me the check then cancelling it without telling me! I'm living out of a suitcase at a friend's house as I wait for my bonus to come through so I can put a deposit down on a new place (due to the unexpectedly large visa bill).
And through all of it I keep smiling...Everyone's been asking me how I manage, but what's the alternative? I'm lucky I have some very good friends. The biggest downside to all of this is I miss my dog! She's staying with my other half (MOH) and his parents right down the other end of Mumbai so I've barely seen her in the last two weeks (MOH's been travelling up and down to try and find us a place to live so I've seen him!).
One of the upsides to staying with my friend is her cook who comes everyday and makes breakfast and lunch for us. She makes really good food and I really like her Veggie Upma.
Upma is made from Semolina/Suji/Rava and is often served plain (just with a few things like rai, green chillies, coriander) without the veggies. I'd tried plain upma before and hadn't really enjoyed it, so I was quite surprised when I enjoyed this version. The cook puts carrots, peas and onions in the Upma, but I guess you could put other veggies too (like french beans or bell peppers).
Here are a few links to Upma recipes that I hope to try out in the future...when I have a place of my own :D
Recipe Blog
Indian Vegetarian Kitchen
Enjoy!
