Swine Flucation (Like Hurrication, only Viral)

Ah. So remember when I said that swine flu had come to Mauritius? Well, indeed it has. As a precaution, the government of Mauritius has shut down every school in the country until August 31, at the earliest. This 'Swine Flucation' began this past Friday. My dad remarked when we talked last that I always manage to get some 'disaster break' each year. Last year, all Tulane students were treated to 'Hurrication' because of the dangerous path of Hurricane Gustav. Hurrication for me was characterized by exciting times in Tuscaloosa and Sylacauga, and culminated in the Alabama vs. Tulane football game, which we lost- but not badly. Swine flucation has proven to be about as leisurely. While I don't revel in catastrophes, I don't mind a few days off from school because of them. I'm using this break to: clean, launder, socialize, eat, and socialize some more. Also, in observation, my English friend Emma, who says 'banana' amusingly and with alarming frequency, and I went out this weekend. At the end of the night, we stopped to get food at this stand near my apartment. They make the best hot dog I've ever had in my life- no lie. There's some kind of Mauritian relish that makes it irresistible, and I don't even like relish. But anyway, the workers at the stand were wearing latex gloves and sanitary masks. Let me say that protective gloves are generally not sported by people who make other people's food here in Mauritius. I would be interested to read the Mauritian health code-or maybe afraid. In any event, Emma asked in English (very British English) if she might have a mask and some gloves. They gave them to her. She wore them for the rest of the night, much to my delight. 

Also, it is worth noting that this past Monday, while part of my swine flucation, was a national holiday in and of itself. A couple weeks ago, I noticed that a banner had been placed at a prominent street corner in one of the towns that the buses drive through on their way to the university. It read, "the Black River District Council wishes you a comfortable and pious holiday." I'd been wondering what I was supposed to be so pious about. Turns out it is a Hindu holy day. I wouldn't have had classes on Monday even if there was no flu to be found, and this is in honor of the birthday of a Hindu deity. I say birthday, though I'm fairly certain the actual religious meaning is more complicated. Someone told me that it was the god's day of ascension. The deity-of-honor is Ganesha. He is the god of fortune and the son of Shiva. I know him only as the god that has the head of an elephant. In any event, I went to go and watch some of the festivities. 

The weather was a bit cloudy as we made our way down to the beach in Flic en Flac. There was a crowd gathered and the smell of incense was everywhere. This particular holiday involves the release of the icons of the deity into the sea. There were several renderings of Ganesha, all very ornate. Each elephant-headed statue was beautiful and I'm sure required a great deal of work to construct and decorate. Each group of the faithful took their Ganesha down to the water. Some just took him down to the water, others put him into it. The largest one I saw, though, was brought down to the water's edge and carefully loaded into a speed boat. I asked someone about this: apparently Hindu dogma stipulates that Ganesha must be released in open water, and the beach at Flic on Flac is insulated by a clearly distinguishable coral reef. The boat (escorted by a dinghy from the Mauritian coast guard) was taking the god outside the coral reef to be released. The festival was marked with henna tattooing and much celebration. A man came by and offered us some sweetened coconut. 

The entire time I was struck by the tourists, of which I include myself for this situation. I was embarrassed to be a foreigner in the midst of such disrespect from other foreigners.  Although some tourists were being rude and still wearing their (scant) bathing suits as they walked through the crowd taking pictures, the religious observers did not seem at all hostile. I know that if someone had come to my baptism wearing a speedo, smoking a cigarette, and taking photos for their holiday album, I would be quite displeased. I tried to be as respectful as possible, and fear not, I was fully clothed. 

Otherwise, my swine flucation has been uneventful. I've eaten a good deal, and I even cooked myself dinner one night. I made rice and fried okra, both seasoned with local chili paste. I also planned on cooking a chicken breast, but I forgot to get the meat out to thaw. Anyway, it was quite delicious and it possibly put my days of perpetual take-away in the past. I've also discovered several fruit juices that have supplanted my Coca-Cola addiction. My personal favorite is a litchi fruit blend that comes from South Africa. Unfortunately, I consumed the entire liter of it that I bought because I went a little too heavy on the chili paste. Maybe I should buy myself some garlic or salt. I'm getting better at playing house, I think. I've even begun ironing my clothes. Woah. 

My downstairs neighbors also showed me how to operate my television. I have around 15 channels of French soap operas, Indian dramas, pretentious British news, and American television programs that are frustratingly dubbed in French. Also, I have one channel called, 'The Voice of America.' From what I gather, the 'voice of America' involves several five-minute snippits about the state of affairs in Hollywood and the goings on in the American music scene. They played a music video by, 'Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin.' It's a band. I don't watch a tremendous amount of television though. I do, however, read a good deal. I've read: a Forster novel, the book Uncle Kerry sent me to bring on this trip, an Alice Munro collection of short stories, a trash novel I bought at the supermarket, and an English-language novel by an Indian novelist. I'm also doing reading for school. It's not as interesting, and it consists of about a billion photocopies. 

Attained: Mailing address. Miles Christian Babin/ Post Office Box #3/ Flic en Flac, Black River District, Mauritius. By all means, mail me America.