Stranded in God's Own Country

Because this profile is not private and linked to other public accounts, I usually don't share much besides books I'm reading, short movie reviews of Malayalam cinema, amazing food, I've had, travel photos and experiences... The camera is usually from my p.o.v. You would be hard pressed to find a proper photo of me on here probably. Anyway, I'm a mother of two infants: one born in 2018 and one, recently, last month. The amount of posts here has somewhat trickled down because of this. I don't want the account to turn into only mother centric posts, but I wanted to share this Malayali specific postpartum experience. So Malayali women who give birth get this whole spa treatment post delivery... (1) They are massaged strongly in ayurvedic oils mixed together with turmeric by an experienced older woman in their nearby locality. (2) After letting the oil set in for about a half an hour to an hour, the new mother is given what I would describe as a leaf massage: with leaves from guava tree, coffee tree, jackfruit tree, and a few others I am finding it hard to translate. (3)A bunch of fresh herbs, leaves, bark and kunthirikam (incense rocks?) are boiled to create a dark maroon water. The previous mentioned leaves are dipped into this extremely hot water and massaged into the new mother's body. This helps prevent future back and joint pains and any discomfort caused by delivery. (4) There's also a kizhi (a cloth with all the aforementioned items which is tied into a knot and later pressed on the new mother's stomach for the duration of the leaf massage) which is boiled in the water too. This kizhi is supposed to help decrease the belly from what I understand and to provide a warmth relief. (5) An organic body scrubber is used to scrub the oil and turmeric. The remaining boiled water is used to wash it away and bathe. The new mother is now refreshed and relaxed. And now after experiencing this, I'm very curious about post delivery experiences and rituals in other states, cultures, etc. In fact, I'm even more curious about within Kerala. Like does it change within districts or perhaps communities? #kerala #India #indian #malayali #kerala #mallugram (at Kochi, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/B9gxmHlJ6Nn/?igshid=19wjr0dn1rw1t

When I have to go to the bathroom in public, I always prefer a squatting one much to amusement of my family in Kerala. It's not something NRI kids opt for I guess. In my mind, it's more hygienic though because my butt/body is not touching the questionable public bathroom anything. And this book talks about how squatting actually helps the process. Of course the author understands that it would be impossible to rid the world of the more luxurious toilets, she offers an alternative for when at home. Swipe to last pic. The book talks about way more than that. I have included the table of contents so you can have a quick look. --A fascinating read and this is coming from a person who comes from a non-medical profession. Thanks @cheesylatte for the gift. #toilet #bookstagram #gut #medical https://www.instagram.com/p/BqjZa4PhKgz/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dmek1tb5m6xr

When you have friends all over the world/friends who travel the world! @tanya_sivakova did I get it 1st? #snailmail #postcard #travel #spain #barcelona https://www.instagram.com/p/BqXMClxhcsx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1s8xvggso2kwo

What a fun menu. Give the creative team a raise. #traveldiaries2018 #traveldiary #keralatourism #kerala #godsowncountry #menu (at Al SAJ Hotels)

Kalavarsham started. My favorite season. It's so beautiful and relaxing. Although it brings a very needed cooling, along with it comes all around unwellness. #traveldiaries2018 #kerala #monsoon