I was excited to catch a new episode of House Hunters International last night - this time taking place in Bangalore, India, the place I called home in the summer of 2010. I now realize the show is very staged (which saddens me greatly!) but I still can't help watching. I like learning about the house hunters, in this case Indians Malika and Vir, a couple who families hail from north India but grew up in the states and were residing in the East Village of NYC before their move to India.

Malika and Vir had a large budget and therefore were looking at grand homes and condos I never got glimpses of during my own house hunting experience there. The very first home they looked at was in the suburbs of Bangalore. It was large and beautiful and came complete with their very own gardener and his family. When they noticed the gardener's home in their back yard and asked, "what's that house, it's pretty close by," the camera scanned to a dilapidated shed and a man roaming around in only a white sheet of cloth.

It was then that the realtor said, "That's the place where the gardener and his family stays. He comes with the house".

I almost died at such a statement! Never in my life, unless perhaps referring to a pet or animal, have I heard the words: he comes with the house.

Milika, the house hunter replies, "I don't know if I want a gardener because the way I understand it here is that you have to be responsible for their well-being. I think it would be too much because we're just moving." Later in the show she remarks to Vir on the gardener again; "I don't know about having a gardener and his family because you and I need a space of our own."

It was a reminder of just how closely the rich and very poor reside in India. I can't fathom working on a grand home each day to return to your shack each evening and how it must make someone feel as a human being. What would it feel like to know you "come with the house" as if you were a piece of furniture or wall hanging??

The other night I was able to catch up with my friend in India. He called from his parent's place in Kakinada. The villa in Bangalore has been sitting empty these days, as when he's not visiting family his work takes him all over India for projects. I love hearing from him as he is my lifeline to India since I've left. When he calls from outside his home, I get to hear all the exotic birds, screeching crows, and honking cars again.

Speaking of cars, my friend told me he has been driving his dad's car around town. Since he left India for the U.S. ten years ago, he had to pretty much relearn how to do this. His dad is on edge whenever he takes it out; afraid that his son's going to kill someone. I don't blame him. I still don't understand how anyone maneuvers through cars, motorcycles, buses, bicycles, cows, dogs, and pedestrians, while watching out for potholes and the dreaded speed bump at the same time. He said it's like a game, and rather seems to be enjoying it!

He told me his dad's car is really old, and that I would absolutely love it. When I asked what kind it was, he said he'll send me a video. The next morning I awoke and watched it and cracked up. Not only is the car so freakin' cute, but the commercial's funny too! And he's right, I would have loved to maneuver through the Indian streets in this thing! Watch the commercial here!

I recently pieced together a new video from India. This time it's my favorite images from the road. Some of them really pull on my heartstrings, like the street beggar and child in the very beginning, and the beautiful laughing girl at the very end. These images will always stay with me. Please watch it here:

India: Images from the Road

Now that I have been home for a month and have been able to refresh, reevaluate, and remember, while putting together this video I really missed India. I wish things could have been different, and that I was able to complete my stay the way I had hoped. Still, I will always have the photos and videos and memories, and perhaps one day the opportunity to go again, this time with a very different mind set.

A lot of Indian women wear flowers in their hair.

I have to admit before moving to India I didn't know this. I asked my friend, "what does it signify?" He wasn't sure if it signified anything at all. "They just wear it for the scent and look of it," he told me.

Whenever I would see the girls walking around with the flowers in their hair, The Cowsills would pop into my head, and I'd be humming the tune all day.

One day, my friend came home and surprised me with flowers of my own.

I thought the flowers were so pretty, I took lots of pictures of them.

Then, after sniffing their lovely scent over and over again, I put the flowers in MY hair.

"You did that on your own?" My friend asked, shocked, once he saw the flowers in my hair. "How did you know how to do it?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I saw how the women were wearing them and pinned it in. It was so simple." He continued to look at me as if I had just spoken fluent Hindi to him, not as if I simply pinned a string of flowers in my hair.

And then, we went out - with the flowers in my hair - and I felt beautiful.

I will never forget these beautiful and amazing smelling flowers. What a perfect, natural way to look and smell wonderful. I kept mine as long as I could, which was about three days, before I had to toss them. But, they are found on almost every street corner.

They are hand strung with love. <3

Besides this post I haven't discussed much about being sick during or after my trip to India. Just the other day I was finally near a scale and able to weigh myself since returning. I knew my clothes felt looser, but I was shocked when the scale read 10lbs less then it was when I left - a number I haven't seen on the scale in umm...years.

I know after reading this you're all just dying to know my super-secret diet tricks and since I'm such a nice, open, and sharing person, here you go!

~ How to Go to India and Lose Weight ~

Step 1. Get Delhi Belly.

Step 2. Walk around India aimlessly everyday, and make sure you ask Indians for directions - everything to them is just a short walk away.

Step 3. Get too sick by unknown virus to leave your bed for days. (Make sure there is no one around to bring you food, this could sabotage your diet).

Step 4. Be so turned off by Indian food by this time that you are only eating boiled eggs, toast, or simply pickles daily.

Step 5. Continue to have more Delhi Belly.

Step 6. Fly around the world for 24 hrs straight and land 5,000 feet above sea level in Colorado. These two things combined should give you enough dehydration to cause headaches and vomiting for days.

Step 7. Still. More. Delhi. Belly.

Step 8. Go to the E.R. and watch them suck a pound of blood out of you. Oops, this won't help you lose weight because they'll also pump a pound of fluids into you. Nice try, though.

There you have it - how I was able to lose 10lbs by going to India in 8 simple steps. After everything I've went through, I should get to enjoy the numbers on the scale for just a little bit, shouldn't I? Because now that I'm back in the US surrounded by all my favorite foods and finally feeling like myself again, you better believe it ain't gonna last long!!!