Studying hindi is going well, and I'm in love with my French-Indian villa that I am now staying at :) If you want to see exactly how wonderful it is, or if you ever come to Bangalore and need a cute place to stay: casapiccolo.com is the place :) (Priceline has better prices!)
I know that I would change a bit or a lot while on this trip. But, many changes have happened that I wasn't exactly expecting. Here are some examples.
1. I feel like a princess because Casa Piccolo has: hot water, overhead shower, provided toilet paper, windows without bars, and NOT idli for breakfast. (I can eat spicy curry and rice in the morning, but I'm not so much a fan of dosa which is what I've eaten for breakfast for a long time.) Given, it's really just a cute place in general, but these are the things that I fell in love with upon arrival.
2. Being completely comfortable with things living on/in me. I almost cried the first day I found a louse in my hair. I think I mentioned before that I bought chocolate and had a pity party that day. Since then, I just ignore the little itches on my head (I'm pretty sure it's just paranoia because I know things are there) and use my comb and suck it up. I noticed a little spot on my back a few days ago. Now, I realize it's ringworm. Yay fungus! Had this been at the beginning of my trip, only a month ago, I'd have been appalled and gone straight to the drugstore. Now, it's like "eh" so I have ringworm. Sometime today I'll go to the pharmacy and pick something up for my little friends and fungi, but I'm not really in a rush, as I'm basically expecting for even more things to pop up before I get back home. (i.e. whatever bacterial infection I'm fighting with my American antibiotics)
3. Being cold at 80 degrees. Haha, I knew I was a wimp when it came to cold weather, and I knew I loved it when it was over 90 degrees. BUT after sweating in Andhra Pradesh for 3.5 weeks (95-115 degrees) and then coming to Bangalore, where it's 83 degrees right now at 11 am, I am quite comfortable in my jeans and 3/4 sleeve tunics. At night or in the evenings, my toes feel so cold, that I have no idea what will happen and I get to Europe. Frostbite at 60 degrees?? :)
4. I've moved from liking shopping to ADORING shopping. My motto is that if I can get through so many chapters/hours of my hindi studies, then I get to go to the market for 2-3 hours, as long as I come back home and study in the evening when it's not really safe for someone to be out alone.
5. That said about shopping, I never knew I would be so cheap :) They just asked me to pay $7 for this entire outfit? No way! (Says the girl who wouldn't think twice about buying a shirt in America, as long as it was under $15-20.) I know, some of you are thinking that I was still pretty cheap then, but hey, I'm more so now, and then things are 1) cooler, 2) prettier, and 3) modest, therefore not requiring more money to be spent on undershirts and things.
6. Being thankful for Americans. I saw my first Americans at McDonald's (I'd promised a friend I'd go, but really, I'm sticking with the curry the rest of the trip!) It's like we have this special connection, and we all give each other knowing smiles of "I am from the same continent as you, and we are both having an awesome time in this foreign place where we don't fit in, and I am really REALLY glad to see your American face and clothes."
7. One's thought of cleanliness changes. (As seen in #2 also). GermX isn't as seemingly necessary as it was previously. And three showers/rinses per day aren't really necessary since I'm not producing 1L of sweat on a daily basis :)
8. I started out pretty adventurous in ordering at restaurants. Chicken hyderabadi is the best so far, and every single pore in my body opens up and cries when I eat it. But it's GOOD. Yesterday though, I ordered fish. Now, fish curry just doesn't sound good, but I thought it has to be good since it's common. The waiter made sure it was okay that it came with bones, me being foreign and all. Yes, that's fine. I didn't realize it was also going to come with its face. That was the most interesting meal by far that I've had: one where I really wished someone was with me (in case I choked on a bone and to laugh fearfully with as I removed the head of the fish)
Okay, well, I'm off to bargain for everyone's saris at Chickpet after buying my drugs which are probably not going to be FDA approved. Phir shopping ke baad, mai hindi sikhungi....for many many many hours.
I know that I would change a bit or a lot while on this trip. But, many changes have happened that I wasn't exactly expecting. Here are some examples.
1. I feel like a princess because Casa Piccolo has: hot water, overhead shower, provided toilet paper, windows without bars, and NOT idli for breakfast. (I can eat spicy curry and rice in the morning, but I'm not so much a fan of dosa which is what I've eaten for breakfast for a long time.) Given, it's really just a cute place in general, but these are the things that I fell in love with upon arrival.
2. Being completely comfortable with things living on/in me. I almost cried the first day I found a louse in my hair. I think I mentioned before that I bought chocolate and had a pity party that day. Since then, I just ignore the little itches on my head (I'm pretty sure it's just paranoia because I know things are there) and use my comb and suck it up. I noticed a little spot on my back a few days ago. Now, I realize it's ringworm. Yay fungus! Had this been at the beginning of my trip, only a month ago, I'd have been appalled and gone straight to the drugstore. Now, it's like "eh" so I have ringworm. Sometime today I'll go to the pharmacy and pick something up for my little friends and fungi, but I'm not really in a rush, as I'm basically expecting for even more things to pop up before I get back home. (i.e. whatever bacterial infection I'm fighting with my American antibiotics)
3. Being cold at 80 degrees. Haha, I knew I was a wimp when it came to cold weather, and I knew I loved it when it was over 90 degrees. BUT after sweating in Andhra Pradesh for 3.5 weeks (95-115 degrees) and then coming to Bangalore, where it's 83 degrees right now at 11 am, I am quite comfortable in my jeans and 3/4 sleeve tunics. At night or in the evenings, my toes feel so cold, that I have no idea what will happen and I get to Europe. Frostbite at 60 degrees?? :)
4. I've moved from liking shopping to ADORING shopping. My motto is that if I can get through so many chapters/hours of my hindi studies, then I get to go to the market for 2-3 hours, as long as I come back home and study in the evening when it's not really safe for someone to be out alone.
5. That said about shopping, I never knew I would be so cheap :) They just asked me to pay $7 for this entire outfit? No way! (Says the girl who wouldn't think twice about buying a shirt in America, as long as it was under $15-20.) I know, some of you are thinking that I was still pretty cheap then, but hey, I'm more so now, and then things are 1) cooler, 2) prettier, and 3) modest, therefore not requiring more money to be spent on undershirts and things.
6. Being thankful for Americans. I saw my first Americans at McDonald's (I'd promised a friend I'd go, but really, I'm sticking with the curry the rest of the trip!) It's like we have this special connection, and we all give each other knowing smiles of "I am from the same continent as you, and we are both having an awesome time in this foreign place where we don't fit in, and I am really REALLY glad to see your American face and clothes."
7. One's thought of cleanliness changes. (As seen in #2 also). GermX isn't as seemingly necessary as it was previously. And three showers/rinses per day aren't really necessary since I'm not producing 1L of sweat on a daily basis :)
8. I started out pretty adventurous in ordering at restaurants. Chicken hyderabadi is the best so far, and every single pore in my body opens up and cries when I eat it. But it's GOOD. Yesterday though, I ordered fish. Now, fish curry just doesn't sound good, but I thought it has to be good since it's common. The waiter made sure it was okay that it came with bones, me being foreign and all. Yes, that's fine. I didn't realize it was also going to come with its face. That was the most interesting meal by far that I've had: one where I really wished someone was with me (in case I choked on a bone and to laugh fearfully with as I removed the head of the fish)
Okay, well, I'm off to bargain for everyone's saris at Chickpet after buying my drugs which are probably not going to be FDA approved. Phir shopping ke baad, mai hindi sikhungi....for many many many hours.
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