Some blog posts have well thought out clever introductions or openings long before I sit down to type them out. Others, like this one, do not.
I had my first cup of masala chai this morning. Actually, it was a mug, and it was mostly full, so basically, I had my first 3-4 cups of chai this morning. And, since I'm staying at home to study (to commence after I publish this post), I decided to wear a sari. This may make no sense, but it is a whole lot easier to hike up a sari skirt to feel the cool breeze of a fan than it is to work around skin tight leggings. If you didn't gather from that information, it is HOT here. I still love it, but when I get out of the swimming pool at 9:30 pm and start burning up immediately, I could go sit in the fridge for a few minutes.
I'm so happy to be back, but it's very different from last year. Part of that is because I do not have my friend who was here last year here doting on me all the time and taking me wherever I did or didn't want to go. Part of it is feeling a bit like my independence and convenience are taken away, as I am staying in a suburb of Delhi rather than right in the middle of it, and as with all of Delhi's fun little news stories, walking around alone wherever I want is not my safest or smartest option of activities to do each day. Part of everything feeling different is living with a family who (other than my friend) is Hindu. Part of it is having to study and having the teensiest pressure of "If I don't pass this $540, life changing, board exam I am wasting an extraordinary amount of money and will then have to go through the torture all over again." And part of it is just being aware that I am here in India for several months, and that this isn't a vacation or short term trip, this is my life now. To clarify, I do want my life to be here and I do love it, but sometimes things take awhile to sink in.
I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining--I just want you to get the idea that things are good, but different.
Last week I got to skype with the volunteer coordinator and received more information about volunteer guidelines and all that for when I go to Andhra Pradesh. Some things--like being told I cannot stay with a family or group of Indian girls apart from the organization (which I had planned for cheaper rent as well as to better acclimate myself to the language, people, and local culture) and that for the first 2 months I basically cannot go anywhere alone--were quite frustrating. I mean, I will have traveled to and around 5 Indian cities entirely on my own--and another few with friends or staff members. Not to mention my solo journeys last summer all over Europe! So, I fumed for a couple hours about how my independence and personal life were disintegrating into nothingness, how I am going to lose money more quickly now that I cannot save so much on rent, etc.
But then I cooled off and realized that my only reasons for disliking these "rules" were just because I had other wants and desires. I don't want my independence taken away. I still want control over my personal life and free time (though I know it will be little) and living situation. I want to spend and save money as I see fit, not as how someone else thinks it should be. I might have had more well thought out reasoning, but really, I just sounded like the girls I just nannied for--wanting or "NEEDING" a certain LEGO object for their already extravagant LEGO home. I was acting no better than a 6 year old. And, whereas I don't like all of the rules, I know they are there for a reason and that they will not last forever. In Bekah's loving but honest words "It may be good to have a little lesson of submission." And, so it shall be.
We haven't done too much other than hang out, eat Barkha's mom's delicious food, and piddle around.
I've been shopping a couple times and still love it, but it's not as fun when I'm on such a strict budget. Nevertheless, I guess my bargaining is as good as ever, and maybe I am semi-Indian as I still always want a cheaper price. I got to see Reedima, one of my Hindi teachers from last year, so that was really good to see her. And, possibly my favorite thing, I got to watch the hilarious process of crowds of Indians attempting to use revolving doors. If I were not with friends, I probably could have sat on the curb and watched that for about 45 minutes :)
This coming weekend Barkha, another friend, and I are going to McLeod Ganj, which I have been told is "mini Tibet" and where the Dalai Lama hangs out and all that. So, that's pretty exciting, and my camera is very much looking forward to it.
Side note: Anyone who has 3.5 hours of free time needs to see Bhaag Milkha Bhaag whenever it comes out on Netflix. Not only is it done phenomenally videography-wise, but the actor isn't so bad looking himself, and the story was good from what I could understand without the presence of English subtitles.
I had my first cup of masala chai this morning. Actually, it was a mug, and it was mostly full, so basically, I had my first 3-4 cups of chai this morning. And, since I'm staying at home to study (to commence after I publish this post), I decided to wear a sari. This may make no sense, but it is a whole lot easier to hike up a sari skirt to feel the cool breeze of a fan than it is to work around skin tight leggings. If you didn't gather from that information, it is HOT here. I still love it, but when I get out of the swimming pool at 9:30 pm and start burning up immediately, I could go sit in the fridge for a few minutes.
I'm so happy to be back, but it's very different from last year. Part of that is because I do not have my friend who was here last year here doting on me all the time and taking me wherever I did or didn't want to go. Part of it is feeling a bit like my independence and convenience are taken away, as I am staying in a suburb of Delhi rather than right in the middle of it, and as with all of Delhi's fun little news stories, walking around alone wherever I want is not my safest or smartest option of activities to do each day. Part of everything feeling different is living with a family who (other than my friend) is Hindu. Part of it is having to study and having the teensiest pressure of "If I don't pass this $540, life changing, board exam I am wasting an extraordinary amount of money and will then have to go through the torture all over again." And part of it is just being aware that I am here in India for several months, and that this isn't a vacation or short term trip, this is my life now. To clarify, I do want my life to be here and I do love it, but sometimes things take awhile to sink in.
I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining--I just want you to get the idea that things are good, but different.
Last week I got to skype with the volunteer coordinator and received more information about volunteer guidelines and all that for when I go to Andhra Pradesh. Some things--like being told I cannot stay with a family or group of Indian girls apart from the organization (which I had planned for cheaper rent as well as to better acclimate myself to the language, people, and local culture) and that for the first 2 months I basically cannot go anywhere alone--were quite frustrating. I mean, I will have traveled to and around 5 Indian cities entirely on my own--and another few with friends or staff members. Not to mention my solo journeys last summer all over Europe! So, I fumed for a couple hours about how my independence and personal life were disintegrating into nothingness, how I am going to lose money more quickly now that I cannot save so much on rent, etc.
But then I cooled off and realized that my only reasons for disliking these "rules" were just because I had other wants and desires. I don't want my independence taken away. I still want control over my personal life and free time (though I know it will be little) and living situation. I want to spend and save money as I see fit, not as how someone else thinks it should be. I might have had more well thought out reasoning, but really, I just sounded like the girls I just nannied for--wanting or "NEEDING" a certain LEGO object for their already extravagant LEGO home. I was acting no better than a 6 year old. And, whereas I don't like all of the rules, I know they are there for a reason and that they will not last forever. In Bekah's loving but honest words "It may be good to have a little lesson of submission." And, so it shall be.
We haven't done too much other than hang out, eat Barkha's mom's delicious food, and piddle around.
I've been shopping a couple times and still love it, but it's not as fun when I'm on such a strict budget. Nevertheless, I guess my bargaining is as good as ever, and maybe I am semi-Indian as I still always want a cheaper price. I got to see Reedima, one of my Hindi teachers from last year, so that was really good to see her. And, possibly my favorite thing, I got to watch the hilarious process of crowds of Indians attempting to use revolving doors. If I were not with friends, I probably could have sat on the curb and watched that for about 45 minutes :)
This coming weekend Barkha, another friend, and I are going to McLeod Ganj, which I have been told is "mini Tibet" and where the Dalai Lama hangs out and all that. So, that's pretty exciting, and my camera is very much looking forward to it.
Side note: Anyone who has 3.5 hours of free time needs to see Bhaag Milkha Bhaag whenever it comes out on Netflix. Not only is it done phenomenally videography-wise, but the actor isn't so bad looking himself, and the story was good from what I could understand without the presence of English subtitles.
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