heureusement

2009/2010

Got my retinas scanned at the Cyberbad police department where shoes were optional. The police inspector asked me if I was a “Soviet.”

Lunch. The food is unwaveringly delicious!

Kavitha’s daughter “Happy.” Aw!

We FINALLY went into Hyderabad! We were given an allowance for Rs 3000 to pick out Indian clothes at FabIndia, a pretty swanky department store - someone said it was like the Indian Crate&Barrel.

Then we went to a beautiful restaurant and had massive amounts of food. Live music. etc.

We made it back to campus by 11:00. We’d been advised not to go out for New Years so everyone was at a loss for what to do. We met up on the roof and could see and hear something going on in the distance. Most people were sketched out but a group of us decided to see if we could find a festivity with our fellow Indian classmates. This was at 11:50! Race against the clock! We didn’t find anything but “HAPPY NEW YEAR”d everyone we passed. We counted down to midnight on a darkened path in the middle of campus. Oh well. Better to be adventurous than to not have tried and stayed on the roof.

On our way back a guy invited us to a party. His name was Mayank and was quite a character, exclaiming “WOWWWW!!” when we told him which states we were from. It was a little nerve wracking to go with a stranger but the only way to make friends with the “real” students here is to turn strangers into friends. He led us into the brush to a campfire where a group of people were gathered around a fire listening to music from a MacBook hooked up to speakers. It was the same as an American party would be but the guys were much better and more enthusiastic dancers. They listened to Indian music as well as American music, including “Summer of ’69”. One guy knew all the words and enthusiastically sang along! We had a great time and Mayank said he’d show us around Hyderabad soon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgmeL_xuB0I

They played this song at least three times at the fire. It’s from the movie I watched on the plane. Infectious, no?

Even though everyone spoke English it was hard to follow what was going on at points as they slipped back and forth into Hindi. Further, “Indian English” is difficult to understand, just as “American English” is difficult for Indians to understand.

Another interesting point is all of the male affection we’ve seen! Guys hold hands and walk with their arms around each other. At the bond fire two guys were practically snuggling; it’s all very endearing.

This morning a couple of us went to the SIP office to get bikes. The guy wasn’t there yet, so we did what the Indians do while waiting: get chai. The chai was Rs 4 - that’s 8 cents!!

Indian clothes and Indian bike: Do I fit in yet?