Almost a week completed here, and to be honest, it’s all been a lot easier than I thought it would be. It’s been easy I suspect due to having the apartment all set up and someone here that’s done all the hard work of finding a supermarket and learning the unique quirks that make this India.
India Quirks and Power Cuts
For instance, my local supermarket, what I call the Kwik-E-Mart (it’s actually called the Star Bazaar), has a security guard as you go in, and he cable-ties my bag shut. He ties it to another zip so I actually can still easily open in… but, he’s done his job. Then, at the exit of the store, there’s another security guard who looks at my receipt and checks through my groceries and makes sure they match. If you weren’t expecting either of those things, it would make life a lot more difficult!
We have regular power cuts. The UPS stops our computer system going down, but the AC and lights just abruptly turn off. There’s a generator that kicks in and the power comes back on quickly, and I’ve been told if you’re in the elevator that it takes you down to the bottom floor and opens but I’m not willing to test that theory! I wonder if I’ll ever get used to sudden power cuts…?
In a way, it’s not as “India” as I was expecting. I get up in the morning, shower, breakfast, walk to work. Work. Walk home, might do grocery shop on the way home, then I do my assignment for my post-grad stuff in the evening. Not very exciting. I suspect more quirks will reveal themselves as time goes on.
Food In India is Awesome
I make drip coffee and fruit salad for breakfast. Pineapple, bananas, pomegranate, melons… cheap to buy and tastes so good. A watermelon cost me about Rs. 56, about NZD$1.20.
I go out for lunch every day, it costs less than $5 and I haven’t finished a meal yet. I generally buy vegetables at the supermarket and then cook them at home for dinner.
I think the biggest challenges so far is trying to get stuff done at work. I’ve been tasked with setting up various things at the office and it’s very challenging when I don’t have ANY local knowledge around local shops, or how India works. For instance, sourcing embroidered polo shirts for staff. Sizing, fabric quality, how they do the embroidery. All things at home I’d have a rough idea of where to go and how much it should cost. here… nope.
I’m going shopping this weekend with two of the women I work with. I’ve got a couple of salwar kurta that I bought last week but I need enough to last a full week. Because I don’t know what’s popular over here, I could inadvertently buy something I like which proves to be very uncool, hence the shopping assistance required!
I wake to the call to prayer, an eerie discordant sound that seems so fitting in this beautiful, chaotic city. At night, I fall asleep in the heavy warmth, under the fan slowly drifting above me, listening to the distant tooting on Hosur Road, the barking of stray dogs and yewling of fighting cats. And life is beautiful.
hi poula..
welcome to incredible india…
its wonderful to learn about ur days happening in bangalore …
India is amazing country to explore many within ur surroundings …
good luck for coming days..
festivals are coming and its beautiful to visit Mysore on 11 October on Dushara festival …if u can..
well, i got ur bloglink from Lonely Planet … whats ur plan for Christmas ??
There is so much I want to see! I am going to Mysore next week, it looks so amazing.
re: Christmas, I saw your post, thankyou. I will have to do some research, I will let you know. Thank you!
Hi Paula, I read all your post from NZ to India, about your journey, i have many words to share with you like after reading you i wished to talk with you on tea, but with short message i will say this Journey will give you alot of experience that person don't get easily. You will get more positive things in India just explore it with positive sides and ways. And about him- it was his frustration which lead him to have hates but you don't adopt hate one day you will know the conclusion of it. I hope you get all positive ness here in Inda, and always remember getting stumble from the stones of the path will give you the way of living life… In future if you wish to Visit Taj mahal so i will assist you surely . i belong to Agra City and working in Gurgaon. I am also a blogger and i appreciate your writting observation of your own life.
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