around town

So yesterday was quite a whirlwind of a day. After waking up late and taking my own little tour around the grounds here (everything is so beautiful) I got ready to go into town with Jemma and Sara. We started out by crossing the road, something that may seem easy but was definitely not! There are no lines here separating lanes or even sides of the road. You basically walk slowly enough for people to get around you but fast enough to not get clipped. After getting across the road we got into the rickshaw. It holds 3 people at the most (although the girls said sometimes after coming back from partying downtown they fit 4 people in with a bargain). The rickshaws are motorized but handled by a driver. The are completely open besides the back. They weave in and out of traffic and it's actually very exciting to be in one. After we got to the place we were going shopping the girls helped me exchange my money. Luckily the rate here is amazing, and with my rupees in hand we headed off to the sari shop. At the sari shop the men want to sell you anything and everything. Even if you comment that you like the color of a particular material they will pull it out and lay in out on the table. We looked through tons of material until I found material for a sari I loved. You actually buy the material in these shops then must take your material to a tailor. All outfits are tailored to fit individuals perfectly. After getting my Sari I went downstairs where they had material for punjabi suits. Saris, as the girls explained to me, are more for formal occassions or celebrations. The punjabi material is made into a long tunic like dress with trousers underneath and a shall like piece that goes around the neck. This is more everyday wear, and is something I will be more likely to wear to the site where I will be volunteering. Because of this, I ended up buying two punjabi suits. While we were buying the suits it was so funny because the men working there were trying to sneak pictures of me. Jemma called them out and they were laughing. The girls said this will happen very often to foreigners, so I let them take some more pictures before we headed out. My three outfits came to 550 rp. (rupees). In total, this is about $11. The tailoring will only be about another 1-2 dollars. After the sari shop we just poked around the streets. A lot of things were closed since it was Sunday. We ended up going to a supermarket which has a lot of foreign items shipped in. I hadn't bought any shampoo or such so I treated myself to Pantene which was of course shipped in. A large bottle of shampoo and conditioner cost me 660 rps (more than my three outfits!). We walked across the street after and went to a western style mall. I don't want anyone yelling at me, I was just following the other girls...but we went to pizza hut for lunch. I promise I'll eat at a real restaurant soon! We were just in a hurry and the girls wanted pizza they said. After lunch we grabbed a rickshaw back to Sangam.
After returning here, I needed to crash. It was a lot of stimulation for only a few short hours. Holly was here, my roommate, so we ended up catching up and getting to know one another. She's so sweet, and I feel like we have a lot in common. It was easy to talk to her and we seemed to hit it off right away. We talked basically until dinnertime where we had lomein-like noodles with something called "veggie balls". I have no idea what was in them, but they are indian apparently and delicious! After dinner Holly and I just headed upstairs and crashed.

Today was a bit different. We woke up for breakfast, which is western style (eggs, toast, oatmeal) and began our orientation/training. We sat out in the garden which was so cool and went over everything we would be experiencing this week and the rest of the time we're here. I learned a lot about the organizations Sangam works with and their importance in this city. We talked about what to expect at the sites we will be working at, and how the children will behave, and what we are expected to learn. One of the most interesting things I learned today was the way Indians see visitors. The women were telling us that many people at our sites might not ask us to help or might feel strange about that because Indians feel like visitors are sacred. They look at visitors like gods, feeling like God could take anyform in any place at any time, so you must treat visitors this way. I thought this was a wonderful way to look at those we come across and meet...just a little food for thought. We had afternoon tea with the best chai tea I've ever had (I don't know why I would expect any less, I am in India!) and lunch came soon after with lots of indian food like rice with curry, more noodle/veggie dishes, and the flat bread. We got a short break after lunch to let our brains rest so they wouldn't explode! After lunch we had a tour of the whole center, where to do our laundry and where to find emergency numbers (including the snake catcher, no joke). I can't explain how beautiful it is here. I'll have to take some pictures of the pool to show everyone as well.
After our tour I passed out AGAIN! I guess I can't get used to the time change yet. I slept for about an hour and then we ate dinner. A group of participants arrived, older women from the UK. We ate some type of chickpea nugget (tasted like a really good chicken nugget) as well as mashed potatoe/beef dish. (Like pot pie-esk without the...pot?) The food was delicious, I was just so tired. Between the time and the weather as well as taking in all this new information and the culture, I get pooped easily. It is a wonderful experience so far though, so I have no complaints.
After dinner Holly and I hung out for a bit, then joined the other girls in the lounge for a Bollywood film. Afterwards we went to bed.