WELL GUESS WHO WAS BACK WHEN I GOT BACK TO MY APARTMENT THIS AFTERNOON…MR. GECKO-PANTS! (ACTUALLY, I THINK I WAS RIGHT IN MY PRIOR POST WHEN I SAID HE PROBABLY HAS FRIENDS HE LEFT BEHIND – IN OR NEAR MY ROOM.) LUCKY ME. HE’S GONE NOW – AND I GOT A GREAT PIC. OF KULDEEP (ONE OF MY APARTMENT GUYS) TRYING TO USE A SQUEEGEE TO CHASE THE LIZARD OUT. IT WAS QUITE HUMOROUS. SINCE HE AND AN OLDER GENTLEMAN WERE HAVING TO MOVE FURNITURE, LUGGAGE, ETC. ALL ABOUT MY ROOM, I’M NOT SURE HOW THEY LIKED THE FACT THAT I DECIDED TO TAKE A COUPLE QUICK PHOTOS. I DID TURN THE FLASH OFF AS TO BE MORE DISCREET ABOUT THE PHOTO TAKING! (THEY CAN JUST CHALK IT UP TO “WEIRD THINGS AMERICANS DO” AND ADD IT TO THEIR EVER-GROWING LIST.)
DAVID HAD A REALLY NEAT BOOK WITH HIM WHEN WE HUNG OUT – IT WAS A “MANUAL” THAT FORMER INTERNS AT HIS OFFICE HAD WRITTEN TO HELP FUTURE INTERNS SURVIVE THE REAL ISSUES OF LIVING IN DELHI. (I.E. HOW TO SHOWER WHEN THE WATER DRIPS FROM THE HEAD INSTEAD OF SPRAYS; WHAT “CLASS” OF SEAT YOU NEED TO PURCHASE ON A TRAIN, ETC.) ALTHOUGH THERE WERE ONLY 3 OR 4 ENTRIES – THEY WERE GOOD. THEY MADE YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE – LIKE “OH, I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT THOUGHT THAT WAS WEIRD? WHEW!” ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE MANUAL WAS ADVICE ABOUT CROSSING THE ROADS – “YOU DON’T CROSS WHEN THE ROAD IS SAFE, YOU CROSS WHEN THERE IS THE LEAST CHANCE THAT YOU WILL DIE.” THE INTERN ALSO NOTED THAT IT ONLY TAKES ONE OUTING IN DELHI FOR A PERSON TO UNDERSTAND THIS PRINCIPLE. I MUST SAY THAT I AGREE WHOLE HEARTEDLY! AS AMERICANS, WE ARE TAUGHT ALL OUR LIVES NOT TO RUN INTO TRAFFIC OR CROSS 8 LANES OF TRAFFIC ON FOOT – HOWEVER, IN INDIA, IF YOU TRY TO WAIT FOR A SAFE “GAP” IN THE TRAFFIC – YOU BETTER JUST GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM. YOU LEARN TO RUN--RUN QUICK--AND KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS ALERT. SOMETIMES I THINK IT WOULD BE EASIER IF I HAD THAT HEAD IN THE EXORCIST MOVIES – THE ONE THAT SPUN AROUND ON HER SHOULDERS. (OK, I KNOW IT WOULD STINK TO BE POSSESSED, BUT IT WOULD SURE HELP WITH CROSSING THE ROADS HERE!)
I TRIED OUT THE MCDONALDS HERE TODAY – YUM! (ALTHOUGH IT WAS WAY TOO CROWDED FOR MY COMFORT!) SINCE THERE ARE LIKE 800 MILLION PEOPLE IN EVERY SQUARE INCH OF INDIA, WE HAD TO WAIT FOR A SEAT FOR 10 MINUTES AFTER GETTING OUR FOOD. AND WHEN ONE FINALLY OPENED UP A LADY WALKED AROUND DAVID (WHO WAS HEADING FOR THE TABLE) AND THREW HER SELF INTO ONE OF THE CHAIRS – THUS RESERVING THE TABLE FOR HER AND HER 4 FRIENDS. UGH!) ON A BETTER NOTE - I HAD A VEGGIE BURGER AND BOY WAS IT GOOD. IT WAS NOTHING LIKE VEGGIE BURGERS IN THE U.S.! I WOULD HAVE TO SAY IT WAS CLOSEST TO…MAYBE A CRAB CAKE – SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IT HAD REAL VEGETABLE PIECES THROUGHOUT THE PATTY, AND A DELICIOUS OUTER COATING – ALMOST CRUNCHY. I’M NOT DESCRIBING IT WELL, BUT JUST TAKE MY WORD ON IT. IF YOU ARE EVER IN DELHI – GET A VEGGIE BURGER AT McDs! DAVID WAS BUMMED THAT THEY DIDN’T HAVE THE ICE CREAM THEY ADVERTISED IN THE WINDOW, SO LATER WE HAD TO STOP AT KFC FOR HIM TO GET A CONE. THAT REMINDS ME – TODAY WAS THE HOTTEST DAY EVER! ALTHOUGH WE LOOKED IT UP AND THE WEATHER CHANNEL SAID 93 DEGREES – I CAN SAY FIRST HAND – THAT IS BULL! IT WAS SERIOUSLY LIKE WALKING ON THE EQUATOR! AFTER 2 HRS. OF EXPLORING WE HAD TO COME BACK TO THE AIR CONDITIONING. WE WERE FEELING TOO WORN OUT FROM THE HEAT (AND DAVID WAS ACTUALLY FEELING A BIT ILL).
AFTER HE WENT HOME, I DID ANOTHER LOAD OF LAUNDRY IN MY WONDERFUL WASHER/DRYER COMBO. ;) (A LOAD BEING 5 PIECES OR LESS – DEPENDING ON THE ITEMS.) TONIGHT I AM GOING TO RELAX AND TRY TO GET TO SLEEP EARLY! I WAS PLANNING TO RELAX TOMORROW TOO, BUT NOW I’M THINKING I MIGHT HEAD BACK TO CONNAUGHT PLACE (THE CENTER MARKET OF DELHI) AND EXPLORE SOME STORES MYSELF. I’M HOPING THE FACT THAT A LOT OF THINGS ARE CLOSED ON SUNDAY (YES – APPARENTLY THAT IS THE WAY IT IS HERE TOO) MEANS THE CROWDS WILL BE SMALLER. ASK HANK, I DON’T DO WELL IN CROWDS. I KINDA’ FREAK OUT! ANYWAY, I GUESS I WILL SEE HOW I FEEL TOMORROW WHEN I GET UP.
AS PROMISED HERE’S A LINK TO SOME NEW PICS. http://picasaweb.google.com/April.Gay/IndiaPicsMay312008
I MISS EVERYONE SOOO MUCH. I CAN’T WAIT TO GET BACK AND SEE ALL YOU CRAZY PEOPLE! (AND MY #1 PUP!) UNTIL NEXT TIME…
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