WHAT AN ADVENTURE!

I’VE STILL NEVER SEEN DILLI HAAT – THE CRAFTS MARKET I’VE BEEN ACHING TO GO TO. APPARENTLY MONSOON SEASON IS HERE 3 WEEKS EARLY THIS YEAR. (LUCKY ME!) SINCE IT RAINED ALL DAY ON SUNDAY, MY FRIENDS AND I WERE NOT ABLE TO GO TO DILLI HAAT, SO WE OPTED FOR A RELAXED MOVIE AT THE MALL INSTEAD. WE DECIDED TO GO TO THE MALL A BIT EARLY AND BROWSE/SHOP UNTIL THE MOVIE. AFTER HAVING TO PAY AN OUTRAGEOUS PRICE FOR A RICKSHAW – THEY WERE TOTALLY WORKING ME OVER BECAUSE I WAS STANDING IN THE RAIN AND THEY KNEW THEY COULD – I WAS IN A RICKSHAW ACCIDENT. DON’T FREAK, I’M FINE; HOWEVER, IT DID SHAKE ME UP QUITE A BIT. (ENOUGH THAT I CALLED HANKO AT APPROX. 3AM U.S. TIME TO FIGURE OUT IF I NEEDED TO GET CHECKED OUT FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES.) BASICALLY, MY RICKSHAW (REMEMBER, ABOUT AS STURDY AS A GOLF CART) WAS SLAMMED IN THE BACK BY A VAN. OK, MAYBE SLAMMED IS A BIT STRONG, BUT IT WAS HARD ENOUGH TO KNOCK US INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF US, AND I BELIEVE HIM INTO THE GUY IN FRONT OF HIM. WELL, IMMEDIATELY MY DRIVER JUMPED OUT AND RAN UP TO THE VAN TO BEGIN A VERBAL LASHING OF THE DRIVER. LUCKY FOR ME, WE WERE OUTSIDE THE MALL I WAS GOING TO – I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO AND A CROWD WAS STARTING TO GATHER (NO ONE SPOKE ENGLISH OF COURSE), SO I WENT UP TO MY DRIVER (WHO WAS STILL YELLING) PUSHED MY MONEY INTO HIS HAND AND WALKED TO THE MALL ENTRANCE. AFTER TALKING TO HANK A BIT, MY FRIENDS GOT TO THE MALL AND I CALMED DOWN AND WAS OK FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. WE DECIDED THAT I SHOULD ONLY GO TO THE HOSPITAL IF I BECAME SORE (MAYBE THE NEXT DAY). I MEAN, REALLY I WAS FINE – DIDN’T EVEN HIT THE SEAT IN FRONT OF ME.

ONCE I FINALLY MADE IT INSIDE THE MALL AND BEGAN SHOPPING WITH MY FRIENDS I FOUND THE SCARF THAT SAVED MY TRIP!

PICTURES OF SAID SCARF BELOW:

NOW, THE PICTURES DO NOT DO IT JUSTICE. THIS SCARF IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COLOR I HAVE SEEN SINCE I GOT TO INDIA. IT IS A GORGEOUS AQUA GREEN/BLUE, AND IT HAS LITTLE TINY RHINESTONES SPACED THROUGHOUT THE FABRIC (WHICH REFLECT THE LIGHT). I PASSED IT NO LESS THAN 5 TIMES – TRYING TO RESIST THE PURCHASE. (THE TAG HAD A NUMBER I CALCULATED TO BE EQUIVALENT TO ALMOST $50 U.S. – A BIT OUT OF MY BUDGET FOR A SCARF!) AFTER TRYING ON A FEW TOPS THAT DIDN’T FIT RIGHT, I DECIDED I COULDN’T RESIST THE SCARF ANYMORE!!! I DECIDED TO BUY IT! WHEN I GOT TO THE COUNTER AND REACHED FOR MY CREDIT CARD…IT WAS GONE! NOT ONLY MY CREDIT CARD – MY ENTIRE MONEY BELT! AFTER A MOMENT OF PANIC, I REMEMBERED THAT I’D TAKEN IT OFF IN THE DRESSING ROOM (A MAJOR NO-NO) WHEN I WAS TRYING ON A FORM-FITTING TOP. LIKE A FLASH, I WAS OFF! I RAN BACK TO THAT DRESSING ROOM SO FAST, THEY MUST HAVE THOUGHT MY PANTS WERE ON FIRE! LUCKILY, IN INDIA, PEOPLE DO NOT PUT THE CLOTHES THEY’VE TRIED ON BACK ON THE HANGERS OR THE RACK. INSTEAD, THEY JUST LEAVE THEM IN A PILE IN THE DRESSING ROOM. THANKFULLY, MY MONEY BELT WAS IN THE DRESSING ROOM – UNDER A PILE OF DISCARDED CLOTHES! I WAS SOOO RELIEVED! MY MONEY BELT HAS MY PASSPORT, INDIAN VISA, CREDIT CARDS, AND MEDICAL INSURANCE INFO. (JUST TO LIST A FEW OF THE THINGS!) ANYWAY, MY FRIEND SAID “GOOD THING YOU DECIDED TO BUY THAT SCARF AFTER ALL, OR YOU WOULDN’T HAVE EVEN KNOWN IT WAS MISSING!” SHE WAS SO RIGHT – AWESOME SCARF! (ON A SECOND HAPPY NOTE, THE SCARF WAS LESS THAN $5 U.S. – APPARENTLY THE NUMBERS ON THE HANDWRITTEN TAG WERE SOME SORT OF CODE TO TYPE IN AT THE REGISTER. I LOVE THIS SCARF!)

AFTER THAT FIASCO, WE DISCOVERED THAT THE MOVIE WE’D GONE TO THE MALL TO SEE, “THE HAPPENING,” WAS ACTUALLY SOLD OUT! AFTER ALL MY “ADVENTURES” I DIDN’T EVEN GET TO SEE IT! WE SHOULD HAVE PREDICTED THE SELL-OUT THOUGH – THIS WAS OPENING WEEKEND FOR AN AMERICAN MOVIE – A MOVIE DIRECTED BY M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN. (AN INDIAN DIRECTOR) – PERFECT CONDITIONS FOR A SELL-OUT IN NEW DELHI!

AS FOR MY RETURN TRIP: AFTER HAVING TO PRACTICALLY BEG MY WAY INTO A RICKSHAW – APPARENTLY NO ONE WANTED TO GO MY DIRECTION – I FINALLY MADE IT BACK TO MY APARTMENT – VOWING NEVER AGAIN TO LEAVE! (AT LEAST TILL MORNING!)

SO, YOU KNOW HOW I TOLD YOU I’VE BEEN LEARNING A LOT AT MY JOB? WELL, I’VE ACTUALLY BEEN STUDYING SOME HINDI TOO - SO THIS NEXT PART WILL BE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON:
दोन'टी यू थिंक आईटी इस फुन्न्य ठाट थिस प्रोग्राम विल कनवर्ट यौर वोर्ड्स इन्तो हिन्दी? हाउ फ्रेअकिन' अवेसोमे इस ठाट?! लुक्क्य फॉर मी नो ओनेरीडिंग थिस ब्लॉग इस अबले टू रीड हिन्दी, और थे मिघ्त क्नो ठाट इ ऍमल्यिंग टू थेम अबाउट माय अबिलितिएस!

OK, YOU COULDN’T HAVE POSSIBLY BELIEVED THAT, RIGHT?! (THAT IS A NEAT FEATURE THAT THE BLOG PROGRAM HAS WHEN YOU SIGN ONTO THE INTERNET FROM AN INDIAN WEB CONNECTION.)

HERE ARE A FEW THINGS I’VE (ACTUALLY) LEARNED IN MY 3 WEEKS IN INDIA:
1.) TOO MANY PEOPLE MAKES THE POWER GO OUT DAILY – OFTEN MULTIPLE TIMES (FROM CIRCUIT OVERLOAD) – BUT YOU LEARN TO DEAL.
2.) “CLEAN” IS A RELATIVE TERM – JUST BECAUSE YOU’VE WORN THAT SHIRT 4 TIMES DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN IT’S DIRTY (BESIDES – YOU HAVE TO ASK HOW MUCH A DIP IN A DIRTY BUCKET WILL HELP IT!)
3.) ON A PERSONAL NOTE: I AM STRONGER AND MORE CAPABLE THAN I EVER THOUGHT. (HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A NOTE HERE THAT GIVEN THE CHOICE I STILL PREFER BEING PAMPERED TO BEING STRONG!)