Friday I had Thai food for lunch. A wife of one of the teachers is Thai and she cooks for the teachers twice a week. The food was yummy :) ...especially the peanut sauce. I hope to get the recipe so I can make it when I return to the states...watch out Dad, Grandma, and Bryan! :)
The teacher next door gave us a ride to the bus terminal after school and we went to a place called "Cotton House" to go shopping. The store was very crowded and we didn't stay long. No purchases here today. Went to another store to get a few things, including the biscuits (like cookies) that they have in England. Now I'm in trouble...I got accustomed to eating these when I lived in England and now that I found them here I will be eating them all the time. They are equivalent to about 20-30 cents per package, so I can buy lots of them for a dollar...so much for losing a little weight before my sister's wedding in July. We also got toilet paper...I mention this because not all of the stores have it. The Indian bathrooms have a spray hose next to the toilet (see picture below taken of my mom's classroom bathroom) and I am told that many of the natives just hose themselves off, instead of using toilet paper...I am all for embracing the culture while I am here, but in this case, I think I will stick to toilet paper.
On Saturday morning I went with my mom again to her school. She was having a parent workshop and then we were going shopping afterwards. While my mom met with the parents, I walked up the street to a little "village"...well, it is called a village, but it is not what I pictured a village to look like. It is in the middle of the city that is an area (quite large) between two intersections that has several shops, etc. I wandered down the street observing the people and animals throughout the village.
It was very hot and sunny outside. As I was walking, I noticed that despite the intense sunlight, I don't see anyone wearing sunglasses...maybe this is a western culture thing.
The temples (check out the cow on the left side and goat on the right in the first picture below)...
The auto rickshaw...my preferred mode of transportation...
Brightly colored truck...
Indian people and animals in the village...
After the workshop, my mom and I went to meet another teacher (Kelly). The three of us then went to eat lunch. I wanted curry, but was told to avoid it because it would be too spicy. I settled for baked veggies. Then we were off to shop. Kelly loves to shop and her and my mom took me from place to place looking at skirts, tops, and material. I finally found material for two skirts and a top (which cost around $6) at a store that only sold material. We will take it to my mom's tailor one day soon.
My adventure in the auto rickshaw while we were traveling from one shopping area to the next involved stopping for gas. We were driving along and without notice we pulled into the gas station for gas. The driver never says anything when he makes these detours. This is very humorous to me, but I guess it might get aggravating after awhile. My mom says you just get used to it after awhile.
We drove by the beach...
Then we went to their "mall". I saw several people here in more "western" clothes, instead of the traditional Indian clothing. They had big department stores along with stands in the corridor. We shopped around some and then we went to see the "Magic Carpet Man"....who is this? ...well, my mom has bought several rugs since she has lived in India and she only buys them from the Magic Carpet Man. It was a lot of fun in his shop. We sat and he rolled out many, many "carpets". I remeber thinking that if the characters from the movie "Aladin" were real...then he would be one of them. I didn't buy anything from him today, but will be back to his shop before I leave India.
Inside the mall...
Our final site as we headed to the bus stop is below...after seeing this...maybe it is possible for me to live in India! :) For those of you who don't know, I love John Deere...if reminds me of growing up on the farm.
As you can see from the photo above I am starting to resemble a ripe tomato. Lesson for today...always wear sunscreen in India, even if you are used to the Florida sun. My mom told me this but I didn't listen. Lesson #2 for today...Mom knows best! :)
I'll write again soon...
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