Yesterday was day three of orientation. This meant a three hour Hindi language class and a Bollywood movie. So if I ever need to comment on the temperature of the tea, I'm all set! (Chai garam hai. The tea is hot.) I am also now a pro at introducing myself. (Mera naam Brandy!)
The Bollywood movie followed the plot of every other Bollywood movie I've seen. Boy meets girl, boy and girl can't be together, singing and dancing ensue and they all live happily ever after! Sometimes there's elephants! There were no elephants in the movie we saw and I missed all the apparently witty dialog (but totally knew when they had some hot tea!), but I really enjoyed it none the less. Even not understanding the language, it was a sweet story.
The Bollywood movie followed the plot of every other Bollywood movie I've seen. Boy meets girl, boy and girl can't be together, singing and dancing ensue and they all live happily ever after! Sometimes there's elephants! There were no elephants in the movie we saw and I missed all the apparently witty dialog (but totally knew when they had some hot tea!), but I really enjoyed it none the less. Even not understanding the language, it was a sweet story.
After the movie, we still had most of the day, so eight of us decided to check out the old market. There is a little market near us, but the one we went to was a full on, epically big, crowded, smelly, bustling market. We stayed and hour and I think everyone was overwhelmed and ready to leave.
There were pedestrians, cars, tuk tuks (little open vehicles), motor bikes, donkeys and the occasional cow all fighting for space. The vendors carefully swept piles of garbage into the middle of the street and set fire to it. The sounds of traffic and people was incredible. I wasn't brave enough to try bartering, so instead we just walked and looked.
There were pedestrians, cars, tuk tuks (little open vehicles), motor bikes, donkeys and the occasional cow all fighting for space. The vendors carefully swept piles of garbage into the middle of the street and set fire to it. The sounds of traffic and people was incredible. I wasn't brave enough to try bartering, so instead we just walked and looked.
After the excitement of the market we got home and started to get ready for dinner.
The owner of the house we are staying in is an enchanting woman named Sarita. She is full of charm and generosity. She claims IVHQ changed her life and gave her wings to be free by sending her volunteers that enable her to make a living for her family.. The amount of kindness she shows to each of us, getting us special foods and shuttling us around is humbling. She openly shares everything she has.
On Tuesday her son passed his high school exams, which means he is able to attend university to become an engineer. She was bursting with pride and invited the entire house out for dinner with her family to celebrate. Then, as we were getting ready, she came rushing it with armloads of bangles and bindi dots (forehead decorations) for the girls, so we could all get into the spirit of the culture.
The owner of the house we are staying in is an enchanting woman named Sarita. She is full of charm and generosity. She claims IVHQ changed her life and gave her wings to be free by sending her volunteers that enable her to make a living for her family.. The amount of kindness she shows to each of us, getting us special foods and shuttling us around is humbling. She openly shares everything she has.
On Tuesday her son passed his high school exams, which means he is able to attend university to become an engineer. She was bursting with pride and invited the entire house out for dinner with her family to celebrate. Then, as we were getting ready, she came rushing it with armloads of bangles and bindi dots (forehead decorations) for the girls, so we could all get into the spirit of the culture.