Indian English

This post is LONG overdue - I hope I won't have to say that for every subsequent post I write.

LSAT is over, finally. Let's hope I won't have to take the exam again (though I think that's pretty much a given).

So since I wrote last there's been a lot of strange/cool/funny/crazy things that have made this trip to India a constant adventure. I'm no longer living in Chandigarh with my grandparents but have now made my way to Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, where I'm just starting to maneuver my way around a hectic and completely unfamiliar work environment.

It's weird that I keep having experiences that I think have made me the strongest I can be, and then right away I'm shoved into more experiences that test the comfort zone that I've rebuilt for myself, again and again. For instance, last year after figuring out how to operate public transport in Kenya and traveling across cities by myself, I really thought 'you know what, I can do anything.' Still, the moment I am given the opportunity to take a public bus in the traffic-filled city of Ahmedabad, all I can do is try and find a way out.

That being said, I think I was pretty courageous when confronted with the do-or-die scenario that was presented to me after my first day of work yesterday. Okay, I'm exaggerating. But the whole idea of taking the bus got me a little worried once I got myself to the bus stand and didn't even have a clue which side of the bus I was to enter from.   Thank god, once I arrived at the stand there was a girl sitting there, about my age, who was more than willing to help. We became good friends in the 2 hour period that we spent together.  She told me stories about herself, her friends, her school and her life. I did the same. She asked me how I get my hair to be so curly and I told her I envied the fact that hers was so straight; she asked me if her newly tailored outfit was pretty and told me that my Hindi was pretty good. That made me smile. After a long, crowded and sweaty ride, she directed me to my stop - after which I had to orient myself and eventually found my way home, thank goodness. I was so thankful that I met her - this really small chirpy 20 year old, who had lost her parents and her brother in an earthquake when she was in 4th grade; who was living with less-than-pleasant  relatives; who had big dreams of going abroad to study, and who really wanted some excitement out of life.  It's true what they say, the people you meet really do shape you in ways you never thought possible. I hope I get to meet her again soon.

So that's been my Ahmedabad adventure story to date. Along with buying a traditional Gujarati lehnga for Garba festivities on the last night of Navratri and going on a really cool heritage walk of the Old City,  my first day on the job was good. I'll update you on the rest once I find a routine for myself and once I figure out where i'll be living near my work. At the moment I'm staying with my cousin which has been it's own fun. It might be interesting to explore being completely independent though. I might get lonely. But that's what online TV and blog posts are for - provided I have reliable internet, of course.

I have some other less immediate, but equally fun and funny stories from Chandigarh and Delhi, if you're interested.

First off, you know you're in India when you go to the bakery and as you're paying the guy for a piece of cake he is simultaneously updating his Shaadi.com profile. For those of you not familiar with Shaadi.com, google it. It's the path we Indians created towards true love. I swear I had to quickly grab my cake and go so I didn't become this cashier's new eligible bachelorette.

While in Chandigarh too, I learned a new word - a new concept, if you will. I received a text message regarding my flight information from Ahmedabad to Delhi informing me that my flight had been 'preponed' fifteen minutes. Now, this word, prepone, was a little strange to me so I googled it.  This is what dictionary.com told me:

— vb
	( Indian ) to bring forward to an earlier time

Apparently it's a very common word used in India - and it makes a lot of sense! When I discussed it with family members, they'd ask me what we would say in Canada to convey this concept. Ummmmm.... 'the meeting was scheduled earlier than planned'? That's a mouthful when compared to the word prepone that's for sure. And since learning this word I've heard so many people using it. Pretty awesome discovery, I have to say. Although I'm not sure how easily my Canadian friends will catch on. Either way, it's going to be pretty hard to get out of the head bobbing and the Indian English once I come back home.

Some other experiences I can share with you before I take my next blog updating hiatus:

a) My grandparents are pro cockroach killers. When it's almost midnight and they are together violently swatting at the millions of cockroaches that call the kitchen their home, you can officially call them 'cool'.

b) I went to a sheesha bar in Chandigarh a few weeks ago and to my surprise I was the only girl there. I guess others were even more surprised, because I got a few camera phones pointed directly at me.

c) Even though I have some exposure to the differences in organization and punctuality that characterize Indian versus Canadian culture (notice how nicely I articulated that), nothing could have prepared me for the annual inauguration function of first year Bio-chemistry students at Punjab University. It started two hours late, and louder than those performing were the seniors in the back howling, hooting, and shouting crude remarks like you wouldn't believe. If I were back home, I'd have given them some attitude. That being said, it was certainly interesting to observe how students express themselves at these kinds of events.

d) My brief stay in Delhi was amazing. In three days I started to develop a good relationship with my energetic 3 year old cousin Dheera, who speaks better English than I do; I took an early morning stroll in the beautiful Lodhi Gardens; I went shopping and I even got to see a wonderful performance of Kuchipudi (Classical dance from South India) in Delhi's Old Fort. I met some wonderful people and got a feel for Delhi as a city, which by the end of this trip I hope to make more time to do.

Okay so I think you might have just about had enough of this update. I'll provide you with others soon! Enjoy Thanksgiving weekend my fellow Canadians.