A Few Things About India...Please Remove Your Footwear Before Reading this Post

The internet has gone away from our dorm. I saw this at first as a minor setback, but now that I've heard it will probably be over a month before we get internet access again I see it more as a big reminder never to take efficiency for granted ever again. To use the internet now I must carry my computer along for the 15-20 minute bike-ride to the library where the connection is kind of questionable...this means I probably can't Skype with anyone for a while...but you could call me at 0091.965.200.9368 if you would like. Just remember the 13.5 hour time difference.

There are a great many oddities that one encounters living here, but now that a month and a half has gone by I hardly notice anymore. The internet vanishing for a month seems quite routine, the freezing showers no longer phase me, nor does my daily near-death experience on my bike. There are a few little things that I've been waiting to share about daily life in Hyderabad so I thought I'd compile them into one post.

1. CHAI
Chai, in Hindi, just means "tea," so the word can refer from anything from Earl Grey to Peppermint to Sleepy-time Chamomile. It usually goes without saying, however, that chai refers to masala chai, or "spice tea." This is similar to, but not the same as the "chai" that one would drink in the USA. Are you following? Masala chai, I gather, is about one part black tea, one part cardamom and other spices, three parts milk, and ten parts sugar. 2 Rupees (4 cents) will buy you a shot-glass sized portion of the Indian nectar of life. This seems small, but in an ounce of masala chai there is about three days worth of sugar, so it's still a good little jolt. To fit in in India, one must drink chai about eleven times a day. Luckily, like Starbucks in the USA, you are never out of walking distance from a chai wallah.

2. Garbage Cans
Trash recepticles are few and far between in India. On the very rare occasion that you do come across a "Dust Bin," they are often cleverly disguised as a cuddly animal. I have seen garbage bears, garbage penguins, garbage monkeys, and garbage bunnies, but no garbage cans. The critters' cuteness is perhaps meant to be welcoming and encouraging to the idea of clean trash disposal, but don't be fooled--the menagerie of waste generally scolds you with a moralistic message about trash disposal like "Cleanliness is next to Godliness," or "Cleanliness is the symbol of civilization."



3. STD's
Phone booths in India are called STD booths. This probably does not stand for Sexually Transmitted Disease, but that doesn't mean that I can't burst into giggles every time I see a public telephone.









4. Doors
I have yet to see a single door in India with an actual latch. They all have bathroom stall style bolts on both sides of the door like this. This is not a problem unless you forget that someone is in the room that you've just exited and you bolt the door from the outside as you leave locking them inside until their knocks are heard. This has not necessarily happened to anyone I know...





5. Dogs
Even more common than cows or monkeys are stray dogs. They're a constant part of the scenery. 50% are adorable and 50% are tragic and disgusting. Either way you probably shouldn't touch them if you don't want fleas or rabies. The best quote I have heard in India thusfar came from my history professor, who, in the middle of lecture the other day stopped, looked to the back of the room and said flatly, "There is a dog which is wishing to make an entry." We all turned around, and indeed a spotted, confused dog was standing in the doorway of the classroom wishing to make an entry. He was shooed away and class resumed.

6. Indian Music
The sounds of Indian music are inescapable. Every bus, car, store, or passer-by is a source of sound. Music-player cell phones seem to be very popular and people walk around with them playing music from their pockets so that each person you pass is surrounded by an aura of Bollywood sounds. Catchy-sounding cell phones are in fact so important that even the cheap, barely-functional cell phones that our abroad program provided us with came built-in with Bollywood ringtones. CLICK HERE to experience the fine song that I answer to.