Today is placement test day at AIIS. We just finished our reading and listening proficiency tests. Soon we will find out if we are in the Intermediate or Advanced class for the summer.
Yesterday I met my host family for the first time. My host parents are Bipin and Vandana Sharma, a retired government worker and a primary school teacher, respectively. Their home is gorgeous. They have a 25 year old daughter named Madhulika who is a fashion designer and a son named Rohit who lives in Mumbai. They've also got a huge and love able German Shepherd named Eddy.
There's a lot to get used to living in the Sharma household. The family has a full time maid/cook named Joti. She lives in a guest house out back with her small son. I know that live-in help is the norm for middle and upper class Indians but it is still extremely strange for me to not carry my own bags, get my own food, or clean up after myself. I also have to get used to limiting my electricity use, eating Indian food, eating with my right hand, and hand washing my laundry (my host family hires a dhobi aka washerman, but that's so strange to me and I don't want to pay for laundry).
My room is absolutely perfect, I will include pictures.
My upcoming missions are finding Indian clothes, getting Internet to use at home, and finding a walking route to get home after school.
Some more India observations:
Super huge bed. I'm spoiled.
These paper elephants are awesome and I want to make some of my own for the apartment this fall.
My room is on the roof all by itself, and I have a great view from the rooftop.
Madhulika painted some positive affirmations on her bedroom mirror and I love them <3
Yesterday I met my host family for the first time. My host parents are Bipin and Vandana Sharma, a retired government worker and a primary school teacher, respectively. Their home is gorgeous. They have a 25 year old daughter named Madhulika who is a fashion designer and a son named Rohit who lives in Mumbai. They've also got a huge and love able German Shepherd named Eddy.
There's a lot to get used to living in the Sharma household. The family has a full time maid/cook named Joti. She lives in a guest house out back with her small son. I know that live-in help is the norm for middle and upper class Indians but it is still extremely strange for me to not carry my own bags, get my own food, or clean up after myself. I also have to get used to limiting my electricity use, eating Indian food, eating with my right hand, and hand washing my laundry (my host family hires a dhobi aka washerman, but that's so strange to me and I don't want to pay for laundry).
My room is absolutely perfect, I will include pictures.
My upcoming missions are finding Indian clothes, getting Internet to use at home, and finding a walking route to get home after school.
Some more India observations:
- Chai is absolutely delicious, and we have it all the time at home. It's milky and spicy and kind of sweet. It reminds me of hot chocolate.
- Everyone knows that the Nazi swastika is a backwards version of a Hindu symbol, but I did not expect to see it everywhere here. It's painted on auto rickshaws and other things, including my host father's car. Also seen everywhere is elephant images. I actually like vey close to Ganesh Mandir, the temple of the elephant-faced Hindu god.
- I rode in an auto rickshaw for he first time today, arranged by my host father. It's mostly open, very light and bumpy. It doesn't feel like it should be in an actual street. It feels like an amusement park ride. Fortunately, it's fairly cheap transportation, and much nicer than walking all the way to school in the morning. I think I'll walk home in the evenings though/ I'm to scared to call my own rickshaw and I could use the exercise anyway.
Pictures of my host home:
Desk area in my room.
It's Madhulika's old room, so there is fashion design stuff everywhere!
We should make a fake shockwire for the apartment bathroom, to go along with the paper elephants...
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