Tonight will be my second sleeping in my new room. I haven’t yet gotten a “dongle,” the tool I’ll use to get on the internet, so I thought I’d write a little. Um, first of all, do dongles exist in America? I’ve never heard of them before. They look like big flash drives, but you stick a SIM card in it and get data. It’s only 156 rupees for a GB. That’s like
$2.50. I could use a deal like that for my phone back home, geez.
My iPhone is my best friend here, which is ridiculous, because I can’t even do anything on it. I use it to check the time, take pictures, and play Spider Solitaire twenty times a day (that game is my retreat when things get too crazy).
I’ve been in India for *officially* one month, which flew by. It’s been really stressful. My time here has been eye-opening and life-changing, but I’ve been uncomfortable for almost all of it. India is a beautiful place, but my experience in Chandigarh hasn’t quite outweighed how hard I find functioning.
Also (and I realize how much of a Disney Princess problem this is) I haven’t been able to do anything by myself. At school in Missoula, I’m used to going on walks and grabbing coffee and perusing shops alone. I love being able to do exactly what I want to without having to consider anyone else. Here, everyone thinks I’m going to get attacked if I’m alone for 3 minutes.
I’ve spent my leisure time either on my computer, desperately grasping for outside social interaction, or in town with my grandparents (sometimes attending a theater event, but usually buying yogurt and crackers), which is an exhausting and infuriating experience for all three of us. Almost everything I do depends on the interests and energy of my grandparents, and in these situations, I have no control. I’ve spent hours now smiling at old people and telling them that I’m here to work with my grandfather’s project. DIR, it’s in Adarsh Nagar. No I’m not a doctor, I’m an art student back in the US. Oh, Montana. Yeah, it’s north, by the border to Canada. You’ve been to Seattle, that’s cool. Yes, I like India very much, I find it very exciting, I’m very excited to be here. It’s been pretty hot, though! Haha, yes, it’s a good thing I wasn’t here in August. Um, yeah, I like the food...
This is basically the only conversation I have.
So I’m turning over a new leaf by moving. We found this place through a property consultant that my grandpa thought was cheating me. There’s a very good chance he was, but this place is still super affordable.
My grandparents were appalled that food isn’t included in the rent. I can very easily pay for a tiffin service, in which homemade meals are delivered daily for 60 to 80 cents. I told my grandma I don’t mind paying for food (seriously, it’s so cheap). She said, “Well, STILL.”
Sigh.
I decided to ignore their negative opinions and move in. The atmosphere here is so incredible. I live on the third floor with five other girls - two to a room - with another pair living one floor down from us. They’re all post-grads who work at the local hospital, so they’re a bit older than me; the girl I share a room with is twenty-five.
I expected moving in to be awkward, like when you begin college and tiptoe around your dorm-mate for three weeks (not you, Becca). Perhaps it’s the age of my roommate in addition to her personality, but our dynamic is so comfortable. She’s not just friendly, but talkative and interested in discussing our cultures. It’s has made the transition very smooth.
So far, I’ve only met three girls living here. There’s my roommate, Sangeeta, a girl in the room next to ours, Savali, and a girl who lives in the room downstairs, Sruthi. They’ve all been incredibly welcoming.
I’m nervous about how happy I am. Like, something has to go wrong, right? My roommate won’t move her stuff in the bathroom. Maybe that’s it.
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