Places we’ve been:
1. Westview Apartments - Our oasis in the midst of finding a flat; John opened up his apartment so we could use the internet, phone, and comfy beds. Reshma had all her wait staff taking care of us.
2. Jogging Park - A fantastic place to go running and play Frisbee. It is one of the few green spots in the city and only a couple of minutes away from our flat. It will definitely help to keep Sara sane.
3. Veggie Stand - where we buy most of our fresh food and contains great treats like pineapple ($0.65), carrots (yes they have them here!), Indian oranges, and okra (aka ladyfingers).
4. Our Flat – A great location and relaxing spot for us. We play hours of cards and immerse ourselves in our many books (and textbooks for some).
5. River – We’ve loved being close to the water (though not as clean as one would hope). It is a beautiful and calming thing to walk and drive by.
Things we should have learned before coming to India:
1. How to negotiate a ricksaw for a fair price
2. One must register before they get an apartment
3. Nothing happens on time or quickly
4. How to do the Indian head nod (we’ll demonstrate what we’ve learned when we get back, Mike practices during our ricksaw rides)
5. Our English is not easily understood and not the same as Indian English
Ways to travel:
1. Auto Ricksaw – like a rollercoaster but off the tracks (mike thinks it is more like a go-kart)
2. Train – great scenery all the way and very spacious!
3. Cab – our first ride in India was in a “cab” that had all of our luggage (unattached) on top of the small vehicle on a small rack
4. Motorcycle – Mike and Andrew have experienced this a couple of times as passengers of people that work at the clinic (three to a motorcycle). Pune has the highest density of
motorcycles of all of India, and the streets are full of them.5. Walking – A lot is in walking distance and we take the opportunity every time it comes around. We’ve been exploring the area with walks, some beautiful some not.
Food we’ve eaten:
1. Paneer – Like tofu but with milk instead of soy, put in a lot of curries and other dishes
2. Dal – made of lentils, onions, tomatoes, and delicious spices; it is typically put over rice
3. Chipatti – whole wheat flour, water, and salt (can add onions or spices), and cooked on a skillet with a little oil; this flatbread is very thin and used in most traditional meals in place of the utensils
4. Porridge – We usually made oats for breakfast and they are always delicious, with a little milk and sugar it is hard to beat.
5. Fried Rice – We know it’s not Indian but Anne and Andrew made it two nights ago and it was heavenly. Rice is usually a staple in all we eat. There is even a shop down the street that sells fresh eggs (the live chickens stacked up in the back are also for sale).
Hassles we’ve experienced/experiencing:
1. Registration Office – Long lines, changed open times, and lack of communication: all fun parts of the process.
2. Finding a flat – false promises and dashed hopes left us desperate but it in the end it turned out better than even expected!
3. Making friends – We still don’t know how to solve this one. We have little normal contact with people our age. Our high hopes lie in our Frisbee (we played with multiple kids and grown men today) and slackline (the friend making machine).
4. Being stared at – It doesn’t matter where we go or what we are doing, we get stared at a lot. More for Anne and Sara, but we seem to be the show of the night wherever we go.
5. Being targeted for money – Many times we are quoted prices that are far higher just because we are foreigners. This was most evident in the search for an apartment, but luckily we had Reshma with us to make sure we didn’t lose any money (thanks reshma!). We’re starting to get a handle on how much we should be paying for things, but it’s a learning process.
Things we’ve brought:
1. Toilet Paper
2. Sheets
3. Books
4. Playthings (Frisbee, cards, and slackline)
5. Computers
Things we miss from the US (besides wonderful people):
1. an oven
2. peanut butter
3. good beer
4. cheese (Mike’s favorite)
5. quiet and order
It's been such fun following you! Thanks for this great posting. I'd send you cheese, peanut butter and beer if I could :). Jane
ReplyDelete