Today was my first time really venturing away from the hotel area. The main purpose was to get a phone, but it was nice to get out... yesterday I was stir crazy! I walked about 1.5 kilometers (everything is in km here, so I'm starting to get used to it) to the closest metro stop. A couple of things I learned while getting on the metro...
1. Indian's have no concept of personal space. I was standing in line to get my token on the metro and the guy behind me was practically giving me a hug. Luckily he spoke english and he helped me figure out how the whole system works. They also have no concept of single file lines. In the US we would stand in lines for things like metro tickets and food at mcdonalds... Not so in India. It's like a line cutting frenzy. People push and shove to get their way to the front. I've been pretty passive about it so it's taking me quite a while to get things when I stand in line.
2. Once I got off the stop and looked around I was in shock. There were about 4 malls right off the stop. All of them were 4 stories high and had everything you can imagine... food, upscale clothing stores, tons of cell phone places, and of course... the apple store. No ipad 2's though. I chose to eat at McDonalds on my shopping break. I swear I'm gonna be a super fatty by the time I'm done with this trip....
3. I ended up getting a phone at the nokia store. Yes, the nokia store. They are still very popular in india. I think they were popular in the states in 1999... I was sure, prior to this trip, that nokia ceased to exist... apparently not.
4. I traveled back to the hotel on the metro and the second time went much more smooth. On the way back there were some beggars outside the hotel. 3 little girls. I'm having a hard time with this... it's a lot more difficult than I thought I would be. They'll run toward you (especially americans) and grab at you and ask for money. This one little girl held my arm for 2 blocks saying something in hindi and holding out her hand. I'm getting to the point where I hide from them and run if they start running for me...
Time to rest after a long day in the heat... Btw, having tv shows on dvd is great for this trip. Modern family is saving me!
1. Indian's have no concept of personal space. I was standing in line to get my token on the metro and the guy behind me was practically giving me a hug. Luckily he spoke english and he helped me figure out how the whole system works. They also have no concept of single file lines. In the US we would stand in lines for things like metro tickets and food at mcdonalds... Not so in India. It's like a line cutting frenzy. People push and shove to get their way to the front. I've been pretty passive about it so it's taking me quite a while to get things when I stand in line.
2. Once I got off the stop and looked around I was in shock. There were about 4 malls right off the stop. All of them were 4 stories high and had everything you can imagine... food, upscale clothing stores, tons of cell phone places, and of course... the apple store. No ipad 2's though. I chose to eat at McDonalds on my shopping break. I swear I'm gonna be a super fatty by the time I'm done with this trip....
3. I ended up getting a phone at the nokia store. Yes, the nokia store. They are still very popular in india. I think they were popular in the states in 1999... I was sure, prior to this trip, that nokia ceased to exist... apparently not.
4. I traveled back to the hotel on the metro and the second time went much more smooth. On the way back there were some beggars outside the hotel. 3 little girls. I'm having a hard time with this... it's a lot more difficult than I thought I would be. They'll run toward you (especially americans) and grab at you and ask for money. This one little girl held my arm for 2 blocks saying something in hindi and holding out her hand. I'm getting to the point where I hide from them and run if they start running for me...
Time to rest after a long day in the heat... Btw, having tv shows on dvd is great for this trip. Modern family is saving me!
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