1:25 (writing this on 07/10)
After an hour of shopping, the heat got to me. I no longer felt excited to shop. Instead, I felt relentless and in desperate need of cool water and shade. Aside from those complaints, I have two good stories. First, one guy tried selling me fake ray bands for Rs. 500 ($7.50). And, I was like no, sorry can't afford it. Then, he bumped it down to Rs. 200, and I came close to buying the shade. However, the white-out-stamped ray bands sign on the edge of the left shade was very noticeable. I tried scratching it off, and then he tried scratching it off with me! If the shades did not say "raybands", I would have certainly bought it. I just couldn't stop laughing at his effort to take out the sign with me. Second, Alex, Casey and I walked through this alley filled with vendors that sold bangles. As we walked through the alley, the vendors slowly stood one at a time and called us "madaam" and persuaded us to stop by their shop. They literally said madaam so many times that it sounded like a song to me. I extremely love their persistence to see their items.
Then, we went back to car and drove to Paradise for dinner. I was no longer in charge of "womanning" the radio (thank God because I got sick of my music), and I spent majority of the long car ride talking to Casey about religion. She truly enlightened me with her open-minded global view about religion, and she even listened to my own opinions. Exchanging information though conversations is the number one way that I am learning about EVERYTHING in this internship.
Since many of us did not really feel exhausted, we decided to spend a longer time in Hitech-city. We walked through the Buddha temple and into the park. Blake, Rebecca and I even went to the "Rotating Tower". At first, we thought that the ride was beyond scary, but it was actually the opposite! The ride just brought us to the top in a circular fashion with very little thrill. Then, we just took a tour around the park, and headed back to ICRISAT.
Overwhelming. I slept until 11, and actually got up at 12 (a very typical Sunday). Unfortunately, I had no time to go to Church because I really needed to sleep in to get some rest.
The day started out slowly as I took my time to get up and get ready. Apparently, some of the interns were planning a day trip to the city. Although I felt tired from the 4th of July festivities, I knew that I cannot let any opportunity to visit the city slip through my hands. And, I am certainly glad that I went out!
During the entire car ride to Charminar, I played my slaps. Having the group sing along my #preshtillion playlist on Spotify is one of my many highlights of the day (shoutout to Mara for helping me make that)!
The drive to Charminar was honestly very horrible. Why? Well, the AC was not working, the place was overcrowded because of Ramadan, and the traffics was insane. We were moving at less than 1 mile/hour at one point... Nonetheless, we got there and shopped till we dropped.
After an hour of shopping, the heat got to me. I no longer felt excited to shop. Instead, I felt relentless and in desperate need of cool water and shade. Aside from those complaints, I have two good stories. First, one guy tried selling me fake ray bands for Rs. 500 ($7.50). And, I was like no, sorry can't afford it. Then, he bumped it down to Rs. 200, and I came close to buying the shade. However, the white-out-stamped ray bands sign on the edge of the left shade was very noticeable. I tried scratching it off, and then he tried scratching it off with me! If the shades did not say "raybands", I would have certainly bought it. I just couldn't stop laughing at his effort to take out the sign with me. Second, Alex, Casey and I walked through this alley filled with vendors that sold bangles. As we walked through the alley, the vendors slowly stood one at a time and called us "madaam" and persuaded us to stop by their shop. They literally said madaam so many times that it sounded like a song to me. I extremely love their persistence to see their items.
After my crazy shopping experiences, half of our group went to a cafe that sold fresh bakeries and chai. I love Indian tea (and if you know me well, I hate tea) and fresh biscuits. The flavors of those two foods combined soothe my body, and made my tired spirit become content and jubilant. Food can really make the world go round!
Then, we went back to car and drove to Paradise for dinner. I was no longer in charge of "womanning" the radio (thank God because I got sick of my music), and I spent majority of the long car ride talking to Casey about religion. She truly enlightened me with her open-minded global view about religion, and she even listened to my own opinions. Exchanging information though conversations is the number one way that I am learning about EVERYTHING in this internship.
Eating at Paradise for the second time did not have the same appetizing impression for me. I still love the food, don't get me wrong about that! However, the Biryani did not taste as great, and same with the naan! But, I ate the Halaal, and that was the best part about the dinner. The food just melted in my mouth, and once again, I felt happy. Good vibes, good food, and good conversations make me happy!
Since many of us did not really feel exhausted, we decided to spend a longer time in Hitech-city. We walked through the Buddha temple and into the park. Blake, Rebecca and I even went to the "Rotating Tower". At first, we thought that the ride was beyond scary, but it was actually the opposite! The ride just brought us to the top in a circular fashion with very little thrill. Then, we just took a tour around the park, and headed back to ICRISAT.
Random fact: I bought the driver's aux cord, so I can play my slaps in the fitness center. I BOUGHT MY FIRST AUX cord in India! It's not a big deal, but it just has a nice ring to it!
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