I've finished with my training in the city, and arrived in my final destination. The picture on the left is the street right in front of where we had training. I've already gotten sick, so that's out of the way. :) I've leaned how to ride a rickshaw, metro, and a taxi, how to shop for salwaars, and so many other things!
The clothes that we wear are called salwaar's and the shirts go to our knees with slits up the side to our waists. Our sleeves can be anywhere from short sleeved to full sleeved, but no sleeveless. We wear super baggy pants that remind me of Aladdin, and a dupata (which is a long scarf) over our front, draping to the back .
The rickshaws we ride in are either pulled by bikes or called autos, which are like 3 wheeled buggies; I felt like I was on an amusement park ride! The Metro was like the subway, but it went above the city, and we rode during rush hour, so it was completely packed - crammed in from side to side, there was absolutely no room for anyone and then 5 more people would come in - great times! The cabs are the most American-Esq mode of transportation, but I've never taken a cab in the states. So, now I'm learning in meters and a whole new money system! Its great fun though, especially the autos. The autos in my state seem a lot cuter!
When I first got to the city, they warned us about people who would take advantage of us, so I became very defensive, and every time I went out I was looking to see who was around, holding everything in front of me, and really not trusting anyone. After spending a few days out and about however, I've learned that there are some people I can trust and some that I can't, just like in the states. I just have to look through a little bit different lens. Once I did that though, I was able to have a lot more fun being out in the culture. The picture to the right is of our last night, eating at an "all-veg" restaurant where nobody spoke English. That last night was a blast; I bought a purse and some chocolates...it was just a lot more fun and felt a bit like home finally. It was good, and then I left.
So I've just arrived at my new home, and now I'm off to the village for my home-stay!