Bangalore, Day 6
I feel like I actually have things to write about today.
We went to lunch with the Bangalore writer manager and one of the project managers. We went to Mainland China and had a huge Indian-Chinese lunch. My travel-mate and I ate partially with chopsticks, unlike our Indian counterparts, which for some reason I find amusing. The food kept coming, more or less family-style, though we had all ordered our own dishes. Large bowls of rice, noodles, and stews. The waiters wouldn't let us serve ourselves, even though the dishes were on our table. They came over and served us from the bowls, not always at our request (though you could tell them no).
This, combined with the fact that it's hard to tell people 'no' (though this gets easier in this culture), meant that I ate two or three times more than I would have eaten on my own.
Then, we ordered-in chai and samosas for office snack time. (Have I mentioned that the chai here is heavenly? It is how chai is supposed to be, and every chai I've ever had in the States is sub-par. S has said, I think, that she'll tell me how to make it. She is a tech writer, so her instructions should be good.)
Our goodbyes were long, although I will see 2-3 of my Bangalore teammates tomorrow as we tour Mysore. As when I left Germany, I refuse to think that I may never see any of these people again. It is too heartbreaking.
After work, my travel-mate and I headed straight to Commercial Street. Our first day here, we went there with K and S. Today, we went alone. We know how to bargain now, at least enough to remove the invisible tax that comes with our nationality. We know a good deal when we see one, and we know a bad deal when we see one. We know what we are looking for, and we know what kind of shops might have it.
I am happy now with everything I have bought. There are still a few things that would have been nice to procure. But I was only here a week, which is just long enough to learn how to shop. That said, I have piles of things now both to give and to keep, and I just hope they fit into all my luggage. I'm not too worried.
Speaking of shopping, I continue to be struck by the materialism of this country. The emphasis on buying things and the wealth necessary to do so. Shopping, shopping, shopping. Buying, buying, buying. The United States does not match this constant obsession. In the Uber car, I listened to the radio as the DJ proclaimed her excitement of India's upcoming independence day. She and the station wanted to celebrate the people responsible for building the independence of India after the event occurred.
Who were those people? The 'brands.' And as far as I can tell by the context, that's what she meant--she highlighted how they had helped the Indian economy. (There are several technically English words here that one must decipher through context because of the British aspect and the evolution in language since the British governed.)
As much as we might be proud of our economy, and as consumeristic as the US is, it is not this flagrant. We would be celebrating philosophers and politicians, and maybe also the "common man" who has pursued the American dream and in so doing brought prosperity to America.
In the US, we strive for money so that we can live a life of leisure and never have to work.
In India, they strive for money so that they can spend money. I read stories on Quora, which has consistently showed me Indian stories since I became a user. But now that I am in India, it almost entirely provides me with stories of Indian culture. I read of their arranged marriages (some good, some bad) and their mother-in-laws (some good, some bad), mostly, and I am fascinated by the emphasis on income in the context of engagement. For shopping.
I don't know what it means. And maybe this atmosphere is more prevalent now because today (and this weekend) is the celebration of Lakshmi, goddesss of wealth. Flowers everywhere and even more beautiful saris. I even saw a cow all dressed up while we were driving! (I see cows frequently, but this was the first one I'd seen with a person, and the first one I'd seen all decked out in festival finery.) Incense burning and increased traffic at seemingly all the Hindu temples (though that can't possibly be true since it's just one of the many gods).
My writer friends are arriving by 6:30am. So I will sign off now and actually start heading to sleep.
We went to lunch with the Bangalore writer manager and one of the project managers. We went to Mainland China and had a huge Indian-Chinese lunch. My travel-mate and I ate partially with chopsticks, unlike our Indian counterparts, which for some reason I find amusing. The food kept coming, more or less family-style, though we had all ordered our own dishes. Large bowls of rice, noodles, and stews. The waiters wouldn't let us serve ourselves, even though the dishes were on our table. They came over and served us from the bowls, not always at our request (though you could tell them no).
This, combined with the fact that it's hard to tell people 'no' (though this gets easier in this culture), meant that I ate two or three times more than I would have eaten on my own.
Then, we ordered-in chai and samosas for office snack time. (Have I mentioned that the chai here is heavenly? It is how chai is supposed to be, and every chai I've ever had in the States is sub-par. S has said, I think, that she'll tell me how to make it. She is a tech writer, so her instructions should be good.)
Our goodbyes were long, although I will see 2-3 of my Bangalore teammates tomorrow as we tour Mysore. As when I left Germany, I refuse to think that I may never see any of these people again. It is too heartbreaking.
After work, my travel-mate and I headed straight to Commercial Street. Our first day here, we went there with K and S. Today, we went alone. We know how to bargain now, at least enough to remove the invisible tax that comes with our nationality. We know a good deal when we see one, and we know a bad deal when we see one. We know what we are looking for, and we know what kind of shops might have it.
I am happy now with everything I have bought. There are still a few things that would have been nice to procure. But I was only here a week, which is just long enough to learn how to shop. That said, I have piles of things now both to give and to keep, and I just hope they fit into all my luggage. I'm not too worried.
Speaking of shopping, I continue to be struck by the materialism of this country. The emphasis on buying things and the wealth necessary to do so. Shopping, shopping, shopping. Buying, buying, buying. The United States does not match this constant obsession. In the Uber car, I listened to the radio as the DJ proclaimed her excitement of India's upcoming independence day. She and the station wanted to celebrate the people responsible for building the independence of India after the event occurred.
Who were those people? The 'brands.' And as far as I can tell by the context, that's what she meant--she highlighted how they had helped the Indian economy. (There are several technically English words here that one must decipher through context because of the British aspect and the evolution in language since the British governed.)
As much as we might be proud of our economy, and as consumeristic as the US is, it is not this flagrant. We would be celebrating philosophers and politicians, and maybe also the "common man" who has pursued the American dream and in so doing brought prosperity to America.
In the US, we strive for money so that we can live a life of leisure and never have to work.
In India, they strive for money so that they can spend money. I read stories on Quora, which has consistently showed me Indian stories since I became a user. But now that I am in India, it almost entirely provides me with stories of Indian culture. I read of their arranged marriages (some good, some bad) and their mother-in-laws (some good, some bad), mostly, and I am fascinated by the emphasis on income in the context of engagement. For shopping.
I don't know what it means. And maybe this atmosphere is more prevalent now because today (and this weekend) is the celebration of Lakshmi, goddesss of wealth. Flowers everywhere and even more beautiful saris. I even saw a cow all dressed up while we were driving! (I see cows frequently, but this was the first one I'd seen with a person, and the first one I'd seen all decked out in festival finery.) Incense burning and increased traffic at seemingly all the Hindu temples (though that can't possibly be true since it's just one of the many gods).
My writer friends are arriving by 6:30am. So I will sign off now and actually start heading to sleep.
.png)
Comments
Post a Comment