DAY 14 - 14 Days Down, 52 to Go...

Yes, today I'm counting the days... not that I'm desperate to come home or anything, but the initial thrill of life here in Mysore is definitely wearing off now that I'm settling in. I'm tired of talking all day, tired of being dirty ALL THE TIME, and even the delicious food is getting old... seriously, I've had enough white rice, already.

The good news is, my jetlag is finally gone, my cold, too (mostly - I suspect that many people have respiratory problems the entire time they're here because the dust and pollution are so severe), and I've gotten used to the noise enough to sleep through the night.

Today I'm getting ready to move into my apartment, so I need to shop for supplies I haven't needed so far. I get Siddu, the rickshaw driver who took me sightseeing last weekend, to run me around town and wait while I shop. He takes me to More Department Store, where I hear I can get sheets, parks the rickshaw and kindly walks me to the door. I step in and am totally overwhelmed! Now keep in mind, I've been in India 2 weeks now, so I know when someone tells me there is a department store that it's entirely possible this will be a little place crammed with junk; I'm not expecting much. I walk into this place and WHOA, it's like a Target or Meijer or something, 4 floors of everything you can think of. Once again, I'm struck by the contrasts here in India: this city where all the garbage seems to be thrown on the ground and then piles of it are burned here and there, women sweep their doorsteps (and our floors) with what appear to be tree branches, cows and dogs and horses are wandering through the streets, and then suddenly I step into this giant, brightly lit department store that seems totally out of place! I stand in the entrance with my eyes wide and mouth open saying "Whoa... whoa... whoa" before I recall the India guidebooks saying you should try to appear as if you know what's going on and then I shut my mouth and start shopping. It's so bizarre here, bright and loud and they're blasting a strange mix of music throughout the store... first Indian music, then Nirvana, then some kind of trendy pop. I'm standing in the bedding area, dizzy from the bright lights and loud music, totally indecisive about what sheets to get, comparing all the patterns and checking the prices...should I buy the sheets that are prettier but cost 299 rupees or the nice enough ones at 199 rupees? I need to be mindful of my budget here! Then I remember that rupees are not dollars; these sheets will cost me about 5-6 bucks and I'll throw them away when I leave, so who cares?

I go from More to FabIndia to get a sunny yellow bedspread that will make a nice picnic blanket when I return home, and then to Loyal World, another grocery/drug store where I've heard I can get a bunch of stuff we have at home, like sunscreen and body lotion. By the time I'm done at these 3 places I'm exhausted! It's amazing the amount of energy it takes to do things around here. But I've still gotta go to my classes, then dinner, then finally it will be bedtime...