(Jan 27-28)
With a big sigh of relief, we landed at Delhi International, and for the first time we truly became the minority.
In Indian culture, staring at others is just a way of life, it's not considered rude. Well, let me clarify, if it's rude by their standards, it's also considered the norm - I'm not sure which.
So, as if we were zebras at the zoo, we had to quickly adjust, or at least try to. It truly is a celebrity-esque feeling when multiple people watch your every move throughout even the most mundane of tasks.
Mission #1: Find ice. This entire trip I had been carting around my oral anti-malarial medication. I started taking the pills only a few days before our departure, so I still had about 4-5 days to go, and the meds had to come with me. The bad thing is, they had to be refrigerated since they're a live vaccine. This little detail is largely important because without refrigeration the malaria bugs could proliferate and in return cause havoc in my system.
So althrough my travels, I had my pills on ice, and asked each round of stewardesses to put the container into their refrigerator. Humorously, on one flight, an attendant approached me and said, "Um, excuse me, but I have to ask you....I just saw what your pills are for. You don't have that disease do you?!" Well no, of course not. Those are just to make sure I don't end up with malaria during my adventures.
When we got to Delhi, I was officially out of ice. Paranoia was setting in to the point where I thought I could hear malaria growing inside of the bottle. I asked my comrades where I could get ice - and of course they don't know, none of us have EVER been to India.
I think we all found comfort in asking each other questions, even though we knew there was no answer to any of them. Question, after question, after question, we would always say "I don't know, it's my first time here too," until it became the comical answer to a rhetorical question.
FYI: If you ever need ice while in India, don't get your hopes up for finding it. The culture believes that taking in cold things will in return give you a cold. It's possible to find drinks that are cold - but only because they've been slightly chilled in refrigerator/cooler of some sort. But of course, who can you count on for all of you dining needs, no matter where you are in the world?
The golden arches of course!
The Delhi International Airport had a McDonald's, and I was able to get ice to keep my little malaria buddies in check.
While at the counter - I did happen to catch a glimpse of the menu: no beef in sight, and a few questionable items.
Although I must admit, the McAlooTikki & the McCurry pan weren't on the menu's I encountered at the 3-4 McD's I tried throughout the trip.
For more info, if you're interested you can find explanations of these interesting dishes. I didn't take pics of the Golden Arches myself, so I politely borrowed them from this website:
Ok, so back to the point - I got my ice, thank you, proceeded through the interesting security check, and waited for our domestic flight from Delhi to Chennai. Chennai, being a short 3 hour drive to our campus.
Namaste.
With a big sigh of relief, we landed at Delhi International, and for the first time we truly became the minority.
In Indian culture, staring at others is just a way of life, it's not considered rude. Well, let me clarify, if it's rude by their standards, it's also considered the norm - I'm not sure which.
So, as if we were zebras at the zoo, we had to quickly adjust, or at least try to. It truly is a celebrity-esque feeling when multiple people watch your every move throughout even the most mundane of tasks.
Mission #1: Find ice. This entire trip I had been carting around my oral anti-malarial medication. I started taking the pills only a few days before our departure, so I still had about 4-5 days to go, and the meds had to come with me. The bad thing is, they had to be refrigerated since they're a live vaccine. This little detail is largely important because without refrigeration the malaria bugs could proliferate and in return cause havoc in my system.
So althrough my travels, I had my pills on ice, and asked each round of stewardesses to put the container into their refrigerator. Humorously, on one flight, an attendant approached me and said, "Um, excuse me, but I have to ask you....I just saw what your pills are for. You don't have that disease do you?!" Well no, of course not. Those are just to make sure I don't end up with malaria during my adventures.
When we got to Delhi, I was officially out of ice. Paranoia was setting in to the point where I thought I could hear malaria growing inside of the bottle. I asked my comrades where I could get ice - and of course they don't know, none of us have EVER been to India.
I think we all found comfort in asking each other questions, even though we knew there was no answer to any of them. Question, after question, after question, we would always say "I don't know, it's my first time here too," until it became the comical answer to a rhetorical question.
FYI: If you ever need ice while in India, don't get your hopes up for finding it. The culture believes that taking in cold things will in return give you a cold. It's possible to find drinks that are cold - but only because they've been slightly chilled in refrigerator/cooler of some sort. But of course, who can you count on for all of you dining needs, no matter where you are in the world?
The golden arches of course!
The Delhi International Airport had a McDonald's, and I was able to get ice to keep my little malaria buddies in check.
While at the counter - I did happen to catch a glimpse of the menu: no beef in sight, and a few questionable items.
Although I must admit, the McAlooTikki & the McCurry pan weren't on the menu's I encountered at the 3-4 McD's I tried throughout the trip.
For more info, if you're interested you can find explanations of these interesting dishes. I didn't take pics of the Golden Arches myself, so I politely borrowed them from this website:
Ok, so back to the point - I got my ice, thank you, proceeded through the interesting security check, and waited for our domestic flight from Delhi to Chennai. Chennai, being a short 3 hour drive to our campus.
Namaste.
love the stories! keep em coming :)
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