Settling in finally. My class, consisting of me and three American students, meets for two hours - five days a week. The students are all from different states & and schools... but share a remarkable sense of adventure. Class convenes at a different time everyday (as early as 9am, as late as 2pm). For the past two days, we've held class at a table for four in Cuppa, a locally owned coffee shop about five minutes from campus.
Anyway, my typical weekday begins at 5am (yes, by choice). First a cup of instant coffee. Then maybe I'll read the chapter and case assigned for that day's class (with perhaps a second cup of Nescafe). And it appears that I am the ONLY person on campus awake at 7am.
By 7:15am, the main cafeteria opens, and I'm off for real coffee and a dosa (pictured below). A dosa is an over-sized pancake, accompanied by two small metal cups of as-yet-unknown spices -- one red and spicy, the other white and semi-sweet. No silverware. It's to be eaten with the right hand. The dosa is 15 Indian rupees, and the coffee is 6. With the current exchange rate of 42 rupees to 1 US dollar -- that's a hot breakfast, served at my table, for 50 cents. Oh... and I almost forgot to mentioned the existence of a wifi signal in the cafeteria. Life is good.
On most every weekday, I'm invited to attend or participate in some campus gathering or seminar. This matters to me... providing an opportunity to interact with other adults and enjoy in-depth exchanges about everything from culture to cricket (the sport that inspires the greatest passion among locals).
By late afternoon or early evening, I leave campus to wander the neighborhood for an hour or two. Sometimes I return with a few grocery items (my kitchen facilities allow me to refrigerate or add boiling water... as there is no oven, cooktop, or microwave). I have rediscovered the joys of ramen and sliced cheese (made from goat milk only, given the sacred nature of cows here).
By 9pm, I'm ready to crash. There's a TV in my humble on-campus apartment, but I've yet to find anything in English except CSI reruns and Belator mixed martial arts fighting. So I thank good for (and Liz, and Amazon) for my Kindle, and read myself to sweaty sleep.
Anyway, my typical weekday begins at 5am (yes, by choice). First a cup of instant coffee. Then maybe I'll read the chapter and case assigned for that day's class (with perhaps a second cup of Nescafe). And it appears that I am the ONLY person on campus awake at 7am.
By 7:15am, the main cafeteria opens, and I'm off for real coffee and a dosa (pictured below). A dosa is an over-sized pancake, accompanied by two small metal cups of as-yet-unknown spices -- one red and spicy, the other white and semi-sweet. No silverware. It's to be eaten with the right hand. The dosa is 15 Indian rupees, and the coffee is 6. With the current exchange rate of 42 rupees to 1 US dollar -- that's a hot breakfast, served at my table, for 50 cents. Oh... and I almost forgot to mentioned the existence of a wifi signal in the cafeteria. Life is good.
On most every weekday, I'm invited to attend or participate in some campus gathering or seminar. This matters to me... providing an opportunity to interact with other adults and enjoy in-depth exchanges about everything from culture to cricket (the sport that inspires the greatest passion among locals).
By late afternoon or early evening, I leave campus to wander the neighborhood for an hour or two. Sometimes I return with a few grocery items (my kitchen facilities allow me to refrigerate or add boiling water... as there is no oven, cooktop, or microwave). I have rediscovered the joys of ramen and sliced cheese (made from goat milk only, given the sacred nature of cows here).
By 9pm, I'm ready to crash. There's a TV in my humble on-campus apartment, but I've yet to find anything in English except CSI reruns and Belator mixed martial arts fighting. So I thank good for (and Liz, and Amazon) for my Kindle, and read myself to sweaty sleep.
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