So far I have encountered three very scary wild animals. As I was walking home from work yesterday a large bat with a wingspan of at least two feet flew down from a tree and grazed the top of my head as it flew by. Ok, I thought, at least it flew away from me, and not towards. Outside of Sabrina's house I encountered a large rat which wasn't like a fat Bombay rat or aggressive like a New York rat but more like a wild rat that was somewhat inquisitive. But by far the most terrifying of these was a cockroach that flew. I was innocently walking up the steps of the Y when I saw this 3 inch roach running up the side of the wall. I was not so scared by this because after falling asleep on an Indian train and waking up to a cockroach walking across my lips, it wasn't like a simple roach was going to faze me. This roach however had some kind of special powers and flew from the stairs to a plant near the reception. I am hereby completely terrified.
I know I have to leave the YWCA but its harder than it seems. For one there is pouring rain every night which makes apartment hunting tough. Secondly, there really isn't much by way of accommodation. My choices range from a room in someones house to an isolated unfurnished 2 bedroom apartment. I have emergency places to stay but I thought I would be able to find something better for three months. Anyways, the search continues, I am off to see two more places tonight.
What is also frustrating is the lack of good cheap food. Food is much more expensive than India and even a basic meal is 150 rs. I thought at least fruits like bananas would be expensive but even they are like 10rs per fruit. The cost of living is quite high and even though people seem well off, they are spending most of their money on food. Rickshaws and transportation is stupidly expensive and I find myself missing the BEST bus and the Bombay local. What I wouldn't give to travel from Mumbai Central to Churchgate on 4 rs again. Luckily I brought a box of luna bars which currently provide my main sustenance. My vanity is also preventing me from diving into giant rice based meals as I fear what the carb overload will do to my stomach. Plus food is spicy. I got friend rice for dinner last night and the fried rice had bits of chili. The extreme spiciness of the rice combined with the depressing fact that I was eating my dinner alone in a mall food court made me just want to crawl back under my mosquito net, eat my Luna bar, read my Philip Roth and wish I were in Newark. Things will look up soon I hope.
mosquito bite tally: 25 (quarter sized)
Oh, I almost forgot to write about work. I still don't know what my research project will be. While the bosses are deciding I get to organize the office bookshelf on ICT for development resources. Its boring I know, but I get to read all about the massive size of the ICT industry, something that I know next to nothing about.
I know I have to leave the YWCA but its harder than it seems. For one there is pouring rain every night which makes apartment hunting tough. Secondly, there really isn't much by way of accommodation. My choices range from a room in someones house to an isolated unfurnished 2 bedroom apartment. I have emergency places to stay but I thought I would be able to find something better for three months. Anyways, the search continues, I am off to see two more places tonight.
What is also frustrating is the lack of good cheap food. Food is much more expensive than India and even a basic meal is 150 rs. I thought at least fruits like bananas would be expensive but even they are like 10rs per fruit. The cost of living is quite high and even though people seem well off, they are spending most of their money on food. Rickshaws and transportation is stupidly expensive and I find myself missing the BEST bus and the Bombay local. What I wouldn't give to travel from Mumbai Central to Churchgate on 4 rs again. Luckily I brought a box of luna bars which currently provide my main sustenance. My vanity is also preventing me from diving into giant rice based meals as I fear what the carb overload will do to my stomach. Plus food is spicy. I got friend rice for dinner last night and the fried rice had bits of chili. The extreme spiciness of the rice combined with the depressing fact that I was eating my dinner alone in a mall food court made me just want to crawl back under my mosquito net, eat my Luna bar, read my Philip Roth and wish I were in Newark. Things will look up soon I hope.
mosquito bite tally: 25 (quarter sized)
Oh, I almost forgot to write about work. I still don't know what my research project will be. While the bosses are deciding I get to organize the office bookshelf on ICT for development resources. Its boring I know, but I get to read all about the massive size of the ICT industry, something that I know next to nothing about.
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