I don't think I've written about the Shopping Complex on Campus yet, but it's absolutely amazing. Seriously, you can get almost anything. there's a cobbler, a tailor, a chai shop, a restaurant, a sandwich place, an atm machine, a stationary/office supplies place, a general store...really, what more do you need? The general store is especially cool. You can get tea, biscuits, polos (actually, lots of british candies and products. Digestive biscuits anyone?) and also peanut butter, which a lot of people have been craving. There are also toiletries, sodas, etc. Even crazier, the guy who works there is not only the guy who you go to to put more minutes on your cellphone, but he can also (at specified times) exchange dollars for rupees. One person, so much power. But there is one thing that they do not have. A few days ago, I went to shop com (that's what the shopping complex is called) and went to the general store. Once there, I asked if they carried dental floss. (Indian general stores are tiny little cramped spaces. While some of the products are on shelves, and you can retrieve them by yourself, these self retrievable items are usually of the packaged edible variety. All other things you have to ask for over the counter.) Anyway, I asked for dental floss. The man looked at me blankly. I repeated it again. He was completely confused. Feeling ridiculous, I said, "Um, string for your teeth?" Nope. Then, suddenly, his face lit up, and he said, "Oh, to clean your teeth?" I said yes, relieved. He then went into a back room. When he re emerged, he was brandishing a gigantic metal tongue-scraper. Not what I wanted. Defeated, I left.
What to do? My dad just came with a goody bag of American stuff and it did not include floss. I'm sure they have it somewhere in India though. I'll try the city. Actually, come to think of it, the Haverford College bookstore also does not carry floss. They have toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrushes, mouthwash, organic tibetan trail mix...but no dental floss. I guess it's not an Indian thing at all, just an institution of higher learning idiosyncrasy. It's funny how you can find similarities between places as different as UofH and Haverford.
Anyway, that post was kind of ridiculous, but not to worry. CIEE is taking us to Mysore, Sravanabelagola, and Melkote, (with a two hour stop over in Bangalore). We'll be seeing temples and palaces and art, and we will also be introduced to traditional Brahmin food. So I'll have lots to write about after that.
Namaste aur phir milenge!
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