I should really start a traditional journal since there's a lot to remember over the course of a week, but that probably won't happen. I just feel a little silly with a solid-state record, writing away in plain view of anyone who happens by. I am full of secrets.

So Sunday I arrived, went on a walking tour, began hurting my feet, couldn't really think, etc. It kind of sucked a lot. I also kept retching just in the middle of doing other things, like eating yogurt. Monday was a little better, but still mostly just a yogurt/roti/rice kind of day food-wise. Borrowed some shoes so that I could walk, and that basically made the whole day way better. CIEE stuff, whatever--Tuesday and Wednesday were kind of the same. On Wednesday (I think?) some people discovered how to take hot showers (very complicated, hot water knob + heater knob + time), so I haven't taken a cold one since.

We got some kurtas and salwars and scarves last week, too, and I bought a skirt at the Shilparamam fair/bazaar/craft show/whatever that I actually super enjoy the sight of. I am on my way to becoming a fashion plate. This is totally false, but what if it weren't?.. think about it.. also went to the mall a couple days ago with Ming, to get some flip-flops, and that was an interesting Western experience. Played some Bourne game which kind of sucked, mostly because of the camera, and we all kind of sucked at it too.

Re: toilets. Have only used Asian toilet once, and I brought toilet paper. Wasn't that bad except I can't picture doing it without taking off my pants. Toilet paper is also not guaranteed by any means, but my nose has also been a little overactive so carrying around a roll of toilet paper everywhere I go doesn't seem that weird. Just rip off a piece in the middle of class and evacuate my nasal cavity, not even a problem. Anyway, toilet paper is way better than the usual way, which is the spigot/small bucket? combo, with finger accompaniment. Don't really want to do that more than once. And the general toilet form + prevalence of diarrhea just seems like bad news.

The only reason I wanted to update this was to say that I had a super delicious dessert last night. The desserts at lunch are pretty hit/miss, because it's usually a marginally dense doughnut soaked in syrup, or a weird kind of sweetened puffed vegetable ball (this is what it looked like, I have no idea what it was--kind of like a Froot Loops ball if you looked at it closely, but the flavor was basically just sugar + a little nutty), and it's just too sweet for the rest of the meal. Lunch always has some kind of fruit, though, usually guava or papaya, and both of those are pretty much delicious.

HOWEVER the dinner desserts are fantastic. It's usually just ice cream, but the flavors are usually butterscotch (this tastes like something else, I can't think of the exact thing though--every time I start getting there the scotch stands out), tutti-frutti, or vanilla. Once they served vanilla over this spiced carrot slaw stuff and it was kind of like a carrot cake. Last night, though, there was this weird warm pudding-like dish that tasted kind of coconutty (and looked kind of like a steamed coconut pudding with nuts) and was basically all sorts of tasty. I looked up Indian desserts today and the thing it most resembles is chana dal payasam, so it might be that. The recipe varies a lot and seems to be more the form than the ingredients, but it was pretty fly for a greyish soupy thing.

Oh. There are steamed corn vendors pretty much everywhere. Hot buttery steamed corn, fresh in cup!! It comes in a lot of flavors, and Masala's apparently pretty good. Ming and I shared a tiny cup at the mall, mostly to try, in flavor: Chinese. It tasted like corn, plus lemon juice and Spice. We also went to McDonald's, mostly because it's McDonald's, and the menu looks a lot more appetizing here. The Chicken Maharaja Mac is pretty good (the sauce is the only interesting part, otherwise it's a chicken patty with cheese), but the Veggie Pizza McPuff is a little vomitorious. Totino's are better. I don't know why it seemed so bad, I think a lot of it was the acidity of the sauce, but yeah it was a little like bile. You can get Shake Shake Fries (possibly not TM), which are fries + paper bag + spice packet, and those are pretty good; the fries are the same. That's all I tried. Oh, and ketchup here is very different, but it's hard to say how. Sweeter but with more vinegar? Spice? Who can say... truly.