buh

this has been a quiet week for the most part. intensive hindi is predictably intense - in one week we've learned the numbers 1-20 and the tens of the numbers up to 100, polite commands, how to say where things are, basic directions, introductory statements, and a LOT of vocabulary, as well as about half of the extensive alphabet. it's enjoyable to be learning a new language again, but three straight hours of it a day is leaving me pretty frazzled.

not all of the week has been studying hindi. I went with some other people to Ansal Plaza, a huge Western-style mall complex not far from our residence. the first time I went there I was entirely overwhelmed, although in a very different way than how india normally overwhelms me - here everything was Western +10. the indian concept of Western malls is so much more than Western malls actually are. and the mannequins are more than slightly creepy - they have real hair and all of the them are white people. in any case, however, we found our way to the main department store and I managed to find a few more clothes to flesh out the small wardrobe I had brought with me. it's lovely how cheap things are here - I bought three nice pieces for about 2200 rupees, which is only a little over $50. and that's pretty expensive for india.

we also sampled the indian version of McDonalds. unsurprisingly for india, they offer many vegetarian options, including a veggie burger and a veggie pizza roll that looks like a Hot Pocket. the french fries are the same. the ice cream is amazing though.

in other news, I'm considering pursuing the Asian Studies concentration that UPS offers. It requires only 4 classes and two semesters of an asian language, which I could fulfill by taking Hindi through UW back at home after this semester. it's still an idea in the works, but I figure since this semester will already help me fulfill more than half of the requirements it's worth considering.

going to go now - have a bit of a head cold and hindi to study before class.