Getting Settled!

It’s been a few days, so it’s time for another post! The great news is that I am happily settled into my new “flat” (as they say here), and I have also started meeting students and faculty at the college I’ll be working at.

First, the flat: After inquiring into at least 5 or 6 places, and visiting several that simply were not suitable for a variety of reasons, I found a PERFECT one through airbnb. This flat is a 2-bedroom (room for guests!), with full kitchen, clothes washer, shower (many places don’t have showers here), and living room. It even has a small view. And the landlord lives next door with his family (wife and 2 girls, ages 5 and 9), and they have been incredibly helpful. The place is also about 1.5 miles from my college. I have already walked the distance and find it an easy walk. (Remember, you can click on photos for larger images.)

my bedroom

spare room, bed pulls out into a double

small “balcony” with drying rack for laundry

My view!

One of two bathrooms

small hallway

Kitchen

living room

living room side

A few things to note about India homes. There are not any carpets or rugs; floors are tiled with marble or thick vinyl. The water from the shower in bathrooms just falls right onto the floor (no separate area), and you squeegee the water into the drain after. To have hot water for the shower, you need to turn on what they call a “geyser” (pronounced like “geezer” here) about a half hour ahead of time. When you are done showering, you turn off the geyser. Most outlets in India have an on/off button next to them; so, for example, I might turn on the outlet to power up my laptop. There are no such thing as ovens here, but I do have a double gas burner I can use for a cook-top. I also have a microwave and small refrigerator.

Next thing: Fergusson College: I will be working in the psychology department of Fergusson College, which has a wonderful reputation and is a lovely campus. The faculty in the department have been extremely warm and friendly, and they are thinking up lots of ways to “use” my expertise, such as guest lectures, workshops, and so on. I also will be teaching units within the “adolescent development” course (they call them “papers” here), collaborating with a young woman named Pratiksha. This course has 90 students in it! See photos for more info.

building at Fergusson

same building

entryway to the psych department

canteen on campus where I ordered food

Pratiksha, who is my “mentor” teacher here

class of students

same class

little alley on my walk to the college

Lastly — here’s another fun video! I went to an Indian buffet restaurant that was HUUUGGGE!! There was so much food. One station was a “make your own” pani puri, but I had no idea how to do so, so I asked a chef nearby. He showed me how. 🙂

Making Pani Puri