Today was the second day of the workshop and since I didn't have to be so focused on my own presentation, I could actually observe the participants and process my thoughts on India.
First of all, Im having a difficulty understanding all the accents. Besides, those who give me grief about talking fast...listen to some people from Sri Lanka, and you will think that I talk too slowly. People who have gathered at the training come from an interesting mix of research, practitioner, and government backgrounds, so the discussions are quite animated. Im especially amazed at the guys from Bhutan--they are quite proficient in English and quite vocal in the discussions, especially on the issues of gender.
The food is also growing on me...Im beginning to get used to the tastes and flavors and can kind of tell what looks spicy, so by avoiding those things Im getting along quite nicely. For breakfast this morning we had delicious pancakes made out of rice flower...very tasty.
Tonight after the sessions a group of us went into town for some shopping. If I hadn't been to Kampala (Uganda), I would have said that this is the worst traffic Ive ever seen (it's tied with Kampala). However, there are also open motor taxis, motorcycles, buses and people everywhere, so Im surprised that drivers are able to navigate the mess. Even though I thought that I was going to go wild over the crafts, I controlled myself and only got a few things (my boss and I are going back this weekend). However, I did end up buying a tons of books at a tiny bookstore, which offset not buying many crafts and souvernirs. All the books were $10 and under!!!
On the way back to ISEC our van got scratched by a bus (those who know me well can imagine how badly I was freaking out). Our driver pulled over, got out of the bus, and immediately there were about 20 men around him shouting, screaming, and waving their hands all at the same time...PTL this happened almost outside our gate so we just hurried inside to avoid getting stuck in the fight.
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