Day 7

Day 7
I don’t really feel like laundry-listing my day today. I think I’ll be a little bit more descriptive in my documentation from now on, just because it never benefited me to know exactly what happened when. I thought that coming to India would make me stop thinking so much. It has had the opposite effect. At breakneck speed I am realizing different aspects of the way I think, some kind of emotional pilgrimage is taking place with my actual pilgrimage away from home. I’ve started to distance myself from my life and started to reflect on it with more depth than ever before. I guess this comes from traveling alone, without the bubble of my every day life surrounding me.
I guess I’m stuck in the apartment today, because Akshay is off in quest of some really exciting story about the Indian Land Mafia with this guy named Scott from WIRED magazine, who I met yesterday morning. He seems like a really nice guy== white, American, not exactly clean-shaven--he writes about India in a myriad of publications and lives with his Indian wife in Chennai. Akshay is fulfilling a once in a lifetime opportunity and as a result, I am at home, but not upset, because I have been doing a lot of reading. Persepolis 2 is currently what sits next to me, but before it was Blink. We’ve been experiencing a few power outages, blessings really, that made me pick up some novels. Unfortunately I’m having a bit of a reflux issue after drinking some black coffee and eating some spicy hummus that was left over from going out with Malvika last night.
About that, last night Akshay had to meet with Scott, so Malvika took me home from the office. Akshay would have taken me home, but we couldn’t get a rickshaw at night because they it’s a pretty short distance and they don’t get as many people going out from here, so they lose money. So Malvika and I went to get dinner at some mall that had a great selection of Indian=made foods of all different varieties; Chinese, Greek, Indian, etc. It was all really exciting because of the talents Indians have for making everything taste good. I had some cold coffee and pita and hummus. It was all very yummy. For dessert, we went to this dimly lit place that was probably supposed to be romantic called Fresco where we ate cheesecake. Malvika and I had some good talks during our journeys together; she is excited and interested to know how I feel about India and Bangalore, how it’s different from home. I supply very odd answers. For example, I get a far different impression of Indians when I walk on the street than when I’m at the mall. There are far more differences and levels in India.
I really do want to go out. However, the fact that I don’t have an adequate set of keys prevents me from walking out in the cool rain swept street. Now that the power is back on (It’s gone out about 3 times today) maybe I can watch a movie. Perhaps I should go to sleep, perchance to dream. So that possibly I can make a narrative of them like Jason is doing. Nevertheless, I don’t feel as though today has been in any way useless. It has helped me think; I think that from now on I will not be self-deprecating and I will not compare myself with others. I will be self-reliant and kind, and understand that I have ability and competency. That being said, my AP scores came today and my mother emailed them to me. They were quite a pleasant surprise. I got a 4 on Microeconomics, and 5s on English Language and Composition, Psychology and Biology. Not bad, considering the fact that I thought I did much worse and stressed about them endlessly. That is another addition to my list. I shall not worry unnecessarily, or when I can do nothing about my worrying. I do it far too much and I waste so much time that I could be using to rectify the situation. I find myself being really silly even when I know that I shouldn’t be. I should apply my knowledge about how people screw things up to my life, so that I can avoid screwing up as well. Only then, will I actually be a good learner and person.