A word on Indian toilets. This is not the nicest or most appetizing topic, but when you consider how important toilets are to our daily lives, it is something that must be addressed. There are 3 main types of Indian toilets:
1) The squatter (some of you travelers may know of these, for those of you who don't, it's basically a little trough in the ground). I am still profoundly terrified of these, and haven't attempted to use one yet.
2) The normal toilet, with a "personal shower" hose thing in lieu of toilet paper. This is what can be found in my house, and I didn't realize how lucky I was until I was faced with:
3) The toilet with no shower, no toilet paper, but instead a little water tap low down on the wall with a grubby cup underneath it. You work it out.
I have not seen a square of toilet paper since the Mumbai airport bathroom.
Enough of that. I had another bizarre encounter with the club president a couple of days ago. It went something like this:
Him: So how are you liking India?
Me: I like it a lot! I'm having a lot of fun.
Him (sagely): Yes, it always gets better after the first week.
Me (uncertainly): Well, yes, but I've been doing well since I got here.
Him (persistently): The first week is always the hardest. Things will be better for you from now on.
Am I breaking some unwritten law that says exchange students are not allowed to have fun until the second week of their exchange?
School boring as usual. I have not heard a word about the alleged Hindi, dance and music classes that I'm supposed to start soon. I had to introduce myself to the class and was immediately requested to sing a song in English. I obliged them with a terribly off-key, octave-jumping version of the Star-Spangled Banner. Indian girls sure are giggly.