Settling into India...

so I finally feel like ive settled in India,i think im doing well considering.
Today was amazing even though I didnt do anything in particular.I decided to brave it and walk down the main street,something that I had been dreading doing alone since I got here.So i did it and it felt great.It was a challenge but i loved it!Its the most random place Ive been yet.Crossing the road is the hardest part so i usually stuck behind women who looked like they knew what they were doing cos the men just walk straight out,how they dont get knocked down i dont know.
I had lots of interesting encounters in the shops that i ventured into,a man who i bought water off,touched my arm and looked like he was waiting for some sort of magic to happen.He looked a little disappointed when nothing occurred.He was sporting a lovely little dhoti(thats the nappy type pants i was talking about before) another store i went into to get some yoga pants,there were 3people working there,one woman literally dropped her food on the ground when i came in.I smiled and laughed and she did that head wiggle a gesture that i have been trying to figure out.Its a little head wiggle they do,to say hello,yes,ok,everythings ok.So if you ask a question sometimes its just a wiggle back.the first few days i was wondering what this was all about.wiggle wiggle wiggle,all the time.I tried it on Sashi the other day and he was weak with laughter.Its like they have an extra elastic bit in their neck for it.ill keep trying,but i look ridiculous.Its annoying though,cos if i could do it back,theyd love it.Instead i look like an eejit with a crick in my neck.
Ive also figured out that when you smile,no matter how mean or serious they look,you get a big shiner of the biggest smile you could imagine,and a little nod of the head,so ive started nodding now too,their smiles automatically put you at ease.Ive gotten used to the stares now,and dont feel threatened by them like i did the first day.The biggest stares of course come from the elderly who im pretty sure have never seen a tall white girl like me.
Sashi has unfortunately started to stalk me,not in a threatening way,but he's literally around every corner i go and has called me,wait for it, 7times today.How do i draw this on me??
As i was on my way home,through the droves of people and the chaos,I spotted two backpacks....so just going past them,i said hi and we got talking,a californian couple who are going to the ashram tomoro too.Was great to talk to someone like myself,3days in india without any foreigners is a long time!So ill be seeing them tomoro.On the last leg of my walk home(about 15mins to go) there was a massive powercut,I mean everything went black,gone, all in a second.I didnt know what was going on- all i could hear was hindi,beeps,and laughing and all i could see was white teeth.So it was bad enough getting through the crowds even with the lights coming from the shops,but this was so weird...people everywhere,trafficlights gone,not that they pay attention to them anyway,and i just crashed into one little indian after another,nearly crushing them-theyre fiesty little things though,well able and well used to bashing their way through the masses.So i had another long stretch to go,and i had to call on good ol nokia back up,i have an emergency light and this was my emergency,thank you nokia.I was tripping over god knows what aswell and afraid id stand on a rat,on many occasions i nearly fell into the gutter.They dont really have the luxury of footpaths so there is random crap all over the place.

But of course the light drew attention to me,and people wanted to see what it was.I could only laugh.Thats the last thing i wanted was to draw more attention to myself. Quickly enough the place started to light up with candles here and there and I finally made it back. I could see that the only building that wasnt in darkness and using candles was my hotel.Sweaty and exhausted,feet filthy, like a complete traveller i nearly fell in the door.The receptionist folk are finding me hilarious.I usually land in looking like ive been dragged through a bush and they always just laugh and wiggle.I laugh but dont wiggle....yet.
So tomoro is ashram day,ill actually miss the hustle and bustle of trivandrum.Theres always so much going on.I have so many more stories from just today.but ill save them for a book someday,at the rate im going id have one written in a few days...
Total mosquito bites= 3