Since we moved across town on Wednesday, Mary Kate and I both opted to take the day off of work to settle in and enjoy lunch with Sree, our new landlady and sweet friend. After spending a potentially embarrassing amount of time trading off napping and reading in our new air-conditioned room, we went on a walk around our new neighborhood. The area we live in now is called Chittranjan Park (or C.R. Park to those in the know). It’s located in South Delhi and was originally established in the 1950s as a settlement reserved exclusively for Bengali refugees. While Bengali heritage is no longer a requirement for residence, it continues to be a hotspot of Bengali culture. It’s known for its quality fish markets (since fish feature heavily in Bengali cuisine) and availability of delicious Kalcutta-style street food. South Delhi is a relatively wealthy and particularly safe region of the city. We love street food and safety, so clearly we feel right at home.
Since we arrived in India and saw our first grilled corn vendor, Mary Kate’s mouth has been watering as she regaled me with tales of her grilled corn consumption all over the world. On our afternoon walk, she finally enjoyed her first cob.
Served fresh off the grill rubbed in lime and masala spices for 20 rupees? I understand the hype.
On Thursday morning, Mary Kate made the commute to the PHFI office in Gurgaon, but I’ve been moved to an office in Sharpur Jaat. It’s significantly closer to our new home and also where the organization I’m working with is housed. I’m grateful for the switch. It’s a 15-minute commute as opposed to a 60-minute one, and working near people on the same project means more progress. I love progress almost as much as I love mango shakes.
Since I’d never been to the new office, my supervisor offered to drive me in on my first day to show me the way. He wasn’t free to take me on Thursday, so I spent the day working from home. To increase my productivity, I opted to find a coffee shop to work in. My curiosity got the better of me and I ended up at the Starbucks that’s just a ten-minute walk from my house.
Obviously I made a great decision. There’s no extra charge for soy milk in this country. And just look at those eyelashes. However, my caffeine tolerance has apparently become quite low despite my tea intake over the last few weeks. I think I was high as a kite for the next few hours.
I made a friend during my visit to Starbucks—a woman named DJ and I bonded over the unfortunate non-functionality of the wifi. She lives in C.R. Park, is trying to start her own business that has something to do with home-dining options, and wants to go to Peru with her husband before they start having kids. She gave me her phone number and told me she hoped we’d run into each other again some time.
Three cheers for delicious corn, settling in, and the unique brand of instantaneous comradery one only finds in a coffee shop.
Happy Monday.
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