Day two and first day of class

we had our first class today. the campus is brand new and beautiful. it’s so interesting to see so much poverty then a huge new campus. the class was very interesting and they are treating us so nice! this is definitely the way to travel in India. we have a van and personal driver that takes us everywhere and waits until we’re done shopping- no matter how long. i’m starting to get used to the traffic. it now feels more like a roller coaster than fearing for my life. a guys with us- Andy- went to New Delhi before here and he said this is nothing- so I guess Bangalore is a bit toned down from what the rest of India is like. There haven’t been any kids begging for $, only a couple people who have come up to the van. Everyone is so nice and just smile when we walk past or stare out of curiosity. we went shopping at a market today and i did some bargaining!! i hate bargaining, but my first purchase was a good one. I got 5 Pashina scarfs for an awesome deal- but then i got hosed on a bongo- yes- i bought a bongo. so oh well, i’d rather pay a bit more for something cheap than expensive. everything is so cheap here! i’ve bought too much already. i woke up at 2 this morning so i’m not adjusted to the time difference yet- guess i’ll have to load up on more drugs tonight to sleep. i’ve now moved to brushing my teeth totally with the tap water and no issues- even after Indian food for 3 days i’m still ok. i’m sure i won’t be for long… some peeps got tailored suits for $200 each- pretty awesome but i don’t wear suits. i have bought a lot of shit so far and week one isn’t over yet. i need to slow down- not sure how i’m going to get it all home. we have an amazing student who goes around with us- Ravuti. she’s so nice! she took me to the atm and held my hand as we crossed the street- holding hands for Indians is very common- even for men. it was so cute! she funny to watch her haggle with the vendores- i think i almost have her words down. First- ooo that’s too much. second- what’s this made out of? third- down the road they sell for __ less. it was actually cold today. i can’t believe how nice the weather is. of course the sun hasn’t been out but that’s ok with me. it actually feels like CA- i didn’t believe some people when they said that! today we’re going to Catapiler for school.