(Rs. short for rupees, the Indian currency; currently at around 43 to the dollar.)
- 120 Rs. — a dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in Varanasi, including a banana yogurt drink, fruit salad, and tuna fish pasta
- ” — also for a pedicure, which takes about a half hour and includes scrubbing, foot massage, and paint
- 15 Rs. — a ride by cycle rickshaw to the shopping district from the southern area where I live
- 350 Rs. — a ready-made salwar kameez suit, colored, designed, sequined or dyed to your liking, tailor-fit, including trousers, long top, and scarf
- 10 Rs. — a candy bar
- 50 Rs. — a liter of petrol for the scooters which many of my friends have
- 10 Rs. — a kilogram of tomatoes; all raw veggies are soooo cheap here, also fruit. Grapes, papaya, apples, guava and pomegranates are all staples. Mango season will start in May-June unfortunately… Veggies, while cheap, are time consuming to consume: once bought, they must be soaked in water with iodine for a minimum of 20 minutes (more if they have lots of creases, like cauliflower or spinach) before being rinsed in filtered, boiled water…
- 20 Rs. — a fresh coconut, sold on carts on the side of the road. The man hacks it open, sticks in a straw, and voila, fresh coconut milk! The only roadside food I’d dare to try, the other things needing glasses which could be dirty…
- 8000 Rs. — rent for one month, split three ways with roommates Daniel and Meg for our three bedroom, three bathroom, large foyer, large kitchen, HUGE living room, tiny laundry room, and two balcony apartment.
In short, India is a cheap place to live. Getting here from the US might not be so cheap (at least 800 USD one way), but I estimate I’ve spent a fraction of what I’d spend in the US for basic living!
It’s Saturday today, and I’ll attend a classical music concert tonight, which will be singing I think. I enjoy concerts, but usually get pretty bored after about half an hour. As my dad would say, Indian classical musicians just miss lots of really great opportunities to stop!
I could say the same thing about my own art, Kathak dance, which, to someone unfamiliar with the intricacies of the footwork, could look basically like I’m doing the SAME thing for about forty-five minutes! Even I sometimes get mixed up and start doing another part in the middle of another. The performance is the 22, and next Tuesday we’ll start practicing with the accompanying professional musicians. Monday we’ll go to the fabric store to buy georgette fabric for our costumes. It needs to be the right kind of fabric so it can swirl correctly when we spin.
Hope all’s well in Minnesota!