Wednesday, August 2 Clothes shopping, National Museum, Failed concert

I woke up early, even though there is no class today. I took the Metro at 9 to Chandni Chowk and then walked over to Jami Masjid. They have a really good street market between Chandni Chowk and Jami Masjid, where I got five collared shirts for 50 Rs each, and six Indian pajama pants and shorts for 50 Rs each. I got three ridiculous Christian US t-shirts for 100 Rs. Then I bought a pair of track pants that have “India” embroidered into them. It was easy to bargain with these people. I was their first customer of the day (an auspicious thing), so they gave me fair prices right off the bat. I walked in some back alleys where men had shops selling wholesale clothes (and who looked at me like I was Hitler). I was invited by this 40-year old Muslim man in a kurta to sit and talk over some chai. I’m still terrified of street food, but he made the chai there, and you have to boil the water anyway, so I’m assuming it’s okay. We talked for a while. He owns a kitchen business and is a Muslim, and he said that everyone I could see in this area is Muslim, but it’s hard to tell because they often wear Western dress. I walked up to Meena Bazaar, and on the way an Asian storeowner grabbed my hand and tried to sell me a neon green parrot (living) that talks. Yes, that’s just what I was looking for, a pet bird. I’m just going to bring it on the Metro, no problem, and keep it in my house. When I told him no, he said, “Ok, you take two for good price”. When I rejected that offer, he resorted to trying to sell me these little parakeets, rabbits, geese, pigeons, and rats. Honestly dude, these are pest animals that reside on the street or in most houses. Who wants a rat or a pigeon as a pet? Although it was a hard decision, I’m going to have to say no thanks. Meena Bazaar was amazing. It was all Muslim, and the entire walkway to Jami Masjid was saturated with vendors selling shoes, clothes, underwear, kofia, shoes, fabrics, brassware, clocks, and Muslim books and music. Everything was very cheap except the tobacco and coals for hookah, the only thing I wanted to buy at the moment. I shopped for a little while longer, before carrying my huge round yellow bag to the Metro and the Study Center. It’s so hot, probably 110 degrees and humid. They drove us to the National Museum for an orientation about the art history class there. It sounds amazing; you get to learn all about Indian art through the ages and supplement your study, seeing the actual pieces. However, I’m too lazy for that; I’m not doing any unnecessary class work. Afterwards, we came back and I took a shower and we ordered Fiesta (for the fourth day in a row). We all took the Metro to Connaught Place to go to this hotel really far away where it was iffy if we could even get in, so Puran, Ro, and I went back and ended up sitting in…FIESTA again.