Buddist belief of non-attachment+consumerism=haggling

Haggling is an art form and often makes people uncomfortable. Its not that I feel guilty, I just think that people who have been brought up in Western society feel more comfortable with fixed prices. The opposite is true with people who've grown up in the East they often complain about having no say in the final price. The main delimna seems to be in our brains, that the product is already priced lower than in the US and Westerners often feel guilty because they believe they're cheating the shop keeper or that they'll be percieved as too greedy. Haggling was addressed during our orientation, Bela not only encouraged us to haggle at the market but implored us! Paying "full price" encourages buisness owners to charge more because they know foreigners will pay for it (we already feel like we're getting a deal!). Why bother selling two dupettas for $5 each when one person is very willing to pay $10 for just one? Bela says Indians get very frustrated when daily necessitites are overpriced which causes financial stress on them. She used an example to make a good point; most taxis are fixed-price meaning that the rider and driver agree to a set price on a destination before getting in (if you don't you'll get ripped off hardcore!) Bela tried to haggle with a taxi driver for a resonable amount, but the taxi driver refused because he saw a foreigner waiting next and the foreigner was willing to pay more to go to the same area. Bela says this happens quite often and can be very frustrating.
I also believe that in the Western brain we are hardwired that when we've made up our mind to make a purchase we do it. If I need a sweater will go to the store and find one in my price range, my thought process is to 1. find the sweater then 2. pay the price. In India its quite the opposite you find the deal then buy the product. For example: I need a pair of cheap plastic chappels (sandles) to wear around the house. When I'm out shopping I see them everywhere; in theory I could go to any of the stalls and buy a pair, but they are overpriced lets say rs100 which is a little over two dollars that is way too much. So I normally cut their asking price in half: rs40 about 75cents we would then haggle until a bargin is made, but it doesn't always end happily ever after sometimes they won't haggle because they know others will pay it so you have to be willing to walk away and maybe not get a pair of chappels that night. Here's where non-attachment is critical, you have to be willing to walk away- try another vendor- not lamant about walking away empty handed even though its tempting to just hand over the stinking $2! But that's not the point, if I keep at it I will find chappels for around $1.25 maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow and a well thought out purchase not an impulse buy.
Tonight we went over to the N St Market for shopping, we needed to find a taxi to get home in time for dinner and we were running late. We haggled with one driver who wanted rs100 for the ride home (the ride there cost rs50 half of that amount) we offered 40 and he declined, we refused and began to walk away but he offered rs50 Sara grungingly accepted but still grumbled because she had paid rs45 on the ride there. We have had no trouble embracing our inner cheap Indian :-D

water

If you want a rough idea of how much water you consume in a day then come to India. Water, or lack there off seems to be a theme around here. The ground is always dusty and the only grass I've seen is in the parks and private houses. A simple stroll anywhere will leave your feet covered and even leave a fine layer on your skin and hair. I wash my hands about a million times a day not because of fear of germs but because I can literally see the layer of dirt on my hands. After I brush my teeth the last thing I do is wash my feet before climbing into bed. I can't even imagine not having running water.
I can practically tell you the time of the day depending on when I need to refill my water bottle.

problems posting pictures

trying to download photos onto the site but blogger is giving me a lot of hassle :-/ I've put a few on facebook!

A day of firsts

Finally the Internet has been fixed! It has proved a lot harder than I anticipated, but here's my first post. I keep forgetting that I've only been here a few days and I already have so much to write!

My trip thus far can be summed up by a series of firsts. What an interesting way to start my journey. First of all this is the longest plane ride I have ever been on. All in all I was travelling for 18 hours, it was the worst 18 hours of my life! I had to turn off my phone so I didn't have any concept of time (which I'm coming to embrace since I've gotten here), during my flight I couldn't fall asleep and when I finally did there was no comfortable position and I was awakened about 2 hours before we landed for breakfast. I'm pretty sure I was awakened out of a sound sleep which usually makes me feel very sick. This happens a lot if I try to nap during the day (and which is why I don't nap). This was the first (and only time I'm sure) that I was forced to refuse breakfast!I was so glad to finally get off the plane.

9 days and counting

This is really happening. I have been planning this trip for the last 8 months-searching for the best program, fretting over costs, and scrimping and saving my vacation time. I am not sure what to expect from this trip, but I hope to travel with an open mind and massive amounts of patience (for myself and for a country that doesn't operate anything like the US). Please bear with me as I set up this blog. I have a feeling this will contain a lot of trials and error especially when it comes to posting photos. I would love to hear your feedback and feel free to make suggestions!