time flies

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Our time at language school has nearly come to an end. we've completed 108 lessons and have just 8 more until we leave for Delhi on Friday. We have both learnt a huge amount over the past 6 weeks but strangely seem to have learnt completely different things. I can tell you in minute detail about hindi grammar and sentance constuction (no use at all) while Tanuja can happily chat with shopkeepers and the indian friends we have made here (very useful). I suppose we make a good team.

Our progress hasn't stopped the constant flow of huge language clangers.

We stopped talking long ago about 'what was on the table' or 'what colour the book is' and in class tend to chat about much more interesting stuff, like current affairs. In a class only an hour ago I meant to say 'Michael Jackson has just been freed', but managed to say 'Michael Jackson used to be black' . Now obvioulsy this could be deemed as correct and it was a little while before I realised my conversation had spiralled off in very strange direction.

We have one teacher who at some point has confused the english word 'medicine' with the word 'magician' This led to a very bizzare conversation in english about health and hospitals so it's good to see we're not the only ones making mistakes.

Mistakes in english make me laugh all around Mussourie.

Apparently about 5% of Indians speak good correct english, but many more speak a strange 'Hinglish' hybrid. This is a whole other topic in itself - as a teacher here said it's very odd that all exams for medcine, law , enginering etc are in pure English and lots of official and government business is conducted in pure English when such a small (educated and rich) portion of the nation speaks it. Anyway there seems to be an obsession with english adverts and signs around town, but they are often complete nonsense. We have 'Double Dog' detergent and 'Macro Man' pants. The local disco offers 'Mind Boggling Music' and invites you to 'Dance until you Whop yourself'. A favourites is the local carpenter with his sign saying 'Car Painter'. The words Omelette and Available cause most problems. The best however, in my opinon, is a local doctor who must have paid a fortune to have a big sign painted with a list of ailments that he can cure. Some are very technical and as far as I can see spelt correctly. There's Arthritis, Rheumatism, diarrohea etc. Later on the doctor has evidently improved his skills and got a different signwiter back to complete the sign - In a small gap near the bottom in a different font he's written 'Fatness'.

I mentioned previously the team of men that carry stuff up and down mountains and around town. The're called coolis and continue to amaze me. I have carried sheets of plywood before and one 20mm thick sheet is past my limit. We've seen guys carring 2 of these sheets. They carry 4 or 5 pieces of luggage for tourists from the bus station at the bottom of town to the posh hotels at the top. We even saw a cooli carrying several 6 metre lengths of wood, sideways on his back. bearing in mind that the streets here are 4 or 5 metres wide, this meant he walked the whole trip sideways side stepping up our mountain.

We leave on Friday to Delhi then Calcutta. I think we've both thoroughly enjoyed our introduction to India, even though clean, safe, affluent Mussourie isn't typical of the rest of India. I remember being intimidated by things when we arrived - the people, the shops, and just about how things work in such a different way. Now I realise there is a system to everything and it's a system that works. The shops sell everything you need, buses, taxis, trains are frequent and seem reliable and for all the talk about water and food cleanliness if you're sensible there's no reason not to eat cheaply and safely.

Look out for pictures when we finally track down a USB lead in Delhi

David

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