I think a good intro to my life here is to define some things for you:
007-E: electronic Bond, or my room number
615: the bus route that starts outside my door and terminates in CP
auto: auto-rickshaw, the more expensive way to travel that usually requires a huge amount of negotiation and ends in getting ripped off
beef: what? it's actually illegal, but "I know a guy..."
bitch: you can shout it across campus when referring to the dog with saggy tits that drag on the ground followed by a pack of adorable puppies
brahmaputra: my hostel in the boonies of campus
bucket: replacement for the shower, consisting of a bucket of (sometimes) warm water that you pour over your head with a smaller pail. usage: "I need to take a bucket"
bus: a death-defying experience that usually takes a running start to get on and a carefully placed jump to get off
campus: the enclave on the hill, it takes over 40 minutes to walk across campus and is far, far away from the real world
chai: they say if you prick a student at JNU, they don't bleed, they drip chai. It's super-sweet milk tea that is imbibed at any point in the day. It also solves all problems, ie: "you've been waiting for three hours? here, have some chai. there, done." You can get it for Rs 2.50 anywhere
class: completely optional chat during most days
cp: connaught place, the geographical center of Delhi and home of the palika bazar
csss: center for the study of social systems (or the sociology department)
dhaba: a small, outdoor roadside restaurant or food stall
ganga: the proper name of the Ganges, and the hostel nearest the main entrance of campus and furthest from Brahmaputra
ganga dhaba: the epicenter of academic discourse on campus, and the cafe that is open until 2 am (on the other side of campus)
geyser: (pronounced geezer) the water heater that people think is more efficient of it is always turned off
kit-kat: sustenance, for only Rs 10
library: the big building in front of the library canteen
library canteen: home of the masala dosa
making water: boiling the already filtered water to be sure to kill off any other "wally the worms," it is a wonderful nighttime social event
masala dosa: a southern Indian dish, like a crepe with potato inside
mcdonald's: an upscale restaurant in Priya with a jukebox and AC, home of the Chicken Maharaja Mac
non-veg: three times more than veg with a sprinkling of "chicken"
old delhi: chaos at its best, good for a day of entertainment and the black lung
omlette: a fried egg sandwich, available right outside my hostel until 2am
naan: if manna really did fall from heaven, it tasted like this wonderful fried bread which is best when smothered with butter and dipped in paneer
palika bazar: the sprawling underground market in CP with the best bollywood
paneer: a condensed cream cheese thing floating in some sort of sauce, usually palak (spinach) or mutter (chick pea and tomato)
paratha: fried bread, when filled with potato it is aloo paratha, available at Ganga Dhaba
pegs n' pints: the only gay bar in this city of 12 million, you need to use a secret name to get into this "private party" on Tuesdays
priya: the small, Western-style shopping center a few minutes walk from campus, home to McDonald's and Bennetton
reader services desk: four self-important men sitting around a random table in the references section of the library, where you pick up your library card(s)
rupees: (Rs) currently exchanging at around 43 to the dollar, so valued at approx. 2 cents
samosa: tasty little deep-fried treat, and lunch most days
sandwichy-thingy: tasty little deep-fried treat and dinner some days
sn market: a large market about 20 minutes from campus, less frequented now that we are settled in
sss2: our building on campus, not sure what it stands for, but there are two others
teflas: our little canteen over by ganga dhaba, makes the best palak paneer and butter naan and the usual dinner spot
thali: the Indian combo meal, it includes rice, paratha, dhal, curd, and some vegetable curry thing and is available almost anywhere
tuc tuc: see "auto"
tuck n' roll: important practice when exiting a bus at high speeds, be sure to dip the right shoulder to keep from doing a face plant
veg: one-third the price of non-veg, you get used to it
water from above: the act of showering, a rare luxury only in the finest hotels, usually replaced by the bucket
woggle: an impossible to master shift of the head (there are actually about seven) which mean anything from yes, to uncertain, to not in your life
yamuna: the girls' hostel, and the point at which planes in that flight path know to put their landing gear down
Flown by mariposa at 11:42 AM on February 12, 2005
Oh Mark, darling, I love you much. Thanks for the lingo lesson. I feel overwhelmed just reading it, and I don't have to live it. Hang in there, gimme a ring if you need to chat, I can always call back. It's actually pretty inexpensive for me.
