Look every which way when crossing the street

I just walked down the street--literally--to buy some shoes and dinner.  My first solo jaunt; confidence is key.  Especially when it comes to crossing the street.  Here's why I bring it up: there aren't sidewalks or medians for that matter.  Pedestrians definitely don't have the right of way.  You want to walk against traffic so you can get out of the way.  This traffic is made up mostly of auto-rickshaws, motorbikes and trucks of various sizes, weaving in and around and basically on top of each other--favoring their horns over their brakes.  And when you want to cross the street to get some delicious naan (yeast-less flatbread) and bland veg. noodles (a safe bet for the still-adjusting stomach), you just enter the madness horizontally.  Choose a time when the motorcycles are somewhat staggered--then dash to the single, faded line suggesting a divide in the traffic's direction.  It is a good idea to always look ahead; if you glance back at the traffic whizzing past your backside as well as right in front of your face, you might freak out.  Needless to say, I just conquered crossing rush hour traffic and I'm feeling practically native.

My first day of work was spent in various orientation sessions, meeting with staff from each department and getting a preview of the work I will soon be a part of.  The staff and ex-pats are welcoming and wonderful; I am eager to learn from these colleagues full of fascinating stories and inspiring experiences.  

Another highlight of the day included my first visit to look at an apartment, accompanied by a fellow intern and a new friend on staff.  Our visit with the broker illuminated the potentially difficult process of finding housing and confirmed the need to see what "fully furnished" actually means.  My South Asian friend is going to take me out again tomorrow to look at a few more options, an exciting adventure awaits to be sure.  In other potentially good news, I spoke with a woman at the airport earlier today and our bags are supposed to fly in sometime tonight.  Fingers crossed.

Now I'm off to bed, trying still to beat this jet lag...and eager to get to the beginning of another day.