20th August

Eight days till my birthday! Exciting times! Apparently we are going to an Indian disco. It shall be amazing in every single way.

My class on Fielding this morning wasn’t all that interesting. though the lecturer did touch on an interesting point about the feminist reading of this text. I could cope without all the analogies towards Pride and Prejudice, however. My later lecture got cancelled, so Amanda and I went and got samosas and this thing called aloo puri, which is basically really hot potato curry with puri, which are like mini paranthas.  All very tasty, and as we were there fairly early as well, it was nice and hot and fresh. After lunch, we went to the road leading off from the Patel Chest Institute, which is a haven of illegal photocopy shops and bookstalls. Got a new history book, which our tutor had recommended to us for a good background to the topic. So all is well that ends well.

Ended up in Barista, where we discovered there was far better muffins on offer than in Coffee Day, including a cashew one that sounded extremely exciting. Having got a couple of coffees we began to wander round looking for shoes for Amanda. Found this tiny shop called Delhi to London, which had loads of mad little t-shirts with psychedelic prints. We were so happy, that we bought several. I also managed to get a purse, though I feel I was ripped off…damned tourist tax. Made our way down to Hindi, and learnt about four useful words, namely Monday to Thursday. The weekend however, we wholly neglected. This class has basically no structure whatsoever. Every so often we go on this completely random tangent that tends to end with much repetition of ‘Mai Huu!’ After the class we took a rickshaw to Kamal Nagar and sat in Coffee day for a while, though I nipped through to Barista to get a muffin. I was correct: they are delicious. Having sat around for a good wee while we pottered off to find Lauren a marker pen and some CDs for me to make David his educational mixes. Being successful, we came back to the hostel with half an hour to spare before dinner, which I utilized to go to the gym in. Only managed to run three km though before I gave up. Not too encouraging, seeing as I am usually ten or bust. I just can’t run on the treadmills…they are just so completely boring, even with music in.

Dinner had an exciting chickpea dish and greasy bread, which was halfway between chapatti and naan.  Most enticing.

I want internet so badly. The hostel computers are refusing to work as well. Bloody annoying. A trip to Model Town is looming ever closer.

Apparently tomorrow we are going sight seeing. Most exciting. We have had no chance of doing anything of the sort since we first got here. I need to stop spending money here though. For while life is cheap, it ain’t too cheap as to not keep track.

I need to sleep. I have another riveting lecture in store on Shelley with the idiot Prof Kumar (unlike the great Prof Kumar, who is absolutely intelligent and engaging.) Bah.