The diary of an American working in India – Part 2

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This article is part of the "India survival Kit", a collection of articles written by an American expat living in India.

Continued from:

Part 1

Rested and rejuvenated, I was ready to go out on a new shopping adventure. It was evening and the air outside was cool and inviting. Being new to India and Bangalore, I was eager to soak in the Indian culture and life on the Bangalore streets. I decided to walk down to a shopping area a couple of blocks down the road from our hotel. My daughter however preferred to lounge in front of the TV. So I set off by myself.

I was dressed in jeans, a sleeveless shirt, and sneakers. As I walked down the road, I became a cutely conscious of attracting stares from almost everyone I passed. I was not sure if they were staring because of my jeans, my sleeveless shirt, or just because I was the only foreigner around. There were other women in jeans or sleeveless shirts on the streets, but I must admit they were all also much younger than I was.

I reached the market street that was lined with small shops on both sides. There were all kinds of shops selling an assortment of stuff right from groceries to home furnishings, and the road was bustling with activity. I was sure there was a fancy store somewhere on that street. But I had to first find a tailor. I needed to buy some string for my new kurta-pajama set, and I figured I could ask the tailor where the fancy store was.

Cows, stray dogs, bicycles, autos, cars, motorbikes, and people jostled each other for space on the narrow street. I craned my neck to read the signboards above the shops trying to discern something that hinted at a tailor shop. But most of the signboards were not in English. I continued to look around, scrutinizing each shop carefully to see if it was a tailor’s. In the process I barely missed stepping into a pile of cow dung and was almost run over by an auto whose driver shouted something out in what was presumably the local language, Kannada. It didn’t sound very pleasant and I can only guess that he was cursing my careless ambling.

Finally I spotted a female tailor sitting next to her sewing machine. The shop was filled with customers, mostly women. Relieved, I entered the shop and everyone stopped their chatter and turned to look at me. After a few seconds, they resumed their talk. I waited in line, leaving a polite space after the woman in front of me. But I soon realized that a queue in India is not like one in America. Twice, a new customer squeezed herself into the ‘polite’ space. Before it could happen a third time, I learned my lesson and closed the gap. I’m sure the tailor and other women in the shop were probably laughing silently at my antics. When I finally reached the tailor and asked for the string that would hold my pajamas together, she replied, “Oh, we don’t sell that. You can find it at the fancy store.” Now I had no choice but to find that elusive fancy store. But I was too proud to show my ignorance and ask her where it was. I just said thank you and left the shop.

I wandered about the street once again trying to find a fancy store, my confidence sinking lower by the minute. I had no clue what it looked like. So I finally garnered some courage and asked a man standing alone, out of earshot of anyone else, “Where can I find a fancy store?” The man looked puzzled and looked at me as if to say, “Are you kidding?” Then he pointed to a shop right across the street from where we stood, “That’s a fancy store. The one two doors to its right is also a fancy store, and there are two more fancy stores a little down the road.” My face was probably flushed, but I was not worried if he thought I was a stupid American. I was relieved that I had finally found, not one, but a whole horde of fancy stores! A fancy store turned out to be a variety shop that sold a bunch of miscellaneous stuff, right from toys and baby clothes to chocolates, clocks, and kitchen appliances. Now that the mystery had been revealed to me, I could complete my shopping in peace.

Editor: Nisha Giri

The India survival Kit is divided into four sections:

I) Cultural tips for newcomers to India

II) Doing business in India

III) An American's diary

IV) Street English in India: Indian English and the Indian way of communication

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