Bas!

My host family seems nice, albeit a bit shy. Their house reminds me of mine at home: old, with a jumble of Eastern and Western possessions from a different era. I love this mixture of old and new, modern and traditional. A dusty soft toy tiger smiles at me from underneath the TV; a small collection of blonde plastic dolls gaze out from a cabinet. A picture of The Last Supper hangs below a poster with the Hindi word for "home", both visible from my seat at the dining table. Two rattan chairs lean against the wall and I curl myself into one when I watch TV after dinner. Dried chillies and peppers hang above the front door to chase away evil.

Today I woke up and had chai and watermelon for breakfast, then proceeded to sort out my things. An hour later, Nena the nineteen year old maid came in: "breakfast," she said. But I'd already had breakfast! I followed her out to the dining table to see my host father and his brother sitting at the dining table waiting for me. Another cup of chai, a potato curry puff, and a slice of French toast was dutifully consumed. They tried to offer me another slice of toast and I balked. "Bas! Bhet bhaghaya!" (Enough! Stomach full!) My host father and his brother laughed approvingly, amusedly at my mangled Hindi.