Observations: It's Amazing What Happens When You Open Your Eyes and Ears

I will admit, my Hindi is not that great.  While I can read, write and understand, my speaking sounds like a 3rd grader (with more English words mixed in).  Coming to India, I thought this would be a disadvantage...little did I know it would be a blessing in disguise!  Because I am not able to converse as quickly, I have been more quiet than usual - this has forced me to listen carefully to the conversations around me without the urge to reply back or insert my opinions immediately.  Well, I should not say "urge" because I can never suppress my urge to talk (ask anyone who knows me)...it's more like my "ability" to reply is not up to par.  Through this new found position as a listener, I have been able to 1) increase my Hindi comprehension and 2) learn how to observe not just what people talk about, but why they say what they say and do what they do.  Here's some observations from these two weeks:

• Everyone here wears with their shoes.  That doesn't seem like a big deal, right?  Well, when I say shoes, I mean ALL shoes, including sandals, flats, heels, etc.  It's completely normal to wear a pair of woolen socks with flip flops to the market and and with sandals to school.  My love of socks and Birkenstocks is shared by others...hip hip hurray!
• Republic Day is coming up on the 26th of January; because of this, there is SO MUCH security around Delhi, especially by the parliament buildings.  It's amazing to see something so organized juxtaposed with the chaos of the city all around it.
• I found out it's been cold in Michigan...well I know this is not much of an argument, but believe it or not it's cold here!  Okay, not negative degrees wind chill, but it has gotten down to the 40s.  I know this doesn't seem cold, but guess what?  The homes here don't have heating inside.  That's right - if it's 40 outside, then it's 40 inside.  Thank God for the huge mondo quilts and 20 layers of clothing that I sleep in.
• The air is so dusty here!  Between the dust, smoke, pollution, and massive amounts of people, the air is thick.
• Indians eat super late.  Most people eat "lunch" around 3 or 4 and "dinner" around 9.  I wonder if they have "midnight snacks" here...
• Everyone here is OBSESSED with chai and biscuits.  I may or may not be on a permanent caffine buzz here because of all the chai I have been drinking.
• It's true - many animals roam the streets.  Cows, dogs...I even saw boars the other day!
• This is nothing to do with India, but one of my roommates Leanna pointed this out to me: whenever I wear my Under Armor long sleeve shirt during the night, my arm hair always gets messed up by the morning.  I've never noticed it before...but it seems to bother her a lot.
• McDonalds is actually good here.  I had an Aloo Tikki burger yesterday (kind of like an Indian potato burger).
• Indian soap operas are exactly like US soaps...just in Hindi.  I also saw the girls in the hostel watching this show with bimbo-looking girls shopping, fighting and talking on cell phones.  When I asked them what it was, they replied "It's the Indian version of Keeping up with the Kardashians." Wow.
• Auto rickshaws (what they call tuk tuks) are CRAZY.  Here's a taste of what it's like (keep in mind this is relatively tame traffic comparatively):