I thought people in India were supposed to be on ‘relaxed’ time and everything was supposed to be inexpensive.

Almost every time I’ve agreed to meet someone at a certain time, the person has been early. Not just on time. Early. The one time someone was actually late, they apologized profusely (and as they were arriving through evening rush hour, they cannot be to blame.)

So far, I’ve hesitated on at least three accounts due to price. Hotel laundry apparently costs over $1 per shirt. I’m debating just doing it myself. And last night’s excursion: My co-worker’s wife was kind enough to take me clothes shopping after work for a wedding I am invited to go to next week. (And, incidentally, if you find yourself coming to work in India, I recommend procuring The Best Co-workers Ever. I don’t know what I’d do without them!) We went to a nice mall that was well up to, if not exceeding, American standards for malls. Perhaps that is why the prices there were also up to, if not exceeding, American prices. For a dress that one would wear to an Indian wedding, the price seemed to be in the range of $150-$200. I wasn’t looking at the bling-tastic saris even, just an Indian-style dress or salwar kamis (a kind of long-shirt-and-pants combo) suitable for a fancy party.

Shipra Mall

I ended up going with what I’ll call the ol’ J.C. Penny’s route. Find something ‘good enough’ on sale. Luckily, my companion indicated what ‘good enough’ meant as I would not have had a clue! (And her mother, who met us there with her adorable toddler, seemed to agree.) In the end, I spent closer to half that price on two outfits, for two different ceremonies, and hope that is sufficient not to embarrass myself. It’s certainly better than anything I currently have in my closet! My lesson from my shopping experience: the heavier the fabric, the brighter the colors (no white or black), and the blingier, the better. It’s all about the bling. (She even used the word “bling”.) To increase my bling factor, I decided to take the woman’s advice and get some inexpensive jewelry to go with it. Inexpensive jewelry (a necklace and matching earrings with so much bling, even the woman I was with took pause) cost almost $40. Wow. I have now spent almost all the money I changed at the airport. (And I’m still second guessing myself, wondering if I should try that shop across the street, just in case I can find more bling for my buck.)

Pink Pants! Pink Bling!

It may look like those two pairs of pants are for two very different people, Michael Jordan and MC Hammer perhaps, but nope, they are the very common styles of pants one wears under a dress / long shirt. One bunches at the bottom. The other (Punjabi style) just ripples all around. Both ready-to-wear outfits (because I’m too lazy/intimidated/in a hurry to use a tailor) happened to have pink bottoms. I think they’re cute!

So far, the only thing that seems cheap here is food. Lunches at work are just a buck and we had dinner at a mall restaurant for under $4 each. My long-term hotel, however, has no problem charging $11 for a dinner buffet.

(And how awesome is it that I got invited to a wedding!? I had been hoping to go to one sometime during my time here, I didn’t expect to in my first few weeks!)