Today’s Hindi class was productive. We learned pronouns, adjectives, auxiliary verbs, and how to say simple sentences and questions. Here is a dialogue we practiced containing the most advanced level Hindi we were taught:
A: Namaste! (Hello!)
B: Namaste! aapkaa naam kyaa hai? (Hello! what is your name?)
A: Meraa nam Hiro hai, aaur aap? (My name is Hiro, and yours?)
B: Meraa nam Peggy hai, aap kaise hai? (My name is Peggy, how are you?)
A: Mai thik hu, aap kaahaa se hai? (I’m fine, where are you from?)
B: Mai China se hu. Aapkaa umar kyaa hai? (I am from China. What is your age?)
A: Mai pachchis saalki hu. (I am 25 years old.)
B: Aapse milkar achchaa lagaa. (Nice to meet you.)
A: Mujhi bhi. (Me too.)
B: Namaste. (Bye.)
A: Namaste, phir milenge. (Bye, see you later.)
The syntax of Hindi is different from English, which makes it difficult for me to learn how to say sentences and ask questions. For example, “aapkaa naam kyaa hai” literally translated is “your name what is”. But I think I have done all right. I did carry a few very short and simple conversations and for the most part, I have been able to convey what I want to people here. It does help a lot that most people here know more English than I do Hindi.
In general, English speakers in India seem well-educated and well-spoken. They speak politely and economically, which I like. Peggy and I have met a variety of people with masters degrees or higher of different studies, working various jobs one may not expect. Our tour guide at Agra Fort (see Saturday, 6/25) studied and earned a master’s degree in medieval history. A local shop owner in Agra (again, see Saturday) studied zoology for his master’s degree. Soba, our first host brother’s, Rakesh’s, wife, studied Hindi literature for her master’s degree. And, Ananta, our program coordinator, went all the way to earn a PhD in philosophy. This came as a surprise to me, as I had a preconception of Indians as generally people who study more lucrative fields such as engineering, computer science, business, or medicine, in higher education.
After Hindi classes, all of us volunteers went to take Indian cooking classes. Apparently, our instructor was a well-known chef with her own cooking show, and boy, did she have moves in the kitchen! With grace and ease, she whipped together complex, variegated dishes full of synergistic spices that filled my nose with aromas that carried me up like a cloud. We had Saag Mutton, a heavily spiced spinach and mutton dish, Dhania Murg, a chicken dish with an interesting cashew nut paste with green chili that gave the dish a pale green hue, Mutton Masala (masala is Hindi for “spice”), Butter Tandoori Chicken, a dish popular among children (and us), and Kadai Murg.
After cooking class, Peggy, Zoe, Dawn, and I went via the Metro train to a market to find some pants for Zoe. No luck, so off we went to Chhatarpur, a stop on the Metro from which we saw large temples in the distance. We were surprised to find that up close, these temples had an artificial quality. The whole town had an eerie feel, as it was relatively empty of people and comprised a number of these strange temples that looked like they could be seen at Universal Studios.
why do either of you say you're from china?
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