oh, andrew (field work pt. 2)

I wouldn't normally do this, but I feel the need to respond directly to Andrew's comment.

If only you could see me out there. It's ridiculous. I can't stop saying "hi," "namaste" "mee peru?" "na peru Alex," "bagunara?" to Every Single little kid that looks at me. Men and women stare, and I look back and smile. They smile back. I introduce myself to all sorts of people, whether or not they speak English. I can't help it!
Today, walking through a bazaar area in the old city, a kid who called himself John (real name: Azam) and claimed he spoke 6 languages (I think he meant that he knew some words in each - still impressive.) came up to me and asked me where I'm from. I couldn't help but have a conversation with him - yeah, it was possible that he was trying to rip me off somehow, but he really didn't seem like that. I felt honesty from him, and having traveled a decent amount, I'd like to think that I'm at least a mediocre judge of that.

He told me about a good Hindi movie called "Partner." He told me that I should be careful for pickpockets and watch out for cars. His friend had recently taken a trip up to Delhi and died in a car accident. He told me where to find good clothing shops (turned out to be closed because we were a bit early). He wanted to know my country, the languages I spoke, and what I was up to in Hyderabad. He told me about his classes in the 6th grade. He was a good kid. I only wish I had been Slightly less tight with my money. He had some pearls in his hand, and he offered a necklace to me for 1 American dollar. I turned him down, and I regret it. My Rs. 40 would have gone farther with him than it will wherever it ends up. We told each other how nice it was to meet - we'll probably never meet again.

So trust me, Andrew, my problem here if anything is quite the opposite.