The Fruit Cup

First of all, I'm sorry that I didn't blog yesterday! I didn't have Internet access all day!

Today I woke up early for school- I stayed over at Sowbe's house last night, and she woke up LONG before me to go to what is called "tution." Sowbe is in twelfth standard here (twelfth grade) and so she is ALWAYS busy it seems! I was so glad to have a few days with her! Tutions are basically like extra classes that all of the kids in twelfth standard will go to, up to twice a day sometimes on top of school! Twelfth standard is the most important year here, all of the kids work extremely hard studying and going to tutions so that they do well on an exam that they have to take at the end of this year. This exam (I think of it kind of like the SAT, but it's pretty different) is the most important test that they will ever take in their life-based on the marks (correct points) that they receive, decides their whole future, what college they can go to, and what profession! Talk about pressure!
School seemed abnormally long today. It was probably because I'm so exhausted and the sleeplessness is finally getting to me, and because it WAS longer. School days at my school are from 8:20 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. with only one fifteen minute break at 10:30 a.m. for canteen (cafeteria, for breakfast). But, the school day can always change! Depending on the teachers, they can designate extra time after school to finish off a lesson before a test or exam. Today, my class had to stay behind from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. for extra Chemistry class in preparation for the August monthly, which start on Friday. There are so many tests! On top of the tests in class almost every week, there is also monthly tests, quarterly tests, and then the final at the end of the year!
When the bell rang, (FINALLY!!!) at 3:00 p.m., Piriyanga, Theeksana and I got on the bus to go back to Piriyaga's house (I'm staying there tonight). When Piriyanga and I got back, her mom fed us a nice lunch of a sandwich that she had made, and Pav Vhaji- which is a roll type bread and sauce that was really good. To top off a nice lunch she made us fruit cups! OH MY these things were good! It is made from milk (with sugar) and has chopped fruit inside! This one that Gita (Piriyanga's mom) made had pomegranate, apple, banana, cherry, and paneer (cheese). It was so yummy!