Sleep Country

So I’m writing two posts today because I have to catch you guys up to what’s going on since I arrived in India two weeks ago.

It’s been a rocky start, that’s for sure. The flight was smooth – didn’t get more than an hour of sleep, but I expected that – and once we got to Delhi, we were greeted by my fabulous grand-uncle (is that the proper term?). Delhi has changed so much since I’ve come last. There is a metro system in place, the airport is beautiful, the traffic is much less congested than it used to be. I can’t wait to go back and wander around the city.

The morning after we arrived, I had a slight contact lens mishap and basically couldn’t see out of my right eye for the entire day. Rather, I had an icepack on it all day to keep it from swelling and running like a waterfall – not exactly the best ‘welcome to India’ gift, I have to say. I had to take a facecloth, tissue, and ice with me on the train to Chandigarh that evening and greet the rest of my family half blind. That was fun.  It’s healed and I’m good now.

The next couple of days were full of food and family. It was the first reunion we’d had in years. Actually, my uncle had come from Bangalore with his wife and son and my aunt and uncle had come from Shimla, making it the first time in about 23 years that my mother and her siblings were all together at home with their parents. This has been really special.

The third day in India, I ate something strange and got sick. Yay. Somehow I went three months in Kenya last summer without any horrible illnesses but three days in India and I’d already had to get two sets of medicines from the doctor. How fun. I’m back to normal now. I hope it stays that way for a little while.

Along with all the sickness and humidity and chaos that has come with my Indian experience so far this month, my research contract has also fallen through. I’ve been a bit frustrated as a result. Therefore, I will no longer be going to Ahmedabad in October after I write the LSAT (which has itself been a rollercoaster ride), but will rather be staying either in Chandigarh to work on domestic violence issues with a family friend who is a human rights advocate or I will be going to Dehradun, about a 5 hour drive away, to work with the Vice-Chancellor of the a university there who is doing some amazing work on issues of culture, religion, gender and development.  Who knows, maybe I’ll find a way to do both. 

While my original plan has not worked the way it was planned – for organizational reasons that I don’t care to describe – and I am disappointed that I won’t get to stay in Ahmedabad for a long period of time, I’m still planning a visit there and I am keeping my head high. At least now I’ll get to stay closer to my grandparents and there is more flexibility for travel around the country! After all, being in India for 6 months is never a bad thing.

Despite all the bumps so far, seeing family and friends has been incredible. You forget what it’s like to have the love and support of family around until it smothers you. It’s amazing. I have a feeling that my cousin Satvika and I will get very close by the end of these 6 months. I’m also super excited to discover this country that is so much a part of me. 

It’s amazing, too, what difference there is between the constant stress in North America and the slowness of life here. 3 PM every day is nap time, and while I have so much work to get done – figuring out job details, preparing for the LSAT, doing my research on sex-selective abortion in Canada – somehow sleep is a necessary part of my day.  I feel like such a slug, it’s fantastic. Such a pace reduces stress and increases productivity for the things that you do set your mind to, I find. This was why I became more patient and less stressed last summer in Kenya, and why I hope to find that feeling again here in India.

This is also why I’m already starting to love it here: The beautiful chaos is coupled with days that are enjoyed moment by moment. So, even while things haven’t exactly gone my way, it’s just the beginning and there’s so much more to come.

Until next time!

Mom at the train station in Delhi chatting with the 5 baggage handlers that were hired to take care of our million suitcases.

Me with my baby cousin, Ojus. He is the most amazing child I've ever met, no exaggeration. Grandparents and others are eating in the background.

“You know you’re in India when…”

A list my sister and I have been constructing:

1. Your mother dedicates 4 out of the 6 permissible check-in luggage pieces (and 1/3 carry on’s) entirely to clothes for the kids - which inevitably makes traveling from one place to another so entertaining. Let’s just say the airport lineup was dominated by our not-so-subtle baggage and the train journey to Chandigarh comprised of a thirty minute negotiation with baggage handlers. Passengers on this train were also not too happy.

2. Air India - because if you’re going to journey to India, you have to start your chaotic experience with the flight - is the only airline that feels the need to include step by step toilet usage instructions after its routine video explanation of the aircraft’s security features. This is obviously in addition to the frequent spritzes of air freshner that were made deliberate at regular intervals towards the end of the flight. I swear I couldn’t get Russell Peters out of my head once we landed.

3. Even the Bhajans (religious hymns) being sung at the temple are inspired by Bollywood. Who ever heard of a prayer remix of a Hindi movie song? Not kidding, during Janamastmi, a religious festival in celebration of Lord Krishna’s birthday, there was a DJ hired to mix music while the pandit recited some ridiculous lyrics.

4. Before going to the temple, your whole family congregates to make sure that no one is wearing good shoes, and a detailed plan is made so that someone is outside at all times playing shoe bodyguard while the others are making the rounds inside the hot and crowded space.

5. You step into an ocean of mud on the way to the market and your aunt comments, “I hope that’s just mud.” Fantastic. This is then followed by a group excursion through a narrow alley-way, inclusive of all efforts to dodge unpredictable “mud puddles”, just so that we can get to the hair salon in time. Amazing.

6. There is always 10+ people in the house – visiting, dropping gifts off, hanging out. Every day there’s some new party of people dying to see you, even while you have no clue who they are. ‘Namaste auntie and uncle’ is a key phrase around here.

7. You can order paneer tikka and channa sandwiches at coffee shops! Way cool.

8. Crossing the street is a life-or-death affair (although much better than Nairobi, I have to say).

…these are just a few key moments. With 5 months and 2 more weeks to go, you can bet there’ll be many more (even better) ones.

Let the wandering begin

Hello all!

Thanks for visiting my blog - I hope I can keep it interesting while I'm journeying across India this year. Who knows, maybe my future adventures, travel and otherwise, will get mapped onto here as well.

I've often compared myself to a butterfly. Like the North American monarch, I'm a wanderer, famous among my loved ones for my love of travel and for my unshakable independence. While the butterfly sometimes frightens me, with its bold colour and constant movement, I am drawn to its uniqueness.

I'm not sure what this life has in store for me, so I've decided to share fragments of my journey with everyone who wants to listen.

I'm starting with my flight to India this 2011/12 - a journey inspired by my pursuit for the love of family, the beauty of culture and the mystery of research. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I will enjoy sharing.