Mother India, She Laughs

mother india, she laughs
i wasn't sure if i was going to have any "aha!" moments when i got to india, this being my fifth trip...mostly because i've learned to expect nothing when i visit this land, land where the hot water faucet is [usually] on the right instead of the left, and "hot" means lukewarm more than actually hot...land of light switches [usually] being in the off position to actually mean turned on...land where we see boys playing soccer with bare feet but soles having been hardened over years of wear...this is india to me...the hardened sole of a foot, grown tough, trodden over sharp pebbles and stones until this too feels natural and almost comfortable. if taht's my comparison for india...my analogy for america? well that sort of arose when mike and i were talking about ben and jerry's ice cream, which is sweet, yummy, and easy to take in...but makes you sort of fat and unhealthy when enjoyed with too much abundance. i'm fortunate and blessed to live in america; i know this...but right now i'm in a land of opposites that forces you to see the good in the bad, the bad in the good...take the shizah with the sugar, if you will ;)

circumstances that have tested my patience and sense of humor:

* well there was the time about 4 days ago that i showed up at the mumbai airport with my confirmation number and e-receipt in hand, only to be told that my reservation to fly south to kerala did not exist. i'd booked on yatra (like an india expedia), and after a frantic phone call to my parents to get online, while mike's iphone searched for a connection at the mumbai airport to retrieve my flight details, and heated phone call to yatra - - - i came to accept that i did not actually have a reservation [hahaha says mother india ;] but i was fortunate enough to be able to buy a seat on the nearly-full flight, and a few bucks cheaper at that!

* and then there was the time, 2 days ago i think, that we arrived at the train station with plenty of time to make our train, only to be told that the train was running 4 hours late [mother india issues a belly laugh here], and we hopped a rickshaw to the bus station, where it was hot and crowded, but at least we had seats...and i met a sweet keralan girl, and we chatted about arranged marriages and keralan culture...all's well that ends well!

a couple more days of sussing hotel rooms and train bookings until the group tour 'officially' begins. i'm proud of mike's progress in learning the indian culture - he ate a whole meal with his hands the other day, and is starting to use the indian head-bobble, and asking questions using the "is possible...?" version, understood anywhere in india...

so far [knock on wood], i feel i'm in good with mother india...understanding her little pokes and jokes on me, rolling with the punches, and happy to receive a break when it shows itself...we're in varkala right now, where the living doesn't get any easier...it's a westernized touristy beach spot, where the ladies dress like harlots: strapless dresses, oh my! mike called me a 'sloozy' for wearing a tank top today, but when in india, do as the indians do...and when in varkala, do as the floozy western tourists do...

last but not least - happy shivaratri, birthday of hindu god shiva...om namah shivayah!