Anuja and I got a great start on our trip today. I picked up a few Frango mints as host presents on our way to Anuja's parents place. Her mother, more anxious and excited than ever about our trip, continued to repeat advice that she has probably given Anuja 20 times and me 5. "Don't eat street food! Even if you see everyone else eating... Do not drink any water when outside. Don't go anywhere without a family member. Be very careful..." etc etc etc... I can see a lot of my own mother in her - however my Mom has learned to let go more than Anuja's. The advice is still coming and Anuja keeps laughing at it. I try to convey the correct amount of seriousness, knowing that we will probably do about half of those things in the first 24 hours we're there. I know that the intent is good and she wants only the best for us and is worried that I don't have any lick of worldly sense. Maybe I don't. She's talking to me like this is my first trip to India.
Right now I'm sure that someone somewhere is screaming, "ACT like you've got some sense! For once in your life - at least ACT like you've got some sense!..." while they are thinking of me.
However this is my first trip to India or even Asia. Although I don't show it as much as Anuja's mom, I'm just as excited and nervous. I don't have any clue what it will be like in wild India and I'm trying to not worry too much about it because worry wont do any good. I'm trying to not form too many mental impressions before I get there. I've resolved to allow myself to experience as it happens and not anticipate too much - that is one of the big reasons that I wanted to get out of Seattle for a while. Life just seemed like it was beginning to become stifling. Sometimes that's just the way things go.
Back to Anuja's parents - we've up her dad from his work location downtown so that he can see us off as well. Its really cute. I can tell they are worried but I tell them not to worry - I don't know if they pick up on it, given the ambling way that I so often speak, that my quiet confidence should not be taken as ignorance and that the trip's most basic intent is light hearted and that worry will only be counterproductive. Sometimes we have a difficult time communicating because of the strange gaps that exist between our understandings of the world. I don't think this is a bad thing - in fact its probably good. Bharti loves me and cares for me. Mohan's concern for us is self evident as he waves goodbye.
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I've stayed up all last night so that I'll be able to sleep better on the plane. It hasnt worked. I'm exhasted and my neck hurts and my sinuses feel like they have been pumped with dry sandpaper in the 40 minutes that I slept in my chair while listening to an audiobook. Poor me. I guess having this much fun is rough. Doubts are starting to creep into my mind about the tentative plans that we have made. I'm currently banishing them from my mind. India is still 15 or so hours away and I haven't had a full night's sleep in almost half that many days.
The flight is smooth - the Boeing (Yeah AMER-CUH!) 777 has excellent entertainment and there are two meals. I am no longer angry at the guy who plays music with Anuja's father and has a name that I cannot even hope to pronounce and speaks far too quickly to understand and doesn't respond to things that you tell him or even seat you beside the person that you are traveling with but can apparently get round trip tickets to India at 40% off 5 days before your travel date. These things cease to matter because KAL is really fucking great - except that Anuja and I understand about the same amount of things that are coming out of the mouths of the flight attendants, who are all female, 25, skinny and vaguely attractive, whether they are speaking English or Korean.
I turn my attention back to my third in-flight movie. The adult ADD that I've developed is really kicking my ass. I think this one is about 5 kids that won a basketball game when they were 12 and reunite to bury their dead coach and end up finding themselves over the weekend... For some reason the black grandma keeps farting. It isn't that funny except for any of the multiple scenes involving rope-swing accidents.
However this is my first trip to India or even Asia. Although I don't show it as much as Anuja's mom, I'm just as excited and nervous. I don't have any clue what it will be like in wild India and I'm trying to not worry too much about it because worry wont do any good. I'm trying to not form too many mental impressions before I get there. I've resolved to allow myself to experience as it happens and not anticipate too much - that is one of the big reasons that I wanted to get out of Seattle for a while. Life just seemed like it was beginning to become stifling. Sometimes that's just the way things go.
Back to Anuja's parents - we've up her dad from his work location downtown so that he can see us off as well. Its really cute. I can tell they are worried but I tell them not to worry - I don't know if they pick up on it, given the ambling way that I so often speak, that my quiet confidence should not be taken as ignorance and that the trip's most basic intent is light hearted and that worry will only be counterproductive. Sometimes we have a difficult time communicating because of the strange gaps that exist between our understandings of the world. I don't think this is a bad thing - in fact its probably good. Bharti loves me and cares for me. Mohan's concern for us is self evident as he waves goodbye.
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I've stayed up all last night so that I'll be able to sleep better on the plane. It hasnt worked. I'm exhasted and my neck hurts and my sinuses feel like they have been pumped with dry sandpaper in the 40 minutes that I slept in my chair while listening to an audiobook. Poor me. I guess having this much fun is rough. Doubts are starting to creep into my mind about the tentative plans that we have made. I'm currently banishing them from my mind. India is still 15 or so hours away and I haven't had a full night's sleep in almost half that many days.
The flight is smooth - the Boeing (Yeah AMER-CUH!) 777 has excellent entertainment and there are two meals. I am no longer angry at the guy who plays music with Anuja's father and has a name that I cannot even hope to pronounce and speaks far too quickly to understand and doesn't respond to things that you tell him or even seat you beside the person that you are traveling with but can apparently get round trip tickets to India at 40% off 5 days before your travel date. These things cease to matter because KAL is really fucking great - except that Anuja and I understand about the same amount of things that are coming out of the mouths of the flight attendants, who are all female, 25, skinny and vaguely attractive, whether they are speaking English or Korean.
I turn my attention back to my third in-flight movie. The adult ADD that I've developed is really kicking my ass. I think this one is about 5 kids that won a basketball game when they were 12 and reunite to bury their dead coach and end up finding themselves over the weekend... For some reason the black grandma keeps farting. It isn't that funny except for any of the multiple scenes involving rope-swing accidents.
2 comments:
Love it! keep it coming, i was excited to read this.
love you both!
eat the street food, it might be the best you've ever had :)
Thanks! So glad you made it fine, albiet sleep deprived. Hope you get caught up on that before too long so that you can really enjoy your trip. Where's the sleepy time tea when you need it...
xxoo the mom and dad who love you
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