India: Lazy Hazy

I have just done a ton of crunches and some push-ups and took a nice cold shower, and feel so much better. It's interesting how different people become in different settings. Or rather, perhaps it's just me. Usually I'm the complete spaz and the one who wants to eat everything. Yet, since I have gotten to India, I'm definitely the quiet one compared to Anu, and I just stay in my "business/work mode," and practically stay that way for most of the day. Not only this, I'm actually wearing bright colors and I take long showers (and by long I mean 25 minutes including undressing-->dressing). Hey--if it's 35C all day and night with a billion percent humidity, a cold shower feels ridiculously good after an entire day and night of sweating. The water heater in this apartment doesn't work, but it doesn't really make a difference seeing as the cold water is actually almost lukewarm to me.

So apparently we are not able to get the nice flat that we thought we were going to be able to get by tonight. Yesterday morning, we received a phone call from the broker who told us that, the other day, while the owners were working on the papers that we were supposed to have signed last night, they randomly changed their mind, saying that renting it out for 3 months to us was not worth it, and so the flat went to somebody else almost immediately after that. So tonight, we are staying at some random hotel. So hotels randomly around the city NOT close to the airport are something like... comparing it to Motel 5 would be like comparing Motel 5 to the Ritz. They have a toilet, and they have a shower that I think might work. It does have electricity, though. I guess we'll figure that out tonight.

Yesterday was sort of a lazy day for me, I suppose. I had finished my reports and e-mail updates back to some other members of the group, and now I need to wait for their reply before moving forward. So, others slept in, and I wrote my reports. We got out just in time for lunch: roti, green peas masala, paneer tikka masala, and dahi potato puri. It's probably not so good that I am craving fake Americanized not so spicy tikka masala from Na'an 'n Curry. Afterwards, Emily and Anu went to some colleges in other areas of Mumbai to talk to the principle about recruiting more people for our project (that is currently now in junction with Krishna's Mahendi for HIV/AIDS-affected people), which, as I later find out, turned out extremely well.

While they went off to work, Krishna and I went shopping so I would have some clothes that I felt comfortable wearing in places like Behrampada. It's amazing how here, I feel uncomfortable and indecent even in my t-shirts because they feel so tight, and don't go down past my ass, but back at home, I will wear a deep v-necked halter-top and feel compeltely comfortable. So I obtained a couple more kurtas and another salwar kamis pants, and now I am compeltely broke so will not be buying anything for a while--a long while. I do have an idea for an entire salwar kamis set, but I don't believe that I will be able to get that anywhere, seeing as the colors that I want and the patterns on the fabric are basically dull and completely plain compared to anything else here. We'll see how that turns out.



The bus back was a ridiculous 1+ hour bus ride standing all the way. Unfortunately, after sitting for 30+ hours on the plane, and now walking everywhere and standing in the same place for over an hour without moving is taking a toll on my kneee. My knee has been giving me problems on and off, but nothing so major the past couple of months. However, with all of this traveling long distances and staying in the same position for the entire time, my right knee refuses to function, and trying to sit down and stand up is a pain. Oh well. So the bus ride back was annoyingly crowded, but I suppose you can't expect much else. The bus also stalled at some point, and wouldn't start up momentarily, which made me extremely nervous.

Another thing that I have been failing to mention is just all the beggars here. Yesterday had one of those moments that are ingrained in your mind forever. If anyone has spoken to me about Kenya, I'm sure that you hear about the image of the boy on his mother's lap the first day of work visiting the slums. Yesterday, at the Vidya Vihar station, the ticket office on the other side of the station was locked, and sleeping right in front of the locked gate on the steps was a small, emaciated child wearing a wife-beater and shorts. I suppose that I have gotten more used to the begging along the streets, but I still have that sinking feeling where my heart feels like it's being clawed at by harpies, and pieces are falling into my stomach one by one.

Ooh! Yellow flegm! I think the pollution and the dust might even be getting to me, and I think that I have a higher tolerance than others in general for it. Looking back, it's not like living in Taiwan whenever I visited my cousin and aunt in Tainan was that much different with regards to cleanliness on the streets. Regardless, Taiwan is still more comfortable than here in India.

I can't believe that it has been almost a week since I have left. Then again, part of that could be because technically, I have only been in India for half of that week since I was in the airplane for half of that time. The days are moving by pretty quickly in some ways in the fact that I am pretty much constantly doing something--either taking the train, bus, ricksha, or the occassional taxi, typing up personal or project reports, having meetings, doing some research, crashing, being around other people, and for the past few days, talking to people online back at home while everyone else is asleep (though, that is practically stopping right now since we have been using Krishna's laptop and internet and flat for too long). But still, sometimes the thought of how many more days can feel daunting when I think about all the different things that I have to deal with here: the frustrations, the uncomfortable feeling of standing out like a sore thumb, the politics that is Indian culture, not having fresh watermelon and berries to drown in, etc.

Oh well. Today requires a meeting with Suni at SAHAS regarding the epidemiology study, e-mailing important people, some research, and calling some professional labs or graduate schools to see about water quality testing. Also, Nick is arriving today. We still be staying at the lodge/hotel tonight... we'll see how that goes.

According to the newspapers, the monsoon is starting to hit early this year. The rains have hit Kerala on Monday, and there have been slight showers in the morning now. ...I really hope we get a flat before the big monsoons hit. The monsoon is expected to arrive in Mumbai next week. Great.

Lesson of the day: In India, wearing kurtas + churitas or salwars >> wearing any t-shirts + pants from back at home. Also, DON'T SCRATCH.