Back in India : still disoriented
Feels great to be back! Surprisingly my Air India flight which is usually late, reached 45 mins earlier than the scheduled time. Humid mumbai breeze along with rains welcomed me after a 33 hour long flight..I was soo excited to get wet in the rains and I did !! 
At the airport, I noticed there are more men then machines (unlike in America) , I am beaming smiles when I hear the first few words of marathi – a local language that’s spoken in Maharashtra. I had less of a reverse culture shock than what I expected, or may be I was just prepared !
First few days were all about getting used to the Mumbai that I have known for ages. I felt stupid when my brother held my hand to help me cross the road. I am usually famous for my reckless street crossing and here I was – behaving like an AmeriKan return, being super cautious. Everything of course feels soo different… No internet connection, Mom’s home cooked food, the spicy chaai(tea), the change of languages, noisy streets and honking cars, traffic jams and annoying television.. I found myself slow in the fast paced Mumbai life..
I am having a tough time juggling between spending time at home, preparing for my best friend’s wedding, showing Dina and Roujeih around and of course getting over the Great jet lag. Apart from that, mom is getting emotional about me leaving again, and grand ma on the other hand is is terribly ill. And to top it all, I have so much in my head and no time to digest my Berkeley experience.
I am meeting relatives and feeling almost choked up trying to explain what I learnt in the past 3 months. In India, young people jumping in to social work is not usually accepted. Going to the US not to earn more but just to learn about non violence or social work is a concept that doesn’t exist in their minds. Every now and then, visitors, friends and family members attack me with questions about who I am? what I want to do ? how much money will I be able to make? why social work ? why not something else ? when am I thinking of finally settling and getting married ? what’s my career like ? phew! I am not ready to answer all of this. I am just taking everything by the day and waiting for the 4th of September when we finally leave for Delhi.
First meeting with Dina and Roujeih
At 10 a.m. I go to Dina and Roujeih’s hotel which is not very far from my house. I knock on their door for like ten minutes .. Of course they were still dozing off. It was great to see both of them after OIYP. It was kind of unbelievable that something we vaguely spoke about in Australia has been realized. It was a big surprise to see Dina in a MOHOCK.. In OIYP Kaleidoscope she had long curly hair. I was already thinking of what would people think when I take her to the villages. If she shaved off her mohock, things could be okay. Last year, I visited the villages in Mussoorie when I was bald. So just shaving off the mohock will prevent people from thinking that she is a hippie or a druggie or just a weirdo. Well, of course her shaved head will not save her from the stares and the people’s attention ! but guess that will still be manageable.
Dina and Roujeih are shifting to another hotel in downtown. I am little worried about this. I actually din’t realize accommodation in Mumbai could be so freaking expensive. Because of my grandma’s constant illness, I have requested them to stay in a hotel although I feel awful about it.
