Opening my eyes wide

i.e. with my sunglasses on. back home i would perpetually squint my eyes in the sun and here i am wearing sunglasses. not that one doesnt get sunglasses in india, the difference is that i never felt like owning a pair in india. so now it would be apt to say, "videsh ne meri aankhen khol di hain."

And its true in many ways. i have been meeting all sorts of people. for last three nights straight i have had class get togethers, getting home at 3,4,5 respectively. and what do i do? take a glass in hand and repeat this set of questions every now and then. "hi, nice to meet you. i am so and so from so and so, and you? oh so when did you arrive? so where are you staying? and what's your BB pin?" and next time we meet, we say, "oh you look familiar, have we met before?" and the introduction continues. then there are pakistanis who will give you free printouts, or will offer to get indian masalas shipped on demand, or want you to work with them illegally, something that sets off the siren in my head. eeeon eeeeeon eeeeeeeon. or locals who give you their number and want to meet you. people of every shape, size, colour and intention.

thats the people side of the city, but in general i like this place. i made some observations which hit straight in the heart and make me comfortable instantly. like people breaking traffic signals. or catcalls and whistles when you are walking on the street. or kids quarrelling and their moms disciplining them. or the popularity of flat chappals and clothbags. or indian women in salwar kameez, exchanging feedback about tailors. or watching kaminey at friends' place. or the festive feel of MG road on La Rambla. or the sound of tadka in the kitchen and the flavour of frying masala. or the afternoon siestas. or the habit of never keeping appointments. feels like home.

and then there are the differences. its stays sunny for 14 hours. the streets are not crowded, they are in fact empty since its vacation time here. the bathrooms are so differently made that they cant be used to wash your clothes. at all. the public transport is just so convenient, user friendly, cheap and safe. the city is all yours to explore and all you need to be equipped with is maps. yes plural because there's one for the multiple metro routes, one for train routes and one more that does not miss a single nook and cranny. business here starts early around 8, then people take lunch and siesta from 2 to 4, and then work stops after 6, 7 or 8 depending on the timings from office to office. and then ofcourse there are the beaches, the wining and dining and expensive merchandize.

in all as i experience more firsts, i feel this place has various indian elements, the nighbourhoods of south bombay, the crowd of pune's koregaon park, the omnipresent sindhi community, and yet with all its unique differences. it makes you fall in love with it. its beautiful. its alive.