Twyla's reflection on 6 months living in India

Next week is the official six month mark of living in India. Hard to believe it’s been that long and, of course, at times it feels like we’ve been here much longer. So, time for some reflections! I’ve started part time work at the school in the counseling department, so the past two weeks have been more busy and have made me appreciate how lucky I was to have the free time to explore. I’ve gotten to know the Bandra area, where we live, fairly well and I’m pleased with the exploration I’ve gotten to do in the rest of the city. Coming back from Rajasthan, I felt relief to be back in Mumbai where things are familiar and I know what to expect. Our flat is shaping into a more lived in space (except for one of the bathrooms which is being ripped up due to bad plumbing). I was excited this week to take photos and some art to have frames made – all custom made and none over 300rs a piece. Accomplishments like that are wonderful and make me feel more settled.

Greg and I have been training for the half and full marathon since the summer and our efforts paid off last weekend. It was very wonderful to have a goal to focus on in the fitness department and I think it has helped us both in our transition here. Moving from GJ, when we were playing in the mountains or desert almost every weekend for the past two and a half years, to then move to the biggest city in the world, we were worried about how we would continue getting the exercise we crave. Training for this running event was a great idea. We both did well too, meeting or exceeding our goals. And now that it’s over, we can start taking advantage of some of the city life on the weekends, i.e. enjoying the night life, since we don’t have to be up at 5am to run.

One pleasant surprise with moving to Mumbai through ASB, is the amazing community that has just been plopped into our laps. Moving to both Oregon and Grand Junction, it took us about a year in both places to start to find our niche and feel like we belonged to a community. Here, we have had the fortune to have too many opportunities and having to constantly choose between what we want to do and with whom. It’s one of the reasons time has flown by so quickly. We really couldn’t of asked for much more!

I did hit a lull, which I was waiting to happen, right as all of our guests arrived for the holidays. Since we had a trip planned and people to share our experience with, I couldn’t wallow in it. For me, trying to figure out what to do employment-wise while in India, the initial newness of everything having worn off, and the fact that some things in India can be SOOOO frustrating to deal with at times, led to a typical new expat lull.

India is a country with the most number of trained IT people in the world, yet the infrastructure is not in place to support sufficient development. Also, the times when you want to find something and you have no idea what type of store to look at, just sent me into a place of “why bother.” The traffic and noise at times can become so overwhelming that getting myself to walk out of our apartment feels nearly impossible. Or course, once I cross the thresh hold, I’m just fine, but getting there can be so hard some days. Picture frames are a great example. I went to some of the department stores nearby and they had like two frames to choose from. Alright, so now what. So, I spoke to some of our friends who have been here a while and found out you just get frames made. Then it’s researching where others have gone and how much they have paid. Finally, I hear of one that sounds like how much I should pay here in India, I motivate to take everything down to the shop, and I end up having a great time getting to choose what matting and what frame I want to be use. India opens up this creative side of myself I never knew was there. I’ve bought most of my clothes at boutiques around Bandra, which has been a lot of fun. Then, three weeks ago, Alison and I venture out to find the fabric bazaar and a whole new world opens up! There are SO MANY choices and my brain is going crazy with all the thoughts of what could be done with the fabric. There were even stalls filled with only dupattas (the long scarf worn with most Indian outfits)! Fun! Anyone one who loves to look at and feel fabric would be in heaven. One moment life feels so frustrating and the next it’s an excited experience.

India is a paradox. There are so many opposites occurring all the time that at first it only feels like chaos. Then, weekly, sometimes daily, little things click and something makes a little more sense or at least I learn how to navigate the chaos slightly better. I’ve realized I need to be kind to myself when I reach those moments of exhaustion and allow myself to relax for a little before heading out again to learn a little bit more. One lesson I continually have to remind myself lately is that even though my skin color makes me stick out like a sore thumb (as does blonde hair and blue eyes), people’s behaviors aren’t solely based on this fact. When I’m trying to get a rickshaw during rush hour and empty ones pass me by, I look around to see the same thing happening to Indians. The driver isn’t singling me out, he’s got other reasons for “being a jerk” at that moment.:)

Being a woman here can, and probably always will be, trying at times. Whether it’s being stared at so intensely you feel like something is grotesquely wrong and rickshaw drivers adjusting their mirrors just so they can get a better look, to being addressed as “Mr” when making reservations over email because why would a woman be making reservations. It’s been a balance of figuring out when to ignore and when to be confident and stand my ground. It will be interesting when we make our first trip back to the US and we melt back into the landscape. I wonder how that will feel after two years here. Our other question is how will our driving will be after witnessing such horrid driving, on the wrong side of the road for two years and then getting behind the wheel of the Cavalier for the first time. We’ll let you all know when that happens so you can make sure to stay off the roads at that time.

Finally, thank you for all the emails, FB posts and Skyping. One of the hardest things about transitioning is always leaving such wonderful people behind. Greg and I continuously reflect on how lucky we have been to meet such amazing people in our lives and then to be able to continue hearing about how each of your lives continues to change and grow. We are truly a part of a global community, more so now than ever.

Throwing it out – we are in the beginnings of planning our summer trekking around the Himalayas and there’s an open invitation to anyone who would like to join! Cheers to the next six months!