Dear Diary

I’m calling this one “Dear Diary” because it’s not so much an entry of observation or insight, but it’s an entry of me. The longer I’m in India, the more I stand out like a sore thumb. I’m the only white person I’ve seen in days (since Osho) and even then I don’t have a fancy burgundy robe.

I walk too fast – in the office today it was a game of hurry up and wait - I kept running (nearly) from one place to the other but every time I got up to city-speed, I was stalled by someone taking their time on the way to their next meeting, coffee break, social.

For some reason, even though I’ve been here two weeks, I can’t get in the traffic swing of things. Most people keep a slow steady pace (their pace) – if cars come they keep their pace and the car knows to move or change speeds to meet that pace. It’s like a non-stop game of chicken with me and I keep losing starting and stopping 50 times before I make it across the street.

I say things I probably shouldn’t…often…

In the gym today Hindi pop music started playing in the locker room. I started bopping my head side-to-side unknowingly. Actually, I guess that means I’m no so different here after all.

I am Eloise, hear me roar! * No, I’m not going crazy(er) changing my name and making animal noises.

No running!

When we were kids we all heard the rule, “no running by the pool.” It came right before, “no swimming for 15-minutes after you eat,” and right after, “do you have sun-block on? Really?”

Working out today, my Pune gym didn’t fail to add another opposite to the list of what I’ve seen at home and what I see here. One of the workout classes was doing laps around the outdoor pool. Standing by all the runners, wearing orange glasses even though it was pitch black out, was Mr. Cool flexing his arms as each person ran by.

Kite cutting

Driving from one place to another is always an adventure. You have to dodge donkeys, cars, and young boys running into the road. This was all tonight, anyhow.

The past few days driving from work to the gym, we’ve seen a group of boys in a kite contest. The purpose of the contest is a group of boys will fly their kites high above the huts lining the streets. While they’re flying their kites, they try to cut the string of one of their co-fliers.

Once a kite goes flying, a group of runners chase after it to catch and win the rogue kite. They often fearlessly and dangerously run into the street pushing each other trying to capture the prize.

I read about this game once, and the book caused such images I thought I had seen these runners before. If you haven’t ready the book The Kite Runner, it’s time to get cracking.

Donkey kong

While enjoying the kite game going on around our car, I saw a young boy chasing a donkey down the street. Another game…not so sure of the rules. I hope he’s not trying to pin the tail!

Buy-off
Driving up MG road (short for Gandhi) Matt and I saw an exchange half comical and half depressing. A motorcycle police officer stopped a moped rider and asked for his ID. The mopen rider immediately pulled out the ID and 100 Rupees and the police nodded his head and rode off. So many isms…so little time!