Departure

I wrote this entry several days after I returned to the US, but never got around to posting it. So here is one of my last stories from India.



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I arrived home in the US early on Tuesday morning (May 6th). Going through customs was smooth and efficient. The man at the counter asked for my passport and smiling said, "April 25? My birthday is April 26th." I said, "One day a part... Happy Birthday." Then he wished me a happy birthday, stamped my passport, and looked me in the eye and said, "Welcome home." It was a friendly interaction for 5am and I definitely felt welcome in my home country.

Leaving India was filled with plenty of mixed emotion and adventure up until
the very end. I finished packing my bags and walked down to the travel agent's office with my friend Caroline. I had booked a pre-paid taxi to the airport with them earlier that day. Of course, it wouldn't be right if everything went as planned. I was supposed to have a private taxi to the airport and paid the amount for a private car so I could be sure to get there safely and on time. Well, my taxi driver started to lead me down the street. We got to a corner and he said,
"wait here." I was thinking maybe he was going to bring the car around for me. After several minutes he emerged with two other men and more luggage than I have ever seen. Among many of their bags were several duffel bags larger than me. Hmm, bodies? No, probably scarves from Kashmir. I started to process what was happening and just shook my head. Of course. They shoved the luggage into the car and the other men climbed in. Fortunately, I was given the front seat and a not smashed between two other very large men and their massive luggage. My bags were crushed, however, which gave me concern for my video camera and other belongings. The two men then slipped the driver 100 rs. Then he demanded that I give him my prepaid receipt. I showed it to him, but would not turn it over. He demanded to have it and then pointing to another man that had appeared said, "this man will be your driver." I began to protest, "No, this is not how this works. I will give this receipt to you when I arrive at my destination, otherwise I have no guarantee that I will get there. I literally have no more money to pay." I was serious too. I had given my extra rupees away to my friend before leaving and if they dumped me off somewhere other than the airport, I had no Indian currency to pay for another ride. I was starting to feel a bit angry. He pointed to the man that had appeared next to him and said, "He is your driver. She has already paid. See. He will take you." They wouldn't leave until I had turned over my receipt, so I had to give in. In hind sight, what I wished I would have done was raised my camera, snapped a picture of his face and my receipt, and winked at him and said, "just in case."

For the first time in all of my travels I actually felt like getting angry. It was awkward to ride in a car with three men, one who was a dishonest taxi driver and two other men that had paid him off in order to get a discounted rate on the service that I was paying for. I was also watching carefully out the window for signs or landmarks to make sure I was being taken to the airport. I think my frustration came not from the fact that I was being scammed, because this is not an infrequent practice. The money wasn't the issue. It was the stress of not knowing whether any other arrangements had been made. Instead of looking out the window and quietly saying goodbye to India and reflecting on my travels, I was crammed into the front seat, critically looking out the window watching every sign that passed, keeping an eye on my driver. I was taking note of all of the objects in the car and how they could be used to my advantage should I need to use my ninja skills at any point along the way. I figured if the taxi driver demanded more money, I had a verbal statement prepared for him at the end of which I would chuck
his miniature statues and incense out the window, providing a distraction so I could get my bags and run into the airport. However, nothing like this happened so really the scam came to an uneventful close when we were all dropped off safely at the airport and I managed to easily
make it through security to my gate, which gave me time to diffuse and let go of all of my defensive energy.

One last hitch. My flight changed gates during the couple of hours that I had to wait at the airport. None of the reader boards or signs reflected the change. No announcements. I had been looking around to see if something like this had happened but didn't see any notice. But near boarding time, a woman came up to me and asked if I was on the continental flight to Newark. I said yes. She said they were now boarding at gate #4. Alright. One good thing about being profiled as a white tourist is people in the airport can see you sticking out where you don't belong and direct you to the right place. So that is how I made my flight and arrived safely in the US.



Now after being home in the US for a couple of days, I am finding everything around me to feel 100% hygienic. I think I was the only person in NYC who thought the train tracks looked clean, probably because I didn't see anyone defecating on the tracks at 6am while taking the train into the city. I also felt like the city was so quiet. I remember the city being much more populated 10 years ago. But I guess an orderly flow of traffic will give that feeling, compared to the chaos of streets in India with vegetable carts, rickshaws, autos, bicycles, ox carts, motorcycles, to name only a few.

I have also noticed an intense appetite since I came back home. I am adding all kinds of things back into my diet, including meat. For breakfast this morning I had eggs, toast, ham, and orange juice. Still feeling hungry I had some trail mix and more toast with butter and jam. Then I decided it was a good idea to have an ice cream sandwich, after which I had a bowl of cereal. I really love Indian food, but there is something so good about a bowl of cereal.

So in relaying these stories of scams and contrast of efficiency, I have to say that I miss India. Even though it is a great luxury to dry myself off after a hot shower and actually use a towel as opposed to my bandanna, I would return to India in a heart beat. When I evaluate all of the bad along with the good, somehow the good comes out way on top. Plus, who can argue about sharing a Thalis (combination platter) for two and paying the equivalent of $1.25. I bought a sandwich in New York that cost $13.00. Should I feel guilty about this??