Phir Milenge= See you later
I have officially left India. I was a little sadder than I thought I would be, mostly because I had an incredible final 10 days in my home for the last year. I am now in Bangkok, Thailand, sipping fresh dragon fruit juice and I just can't complain. I figured I'd take a few minutes while I hide from the afternoon showers to update you on my final Indian travels.
On my final night in the village, Priya, Zach and I celebrated with a stealth whiskey party in my house. It was really fun to bring the year to a close this way, although I felt much differently the next morning when I boarded a local bus with all of my luggage and a seriously intense headache. However, it faded and I arrived in Bombay to my great friends Viren and Jane who took me out for a delicious dinner and drinks. The rest of the weekend, we celebrated the beautiful weather at some of Bombay's best kept secrets, including an upscale A-list club, Trilogy. Viren is a sports marketing exec so he got us in and we wined and danced with some Bollywood stars and cricket players visiting India for the World Cup. In fact, I was personally invited to some matches by a couple Canadian cricketers, which totally made my night.
After a few days eating and drinking well, I took a short flight to the south to visit the Marianist brothers in Bangalore, India. I was welcomed by Brother Delmar, a 75 year old 5'3'' American brother from St. Louis. He showed me the city, the Marianists various projects including REDS (Ragpickers Education and Development Scheme), their mission to clean up the city and help those most in need. I visited these tiny schools right in the slums of Bangalore, which try to keep children off the streets during the day.
Brother Delmar lives with two other Indian brothers in a small bungalow right in the city. In the three days I stayed with him, I awoke at 6:00 am to meditate and pray with the brothers, something I'm definitely NOT used to. There was also an afternoon and evening meditation and prayer which I participated in each day. On the first day, I could not sit still with my legs crossed on a mat on the floor. My mind jumped from one thought to the next and I literally counted the seconds. But after a few days, I started to get the hang of it and actually really enjoyed it. What a way to unwind and reflect on my crazy year abroad.
Another one of the brother's most time-consuming activities is their nightly ritual of watching cricket. I have tried to understand this sport the whole year I've been here, but to no avail. However, with nothing else to do, and thanks to Brother Delmar's careful and detailed explanations, I finally grasped the game. To celebrate, after a beautiful Indian Catholic mass on Sunday, Brother Delmar took me to a World Cup Cricket game- Kenya vs. Australia! There is a stadium not far from his house and we were able to get last minute tickets for this Asian-popular sports' tournament. It was so fun to go and see in person how this game is played. It's quite different from a baseball game. For instance, cricket matches last on average 8 hours, and some of them last 5 days. There are 100 innings in a match. Hitting the ball into the stadium is worth 6 runs and no matter where the ball goes, the fans HAVE to return it. And instead of an ice cold beer and a hotdog, I snacked on samosas and sugar cane juice! Still, it was such a cool afternoon.
After a couple days in the city, I then proceeded to Deepahali, about 30 km out side of Bangalore, to visit the other Marianist community. Here, I ran into and visited with some of the brothers I'd met in Africa or at UD. Out here, it was bliss. So quiet and green and far from the noise of India's busiest city, home to the call centers we use around the world. Again, I participated in their meditation and prayer, I took long runs in the evenings and enjoyed talking to the young Indian men who are studying to become brothers. My time in Bangalore was utterly relaxing. I really enjoyed the Indian spin on a Catholic mass.
After leaving Bangalore, I returned to Bombay on St. Patrick's Day. Jane and I celebrated with a couple drinks. The rest of the weekend we continued our exploration of the city, eating and drinking at different fun restaurants. It was so refreshing to go out and not be stared at and enjoy good conversation with some fantastic people who've lived all over the world.
On my very last day, Zach came into Bombay to see me off and celebrate Holi Festival with me. It was amazing. We dressed in our whitest clothing and headed to Juhu Beach to join in the "festival of colors" and throw colored powder at each other. We were the only foreigners in the area, which was fun because we were adopted into the local celebrations. After a few hours we were completely dyed and celebrated over a few ice-cold Kingfisher beers. That evening, still dyed from the day, I boarded my flight to Bangkok.
It really was an unbelievable end to an unbelievable year- spent with good friends. Now, I'm in Thailand, on my own, with no hotel reservations and no guide book. I got a little busy relaxing and couldn't find time to make any plans, but so far, at the end of my second day here, I'm enjoying this personal adventure and I've made some travel buddies to go exploring with. Now, I'm off to get some fresh street pad thai and have a couple Thai beers. Picture and an update to come soon!
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| Viren, Jane and I |
On my final night in the village, Priya, Zach and I celebrated with a stealth whiskey party in my house. It was really fun to bring the year to a close this way, although I felt much differently the next morning when I boarded a local bus with all of my luggage and a seriously intense headache. However, it faded and I arrived in Bombay to my great friends Viren and Jane who took me out for a delicious dinner and drinks. The rest of the weekend, we celebrated the beautiful weather at some of Bombay's best kept secrets, including an upscale A-list club, Trilogy. Viren is a sports marketing exec so he got us in and we wined and danced with some Bollywood stars and cricket players visiting India for the World Cup. In fact, I was personally invited to some matches by a couple Canadian cricketers, which totally made my night.
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| Slum school in Bangalore |
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| Marianist chapel with an Indian influence: home to my daily meditations |
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| Cricket match! |
After a couple days in the city, I then proceeded to Deepahali, about 30 km out side of Bangalore, to visit the other Marianist community. Here, I ran into and visited with some of the brothers I'd met in Africa or at UD. Out here, it was bliss. So quiet and green and far from the noise of India's busiest city, home to the call centers we use around the world. Again, I participated in their meditation and prayer, I took long runs in the evenings and enjoyed talking to the young Indian men who are studying to become brothers. My time in Bangalore was utterly relaxing. I really enjoyed the Indian spin on a Catholic mass.
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| Dinner in Bombay with Jane Viren, Avinash and other friends |
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| Zach and I at Holi |
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| Holi! |
It really was an unbelievable end to an unbelievable year- spent with good friends. Now, I'm in Thailand, on my own, with no hotel reservations and no guide book. I got a little busy relaxing and couldn't find time to make any plans, but so far, at the end of my second day here, I'm enjoying this personal adventure and I've made some travel buddies to go exploring with. Now, I'm off to get some fresh street pad thai and have a couple Thai beers. Picture and an update to come soon!
1 comment:
Sounds AMAZING! You are just like Elizabeth Gilbert's character in Eat, Pray Love - learning to meditate and everything. I'm so envious of all of your wonderful experiences, Em! Can't wait to live vicariously through your stories when you return in a few short weeks!
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