in Asia at last!

I'm in Aaaasia!!!

I arrived to Bengaluru this morning at 2 AM. Everything went smoothly and the airport was a nice "last  point of familiarity" for me before stepping out into the real India. 

The first shock was the weather. It really isn't as hot here as I have anticipated! Currently it's around 77F. There was even a nice little breeze last night that smelled of sea salt, though I'm not even on the beach, so I seriously question my senses at this point. The second real shock was the traffic. Cars driving on the opposite side of the street, no seat belts, no street names, no signs, no lanes. Drivers were honking and flashing lights for everything, as late in the night as 2 AM! Dogs and other strange animals (and even people) ran across the streets without fear. I had no idea where I was going and only hoped that my taxi driver, who I found at the airport holding a sign with my name on it, would not get lost on the way to my accommodation. He had a small statue of Ganesh on the dashboard of the car with a garland of flowers around it. I sincerely hoped the Remover of Obstacles would not turn his back on my driver today and would get me to my place without accidents or catastrophes of any scale and sort.

After the excitement of the late night taxi ride, I couldn't fall asleep fast. In my slumbering I heard a muezzin calling worshippers as early as 5 AM. Then Hypnos finally visited me for a couple of hours. At that point honking and other traffic noises have already become just a mild annoyance, almost just a soothing backdrop to all other noises. 

While at first glance it seemed that Bengaluru never sleeps, it was around noon that I realized that the city was just waking up. Looking down from the 17th floor I could see tiny people, cars, auto rickshaws, motorbikes, trucks, and animals bustling about. I felt as if I were the creator looking down at my work of art from high above. The immensity of the city first filled me with awe and appreciation, but I felt exterior, superior to it. Then after I ran down the 17 flights of stairs to take a closer look, I suddenly felt humbled, overwhelmed, and extremely curious at the same time. It was a good thing that another intern, Liz, was with me because if she had not been there to make sure that we walked quickly and with determination, I would have just stood there on the sidewalk with my head zipping back and forth trying to make sense of the multitudes before my eyes. We went to the mall right next to our lodgings and bought a few essentials.  The mall wasn't all that different from what I was used to, except for the food section perhaps. That part resembled the mixture of a farmers' market, a magyar piac, and a Wal-Mart.
Then we went to the gym, worked out to Indian music, and looked at lovely palm trees through the windows. The only discomforting feeling was that a couple of Indian women were cleaning the equipment and the floor as we were using them. India is, even at first glance, a land of contrasts. I'm excited to explore these contrasts more deeply and to perhaps even find some unifying trends, some way to bring social and environmental equality to this land that Lady Justice seems to have ignored for so long. But most importantly, I'm here now to learn, observe, think, experience, and seek to understand. Action ought and will come later, in its due time.

Me on the balcony in the morning

Views from the balcony, looking down at the city