Have you ever been to the fair? Dirt roads, paved roads, paved roads with lots of dirt, while navigating around those sheriff and vender golf carts, animals milling about, the republicans booth next to the democrats booth, and an ever wafting of food just underneath all the smell of animal poo, well that’s India. That is pretty much all I think all day and every day as I move about the place. Wow, this is just like a fair, one big happy jolly fair.
The last three days combined have only been me and my new BFF Katy milling about, getting lost, and enjoying every minute of it. The first day or concierge Gopal took us about in a quick jaunt and showed us the things that we’re really close to. And amazingly it’s a lot like home; McDonalds, Subway, KFC, and Pizza Hut just to name a few familiar things.
The cattle that roam the streets are interesting, it is sort of a big deal to Katy, but having stayed with the great Mark Frey I’m used to standing next to a cow. In fact that was my response, “eh I’m kinda used to it.” Well, think about it. You wouldn’t find me in a bog city all that often, and you don’t see cattle in big cities. When the two are put together the response would be, eh I’m used to it. What I’m not used to are the dogs… Oh the damned dogs. There are stray dogs everywhere, and then at night when one howls, every last one howls. I could quote the Grinch, “Oh, the noise, noise, noise.” These dogs are far from mangy; those dogs are well feed.
On the milling part one can find themselves near a temple just about every other city block, and at the temple you will always find an exuberant amount of trash, lots and lots of trash. It took me sometime to decipher this little puzzle. Then one day as I left my humble apartment I saw some cows, cows eating trash, and then it hit me. They leave the trash at the temples to feed the cows! Strange I know, but I think that is why they don’t eat the cows, for they’d taste like garbage.
There is a great deal of people, but it’s a different crowd than that of America. Much like the driving you just attempt to veer out of each other’s way, and no one give you dirty looks if you bump into them. I do get stared a great deal. It’s finally good to feel out of place and really without a doubt, be out of place.
I did spend an entire day in immigration, and that is an odd feeling. I was contemplating a great deal, like people trying to get into the U.S. and how scary it must be. Just like the traffic and nearly every other Indian activity this immigration experience was something.
So, you get a token. It’s just like taking a number at the BMV, but the wait is much longer. Here they take your picture, and look at your papers. I must have made my guy mad and he stole my passport copy, but I have Gopal sucker you aint stopping this train! Gopal would later get me another copy. So, you get your paper work together, take a number, and then wait. They call your number! Heck Yeah! I’m so in. The dude in front of the door takes your papers, checks them, and then said to me first floor. I’m excited this was going to be quick and painless.
I got my number at around 11 o’clock, and made it to the top floor by noon, and there I sat. We left for lunch around 1:30 and I made back in time to see that they had only moved two numbers since before noon. The waiting as Tom Petty points out is the hardest part after all. At around 4:30 I finally got to see somebody, and he looked at the first page, and mumbled, “This needs to be typed, I need a photo idea to see who this is, come back tomorrow.” But I had Gopal there would be no returning tomorrow.
Gopal and I hopped down to the local computer shop and typed that paper up, and then he headed off to the school to obtain the rest. He uttered his now famous words, “I’ll be back in twenty minuets.” Those words are only famous now because any time he utters them expect an hour.
He returned wthin the allotted time slot of an hour and had everything I needed. And I headed back up stairs. This time the guy looked over everything and stopped at the photo.
“Who is this?”
“Um, it’s the photo that you said I needed?’
“Hmph. This is fine go to the next counter.”
Two counters later I had my paper that said that I can go anywhere in India, and that paper is worth twice it’s weight in gold I assure you.
Katy had a similar experience, however, Gopal our ever battling against the India dignitaries guide went once to get Katy’s papers right, and now they were wrong again. So, outside the building we decided that since my papers looked like her papers, we’d take out some of her papers and try again. It worked, and that ended our day.
So, tomorrow we are going to meet with our teacher, for we are the only two students this semester! How exciting! It appears that we will be able to shape how are classes go. Also it seems as if they are going to infuse us into the community here through a children’s school and other community projects that arise.
Until next time…. Keep your nose out of the sand.
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