Here we go!

Well, the day is here. We are on our way. Bags are packed, passport in hand the adventure is about to begin. I love the way the visa looks, it's written in Hindi and English.  What I love the most is, it's taped to my passport. There is something weird and cool about reading Hindi and English on the same document. I have been busy practicing my Hindi. I don't have much opportunity to speak it here.  Last night, I could not remember the word for sweep. I could remember it in Swahili, since I grew up in Africa. I finally had to just give up, thinking I  am not going to have to sweep anything!  But, it did finally come to me. So, now I am ready, just in case I have to ask someone "Can I sweep"?! 

I am looking forward to seeing people that look like me. I will gaze into brown or black eyes for the next little while.  Everyone around me will have dark hair. There will be no blond, red, light brown hair-- all dark. I will be surrounded by brown people and I won't be in the minority... hard to wrap my mind around that. I will eat Indian food for breakfast lunch and dinner. On the menu there will be a ton of vegetarian choices, instead of just one item. In this wonderful state of ours, eating out is a challenge.  Veggie choices are few and far in between.  The comment I love the most "We have salad". When I tell my wait staff I am a vegetarian. I calmly tell them, "I am not a rabbit". 

No doubt I will miss Oklahoma. It's wide open spaces and people driving in a somewhat sane manner! In India no one pays attention to staying in their own traffic lane. It's free for all. Everyone drives with their hand eternally on the horn. I know I will have a headache. I am armed with plenty of tylenol!

My next entry will be from India. I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity. I will get to walk the banks of the holy river Ganga. There is so much I am looking forward to. I appreciate you joining me in cyber-space.

Until next time.

Sunita.

Eight days and counting!

Now, only eight days are left before I leave for India. There is excitement in the air.  A nervous energy that is hard to contain. I find my mind racing between all the things that need to be attended to before I leave and all the things I want to accomplish while I am in India. There will never be enough time to do all the things I want to do in India. There is always this wistful sense of staying for a long time. I try to wrap my mind around how to achieve that. And, come to the conclusion-- an extended stay is required. A few weeks ain't going to get the job done! 

Yet, an extended stay is not practical at this point in my life. 

Hindus do have a practical way of handling the golden years of a person's life. A person can take 'Sannyas'.  This means leaving your present life behind and going on a pilgrimage for the rest of your life. A person who takes sannyas is known as a sannyasi. I have always been fascinated by this idea. I remember being very young and being carried away by this concept. There is a sense of freedom in this notion. A person is still of this world but not in it. 

At this point, I am by no means in the golden years of my life. I am not even a grandmother yet. I think I have been ready to become a sannyasi for a very long time now. Even before I became a mother, even while I was a teenager. I was drawn to this lifestyle. I could not understand why I had to wait so long to take sannyas? As I get older, I feel like I am inching ever so close to becoming a Sannyasi, much to the chagrin of my children. I think this trip to India is bringing this desire to the surface again. 

I wonder, would it be possible for me to live in India for an extended period of time? Would I want to take Sannyas? As I write this, I am surprised that the thought of Sannyas came to my mind. I guess it has never left my thoughts, was just pushed way back while I tended to raising my family. 

Now, I am at a different place. Now I can muse over the possibilities that lie ahead for me. I wonder what else is going to bubble up to the surface during this upcoming trip? 

Countdown to India!

It's good to have a blog.  I enjoy writing my thoughts on 'paper'.  I have always written in a journal. I think, this is different, my thoughts will be read by friends and by people I am not too familiar with and possibly by strangers. My son Mahesh has been encouraging me to create a blog for sometime now. I do send out a monthly newsletter, which is kind of a blog. This is a natural extension of that expression.

My dear friend Gwen, suggested I create a blog for my upcoming trip to India. This way she said, everyone will be able to log in and keep up with my excellent adventure!

So, here goes.

Countdown to India!

In twelve days I will be boarding a plane to begin the long trek to India-- land of enchantment. Land of my heritage.  A place that pulls at my heartstrings and frustrates me as well.  As many of you know, I was born in Nairobi, Kenya. I am second generation East African.  My grandparents left India at the turn of the last century. I don't feel completely Indian, nor do I feel African. Long ago I came to the conclusion, I am a hybrid. My Indian heritage is 100%, yet my upbringing is very cosmopolitan.  We moved from continent to continent.  So, I feel at home anywhere.  That's a good thing.

Anytime, I go to India, I feel this incredible pull to stay a while and linger. I feel comfortable in an uneasy sort of way. I feel claustrophobic, yet enjoy all the mayhem around me. The food is incredible. The sights, sounds and aromas of India are unique. Having lived in the west for most of my adult life, I marvel at the way Indian people have carved their lives with limited resources. It annoys me when people want to bestow pity on the people of India. I see Indians as a resilient people. A people who have overcome and integrated many cultures of the world. No doubt, as this journey to India progresses, I will receive numerous insights. I am anxious to get this journey started.  

I am grateful to my friend Gene who suggested we go to India. He wanted me to be his tour guide. I am looking forward to this 'excellent adventure!' 

Welcome to my blog.

Hello,

Welcome to my blog!  While I am traveling in India you will be able to log in and check out my 'excellent' adventure.

More later.

Sunita.