Noxious & Sweet Cacophony: Back in Bombay

Been in India for over two weeks. Below is a post I started about a week ago. Will write more about a work retreat I was at in next couple days.

Back Home: Bittersweet

Trip back home was was bitter sweet.

Sweet:

Sunshine and great weather. In Chicago without having to go to work. Clean air, big sidewalks, green grass, so much open space! The first day felt like everything was moving in slow motion. Most importantly I saw people I care for, people who care for me, people where you can pick up where you left off, no effort just joy. Everyone was extra nice and people made time for you since you are only there for a short time. Very grateful. Please, please, appreciate the friends you have. Today, send a text or make a phone call and tell your closest friends and family of all ages, how much you appreciate them. It’s so easy to let months go by before you see close friends again. There are few feelings better than having someone you care for say kind words to you. If you are that person that always says “We haven’t seen each other or spoke in months, can’t believe how quick time flies, but it was so nice to see you.” Stop it! and make more time to see the important people in your life. We are all busy but never that busy.

Bitter:

It wasn’t enough time and then you go back to a place 21 hours away via plane not knowing when you will see people next. Throughout the trip that thought was in the back of my mind.

Back in Bombay

I arrived in Bombay at 2am, stepping out of the airport there was the familiar smell of sewage.

Bombay: Hey, welcome back!

The mold in the apartment had only grown. The air was thick and musty. Walking into the bathroom a smell hit me that brought me back to to my first night in India.

I started work the same morning at 9am, only sleeping for a couple hours waking up to the unpleasant sounds of the hundreds of pigeons outside my building cooing and flapping their wings. Ratbirds!

Taking a mid-day break, I stepped outside. Getting on the elevator there was the familiar smell of bleach and cleaning alcohol in my hallway. On the street the sweet smells of fennel, incense, cardamon and other spices competed with gasoline, sewage, more sewage and dust. Horns were incessant and two wheeled vehicles barreled at me, whizzed by my toes. I quickly remembered how to navigate crossing the street: 1) never hesitate 2) look both ways and then look again 3) to tell people to stop put your hand firmly out and hope for the best. The hazy sky with a hot and intense sun, reminded me why I came back to Chicago pasty.

Back to walking on uneven and non-existent sidewalks. Hearing Marathi and Hindi words you become reacquainted with the reality of the many barriers to connect with people. Once again, much of your communication with the working class happens through body language and short phrases. Language is powerful! I pushed through the day. By lunchtime I needed a nap. At 4pm slightly delirious. stuck doing Zoom calls and sending slack messages. Driving in the auto, I passed by “my tree of death” this huge tree located in the middle of the road with red tape on it. Usually jetlag happens when you return home from another country. This time “home” is India.

Me in back of Auto. Traffic per usual. Huge tree that sits in the middle of one of the busiest streets.

Searching for the right apartment.

When I tell people in Bombay: “We are moving out of our place because it has black mold everywhere.” People give me a puzzled face as to say “wait, you are moving because of that?” Due to humidity, poor construction and the monsoons, water damage, mold is a way of life. Have seen over 50 apartments thus far. New construction/ old construction: Most have mold. No matter what the name of the building most places are tiny overpriced boxes (700 sq. ft).

This was the apartment that we thought we were going to get until we found out that the landlord wanted the equivalent of $2,000 a month. More than Chicago prices, not pleasant when my salary dropped by 75%. I need to stop “cribbing” (word people use out here for whining). Comparatively, I’m facing “champagne problems.” The per capita income for India is around $2,000 a year. Like the states and many countries the income inequality is ugly. In India the top 1% have 80% of the country’s wealth.

Ganesh Chaturthi (THE ELEPHANT) Festival

People losing their shit in Maharashtra(the state I’m in). Lots of drumming. This is one of their main gods. A ten-day festival, that celebrates Lord Ganesha as the God of New Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles as well as the god of wisdom and intelligence. On the tenth day after start, the idol is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in the ocean. Supposively this year all the idols are supposed to dissolve in the water but that has not been the case since they have other glue and plastics. Here is a comic that has been going around.