8th September, 2020 – Mumbai, India
One day it’s a terrential downpour and then it’s not. Mildew, drippy ceiling water, morning mosquito bites and forever wet clothes are replaced by a hot sun, dry brown leak stains and less mosquito bites. Just like that monsoon season is over. Whatsapp messages & pics are sent to your Bombay landlord with all the cracks, mold and leaks. This is a follow up to what he already knows as you have sent the problems as they occur in real time. Not because they will fix it. But you can document it when they try to steal your deposit. Within a month guys will come by, bleach and sand the mold with a one year supply of a fresh coat of paint. Only a band-aid but it does make the air less thick. Smritika and I have been in Bombay since early June spending countless hours in our cozy and leaky 750 sq ft apartment.
Delhi: Final Days
After 3 months in Delhi, we had developed a certain rhythm and schedule between the 5 of us. Mornings everyone did work or their own thing. Smritika and I drank coffee while the others had their chai. Lunch & dinner was a communal effort. We took turns cooking. Smritika’s mom was a great teacher and I was fortunate to learn some of the basics of North Indian cooking. Around 3.30pm was chai break and at 5.30pm was the workout. Haven’t been in such good shape in years. At least 5 days a week we headed to this small park and did high intensity workouts with our neighbors with whom we early on formed a pod. We also would have drinks with them 1-2 times a week.
A couple of stray dogs, Rufus & Pixie, adopted us and joined the workouts. Post-workout Rufus & Pixie followed us home where Smritika’s father would feed them white bread and Dahi (yogurt)
Eventually the airlines opened back up, etc etc and decided to fly back to Mumbai
Flying Home During COVID
The Delhi airport was quiet and empty. Aside from the heat from my hazmat suit, plastic face viser cover and face mask it was a pretty relaxing experience.
We landed in Mumbai. Same. Empty.
But then of course India being India, Mumbai being Mumbai, we ended up in with hundreds of people in four disjointed lines that were sorta supposed to be a single file line. No social distancing. Everyone trying to cut each other. Airport personnel taking off their mask to yell at people. No system set up. An enormous international airport and there was only one exit. We did some serious waiting and sweating. Got outside. Most transportation from airport was suspended but no one really knew what was going on or what was working. So some people would be like go to this taxi stand and others would say they are not picking people up right now. Eventually you just had to bribe an auto driver to take you back.
3. Guy working at airport has had enough.
Two hours after landing in an empty airport we finally got an auto and got home safely. That was a nice feeling.
Two Week Quarantine
When you are leaving the airport in Mumbai you are given a washable Purple hand stamp that says you must qurantine for two weeks. No one followed up with us. Just a purple stamp that washed off when we got home.
In early June Mumbai was just opening back up despite having the highest rates of COVID in India. A month later the lockdown was reinforced as rates were growing. Green spaces or walking paths are rare in Mumbai. The second highest density in the world. Being locked down in Mumbai’s tiny apartments (think NY but smaller) led to these kind of images. The picture is from Carter Road, 6 block ocean front public walking trail about a mile from my house. A prime spot! COVID rates have not really dropped in Mumbai since I arrived 3 months ago.
For Two weeks we quarantined at our cozy apartment in Mumbai. The cool breeze and rain was a nice change from the Delhi 100+ temperatures. The change of scenery was energizing and felt good to have our own space. During the 2 weeks we made friends with the crows. A young crow with fluffy fur that we named…Fluffer. For weeks Fluffer would perch itself on our open window. We would feed Fluffer directly from hand to beak. It was pretty cool. But one day, as I was reaching out to give Fluffer one of its favorite treats, two other crows swooped in, claws out to take the food from our Fluffer. One of the Crows, Abe, grazed me, I got startled and dropped the bread. After that Fluffer came around less. I think the other crows castigated Fluffer and in the end it was a hierarchy thing. Fluffer still comes around but it’s not the same.
Over the last 6 months Smritika and I have become almost completely vegetarian. I have learned how to cook some basic Indian dishes. I will probably never be a great cook, but I have built confidence and joy in the process and some of my meals have turned out tasty. Here is our new spice box. Get’s a lot of use!
From this hyper focus on the local animals & my new excitement about cooking you might think we were going a little stir crazy. We were! After two weeks of being cooped up, Smritika and I finally headed out for a walk.
Limbo
On the 20th of March Smritika and I had a Green Card appointment scheduled. If the appointment went well we would have been in Chicago within 2-3 months and had a chance to enjoy the last days of Summer. And then COVID. The Embassy shut down and it is only now things are slowly opening back up but after countless emails and phone calls we still have no idea when we can reschedule. That sucks.
Things are not looking good for India. You can read more in this NY Times article but to summarize:
- India now ranks #2 for Covid cases with over 4 million. Only behind…
- About 90,000 new cases are being reported per day
- “Crowded cities, lockdown fatigue and a lack of contact tracing have spread Covid-19 to every corner of this country of 1.3 billion people,”
- Corona has devastated India’s economy increasing the already high rates of poverty and inequity across the country.
- Even with record number of cases, restrictions continue to ease.
- Not sure how much of a choice they have. There is little if any kind of social safety net for the hundreds of millions who lack food and other basic needs. So people have to work but there is not much work.
Shit is bad.
Still, Smritika and I are privileged. We can eat whatever we want and don’t have to worry about basic needs being met.
But I do want to come back home. By home I mean Chicago.
During the COVID monsoon there are the Sweet Mango days and the soggy towel/dirty blue bucket days.
Soggy Towel and Dirty Blue Bucket Days
Around July the dirty water ceiling leaks started. Slow but persistent leaks. Puddles formed in our bedroom, kitchen, living room. Everywhere. Outlets became water logged and stopped working. There was a week when our electricity stopped working altogether cuz of the rain. All of your clothes smell like mold & mildew, nothing dries, you put buckets everywhere to catch the water but you don’t have enough buckets. The days are usually fine. It’s after dinner is over and you are doing the same kind of routine. Netflix. Smritika and I, being cooped up for weeks, might start bickering over silly and small things. Boredom and lethargy. You can’t leave the house and you have no idea nor control of when you can finally leave India. Been a year since my last trip to Chicago and 9 months since seeing people at the wedding. You want to see friends and family. Plug back in but instead you feel isolated and don’t know when you will see people again. These are the dirty blue bucket days.
Sweet Mango Days
Mangos are in season and India has some of the sweetest and tastiest Mangos. The Mango days are Smritika and I making delicious meals together. Long talks over coffee or chai. We discover a great movie or book. Visits to a park or other green space oasis. Having a nice call with people back home. Celebrating Smritika’s Covid Birthday. Getting hyper focused and feeling passionate about a project at work. A weekend trip to the beautiful hills.
Shruti & Rahul (Ra-Huti)
Some of our best Mango days have been with RaHuti. Another married couple who have been our “couple friends” for nearly two years. We have sorta formed a pod with them and we have had countless laughs and chit chat over dinners, daytime expeditions and workouts. Their friendship and time spent with us has been a blessing and helped keep us sane.
COVID, 2020, world over, bad year, through and through and we just don’t know what’s next. Memorable year, Soggy Towel/Dirty Blue bucket days and Sweet Mangoes. We won’t forget.
IT Depends...Explain More 
Long wait for an It Depends post but worth it. Keen wit, insights, and perspective. Love go both of you J & S
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