My trip to India
The last four weeks went like a dream. I sit here and wonder if it even happened. It went like a dream not because it was exactly like I had fantasized it would be but because it felt like some unconnected set of events that just transpired without much rhyme or reason.
The flight to India was not very unpleasant thought it was a long night in the Mumbai airport waiting for the morning flight out to Chennai. I had bought some tulips for my mom at Amsterdam and was eager to put them in water soon. Mumbai was odd in that the international terminal was sucky while the domestic terminal was so nice. I made a call to Chennai from the airport and made my way to the domestic terminal. I sat there outside the international terminal looking at people. Just looking.
After I had reached Chennai everybody at home kept saying how cold it was and I was looking at them oddly since I thought that the temperature was rather perfect. The first thing I noticed on the way home was the traffic in front of my house. Too many people. At night the traffic was so noisy that I slept in the inner bedroom after that.
I had already decided not to come out to my parents before my trip and so it wasn’t that much pressure but I did come out to three of my friends back home. The first one was my best friend though school and he didn’t bat an eyelid and right after I had told him very matter of factly asked me if I would come shopping with him the next day. He simply didn’t seem to care. The second one was more interesting since I had spent 4 years of college with him and we knew a lot of about each other. We looked sort of alike, dark skinned, short, round face. We even had the same marks in our boards and hence the same subject. We shared a lot of commonalities. After I had told him, I changed the topic and he kept bringing the conversation back to it. After two hours of going on and on about my gay life in the US, he finally came out to me. I wasn’t too surprised. I guess somewhere I knew. He was one of my friends who had never ever talked about girls. So indirectly I had had my doubts. Anyways, he was glad to have told me this since he was being pestered by his parents to get married and talking to me made him feel somehow that it was all OK. The third one, was a girl who is an ex classmate from 9th and 10th. I told her over the phone and the conversation sort of died after that. I said bye and didn’t really talk to her after that. It was somehow polite and yet awkward and off after that.
I hung out a lot with my first friend for the rest of my time at Chennai. I went to the beaches but I mostly shopped. The malls in Chennai are truly impressive. Almost like JC Penny or any other departmental store. Good quality home décor stuff. I bought so much stuff for my parent’s house.
I did miss my own bed though. Especially the one week I was completely bed ridden and was puking my guts out. I couldn’t even digest idlis of all things. I was convinced I had caught some sort of stomach flu and had thoughts of never coming to India again. I went to the Doc who assured me that I had no such virus and merely needed some enzyme tablets to help my digest foods I was unused to eating. Man, I felt embarrassed. Anyways, I took the pills and ate everything I saw after that. All was well. Unfortunately due to my stomachs inability we had to cancel the trip to beautiful Kerala. I was very disappointed and took out some of my frustrations on my mom.
I saw, Don, Casino Royale and Krissh. Entertaining in general.
My trip back home was easier this time due to my green card. But thanks to two Punjabi twins sitting next to me on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit I was completely exhausted when I reached home. It might have been jetlag but I prefer to blame those kids who were pinching and biting me each time I tried to sleep. I slept for a marathon 18 hours in my dear bed before I woke up the next morning and felt alive again.
Whether your bed is in India or the US or the remotest corner of the earth, there is a certain warmth in sleeping in your own bed. Also I definitely had a new appreciation for the peace and quiet here. So serene, and calm.
The flight to India was not very unpleasant thought it was a long night in the Mumbai airport waiting for the morning flight out to Chennai. I had bought some tulips for my mom at Amsterdam and was eager to put them in water soon. Mumbai was odd in that the international terminal was sucky while the domestic terminal was so nice. I made a call to Chennai from the airport and made my way to the domestic terminal. I sat there outside the international terminal looking at people. Just looking.
After I had reached Chennai everybody at home kept saying how cold it was and I was looking at them oddly since I thought that the temperature was rather perfect. The first thing I noticed on the way home was the traffic in front of my house. Too many people. At night the traffic was so noisy that I slept in the inner bedroom after that.
I had already decided not to come out to my parents before my trip and so it wasn’t that much pressure but I did come out to three of my friends back home. The first one was my best friend though school and he didn’t bat an eyelid and right after I had told him very matter of factly asked me if I would come shopping with him the next day. He simply didn’t seem to care. The second one was more interesting since I had spent 4 years of college with him and we knew a lot of about each other. We looked sort of alike, dark skinned, short, round face. We even had the same marks in our boards and hence the same subject. We shared a lot of commonalities. After I had told him, I changed the topic and he kept bringing the conversation back to it. After two hours of going on and on about my gay life in the US, he finally came out to me. I wasn’t too surprised. I guess somewhere I knew. He was one of my friends who had never ever talked about girls. So indirectly I had had my doubts. Anyways, he was glad to have told me this since he was being pestered by his parents to get married and talking to me made him feel somehow that it was all OK. The third one, was a girl who is an ex classmate from 9th and 10th. I told her over the phone and the conversation sort of died after that. I said bye and didn’t really talk to her after that. It was somehow polite and yet awkward and off after that.
I hung out a lot with my first friend for the rest of my time at Chennai. I went to the beaches but I mostly shopped. The malls in Chennai are truly impressive. Almost like JC Penny or any other departmental store. Good quality home décor stuff. I bought so much stuff for my parent’s house.
I did miss my own bed though. Especially the one week I was completely bed ridden and was puking my guts out. I couldn’t even digest idlis of all things. I was convinced I had caught some sort of stomach flu and had thoughts of never coming to India again. I went to the Doc who assured me that I had no such virus and merely needed some enzyme tablets to help my digest foods I was unused to eating. Man, I felt embarrassed. Anyways, I took the pills and ate everything I saw after that. All was well. Unfortunately due to my stomachs inability we had to cancel the trip to beautiful Kerala. I was very disappointed and took out some of my frustrations on my mom.
I saw, Don, Casino Royale and Krissh. Entertaining in general.
My trip back home was easier this time due to my green card. But thanks to two Punjabi twins sitting next to me on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit I was completely exhausted when I reached home. It might have been jetlag but I prefer to blame those kids who were pinching and biting me each time I tried to sleep. I slept for a marathon 18 hours in my dear bed before I woke up the next morning and felt alive again.
Whether your bed is in India or the US or the remotest corner of the earth, there is a certain warmth in sleeping in your own bed. Also I definitely had a new appreciation for the peace and quiet here. So serene, and calm.
posted by Dunce Happy at 5:27 PM
2 Comments:
loved your post, but I thought the Malls in Chennai were depressing... not that I'm a big fan of American malls, either.
As an "out" gay American sociologist, I am always bewildered by my gay Indian friends who get married... and they call me beforehand and ask "What should I do?"
In two instances, my friends parents actually know that their sons are gay, and yet persist with the "who is going take care of you in your dotage" question -(which assumes that either of them will last quite that long). I can't answer them, and can only guess that they will do what scores of men have done on Mumbai trains and on Chennai beaches under cover of darkness.
I must compliment you for your bravery.
Post a Comment
<< Home