5:30 AM from our hotel room window

Am I here yet?

I'm finally in India, but still not in India. What felt like earlier today (actually over 24 hours ago), back at the JFK airport, I had entered an ambiguous, isolated, neutral space of "in transit" which I still feel like I'm stuck in. From airports, to airplanes, to cars, to hotels, I haven't really entered India yet.

Airports, are far from the civilization around them -- both physically and conceptually. They're always isolated from the nearest cities, and they're shaped and organized like no other conventional building, requiring signs marking every corner and area because otherwise, no one would be able to figure out how to get anywhere (ever). Inside, it's a gigantic waiting room; no one goes to an airport just to go to an airport. Everyone, a stranger to the hundreds of people sitting with them at the gate, is going somewhere, but not quite yet.

(In my case, I'm happy to say I wasn't alone. Rachel, a friend from Wellesley, and I booked our tickets to India together since our departure days coincided. It was nice to share in our anxiety, discomfort, and excitement for our different summers in the same country--mostly discomfort because 14+ hour plane rides suck the life and water out of you.)


When we arrived at the Indira Gandhi Airport, Rachel and I parted ways as I was received by a driver with other arriving AIIS students. On the way to the hotel, even though that characteristic blare of car horns surrounded our car, street vendors tapped at our window with toy airplanes, and the common sight of construction projects zipped by, I was still isolated at a distance, only able to look (although the ~100 degree heat was a nice touch).

All of the AIIS Hindi summer students are staying in a fancy hotel for one night in Gurgaon (outside of Delhi), classy by Western standards, with a shiny lobby, and superb food. On TV, I skimmed through the channels, from Indian news, to intense Indian dramas, to HBO, NCIS, the Mentalist, and Big Bang Theory. I could be in a Boston hotel right now. Based on my activities (watching TV, browsing facebook, and trying not to fall asleep), I could be in my living room back at home. I know I'm in India, and there are obvious signs that I'm here, but like I've felt for the past week, the reality of this trip still hasn't hit me.

Gearing Up

Tomorrow we travel to Jaipur, heading to AIIS "orientation" and our living arrangements for the summer. After all this transportation and aloofness, I need to gear up and be present. Knowing that isolation is possible, I need to remind myself to immerse in every action and choice - don't watch that Big Bang Theory episode you've probably seen before -- watch that Indian drama where it looks like someone died or at least someone's crying and practice your Hindi while trying to figure it out why. Don't be comfortable just hanging out with English-speaking fellow students and talking about relatable experiences in the states -- make those uncomfortable or confusing conversations happen across cultures with people different from us.

At the same time, I want to be conscious of those times when I feel like I could be anywhere - those global experiences that exist everywhere, whether in the arts, media, daily activities, etc, and think about their significance. For instance, social media like Facebook, Tinder, YikYak (had some interesting conversations about those at dinner), or the globalized film industry, advertisement strategies, aspects of home or social life. As I physically arrive, I'm hoping to also finally arrive, mentally and emotionally.


(Condensed update: "In Delhi tonight, heading to Jaipur Tomorrow! Am I ready? I hope so!")

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(Jun 16 night)