Happy to be back!

After flying Seattle to Paris, Paris to Delhi, spending the night in Delhi with fellow former Berger resident Damini Yarra Marwaha, and flying Delhi to Varanasi, I am finally back at NIRMAN.

I really, really couldn’t be happier.

When I arrived, I exchanged enthusiastic handshakes with Tiwari ji, his son Ankur, who is a rising sixth grader, and Sunil. Moments later, Sunita emerged, and I got my backpack off as quickly as possible and we hugged. Twice :) Everyone was smiling; it was wonderful to receive such a warm welcome from so many familiar faces! After putting my things in my room (the one next door to the one I stayed in last year), I went to chat with Mitali Sengupta (not Mitali Gupta – the one with whom I taught math last summer) in the shop. She was also here last summer, and works in the office. I also saw a couple of teachers I know from last year, but most exciting was seeing Mitali (Gupta). She was my closest friend among the teachers last year, and I am lucky enough to be here for her wedding, the festivities for which begin on the 9th. Mitali, Sunita, and I sat in the guesthouse for 20 minutes or so, chatting about Mitali’s husband-to-be and about the plans for the wedding. The sangeet is the evening of the 9th, followed by some ceremonial procedures during the morning of the 10th, followed by the reception in the evening, which begins at 7:30 and will go until 4am, according to Mitali. I am SO excited. Mitali said she made accommodations for Sunita and me to stay in the hotel from the night of the ninth until after the festivities have ended. I can’t wait. I’ve since eaten lunch and unpacked, and have otherwise been resting and sending emails.

Now I’d like to backtrack, and share a couple things that I noted down with the intent to blog about them once I was settled.

- When I arrived in Delhi, I went to arrange a prepaid taxi to Damini’s house once I had my bags. As I was walking towards the stand, a man pushed hastily past me so he could get in line before I could. I was taken aback, and my first instinctive thought was “Wow, where’s the ‘ladies first’ courtesy?” I didn’t think anything more of it at the time, but looking back on it this morning, I thought my “ladies first” instinct was slightly archaic. In hindsight, I think it would have been more progressive and meaningful if I had wondered about his common courtesy from a person-to-person standpoint, rather than such a traditional, gendered way of thinking. Oh yeah, by the way, in the year since I last visited India, I decided to pick up CMC’s Gender and Women’s Studies sequence after having an inspirational and view-altering intellectual experience in my Feminist Theory class last fall. While I was taking the class, much of my perspective was shaped by my comparative experiences of living as a woman in the United States and in India. This month, I think that the classes I’ve had on gender studies will shape my awareness of my womanhood in light of cultural norms. Just something interesting that I’ll be keeping in mind…

- Staying with Damini was such a treat. Her family has a beautiful home – I honestly think it might have been the most architecturally striking home I’ve ever slept in. There were a lot of glass walls, which help make the house feel open, while still permitting each room’s air-conditioning to best work its magic. Her mom was particularly kind and welcoming, and even made sure I had breakfast (paratha!! – my choice and favorite!) before she and Damini drove me to the airport.

That’s all for now. Right now I’m hanging out in my room and waiting for dinner. After having eaten lunch, I can officially say that I am back on the daal/chapatti express. Wahoo!

I’ll do a better job keeping up with my blog this time. SO EXCITED TO BE BACK!