My first two weeks in India have come and gone and, as expected, it has felt like no time at all and an entire eternity at the same time. I have sat down a couple of times at my laptop already trying to figure out what I wanted to write about, hoping that the words would just flow out of me, but they didn't. But not because there's any lack of topics to talk about here.

First my mind drifted to focusing on the workplace here in India (including such topics as "Why Are My Male Coworkers Holding Hands in the Office?" and "Oh....I Guess the Cups on Top of the Water Cooler are Just...Communal Cups"), then to the different expat lifestyles, then to the fact that I had only seen three non-Indian people in my first 10 days here, then to the delicious food here, then to the traffic and how I have yet to cross the street alone, and then also to the experience of being a western woman in India. So basically, I had arrived at so many topics and so many things I wanted to talk about that I hit the point of choice paralysis.

Then it dawned on me.

All of these things made me realize that India is a land of superlatives. Before I arrived here, someone warned me that India is a very stimulating place that can be overwhelming if you're not prepared, which I have found to be true. Wherever you go, even in the rural areas, there are so many people, accompanied of course by so much movement and color and noise and smells. Whether good or bad (or the two right next to eachother ie walking through a street being engulfed by the smells of delicious curries and spices and feeling the heat and humidity beat down on your skin, then suddenly getting a sharp whiff of rotting garbage and moldy water...) it's always at one extreme end of the spectrum and rarely a gentle experience. Even when doing things alone, which I have been doing recently, the constant and unending stream of all these sensory stimulations is enough to exhaust anyone even for a short trip to the grocery store.

I'm sure it is a majority because of my Western perspective (Wild Western perspective, even, with the kinfolk in Colorado having more open space and accessible nature compared to other parts of the western world), but it feels to me that so much is going on that it really takes some focus to absorb it all.

Anywho, a quick and dirty rundown of what's been happening the last two weeks with photos is below. Before you read any further, know that I sit here on a Sunday evening writing this in good health and en route to being fully acclimated here.

I took a flight here and it was long and uneventful. Our apartments are pretty nice and really big, and have balconies from each bedroom(!) looking over water, included below.

View from the TOP Y'ALL (JK view from the second story because that's where my apartment is)

View from the actual top of our apartment building

Kochi's "skyline"

Best part about this place? $$$ MUHFUGGIN' ROOFTOP POOL THAT APPARENTLY NO ONE USES BUT ME $$$

Despite what paradise this looks like, this was a huge misrepresentation of monsoon season

Our boat!

The following week was followed by many introductions during my first couple of days in the office and technology issues as I tried to figure out how to access everything I needed from my fancy 1998 laptop that they force upon us which eventually proved useless. My team is really friendly and knowledgable, and it seems that I have a lot of choice in the trainings and what I want to accomplish during my next couple of months here, which is a little terrifying but overall pretty liberating. There are tons of people in the office, and my worst fear came into fruition as I tried to learn people's names. More than a few times, me trying to be pleasant exclaiming "Nice to meet you!!" has been met only with ".....We've already met before." Overall though, people seem to be pretty understanding, especially when I request they spell or show me their name on their nametag after introducing themselves to make sure I get it correct.

The following weekend, I came down with my first (and hopefully last) case of Delhi Belly. Fortunately for you all, I didn't take any photos to commemorate the weekend, but it ended Sunday night with a quick trip to the ER to re-hydrate myself. The amenities weren't ideal and every moment there was spent in fear of contracting a worse disease/infection from what appeared to be a less than sterile environment. Luckily, though, I left feeling much better with a slew of antibiotics for the next week, with everything (the medications and visit) in total costing less than US$12. All in all, not the worst of experiences, but not something I hope to do again. 

As the pharmacist was packing up my little goody bag of drugs following my appointment, I noticed that he started putting things in second goody bag, including items such as a syringe and vials of liquid. UMMM. Although I have been one to give a diabetic cat an insulin shot or two (not kidding), there was no way in HELL that I was about to be able to inject some mysterious Indian vaccination into my butt cheek as the doctor had done earlier, even in the comfort of my own home. Totally taken aback, I asked the guy behind the counter if I could have pills instead of injections to take home, because I didn't know how to give myself a shot. After some back and forth including every synonym I could think of for "shot" once I realized he didn't know what I was talking about, he finally realized what I was trying to articulate and thankfully set me straight. Apparently, the second goody bag is to be brought back to the emergency room to replace the items they used on you during your visit. Why they trust the patient with that task is beyond me, but I was just happy to not have to prick myself.

This past weekend, I decided to make use of my free time with a trip to Fort Kochi, an area of Kochi that at one point was under the possession of the Portugese, Dutch, and British, which is evident by the architecture. Although the area is a bit more touristy, it was much more calm and clean, which I enjoyed. 

I also have ridden in several rickshaws and make sure to keep my mouth closed and not breathe too deeply while in motion.




ming.