Leaving for India

The first few days in India


On July 29th my journey began. I was flying from Frankfurt to Mumbai, and from there after 6 hours of waiting to Kolkata. My parents accompanied me to the airport ... in fact, they brought me there. My father was very sad that i left, he even cried. It was the first time in my life thta I saw him crying!
Then my flight was delayed for one hour, and I waited in that waiting room. I could see the plane, but it wasn't ready for take-off yet. After I boarded the plane I found it very uncomfortable, very narrow everything. And the food wasn't that good too. Tasted like the plastic it was served in.

In Frankfurt they told me, that my luggage is checked through to Kolkata. But when I reached Mumbai, they told me it wasn't so. I had to get on some bus, which drove us to the domestic airport. So I had to wait three hours with stomach ache (caused by that food) and an urgent need to visit the toilet, and my luggage, till I could check in. I didn't dare to leave all my luggage and go to the bathroom. So only after I checked in, I could go. Then I tried to sleep there for some time, but I wasn't really successful. I reached this Mumbai airport in the night, and there was some construction work going on, but apart from that, this airport seemed quite abandoned. I was looking for a phone to call my parents back home, that I reached there safely. There was one, but very expensive. However, I phoned them.

So ... now after some time, I was in that plane which brought me to Kolkata ... and it was SO cold inside there. But thankfully that was only a rather short flight, and I was able to sleep, finally.

When I reached Kolkata, I got my luggage and was looking for my boyfriend who was supposed to pick me up from there. I couldn't see him anywhere. So I phoned him ... and it took some time till I found out how these phones are working.
I learned that he is waiting for me outside. We took a taxi to some room, I got fresh, and then we had some food.





That hotel room was really horrible. It was smelling, paint was coming from the walls, and it was soaked.
Two days later, I got a mobile, so that my parents could call me in India. Planned was, that we travel to the university after thee two days, but for some reasons that was not possible then.

Some days later I moved to another hotel ... and I had food with my boyfriend in some restaurant, ... WOW ... was all so noble ... but I didn't like it, the waiters always waiting till the plate or the glass was empty and then they gave you more.
After that we went to cinema.

Then finally, we went to Santiniketan ... I saw the first snake (which was not in a cage) of my life.
The process in the university was very complicated, and it took another ten days or so.

Once I was eating in Pizza Hut, and on the bill, there was a letter and a smiley ... I was really surprised and wondering if this is normal. And it seems to be normal, for it happened another time too.

Oh ... and I was having a cold for 2 months in India. I never had a cold for so long in Germany, when it wasn't pneumonia!

One day, my boyfriend brought his bicycle, said: There is not enough air, please go and fill it and get a lock for it too.
Me: Where?
He described the way, and said there is a shop. So I was looking for a shop.
But when I found it, I saw, that this "shop" was a small cart, with some tools inside, and two guys sitting in front of it, repairing bicycles.
Then I should go to some market to buy a lock. I was cycling around, and couldn't find that market anywhere, then I asked someone in a pharmacy, this person was telling me, that this market is closed, but this and that market is open. He described the way. And ... OH WONDER!!!! I found this market. But I didn't find a lock for a cycle, but a normal lock, and a chain. So I bought this. And this salesman thought I am from Kashmir. Hehe.

Driving in India is art or something like that. There are really not really rules. I was even able to drive with that cycle without any accidents. I was quite proud of myself.
Even these cows behave like humans and look left and right before crossing the streets. :)

Indian Sprite tastes like water with a lot of sugar ... there is absolutely no lemon taste.
But the Fanta there is really delicious. Much much better than in Germany.

One thing which was really disturbing me in India were the guys staring! Really horrible.
They were even doing that while cycling or driving car ... turning their heads. I was always wondering how they do that without having an accident.

More later ...