I’m sitting here in Prakash Jha’s office in Andheri West trying to sort out my internship. You know what? It took about a dollar fifty to get here! You know what that same distance would cost in the New York City? An arm and a leg, I’ll tell ya. We were in the rikshaw for an hour.
So Prakash Jha is in charge of this new blockbluster here called Raajneeti (trans: Politics)… and we get to go the premiere on Thursday… as of now. We might not go still. In India things change by the minute. For example… I’ve had about 4 different tentative internships since I’ve gotten here! Keeps things interesting. Fresh. Surprise!
So today’s surprise is sitting in the office of the Martin Scorsese of India. Holy cannoli. I am drinking fresh chai from a big huge mug, and it’s boiling hot… just like the weather. Hot.
Here are some things that have been happening, though:
Yesterday I got my hair cut. 2 inches. I don’t think he had ever touched hair like mine before because he was being so delicate… like my hair would break off. I’m used to American haircutters tossing my head around like a bobble-head Jesus. But my hairwalla (man of the hair) did a mighty fine job. You know how good hairwallas are here? Let me tell you: shampoo head-massage deluxe. 20 bucks. Woop woop!
I HAD MY FIRST STREET COCONUT! There’s a coconutwalla (man of the coconut) down the road, so last night I got a nice refreshing coconut for dinner. They are big and green and the man of the coconut will take his machete and SLICE SLASH SLICE off the top until he gets to the sweet sweet coconut underneath. It looked like a football with one point cut off. He stuck a straw in it, and I was walking down the dirt road to my hotel saying “Coconut! See! Coconut!” to anyone… I was so excited (going “coco-nuts,” if you will) and sipping out of my big green football. After I drank the cocowater I brought it to the apartment kitchen where they chopped it in half and scraped out the insides into a bowl for me. They made me eat my first bite right there so they could see my reaction.
When I got even more stoked about the coconut, they were just as stoked.
Then I ate a mango. Dinner, completed.
Our bellies have all taken revenge against the food. Meh. It happens.
Yesterday I found chili-flavored microwave popcorn. I think if I just set it outside it’ll pop.
I’m doing fine, though. I think I will like it more when my internship starts and I could be more independent instead of just 1 of 9 Americans... I still haven’t found what I’m looking for (U2 song). I’m not on my own yet, so it’s hard to make my own decisions and take my own chances. If I want to go somewhere on my own, I have to consider if others want to come, if Tula will find it safe, etc.
It’s not what I’m used to, and not what I love about traveling. I’m finding it difficult, and feeling a little trapped. But I think it’s going to change soon. We’ll see.