india followed me home

i know my title says the indian summer only lasted until 13 aug, but i think you'll forgive me for writing one more final post. plus, today is india's independence day (and tushar's birthday!) and that deserves props, no?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TUSHAR! (and india...)

it seems that india has followed me home.
i was not happy to leave, i spent the last final hours in delhi trying to soak it up as much as possible. but it surprised me that as we flew over new york city, the golden light on those skyscrapers...i was happy to be home. and i have met/encountered an unreal number of indian people since landing in jfk. maybe i am just paying more attention, or maybe (gasp, manveer!) it's the secret at work. well, probably not.

These gorgeous girls came to say goodbye before my flight. thank you, thank you, thank you everyone who had the chance to stop by--i loved one last roundup in the 37 house--and thanks to those who called as well...it was so sweet. the girls gave me a t-shirt, this one that im wearing, that says, "i'm blessed!" on it, and it couldn't be more true. manveer, mansi, ganda, and megha: i honestly will never forget the drive to the airport, threats of U-turns, and sad english (canadian!) songs. the way you stayed with me up until the very end, and as i turned around, there were your beautiful faces.

in line at security at chandigarh, a blonde woman turned to me and said, "oh! you're from aiesec!" she's not a member, but she knows all about it and told me how she met some people who were going to holland, and she suggested getting in touch with aiesec. yup, i was wearing my "largest club in the world" t-shirt. hah! brand recognition, kids.

evidence that india found its way into my luggage (literally and not) and traveled with me on my way back to the us:
1. on my flight to delhi, i met seo woo, a korean christian filmmaker. (again, for the 4th time, seated next to a religious person--first from la to hong kong, then tel aviv to new york, then denver to frankfurt, then chandigarh to delhi. is this a conspiracy?) he showed me all of his photos of india and we conversed in very broken english, and he translated for me what joe, from south korea, wrote in my goodbye book. he himself wrote something, which joined the throng of multilingual entries.
2. at check-in at delhi, i met three fantastic indian women who were coming to cornell for their MAs in engineering! they were so sweet, and we were on the same flight. we separated after landing in nyc, but ran into each other again at port authority for the cornell bus. we sat together the entire ride up...great girls, i've already gotten invitations to dinner! (thank god, that means my love affair with indian food will continue...)
3. i sat next to a university of michigan math education phd student on the flight back, very nice guy who wanted to know how i felt about geometry. (answer: positively. more than calculus)
4. i watched "life on a metro" on the flight back, a bollywood movie about (surprise!) love. i recommend it, along with tarzan, p.s. i love you, and AUGUST RUSH. which was amazing. i want to watch it again...wow, what a beautiful movie.
5. the customs guy was super nice, asked me where i had been this summer, what i had been doing, he was very curious and gave me such a warm welcome home. i like customs when they are not corrupt/evil.
6. by the time we reached north campus (where i live), there were only two of us left. the driver yelled out to me when we got there, "this is you, angie?!" and i was thinking, "wait, how does he know my name??" turns out the indian girls told him. anyways, we were chatting, and it turns out he lived in mumbai for 2 years and goes just about every summer. we agreed (even though i never visited) that mumbai indeed has beautiful beaches and women (so i hear).
7. as i unpacked, i listened to the CD Sahil made me before i left. it's GREAT, man! thanks so much...you just had to throw in those sappy goodbye songs, didnt you? :)
8. my co-RA anish (we manage a floor together) is indian, spent the summer in goa, and has copies of "om shanti om" and "jaane tu" in his room. i. am. excited. (and he has indian sweets in his room, this was meant to be)
9. we watched the olympics on wed night with anshul and some of his ra friends and ate dried mangoes....from hawaii. and then anish and i argued with dan (who is filipino) over if filipino or indian mangoes are better.
10. at our first day of training, i met an indonesian and promptly said, "kamu ganteng!" as he burst out laughing. i hope that didn't come across the wrong way...i told him two of my best friends this summer are indonesian, too. :)
11. i met alicia, who has studied abroad in india, and gone again for traveling. we talked about the fact that you have to go back. obviously once is not enough....
12. and the coolest person i met yesterday is a girl from jaipur who flipped out when she heard i was in her homeland this summer. we have plans to hang out again sometime, and i'm excited...the entire time we were supposed to be doing this activity, we were talking about india.

this photo is dedicated to nith and kristina, two people who know how to appreciate a proper sunrise or sunset. it isn't a great one, but it's from my window this morning back at school. i thought of you two right away and as cliche as that is, i think its a good thing. if you ever catch a stellar one, i expect photos (cause we all know you two are so on top of that...).

a nice goodbye present from india...that event that @chandigarh put on was, as i said, a HUGE success and got awesome press! you all have no idea how much i smiled when i saw this, to see all of your smiling faces. one last note to the LC: you guys made my experience so, so wonderful, you were there with me every step of the way, only a phone call away...literally. i miss being in the office, seeing you jabbering away on your cells phones outside the door, answering your enthused punjabi hellos, riding into the sunset on your scooters, hugs and high-fives, that mix of so many languages at once in the office. keep up the good @ work, we will back here as well--and we'll get some of you over here, ya? and no joke, 6 years tops, kids, im expecting those wedding invitations.
and no, not because i care about you finding true love.
(just kidding, i care about you, too)

10 things i really love about being home:
1. clean water, out of the tap
2. cornell apples and cornell dining
3. running this morning in the cool, clear, clean air
4. salad. leafy, green, fresh salad
5. real squirrels! not those chipmunk things india calls squirrels
6. moving into a new place
7. calling my parents anytime
8. meeting up with old friends, and making loads of new ones at training
9. fast internet connection
1o. not being stared at

10 things i really miss about india:
1. the trainees, the trainee house, fitting 9 trainees in an auto
2. the @ers and their craziness
3. mangoes. duh.
4. hindi bollywood music everywhere
5. cows
6. being really hot. im actually cold here, it confuses me
7. the ice cream cart guy who trespassed a lot with bountiful offers of ice cream
8. did i say the trainees??
9. the colors
10. the voice of the man selling vegetables in the morning outside our house

some further proof that indians/eps to india/india has followed me home:

1. dharmashala prayer flags: a tribute to that 2nd weekend trip, all the rain, and nithin's stylin', scandalous jeans.
2. letters from all of you guys, so meaningful, and they made me laugh out loud on the plane when i read them. i like how the @ers still find ways to insert "ya" into their writing. and i need a translator for the bahasa!
3. oliphant, sander. made it home safe and sound.
4. kristina, our anklets from agra, in a nice little pile
5. a bag from rishikesh, weekend 1...thivina, thanks, for fronting the 40 Rs to buy it. Natasa, you have the same one, too, i think
6. PAULINE--i miss you, roommate!! (ola, the store is amartex, you must go)
7. my chair has a dupatta.
8. spices and tea bought at my last trip to spencer's with al...
9. megha, mansi, sugunda, and priya--the lovely pink t-shirt
10. chandigarh tourism t-shirt, which makes me pro-style
11. *tear, ganda pants!!! i cinta them.
12. jaipur elephants, from my most favorite city in india, a weekend with incredible people in a beautiful city

so that's my new room, its still missing some things, but most of all...it's missing people. to the trainees: i cant even begin to describe the little things that i miss about living with you all, the constant interaction, cooking together, eating together, walking to the main road, nights out dancing, learning songs, all of our collective laundry hanging on the line, seeing monkeys and camels in the street randomly, spencer's trips, banana shakes, fruit shopping, natasa's fruit salad, chai all the time, with biscuits, ganda's singing, pauline and her hardcore business cards! the roof...

i already made a list of next summer's (anticipated) trip. cant wait to see you guys again, in nyc or elsewhere...and if you're still in hindustan, eps and @ers alike...keep living it. that place is a world of its own.

lots of love and infinite hugs,
angie