The End of India

9 weeks later, I am leaving. But before I get too nostalgic/sentimental about it:

Last weekend I went to Agra and saw the Taj Mahal. I meant to post something about that, but mostly I was just going to write some quick history facts we got from our guide. I'm not wikipedia, though, so now I've decided against it. We went, it was beautiful, the people are pushy, and the British stole a lot of stuff from it. I wish I had pictures to post, but unfortunately my little computer decided to mutiny earlier in the week and moving files from my camera to an internet cafe computer isn't worth it.

While reflecting on my experience, I've come up with a little list:

THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT INDIA

-Wandering livestock dictating traffic patterns

-Rooftop Monsoon Underwear Dance Parties

-Being sternly beckoned by elderly strangers, and then enjoying chai and broken Hindi with them

-Reckless Public Transport

-Eating new foods that are "good for health" and my resulting adventures in digestion

-Experimenting with various levels of plumbing technology

-Experiencing various replacements for toilet paper and my creative responses

-Elderly Indian women throwing things at children

-Elderly male neighbors in early morning towel skirts

-Being called Barbie Doll and Auntie in tiny Hindi accents

-The exchange rate

THINGS I WILL NOT MISS

-Public urination

-Sweating through my salwar

-Feeling like a pepto-bismal commercial

-Always paying the foreigner price

-The hazards of being an Indian pedestrian

Because it is my second to last day, I decided to venture out a little bit on my usual commute. Instead of keeping my eyes straight ahead and ignoring all the calls of "Madame! Madame!", today I stopped and actually came to one old guy in a bright pink turban. I saw in his little stone hut/shop while he fixed a motor and we chatted in broken English/Hindi while we had chai. Later on in my walk, I went up to some guys at a Puri and Dal stand and they insisted that I try some of the food. After chatting, I tried to pay but they said, "VIP! VIP!" So now I wish I had been a little more friendly and a little less stone-faced when out and about in Jodhpur. Not everyone is a dangerous pervert. But I might get diarrhea now. What else is new.

On that note, this has definitely been an emotional rollercoaster, but on the whole: Mujhe India bahut acha laga. Namaste, Hindustan!