nice things abound though, the guest house is lovely, and there is ample wireless, bottled water after 730am and chai.
the first 24 hours are past, and so far so good, if a little rough. im not even trying to force the time adjustment yet, ill save that for mumbai.
i feel like ive been saying goodbye for the last 6 months... since making the decision to go to india almost 4 months ago, ive left three places incredibly dear to me. leaving is/was really hard. at the same time, it wasnt so bad. i cant imagine turning down an amazing opportunity like this. and it is nice to finally be here, and not have it looming in the future as it really has been for, like i mentioned before, the last 4 months.
and today i found out that unless granted an extension, my grant will expire exactly 9 months from my arrival in india. to the day. a little perspective...
anyway, the flight was split into two parts, something i am entirely grateful for. part one was great, dulles to amsterdam. saying the last goodbye to my parents was not fun, and i went through security a crying mess.
but i love dulles airport:
i like amsterdam too, i love the netherlands. its a beautiful country. it was tempting to just leave the airport, and for about 5 minutes i really considered it. but instead, i left the most beautiful, rainy, grey amsterdam morning, all the comforts of schiphol, and my huge bottle of evian behind:
the second flight was only about 8hrs, which is why the layover helps immensely. after being told the 747 was full, it turned out to be a third empty in economy leaving a spare seat between me and the gentleman on the aisle. i sort of lost track of what time it was supposed to be at that point and completely passed out. missing dinner, which was problematic because that also meant missing a drink. for some annoying reason, for that flight security was at boarding, with no water, or any liquid beyond.
upon arrival in delhi, the klm crew made this announcement. 'ladies and gentlemen, we have been informed that there is just now a strike of the people that bring the walkway to the plane. we will wait for escalator to come to the plane, maybe another 20 minutes'. walking down a metal staircase onto the plane parking space in no apparent instruction or direction was perhaps the most appropriate way to enter india as a first-timer. the sight of the jumbo plane so close, was incredible. i think it also relieved me of any remaining desire to be 'that guy that helps the planes park', which was a definitely a childhood career ambition for a while.
delhi airport is undergoing some serious renovations, there were at least signs suggesting that. as for degree of aggravation in line at passport control, delhi vs jfk, delhi loses! the line was long, and pushy, but simple lack of attitude made it bearable. baggage collection was a mess, but after all that, customs could care less that i had two cameras, a laptop, one extra bag, and an arsenal of otc remedies. at 2am, they were happy even.
it got me thinking that this might be ok afterall. the ride to the guest house was scary, i was bewildered, it was silent, we were on a highway with a cow, we were driving though what looked like a war zone (i found out in the daylight it was a huge mess of an infrastructure construction) and i was so dehydrated my brain hurt.
and then we arrived at the loveliest guest house ever. and i totally lost it. by 3am, i discovered the internet worked and that alone induced a few hours sleep.
by morning i had a two bottles of water, a new room with working plumbing, the light of day to see what was outside, and a working power adapter. the taxi ride to the fulbright office was mind blowing, and the staff there were so warm and reassuring.
all in less than 14 hrs post arrival.
so yes, hello delhi.
