Indelible

Things that I'll never forget about India, whether I want to or not...

-Bhajiwallas pushing their carts in the morning, calling out their wares
-Women in bright saris clustered around tables of bangles in Tulsi Bagh
-Rickshaw-scooter confrontations with inches to spare
-Interrupting a nightly cockroach party when I go in to wash my feet
-Watching from my window as packs of dogs roam the street
-Shirtless, shoeless children grabbing at my arms while waiting in a traffic jam
-Riding on the back of a scooter, holding my breath as we nearly collide with a bhajiwalla
-Walking to yoga at night, passing tea stands and fruit vendors
-Kiran's flat in Mumbai with the marble terrace and perfect view of the city skyline
-Fish spread out in Varkala
-Non-A/C trains with people packed in every possible space
-The sea of bangles on Laxsmi Road
-Nightclubs that made me think of middle school dances, with guys and girls dancing with a foot of space between them
-Pirated DVDs, books, CDs that cover tarps spread along the sidewalks
-Going to wash my hands in the sink and seeing a pair of two-inch-long antennae waving at me from the drain
-The hissing noises that pass for catcalls
-The sound of the woman next door slapping the chapatti dough over the fire
-The smell of cooking food mingling with burning trash
-Men, women, children, and dogs napping wherever they find space, whether it's in the middle of the street, in a rickshaw, or on a bench
-The herds of goats that run around everywhere, eating garbage and blocking traffic
-Street food... roasted corn, guavas, roasted nuts, wada pav, juices, pani puri....
-Watching a man push giant stalks of sugarcane through a pulping machine
-The explosion of lights and colored fabrics that mark every festival
-Dancing in the street at midnight
-The Arabian Sea, as warm as a bath
-The crowds of men that I had to walk through to get home every day
-My next-door neighbor playing Hoobastank's "The Reason" every night for about half an hour
-Movie theaters with cell phones ringing and people moving around
-Opening my curtain one day to see a giant monkey watching me
-Hearing college boys talk in Marathi about us and then turning, glaring, and saying "Mi marathi bolte... za mur!" (I speak Marathi... go die!)
-Six bananas for eight cents
-The sudden, unexpected downpour or power outage or riot that would stop the city

Love,
Sarah!

iPod: "If You Don't, Don't," Jimmy Eat World