Culture Shock

We have transitioned from visiting a foreign land to living with family. It's been a bit of a transition. Josh, on reflection, shared that it would have been easier to start with family visits and then go be treated like royalty, with doormen, porters,  trun-down service... and elephants.

We had scheduled a day of rest after flying to Pune, my dad's hometown. We took a cab from the airport through a wild street party celebrating birthday of one of the founding fathers of modern India. There were fireworks, large crowds and loud music! Our driver spoke a little English, but was delighted that I was willing to try out the little Marathi I had learned.

Arriving at my cousin's house, I realized that his household, usually numbering five would more than double while we stayed with him, especially since his daughter had come to welcome us. To give everyone space to sleep, Josh, my father, my cousin and I slept on a carpet on the roof / verandah.

To stay cool on our rest day, as well as get a break and to check in with each other, we called a car using the app Ola with some help, and off we went! Tbh, the kids understand the app better than I do, but I got the jist of it.

At the mall we had a kind of funny experience: the kids found some clothing they liked, but we learned that the card readers don't connect to the international system. Much to the shock of a small crowd of store employees who had gathered, I pulled out real money and paid. That store was so dependent on electronic transactions that mine was the first cash payment of the day! The till was completely empty except for my payment! If this is where the 21st century is going, I might be ready to be left behind!!

Also at the mall, I finally got the street food panin poori. I have seen it all over at street stalls, but the mall is the only place I have felt comfortable with the hygiene standards. I have tried making them at home, but of course, having the real thing is better!