Travel and first impressions!

The choice to fly with an Indian company was absolutely the best choice possible.

Kingfisher which I was taking from London to Mumbai makes its passengers think that if they could afford flying to Europe and coming back to India they are rich, important and deserve extraordinary conditions.

Besides, I was one of the very few Europeans taking this flight so already in the plane I could feel like in IndiaJ

While landing I couldn't really see the city as due to the monsoon it was very cloudy but the feeling when I stepped out of the plane was just amazing. It is said if you really want something it will happen...and it happened!!!

Obviously nobody from AIESEC Mumbai was there to pick me up from the airport; luckily I could count on my Polish friend, Maria. (Thank you again btw!!!)

And here comes surprise number 1:

- Taxi drivers/rick drivers don't know the city. If you tell them address it doesn’t mean they will take you there, in most cases you have to explain how to reach the place!

This is still causing many problems to me! I am finally trying to travel on my own but then explaining the way is a bit too much still. Plus - they don't speak English! So I really need to pick up some basic Hindi words very quickly!

Surprise number 2:

Actually, it was not a surprise. Traffic. If you have seen one of these youtube movies in which they show Indian roads and you didn't know if this is really possible to drive like this - believe me, it's possible.

Also, if you have seen me going crazy while crossing the street in Italy or Greece as there was no order on streets (!!!) you must be laughing your ass off now trying to imagine how I am crossing the streets of Mumbai:) It is driving me nuts! I was once trying to discuss this with one of my colleagues asking why there are no rules on the street but when he told me that Indians value democracy therefore they walk or drive however and wherever they want, I have given up.

Surprise number 3:

Being a white person in India means people will try to charge you extra for everything. Example: once we finally found a taxi driver who agreed to take us to the flat (some of them didn't want to go as the flat was located not far away from the airport!!!) he wanted an extra tip for putting my luggage into the car and then taking it out. As we didn't want to pay extra we had to do it on our own:)

But finally we reached the flat. It is a very nice department, though the surroundings might seem a bit scary at the beginning. So seeing kids brushing their teeth on the streets or a “hairdresser” cutting sb’s hair on the street is a common view. One of my friends has lately told me that when in Europe he misses Indian streets, sitting and watching them is simply a good entertainment. In this sense, European streets are dead… well, he was right! Looking out the windows in my room you can see the whole street. I really enjoy sitting at the window and watching people doing their daily activities. Good entertainment!

My flat mates are sooo cool, very supportive, and helpful, and they are good fun too! Although I spent almost whole Saturday sleeping we managed to chat for a while and watch a movie in the evening. I am so glad I am living with them! They answer all my stupid questions, calm me down when needed and drop me to workJ Thanks girls :D

Surprise number 4:

As monsoons started a bit late this year (it should have started around 6^th of June and started after the 20^th) the whole city is experiencing the issue of water shortage. That’s why I took my first shower in India with water stored in the bucket, not having running water. Even now water is running only at certain times, so when we see there is water we do two things: shower! and fill in the bucket J Good fun :D

Surprise number 5:

Rains! If you thought that June rains in Poland must have prepared me for a monsoon season in Mumbai you were wrong! Nothing can prepare you for that. The first day I came to India it was raining so heavily that our street flooded in some 2 hours! In general it is not like this all the time, so there are some days when it is not raining at all but people say that the peak of the monsoon rains is still ahead. Let’s see!