GOODBYE INDIA

It didn’t take me more than 3 weeks to write this post, but to finish it. I originally planned to publish it still in India as Goodbye to a Country, to great People and a great Time. But I didn’t find the time or the mood these days to finish it. Now I’m sitting here the sunshine is tickling my nose and I’m listening to 'Soni de Nakhre' (soundtrack) from Partner. Which gives me the little feeling of being in India, so here you go:

I’m just coming from an awesome weekend with an open double decker bus ride through Mumbai, Playing Holi, enjoying a delicious Easter Sunday lunch and having my friends around for a last supper at our terrace and finally saying them goodbye. This was an absolutely great and very emotional event for me even though I didn’t show it that much. But certainly I enjoyed it very much and I had the right way of saying goodbye.

I definitely had a great experience, met interesting people and made friends with them. I saw marvelous and gorgeous landscapes, stunning and astonishing places. I had 6 months with extremes: disappointments, fear and anger, and on the other side a lot of moments where I was attached and very happy. I adopted many habits like shaking the head. Some guys told me that I’m already like an Indian, beside the fact that I’m white and don’t speak Hindi. But I certainly and seriously adopted many habits and got used to many things I actually like, you would consider rude or simply inappropriate in the western culture e.g. raising your voice without any reason or pushing people into/in the train.

When I came here I didn’t like India that much, because I wasn’t able to see the good things. I do believe this is just a normal process as you are shocked by all circumstances and face strange situations. The famous phenomena called culture shock. And I was always complaining about everything: the environment, the mess, the bad infrastructure and the incapacity of the public transport system and as well about the incapacity of people.

My holidays home over Christmas were certainly a change in my Indian experience. And I racked my brain if I shall fly home or not. Actually I liked and enjoyed it very much at home and I couldn’t imagine Christmas not being with my family, friends and at home. But the though thing was coming back, and it took me one week in India to mentally arrive. For some reasons I experienced my second half in India more intense and in a different way. I think at this point I was more conscious or better cultural sensitive and wonder why: I started to like India.

What I have learned is – as strange that may sound – to trust people. You need a lot of patience and have to push people at the right moment, and than things will go on their own way. And neither the way you planned nor the way you imagined it. But you will be relaxed and tell yourself this is India, never mind. And in the end it will work.

But now the time for me has come to leave this amazing country and Incredible India. Thank you to all the people I have met and the joy you brought to me to be my friends.

Chak de India!