The Sequel begins, Part 1

I haven't done one of these in quite some time. It feels a little rusty. Also, it is not somewhere completely new as I have visited India before. I feel like it is in a book when you start a sequel and say after 9 months here we are. By saying that I would think that there has been nothing worth reporting in the last 9 months, but on the contrary there is too much to report.

So here I am back in India.

When I was leaving NYC for the airport I was a little nervous, but this is a normal thing to happen when you leave something comfortable to something new and a bit unknown. The flight was long, sitting between two people in a normal seat (I had gotten spoiled for sometime with the exit row). I arrived in Delhi and was quickly thrown into the craziness of the culture and continuous attempts at Indian trying to charge much more to a gora gora or ingraze (a white person). Luckily I had a little idea and found my senses hightened once again and prepared for the battles that lie ahead. After a couple of days of settling in on my own and enjoying some food I headed to meet familiar faces and spend some time with locals and my Indian family to first settle into the Indian way, before heading off on my own.

This time around in India, I found things to be easy. I wasn't surprised my the wandering cows, the smell, the amount of garbage, the begging for money, the stares and general questions, or any of it. It seemed strangely normal to me and I anticipate seeing new places that I have yet seen.

Quick note: On the biz end things are progressing well but I have much to do and I find everytime I think I have a solid plan it changes on me so I will hold off to dive further into this.

I can't tell you how happy I was to see my Indian family. I was a recognized face in the village that has yet to have another foreign visitor. For different days I have been here different relatives have come to the village to stay over and spend time with Steve (otherwise pronounced: Shoe, Shiv, Shtue)


New members of the family since last time are two new young wives and two new babies, so nice and so cute (wives nice, babies cute).

They continue to treat me too nicely and we have good chats as I am quickly picking up Hindi words and they English.
I really enjoy getting a shave at the barber too.
I will stay and celebrate Diwali (the biggest Festival in India) with the family and then head off after.

There is much more to tell, but I think this is a good starter and the keys stick a lot on this computer so I can't tell you how much extra typing and deleting I am doing.

Traveling-it is great seeing things, but the real enjoyment is trying to understand your individual life more. Being back here and seeing the family relationships and how everyone lives together, makes plans together and the close family way of life, it makes me think of how families in the US are and I will leave you with a quote which I think is many times too true in our or any culture.

"there's one sad truth in life i've found, while journeying east and west, the only folks we really wound, are those we love the best, we flatter those we scarcely know, we please the fleeting guest, and deal full many a thoughtless blow, to those who love us best." -ella wheeler wilcox