We arrived in India safe and sound. As the airplane was getting ready to land, I was freaking out. I had so much energy-even though it seemed impossible as I had slept only 4 hours in the past two days-and I could barely stay in my seat. Regardless of the fact that I had ended up sitting in the dead center of the plane, I still wanted to see Bangalore from the air. So there I was, straining to get a glimpse of India. Of course, I didn't take into account that it was 4:30 AM and it was pitch black outside. Berea kindly pointed this out to me, but I didn't care in the slightest. I still had to see it.
First Adventure: Customs
I have gone through customs in the past, but I've never had to go alone. I got everything filled out on my form and felt pretty prepared when I got in line. The person in front of me had difficulty and I ended up having to switch lines, making me the last of the team to go through. When the woman behind the counter spoke for the first time, I knew I was going to have trouble. Even though she was speaking English, it sounded Indian to me. The accent in her voice disguised every word I knew and twisted it into something unrecognizable. Eventually I discerned that she was asking about the address I had written down. This is how the conversation ended up going:
Her: What is this? *Points at address*
Me: Uh...Where I'm staying?
Her: No. What is it?
Me: Uhm...a hotel?
Her: No. What is it? What it called?
Me: Oh. Uhmm...
Now at this point, I have not idea what hotel we are staying at. I was at a complete mind blank. I had no idea what to say. I knew that our original plan had been to stay at The Royale Habitat, but, as you will see, plans often change on missions trips, and I had no idea what the name of the new hotel was. So I just stood there, staring at her, trying to send telepathic messages to someone to help me. She must have seen the panic in my face, because the next thing I knew she had pulled out Joelle's customs form and asked if it was the same. So, after a minor panic on my part, I got through customs, and was ready to see Bangalore!
Second Adventure: Bathroom
A few things about my first Indian bathroom:
Her: What is this? *Points at address*
Me: Uh...Where I'm staying?
Her: No. What is it?
Me: Uhm...a hotel?
Her: No. What is it? What it called?
Me: Oh. Uhmm...
Now at this point, I have not idea what hotel we are staying at. I was at a complete mind blank. I had no idea what to say. I knew that our original plan had been to stay at The Royale Habitat, but, as you will see, plans often change on missions trips, and I had no idea what the name of the new hotel was. So I just stood there, staring at her, trying to send telepathic messages to someone to help me. She must have seen the panic in my face, because the next thing I knew she had pulled out Joelle's customs form and asked if it was the same. So, after a minor panic on my part, I got through customs, and was ready to see Bangalore!
Second Adventure: Bathroom
A few things about my first Indian bathroom:
- I had to pay to use the toilet
- There was no toilet paper
- It smelled
Welcome to India!
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