This will be like describing a color to you that you have never seen, unless you've experienced India. And, if you have experienced India, this will make you smile a little bit and you'll have a million stories like it.
We have found a few places we like to go to as a family. One is called "Mocha" in Banjara Hills. It's a lounge where you can get good appetizers for mom and dad, it plays hip hop (both Hindi and American) for Liam, and it has ice cream for the little guys. Anyway....
We were there the other day and our waiter brought out our items. He also brought the obligatory bottle of water, but he did not bring the glasses. I called him back and said we needed glasses. He said "yes sir" and went to get glasses. He came back with four glasses. Being the dad means you don't get a glass when you're one short. It's the gentlemanly thing to do for your wife, and you live for your kids..... so, I said, "That is four glasses. There are five of us." It totally stumped the guy. He looked shocked and just stared down at the table trying to click wth what I had said. Eventually, he walked away, and came back - with two more glasses. Now we had six.
This seems like a silly small anecdote until you live here - and *everything* is like that. Things are just "off". There is really no other way to describe it other than to say that nothing is precise here. One of my colleagues (Indian guy) was telling a story about a guy who came to put nails in the walls so he and his family could hang their art. Walls here are plaster or concrete, not dry wall, so you have to get a nail in there the right way. Anyway....
This worker came to their home and checked stuff out. He had arrived about 90 minutes late, but that is normal. When he got there, he measured a few things and put some marks on the walls. Then he said he was going out to lunch. He came back from lunch 2.5 hours later. Then, when the measurement was done, the guys goes out to buy the nails.
For real.
Now, all of you Americans are thinking, "Well, he must have been making a determination about the right kind of nail for the job, and...." No. No, really.... no.
This phenomenon is hard to describe to those who have only experienced the precision of life in the US. Everything is random, unpredictable, imprecise, subtle, and circuitous here. It is the exact opposite of life in the US.
In the end, it will make us more patient, will make us more tolerant, and even provides funny anecdotes which lighten the day. And, in some wierd way, it's really nice to be in a place where you are stripped of the scripted life that one can get into in the US.
Thanks for reading the blog, it's gratifying to hear all of the feedback. Send us e.mails! It only takes a second, and they are really nice to receive when you're on the other side of the globe.
