Crystal meets people and smells

India is a land of scents. From the moment I stepped off the plane, various fragrances, each so much stronger than their US counterparts, both assaulted and wooed my nose. Pungent and spicy, musky and dank, putrid and rotting, sweet and delicate--I am constantly amazed at how, from one second to the next, different smells greet me, waving pleasantly or cursing as they pass by on their osmotic journey.

I met a few really cool people today. After my morning run around the track (have I ever sweat so much in my life?) I was walking back to the girls' dorm when an older Indian man, dressed in an off-white kurta, bowed to me, palms together. "You're American," he said, "come talk to me." He explained that he had travelled the world in his younger days, and had seen much of the US, Canada, Japan and Australia. "Three months," he said proudly in near-fluent English, "I saw the US. Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles." He explained that he was a social worker, traveling with doctors. He also said that while I was here, I should do my best to learn the Indian culture, see what was good, and take it with me. "In our religion," he said, "we are all one. You and me are one. There is no difference. Learn why we put dots here and there, or why we wear bangles on our wrists."
I'll do my best, but I am handicapped without even a rudimentary knowledge of Kanada or Hindi. When I come back to India, and I'm fairly sure I will, I will have studied some Hindi first.

On my way back to the room, I stopped to talk with a few of the female engineering students, which I hadn't really had time to do before. I was amazed to find out that they were told we wouldn't talk to them! From now on, I am going to make an effort to reach out more, find out more about the young women studying here and how they see the world. They have all been really nice so far, and eager to talk even though they have exams for the next two weeks. I even had one (I forgot her name, I am so bad at remembering any names, especially foreign ones) ask me for an autograph before I left. I tried to explain that I was just a student, like her, nobody special. But she persisted in asking, so I suppose if she comes back with pen and paper in hand, I will oblige her. I find the curiosity that surrounds us admirable--I don't mind the stares, or questions, or even the older cleaning ladies who touched my hands and my pony tail (I'm sort of used to it--plenty of staring, hair touching, and face-measuring happened in China and South Korea). In fact, it is kind of fun. Perhaps I should be a little bolder in my curiosity, to learn as much as I can while I'm here. It is hard being a young woman, even a married woman, because there isn't as much freedom in interaction with men. I sometimes wonder if I should even look the men I pass by in the eyes, let alone stop and talk to them. I really want to try cricket, or play some other sports, but that is pretty darn taboo. We ignored that taboo in Korea, but I feel like it is much more ingrained here, and as much as possible, I would like to learn and not offend. And, I would just like to add, I'm really missing wearing shorts and staying out past 10 pm, both of which are not okay for women here.