Indian Adventures

Just because I am no longer living the adventurous life of an ex-pat abroad in Seoul, South Korea doesn't mean that I am not an ex-pat at heart.   I am bound and determined to get snippets of that lifestyle any chance that I can get them and just because I happen to be back on American soil doesn't mean that my adventures and travels are over.  In fact, quite the opposite.   I have no doubt in my mind that in the future I'll pack up and leave to live on foreign soil once more, and that's no reason to stop blogging about traveling during that time.  Afterall, vacations really are just samplers to see if maybe that's a place I'll someday call home.
 
I spent two weeks from December 2010 to January 2011 traveling the Indian southwestern coast.   I can tell you I sampled a good amount of that country - and I can tell you that I most likely will not be moving there any time soon.

India was actually pretty great - in hindsight.   I did not take Malaria pills or get any typhoid shots, so I guess I have 3-6 months to go before I can say that I made it out alive truly, but I can say so far that I survived.  And that's saying something.


Mumbai - Wedding Festivities
My best friend and I traveled to Mumbai from New York on Christmas Day, literally minutes before a gigantic blizzard dumped 3 feet of snow on the area,  to attend a wedding for the first 5 days of our trip.  The wedding was for my friend's former coworker who is first generation American, but Indian by family.  It was a fairly traditional catholic mass, but the events surrounding the wedding were traditional.  On our first full day/night in the country, we stayed in a suburb called Bandra, and went to the bride's home for a party.  We participated in a fascinating tradition called a Paani, where the entire party has a live band follow them around in the streets dancing, singing, eating, drinking homemade whiskey from tea kettles and having an all out parade.   We stopped at a house and danced on a patio and had buckets of water thrown on us, and the party/parade continued back to the bride's home where more events and a wondeful buffet of traditional indian dishes awaited.

Five days in Mumbai is far too many in my opinion.  It's a very loud, dirty, abrasive, and difficult city.  I swear I will hear the sound of carhorns in my head for the rest of my days.   The rickshaws and cabs use their horns in such a way that it's practically another language, and with no kind of public transportation system setup for a billion people, it's a kind of controlled chaos.  The sound makes rush hour in midtown Manhattan sound like a whisper.  The beaches the surrounded Mumbai are trash ridden and you can see raw sewage flowing into the ocean.  The water is quite toxic, so I wouldn't get too close.

You might think at this point that I actually didn't enjoy Mumbai, and you'd be wrong.  In a lot of ways, it's exactly what I pictured.  It was fun to walk around central Mumbai and see buildings that are 2, 3, 4x older than America itself.  The people were so nice and friendly that it made all the difference.  The food was unbelievable - though of the 50 American wedding attendees, I'd say 99% of them got what's lovingly referred to as "Bombay Belly" and it did a number on more than a few.  Some couldn't even get out of bed they were so dehydrated.  Whether it was the bacteria in the food, the water not being safe, or just not being accustomed to the spice level, it wasn't pleasant for a few.

Fort Cochi - Kerala
After five days though, we flew down to the southern state of Kerala and into the city of Cochin.  We hopped in a cab with a fine Australian lady and drove 2 hours into the little backpacker town of Fort Kochi.   We stayed for 3 days in a god awful little homestay called Costa Gamma where we slept on bricks and our bathroom was the gateway to Mosquito hell.   It was lovely.

I decided to nap a bit on that first day, and my friend wandered the abandoned down which was New Year's Day.   After a few hours he returned to inform me that I had missed Carnivale - a gigantic parade with floats, dancers, drag queens, and elephants.   Figures.   We went out for dinner and there were thousands of revelers in the streets of this tiny town - it was amazing!  The community that lived in this little town known for ancient Chinese fishing nets and backwater tours was vibrant and so excited to be celebrating the New Year.

We didn't plan very well, but one of the days we took in a cooking class from a lovely woman named Leena who was off of Tower Road.  We were the only two students that day and she taught us to make Banana Lassi, Chicken Masala, Roti, and Coconut/Carrot Salsa.   It was...one of the most amazing things I've ever done.

We hired a rickshaw driver for the day as well and he took us all around to shops, and a spice market, and the Dutch Palace, and a temple.   A few hours for a couple hundred rupees  ($5) and it was rather nice.   Though he brought us to two shops that were basically the same -  one we were in for hours and I walked out with more knowledge about rugs than I ever imagined possible AND a brand new orange bedspread that would come in handy more often than I'd like to admit for the rest of the trip - and one that if we went into, our driver would get a free shirt out of the deal.    We ended up creating a whole side story about the life we lead and how we owned 10 houses and needed rugs for all of them.   If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right?

GOA
After 3 days in Fort Kochi battling the mosquitoes that owned our room, and the only town where we found pretty decent coffee, we flew up to Goa.  Goa is a weird place.  It's a place of beaches and tourism and hippies.   If you're a foreigner, you are pretty much going to wind up in Goa at some point, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but you're going to be amongst so many other foreigners.  Many of whom are pre-packaged British tourists on holiday who've spent thousands to stay at the most ridiculous resorts.   Just be forewarned.

We spent a few days in Candolim and checked out the Anjuna Market that's a village that sprouts up on Wednesdays only.  Again we hired a cabbie to take us here, and to the largest lighthouse in Asia at Fort Anjuna.  The beach in Candolim was nice -  very clean, flat, beautiful sunset, and beach shacks that lined the sand as far as you could see that served breakfast, lunch, dinner, and booze until 10pm.

The one really cool thing about Candolim is the marooned River Princess Tanker that ran aground in the 90s and no one ever bothered to clean up.   It's only a few meters off shore, and I bet you could swim out to touch it if you really wanted to.  Though it's a large rusting tanker, so I wouldn't advise you to try.

We actually got out of Candolim and drove 2 hours south to Palolem to stay the night in our own pretty spacious beachhut.  It was glorious.   Falling asleep to the sound of the ocean right outside my window is exactly what I want everyday of my life.   The cool thing about Palolem is that it was featured in the Bourne Supremacy so my feet have touched the same beach that Matt Damon has ran on.   It's the little things ;)

And that pretty much sums up my experience with India.

Some things that I would like to share with those who may also be going to India:

• Bring plenty of antibiotics.   I never do this on trips, but I was glad I did this time.  
• Bring plenty of random meds.  Immodium, Tums, Vitamins, Allergy medications, etc.  You WILL need it. 
• Don't touch the animals.  You WILL see dogs, cows, elephants in the streets, in the cities, on the beach.  Don't touch them.   Though I will say I broke down and picked up a little fluffball of a puppy after noticing he was on a leash and had a collar and assessed the risk.  He was maximum levels of cute.
• Don't drink anything with ice in it from anywhere.  Ever.   (Ice may not be from filtered water)
• If you're going for an event - flat shoes.  Heels are a really stupid idea. 
• Eat breakfast at the Kashi Art Cafe in Fort Kochi.  You will not be disappointed.  
• Read the book Shantaram and freak out that you're in Mumbai, at Leopold's Cafe, just like in the book!
• IF someone asks you if you want Weed, and you say, "No Thanks, I don't smoke"  that's not an acceptable answer.  They'll offer you cocaine, heroin, and other such stuff that you can snort or shoot.   Be specific & say,  "NO DRUGS THANK YOU!"
• Everything will smell like mothballs.  Seriously.  They put them in bedrooms, sinks, bathtubs, anywhere they can.  Burn your clothing upon returning home, b/c it will smell like mothballs for the rest of eternity, even after multiple washings. 
• Everyone will tell you that their items are made in Kashmir.  I am convinced that the entire population of India is Kashmiri.  
• Make sure to print out your itinerary for EVERY trip you take in the country.  To get into an airport you MUST show them you're confirmed flight status or they WILL NOT let you into the building.   Showing them a picture on your iPhone of the confirmation MIGHT work, but will cause a lot of questions to be asked.  Trust me.  
• In airports your bags, checked AND non-checked, will be scanned 1000x and be stamped.  Make sure this stamp does NOT wash off before you get to your gate on your carry on luggage and they will not let you on the plane.  Again,  TRUST ME.
• Make sure to read the cab meters correctly.   On the first day we were giving 10 and 20 rupees to people instead of 1 or 2.   The difference is pennies in USD really, but no sense in over paying.
• Download Google Maps for the cities that you're visiting before you go.   Not having a data plan abroad blows.  The maps in Lonely Planet weren't terrible accurate either.
• And that brings me to last point:  You will get to know the areas you're staying in better than the locals because you're using a map.  I can't tell you how many times we had to direct our drivers to the places we were staying b/c they had no idea what planet they were on, much less what street. 

India is not the feint of heart.   It's NOT a starter country to visit if you've never left the good ol' US of A.    It's a fantastic challenge though, and one that I am really glad that I took.   Traveling to a third world country is never a vacation - it's nothing short of an exciting, exhausting, stressful, and rewarding adventure. 

Thoughts After a Year of Being Home

I returned home December 19th 2009  after living abroad in South Korea for 2.5 years. I thought that it would be important to reflect on life back stateside after one year to the day that I returned home and what life has been like after being an expat.  Before I continue, I have been looking into getting a Masters in TESOL to do go back and do this professionally.  I may not be there yet, but I could see it something I do in the future.  

One thing I can tell you - it's unbelievably easy to fall back into old habits. Eating unhealthy, American sized meals is awful. Not going hiking or being as active exploring new cities and different countrysides doesn't help. Everything is familiar and at first it feels odd, but wonderful. My first trip back into an American grocery store was actually overwhelming and I walked out with absolutely nothing. Even one year later I find myself spending crazy amounts of time in the local Wegmans just perusing all of the different options that we have - but that store IS so awesome, people do that anyway. The difference being when you're abroad, you meet other like minded people who want to travel and try new things.  At home, things are a bit mundane, and it can be hard to rally the troops for a silly weekend.

When you're living in a foreign country - especially in a place like Asia where everyone looks different than you, talks differently than you do, and lives quite differently than you, you get used to the unusual. You come to expect that something at least once a day will shock you and not because it's shocking, but because you experience so many odd things daily that you're only shocked that you're not shocked. When you're living abroad your brain is practically a sponge that just takes in new information at alarming rates.

For me, I taught myself to read Hangul, the written Korean language. I practiced on the subway and walking down streets and reading menus, (It's incredibly easy to learn, so don't be too impressed). One year later, I crave seeing it to make my brain work to understand something out of the symbols. I get excited when I see a local Korean supermarket or restaurant just so I can read the Hangul.

It's amusing to me to think that while I was in Korea I craved American foods like Pizza, Peanut Butter Cups, and Cheese and got excited when we'd find a new American chain to go to. Honestly - Korea has a number of California Pizza Kitchens and Outbacks and TGIFridays and Bennigans - American food is NOT hard to find. I can remember going to a store in Jeongja called "I Love Cookie" and paying TOP dollar for a jar of Nutella. It was so easy to find Western food after awhile.

On the flip side, it's really hard to find Korean food here, not unsurprisingly. I haven't had Korean BBQ in 365 days and I would maybe kill a man for just one more dinner at the Yellow House in Garak Market, or Tteokboki from my favorite street stand near my old apartment in Ogeum.

Things to Miss That No One Tells You
The ease of getting around without the need for a car. The entire country is on a perfect continuous loop of effective transportation. Everything is on one card - the bus, the subway, and even the taxis, which are SO cheap.

My friends. You say goodbye to your home friends and family knowing you'll most likely see them again.  When you leave a foreign country after years of living there you're potentially saying goodbye to them for an indefinite amount of time.  Who knows when you'll see them again, especially if they're native.

Cost.   Living abroad in some countries (if they pay you well) you get used to the costs.  Baseball games were $8, beers are $1-3, World Cup Qualifying Soccer games are easy to get to and $20-$50 a ticket.   My apartment in southeastern Seoul was $500 to be split with my roommate.

World Events.  Americans are unbelievably shut off from the world... surprisingly.  It is a lot easier to feel a part of a greater good when you're outside of your home country.  Things like the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic, or the World Cup Qualifying Games really demonstrate an interest in all other countries, NOT just America's point of view.   It doesn't stop there -  I can remember the entire country of Korea coming to a grinding halt to watch Obama's acceptance speech or the first Asian woman to go up in space during a Chinese launch.

Education & Health Insurance.   I once broke a tendon in my foot in Seoul and for xrays, doctors, medicine and bandages I paid a whopping $8 and was in and out in an hour.   Without health insurance I would have paid $26.     No WAY could you get an ace bandage in America for $8.   Or the education systems in Asian countries -  there are reasons why Hong Kong, China, Korea, and Singapore are amongst the top 10 most educated countries in the world.  I wish America had a fraction of their tenacity for education.

Glad to be Home.
It's home.  My life is here, my friends and family are here, more professional opportunity is here.  America is one of the best countries on earth (I do not subscribe to it being the "Greatest country" because we have a NUMBER of broken systems in place, and I have seen first hand that many other countries do it better).   I wouldn't give up my citizenship to this great nation because of all the potential that it has, but I do see myself going abroad again sometime in the future.  For now, I'm happy with just vacationing and traveling.   India is up next...   

One of the best things that I took away from the whole experience?   Looking forward to all the times I'll meet up with those I met who live in other English speaking countries.  I'll be spending time in England, Ireland, and New Zealand at points in my life, without a doubt. 

If any of you are considering going abroad.... do it.   No matter how it turns out - good or bad - do it.  You only live once and there's a whole big wide world out there to see.  You won't regret it.

Adventures...Paused.

Alright - I've purposely waited to write this final post. I've been home now for 3 weeks and have had time pause, catch my breath, and really kind of figure out what's what.

I flew home on December 19th. I partied in Gangnam on Friday night with some of my favorites, walked an hour in the blistering cold to find a cab, was home at 4am, packed, and was out the door by 6am to catch the bus, and take my 930am flight. I flew to Beijing where I waited for 2 hours and soaked in my last remaining Asian moments. I hopped on a plane that was something straight out of the 1960s, complete with lack of any in-flight entertainment and cigarette ashtrays in the armrests. There were some very pleasant conversations with random people on board, and 14 hours later, I landed at JFK in New York City, literally minutes before an impending blizzard ravaged the east coast.

Sharon, Jess, and Jennette were waiting for me amongst the hundreds of people outside the door, and I only knew they were all there because I could hear their 3 voices somewhere in the crowd bickering (in a good way). We drove to Manhattan, I purchased an iPhone, partied until 4am - including bowling at the Port Authority - and finally got myself to sleep after 48 hours. I woke up on Sunday - completely exhausted.

Spent a few wonderful days in Manhattan, very wide eyed and happy to be home. Moved on upstate to be with family for Christmas and New Year's, seeing old friends, and sleeping - A LOT - because of all the jet lag and excitement.

The first week of 2010 has seen a lot of excitement and the same amount of boredom. I've settled into my house - cleaned out my room, donated tons of things to charity, and sent out dozens of emails and resumes. I've got projects to work on, a lot of writing to get done, and have settled into a great workout routine at the local gym (and struggling to stay on top of it). Things still seem new and exciting.

So far, there are only a few things I really miss about Korea... my friends, the randomness, constant entertainment, celebrity status, food, transportation, and neon lights. That was probably the first thing I've noticed actually - how dark everything is. Even in New York - EVERYTHING is that depressing orangey light. All storefront signs are dim or missing letters. Sure, it's probably more green and such to not have a thousand bright flourescent lights on every inch of space like in Asia, but it sure does keep you happy.

There are a lot of perks about being home though - for one - my mom makes me dinner everyday and I spend no money. And we're talkin', good old fashioned homemade Italian sauce and things of that nature. I can talk to anyone I want about anything because there's no communication barrier. I can go to the grocery store and be overwhelmed by all of the choices for everything, and the deli - don't even get me started on that. I can jump in my car and drive anywhere. I can go to Syracuse basketball games again. I get to be a part of my friend's lives again instead of just hearing about it.

The only negatives come from the fact of being unemployed and the uncontrollable weather (it has snowed for the past 12 straight days). Everyone's doing something exciting in Seoul, in New York City or in Denver, and I'm sitting in CNY attached to my computer looking for a job that will get me somewhere where I can have a rewarding career, money to travel, and a daily routine again. However, I have to keep in mind that this is only temporary and there are plenty of things on the horizon. The faster the better.

Coming home has been good. It's an adjustment for sure, but it's also nice knowing that chapter is closed and I'm starting a new one. One thing I know for sure, that living in Asia wasn't my last extended abroad experience, because I will live abroad again someday (soon if I can't finda job). For now - wish me luck, and if you're someone I don't know reading this - I'm only an email away for Korea/Asia related questions. I can't wait to go back and visit Seoul - that's for sure.

It was the experience of a lifetime, and I don't regret a minute of it.


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PS - I'll be speaking on my time in Asia at Syracuse University's Career Center Lecture Series in the spring. I'll post once more when that gets closer.