My good friend, Allie, once wrote a lovely poem about the people you meet on airplanes. You may walk off and never see these people again, yet there’s some mystique behind those unforgettable conversations you create, sky high. So, as I was flying into Mumbai, it was nearly 1 am, and I had been traveling for about 24 hours since Tokyo. I wanted to curl up and put my head down, but my neighbor was feeling chatty. He seemed genuine and not some stranger to just wave off. “You’re going to find a lot of good people and a lot of bad people in Mumbai”, he said. “I just want you to be aware of that. Don’t go out late by yourself after 10, and get ready for the mad traffic and honking that swarms Mumbai.” But, most importantly, he explained this: ”The most surprising thing you’re gonna see is the class difference. You’ll see a wealthy, tall skyscraper where even the middle class live with their own maids, cooks, and drivers. Next to that, you’ll see a run-down shack or heap of garbage, and it just keeps alternating by building.” Not only did he prep me, but he even made sure I had a way of getting home safely. He gave me his number if I ever needed anything. And, although I knew I would probably never reach out, I felt I could trust him. I’ll remember him as my first, welcoming introduction to the city that never sleeps. Trust and intuition is a challenging, yet crucial tool to navigating everyday life and the streets here.

Living around Bollywood influence has been a trip! No, it’s not an entirely “traditional” aesthetic like The Cheetah Girls Bollywood Movie might have you believe. “Andheri” is a suburb much like LA—joggers, traffic, high fashion, and health food cafes. I was even walking down the street one day, and I saw an actor being chased out of a cafe by Paparazzi. But, as you travel south, the neighborhoods change drastically from artsy, Portuguese-style “Bandra” to the home of the Gateway of India (where the last British boats sailed through) and colonial architecture in “Colaba”. This area resembles New York, more or less. No matter where you are though, the pace of life is nearly the same. Many “Mumbaikers” have told me that you learn to love the hectic vibes of this city and you might not understand why. That the organized chaos keeps you alive and hustling.

Some pointers so far…

• If your Uber driver asks you if you “like speedy?”, say no. (Just kidding, do it. Necessary to beat this traffic).
• Be late wherever you’re going. I don’t know if I’ll actually get used to this, considering even when I try to be late, I still somehow show-up on time, and therefore 30 min. early.
• If you’re waiter asks “are you sure? It’s spicy”, say YES, LET ME CRY HAPPY TEARS OF SPICY GOODNESS.
• Wear earplugs in your rickshaw if you’re jumpy like me. The constant honking is wild. Horn not OK, please?

My first few weeks were incredibly warm, thanks to the amazing workers at the hostel I was staying at. It truly felt like more of a cozy homestay, and Bhushan (owner) made me feel comfortable from the start. He even drove me on his motorcycle to work the first day. He welcomed me into his friend group, whether we went to karaoke, to “Mama Deli Road” from 12-4 AM for street-food during Ramadan, or to a party filled with 80s Bollywood dance moves. At this party specifically, there were many actors sharing common concerns about the ins/outs of the Bollywood industry. Don’t get me wrong, I would never doubt that fiery love behind those smooth moves—hip swaying, shoulder popping, and hand jiving. Still, I was surprised when one actor explained to me that he has trouble landing gigs because they tell him they want someone with lighter skin. Another actress explained how so many musical numbers in films sexualize women, who are rarely cast as leads. I think as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed traveler, it was easy for me to assume Bollywood is entirely magical. Little did I consider how similar the politics of the industry might be to that of Hollywood.

And now, for my main purpose here—my internship at Agents of Ishq (“Agents of Love”)! I’ve got to say, I do ISHQ it. When I applied, I was the only intern expected for summer. Now, 4 more (very sweet and funny) interns have joined! We range in age from 19-28, so the diverse perspectives are helpful. Throughout the week, we’re given independent and team projects, which have allowed me to research cross-cultural topics in love, relationships, sexuality, and gender. For instance, I’ve been taking preexisting interview footage and scripting a story-line for a podcast series on body hair acceptance. For body positivity week, we also held a public “Conversation Hour” event. I got to manage the videography as Umang (my other boss) interviewed a social media star and comic, “Supaarwoman”—a huge advocate against fat-shaming. The agency allotted has allowed me to exercise my creativity and pull from my own experiences, too. Recently, I suggested we ask Twitter followers to describe how they feel when they’re naked in 3 words (#NakedFeelings). We took the responses, and now I’m creating a short video out of them. It was uplifting to hear the feedback, and this helped me understand the company’s goal to make taboo topics more open/comfortable. I’ve also started scripting my own video project, for which my coworker has helped me sculpt in an Indian-specific context. I’ll be writing about the discourse on using the word “virgin”, diving into its linguistic history, and examining the idea of sexual conquest, along with how young people can avoid such anxieties regarding this.

To think my original worry was that I would regret going abroad for so long (~3 months) is laughable now. I plan to travel for 2 weeks in the north after I finish my internship in August, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible past SISA fellows who told me to go as long as I possibly can. Now, the latest update in my India adventure is that I finally found permanent housing! Just a week ago, I was trying to imagine life in a hostel for the next few months. But, I recently found a homestay that’s even a bit closer to my work. I’m baffled by how it worked out so. I just moved in, and I’m living with a brother, sister, and their cousin! Details to come…