{"id":333,"date":"2018-06-18T06:07:59","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T06:07:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sisa.ii.lsa.umich.edu\/?p=333"},"modified":"2018-06-18T06:07:59","modified_gmt":"2018-06-18T06:07:59","slug":"adjusting-to-mumbaiker-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/courses.lsa.umich.edu\/sisablogs\/2018\/06\/18\/adjusting-to-mumbaiker-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Adjusting to “Mumbaiker” Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s 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. \u201cYou\u2019re going to find a lot of good people and a lot of bad people in Mumbai\u201d, he said. \u201cI just want you to be aware of that. Don\u2019t go out late by yourself after 10, and get ready for the mad traffic and honking that swarms Mumbai.\u201d But, most importantly, he explained this: \u201dThe most surprising thing you\u2019re gonna see is the class difference. You\u2019ll see a wealthy, tall skyscraper where even the middle class live with their own maids, cooks, and drivers. Next to that, you\u2019ll see a run-down shack or heap of garbage, and it just keeps alternating by building.\u201d 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\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n

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A view of Andheri<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Gateway of India<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Living around Bollywood influence has been a trip! No, it\u2019s not an entirely \u201ctraditional\u201d aesthetic like The Cheetah Girls Bollywood Movie might have you believe. \u201cAndheri\u201d is a suburb much like LA\u2014joggers, 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 \u201cBandra\u201d to the home of the Gateway of India (where the last British boats sailed through) and colonial architecture in \u201cColaba\u201d. This area resembles New York, more or less. No matter where you are though, the pace of life is nearly the same. Many \u201cMumbaikers\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Some pointers so far\u2026<\/p>\n