Mumbai/Calcutta day 1

After a fail of epic proportions (misreading my confirmation email and missing my flight out of London-not fun) Ive finally reached India...what a sight. We tend to have thoughts or misconceptions about an area or a group of people in the world but we can never know about a place without visiting it and experiencing it. THAT is most certainly the case with India. I myself tried to keep an open-mind and limit my expectations, but what others have said prior to my arrival did taint my views somewhat. India is and is not what I expected...the posh and the impoverished literally live next to each other and co-exist in the same space.

Just as I was driving on the road with my friend her driver, the people next to us were being pulled in a rickshaw pulled by another man...we ate chinese in a more expensive restaurant while just outside men who were just skin and bones were living in a slum with their cow...things are different here. At the same time I am drawn to such a culture but it also saddens me a bit. I am not sure how to react to it all, other than to absorb it and build something from what I have learned and seen.

I am lucky to be staying with a friend that doesnt live such a difficult life I guess...I'm not sure if I would instantly be able to live in the slums, but I could definitely work up to it. Ayesha's penthouse is modest but wonderful. Her mother is Bengali and will be making us Bengali food. She has already made us two fabulous indian food, extra spicy. Tomorrow we will going exploring in the city and we will also be visiting one of Mother Teresa's schools.

Peace