The plane sat on the tarmac filled with more people heading to Delhi. As I left the city of Changzhou earlier in the morning, the first snow seen in years was just beginning to fall. It’s the beginning of the Spring Festival holiday for me now that my marking at the university was completed. I had five weeks of freedom to explore India, five weeks away from the bone-chilling cool weather in a land with no central heating. In my apartment two small electric heaters try valiantly to assist the combo heater and air conditioner. In the classrooms there has been no heat at all while the temperatures dip to the freezing mark and below. Five weeks away from the classroom has been well earned. I had planned for quite some time to spend this time in India as I didn’t think I would be back in this part of the world in the future.
We waited more than an hour for the world to be regulated and ordered so that the flight could get underway. I didn’t get upset in the least with the waiting on the runway at Pudong Airport in Shanghai. Waiting is easy once you get used to the unexpected. It is simply a matter of letting it go and being in the moment. A book helps. That was my tool for making it through the wait. Eventually, the plane did take off and I was on my way across the skies of China to visit an even stranger country. The hours quickly fell away, but not without draining away energy. Drifting between listening to canned music while reading and checking out the video offerings, sleep was elusive. My partner was luckier. She slept.
With an announcement coming at the same time as I began to feel the descent, Delhi became more than a thought, it became a reality. Touchdown was uneventful, and soon all escaped the stale dry air and the uncomfortable seats. Baggage was collected and immigration channels navigated leaving us in a long queue winding through a huge crowd waving placards and bits of paper. Everyone was trying to capture the attention of one of hundreds of passengers from a number of flights. This is a scene I got used to when arriving in Shanghai. However, here in Delhi, it seemed even more chaotic. I slowed my walk through the human gauntlet looking carefully for a sign with my name on it.
Finally, we spotted a young man holding up a paper with our names on it. He was a good looking modern young man wearing a soul patch under his lip. I also noticed that he was wearing a jacket and a scarf. Though he looked chilled, the air wasn’t all that cold in comparison with what had been left behind in China. We stopped beside the young man who greeted us with the expected ‘Namasté!’ The young man was called Manu. After we returned his greeting, he placed wreaths of marigolds around our necks. Traditionally, these wreaths were used to crown gods and goddesses; in modern day India, marigolds are a symbol of respect and reverence, a good message to offer new visitors to India. Though the strong pungent odour caused some annoyance, I left the wreath around my neck because I didn’t want to show disrespect.
We continued our way through the milling throng of men who lined the long walk to the outside. We then climbed into an older car which was to take us to our hotel for the next two nights. Though it was dark outside in the late evening, we searched through the windows for our first views of India. What will it like? Will it be more similar than different to what we have yet experienced?
We waited more than an hour for the world to be regulated and ordered so that the flight could get underway. I didn’t get upset in the least with the waiting on the runway at Pudong Airport in Shanghai. Waiting is easy once you get used to the unexpected. It is simply a matter of letting it go and being in the moment. A book helps. That was my tool for making it through the wait. Eventually, the plane did take off and I was on my way across the skies of China to visit an even stranger country. The hours quickly fell away, but not without draining away energy. Drifting between listening to canned music while reading and checking out the video offerings, sleep was elusive. My partner was luckier. She slept.
With an announcement coming at the same time as I began to feel the descent, Delhi became more than a thought, it became a reality. Touchdown was uneventful, and soon all escaped the stale dry air and the uncomfortable seats. Baggage was collected and immigration channels navigated leaving us in a long queue winding through a huge crowd waving placards and bits of paper. Everyone was trying to capture the attention of one of hundreds of passengers from a number of flights. This is a scene I got used to when arriving in Shanghai. However, here in Delhi, it seemed even more chaotic. I slowed my walk through the human gauntlet looking carefully for a sign with my name on it.
Finally, we spotted a young man holding up a paper with our names on it. He was a good looking modern young man wearing a soul patch under his lip. I also noticed that he was wearing a jacket and a scarf. Though he looked chilled, the air wasn’t all that cold in comparison with what had been left behind in China. We stopped beside the young man who greeted us with the expected ‘Namasté!’ The young man was called Manu. After we returned his greeting, he placed wreaths of marigolds around our necks. Traditionally, these wreaths were used to crown gods and goddesses; in modern day India, marigolds are a symbol of respect and reverence, a good message to offer new visitors to India. Though the strong pungent odour caused some annoyance, I left the wreath around my neck because I didn’t want to show disrespect.
We continued our way through the milling throng of men who lined the long walk to the outside. We then climbed into an older car which was to take us to our hotel for the next two nights. Though it was dark outside in the late evening, we searched through the windows for our first views of India. What will it like? Will it be more similar than different to what we have yet experienced?
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