Miss Adventures

A week or so before the April 15 tax-filing deadline, I was on the phone with some financial planner guy who was trying to help me out with tax filings and the like. When I mentioned that he couldn’t courier something to me because I was living in India, he paused and said, “That must be really different.” I replied, “Yeah…it is…but after a while it’s just like anywhere else.”

I’m still a bit shocked by my admission. Not even a year into living in Bombay, and I’ve kind of figured out its rhythm. The buildings I once looked at with disdain because of their crackling or nonexistent paint now just blend into the cityscape. Weekend trips to Chor Bazaar, a veritable souk-like market lined with rows of vintage furniture and appliances and teeming with people, is much less daunting now – almost enjoyable, despite the vicious bargaining that goes on. And, for better or for worse (mostly worse), I am used to seeing kids under 10 hawking flowers in the middle of the street; packs of stray dogs lying near dumpsters; and the sea depositing mounds of trash on the shore as the tide goes out. Yeah, India has some kinks to work out. But for the most part, I’m enjoying it here.
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It’s tough being an animal in Bombay, especially now as the sun stays out longer. Crows fight in mid-air over scraps of food. Cats shriek at night below my window. And dogs have that ever-more sleepy hang-dog look as they look for shadier places to doze.

It has also been especially hard being a human animal these last few weeks as summer has begun to emerge. Not because of the heat. But, because a new bird has entered the menagerie:

The Evil Asian Koel
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I don’t think I was the only non-Catholic to shed a tear this morning when I heard the news that John Paul II had died. I definitely didn’t agree with many of the stands that the Catholic church had taken over the last few years - though I did appreciate its stand against the death penalty in the U.S. and other countries. But, John Paul II was a very humane, likeable figure. He was like a distant grandfather for many people, so it was sad when he finally succumbed to his illnesses on Saturday.

Now, more than ever, I wish I could be in Rome. I thirst for being in the middle of history. If I had the chance to go back in time, I would choose to hang out in Berlin when they chipped away at the Wall; I would go back to the early 90s and register every URL domain name I know possible; and I would book a flight for last week so I could be in the thick of the papal transition.

After a few days, of course, talk will begin about who will be the next Pope. My bet is that the next leader of the Catholic church will be from Italy. But, it could be interesting if the cardinals choose a man from the Developing World, particularly India.
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