I feel consistently flattered that so many people, merchants, hair dressers, friends of the family, strangers essentially think that I am from India. Seina even jokes that I am more Indian than she is. I am not so sure about this, there is a lot of India and Indian culture that I don't know, but perhaps that is her point, there is a lot she doesn't know too. I think the simple fact that I haven't been writing as much is interesting in itself. To me it indicates how comfortable I am here, that everyday things I usually find fascinating when traveling feel normalized. Yes the traffic is crazy and with its blaring horns and insanity of switching into the oncoming traffic lane to avoid the blocked traffic inyour lane, but that doesn't seem so strange anymore.
This visit has been very different from my last visit. Simple things make w big difference. Like i have yet to be in an auto rickshaw, bargain for anything, or even had any chai! Instead of feeling like I never have enough time, I feel like i have an abundance of time to just be leisurely about things. I suppose the root of it is that last time I was a student here, busy with school and homework and also being a tourist, this time I feel more like I am just living here/visiting a friend, sprinkled with some tourism.
Seina's mother has been giving me a culinary tour of India. Everyday she presents me with a different region, the general trends of the region and then the food. I have to say I have been quite impressed with the variety and all these dishes I have never even heard of. Today I had a Sindhi breakfast which was like an Indian savory bread pudding with tomatoes and onions. I should start taking notes, but in general I have just been enjoying the various flavors, colors, and smells.
So yesterday I got an introduction in medical tourism. I went to the Indraprastha Apollo hospital. They had a series of preventative health checkup packages already setup. I went for the simple standard check up which checked my kidneys, liver, thyroid and blood for an array of acronyms, gave me a physical and gyno checkup, a ECG, xray, ultrasound and more. I prepared by fasting for 12 hours, and then arrived in the morning. First of all the hospital was very impressive looking despite being under construction, it basically looked like a hotel, complete with doormen in elaborate cultural costume.
After checking in and paying less than $100, I was given a little yellow sheet with 7 stops and room numbers filled in. I felt like I was on a scavenger hunt. Everytime I made a stop I got a stamp, or a signature to prove my completion. After my initial "nurse assessment" where my height, weight and blood pressure were taken, I went to give blood sitting in comfy leather chairs. After I gave blood they gave me an exceptionally sweet mixture, with I think was just coconut flavored sugar in water. I then moved on to get mystamps for a chest xray, then a ECG. I then had to drink a liter of water for the ultrasound. This was really the only uncomfortable part because I already needed to pee pretty bad, but they still insisted I drink more. I was very relieved when I was allowed to finally go to the bathroom, and impressed that even the bathroom was fancy, complete with bathroom attendants there to clean up after you. I don't think I have ever been somewhere fancy enough to have bathroom attendants. I completed my medical health hunt with a gyno exam and a physical consultation. However while I was waiting for my doctor, they gave me a coupon to have breakfast which was included in the package! My free breakfast in a place called "whole foods" which was nothing like the American Whole Foods except that it was interested in healthy food. My free breakfast was some fresh fruit, some idli (little steamed rice cakes) and sambar (loose dal), some pulao (pounded rice with peas and spices), coffee, and fruit juice. Then made an appointment to come back the next day to discuss the results of my tests. By far it was the easiest and most enjoyable hospital experience I ever had even though it took a full 4 hours.
Later that day, Seina and I finally started to work on her apartment. It is such a nice space and I got really into nesting. We got the majority of her bedroom done and I think next will be the dining room. It got me really excited once again about setting up my own place, but I can only hope to have a place half as nice as Seina's 3 bedroom apartment and huge kitchen at some point in my life.
Today while waiting to go back to the hospital I went to get what i think of as an Indian manicure, mendhi, also known as henna. I went back to my old stomping grounds of Lajpat Nagar (where I lived last time I was here) to get my mendhi done along the row of men waiting for a customer among the bangles and jewelry. I negotiated a price and sat down. I really love every part of the mendhi process, it just feels like true pampering by adorning ones body, so much more than I ever felt about manicures or pedicures. I had two men working on me, one on each hand. I basically agreed on a price and then just let them do whatever they felt inspired to do. It was so detailed, so intricate, and mesmerizing to watch the 0.5 mechanical pencil thin paste slowly build up layers of design across my hand. This was by far the most elaborate henna I have ever had where the negative space feels so loud due to the intensity and density of the designs. The process took about a half an hour. I even love the drying process. Watching the paste change from an olive green/brown to an almost black, lightly outlined by the orange of my skin soaking in the dye. Then not being allowed to use your hands feels like the major pampering part, just forced to do nothing and relax, or in my case watch some movies. Once it starts to dry, there is this other magical stage where you get the see the reveal of the pattern left on the skin. It is similar to the magic of seeing a photograph appear when placed in developer. Then, as if it wasn't enough, there is the fun of watching the henna darken and deepen throughout the day and peaking before it starts to fade back to orange over the next couple of weeks.
Pretty soon after my henna dried it was time for me to head back to the hospital. I met with my doctor who carefully looked over all my results, and then told me with a smile that I am perfectly healthy. I told her I was concerned about my weight, and she assured me that my habits were healthy, I was very active, and there was no hormonal imbalances. I tried to press, just asking if there was anything I should be cautious of, watch out for, anything? She told me no, that really I am very healthy. I left with a huge packet in a pretty purple envelope with all my results. Along side the various acronyms that I don't understand, they gave a handy guide for normal ranges. After reviewing them myself, indeed all my results fell safely within the normal ranges. The packet also included some images from my ultrasound, pointing out my pancreas and kidneys, stating that they were also normal. There is also a CD of what I assume is my xray as well. I left the Apollo hospital with my purple packet feeling like I just completed a mini medical Disney land with souvenirs in hand.
Evenings have turned into an interesting routine. Indian soap operas are incredibly popular here. Many times I have traveled from different houses and even shops, following an episode because it seems like every house in India has the same show on. Seina's parents seem to follow two, one more historically set and one more modern. So after the news, they switch on at least 2 hours of these soap operas. Being a film major and not understanding the language, really all I have to look at is the hilarious film form. Every 5 minutes, or sometimes every 30 seconds is a dramatic pounding of a cymbal combined with a zoom in and slow motion close ups of everyone in the room, often accentuated by a random colored light or filtered flare of over exposure. I am sure American soap operas are just as dramatic even though I have never seen those either, it is just amusing how overt and hyperbolic the form is here. I also noticed that the soaps here look really cheap to me despite the elaborate costumes and sets, and I decided it is because of the lighting, it is all flat and feels almost fluorescent. Ok so there is my film major rant. After these soaps sessions, the parents go to bed and Seina and I watch a line up of "modern family" "how I met your mother" "friends" and "lie to me." a lineup which I am really quite pleased with and entertained by.
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