February 3, 2006

I traded in a peaceful town with caring people for a train ticket to Goa.

Agashi is a quaint location by Virar, about an hour by train north of Mumbai. I stayed there last week and received a warm welcome by everyone I met. My roommate and I were cared for by a family that gave us a peek into what Indian life is like on the inside. Auntie One cooked for us and even cried a bet when we boarded the train to leave. Auntie Two gave us beds and her protective affection. The daughter of Auntie One nine months pregnant and helped with the cooking and along with the rest of the family taught us Hindi.

The night before we left we were invited by Dr. Patil, the director and owner of the hospital at which we were stationed, to his wife’s nephews Murta. This is the celebration the night before a wedding. We were fed and waited on like guests of honor, something a bit awkward to our western sensibilities. Everyone wanted to speak with us and enjoyed teaching us words and explaining traditions while we appreciated the wonderful food and atmosphere.

The Murta was just the beginning of the nights festivities since no sooner than arriving at Auntie’s house we were invited to celebrate the eight year anniversary of Number Two’s son and daughter-in-law. As stuffed as we were from the Murta’s exquisite cuisine we wanted to show our appreciation to the family and felt obliged to join them for a light dinner at their habitual restaurant. The food was delicious and so we crammed the food into the small empty spaces of our stomach with painful pleasure.

Upon returning we passed by another Murta and were invited to celebrate along with the neighbors. We danced, laughed a lot and enjoyed ourselves immensely. It seems strange that we would be invited to all these parties. If two men in punjabi suits walked by my daughter’s wedding I don’t think I would be that quick to invite them in to party, but this goes to show how different the cultures are especially with regards to what is considered polite. Now when two Indian couples watch their wedding video after ten years they’ll see two white guys and think, "Who in the world are they?"