Homesickness Prevails...

I am so incredibly homesick, I don't feel like doing anything other than sulking in bed. I know, I realise this entry is already quite different from the last one. I shouldn't be complaining because things are going quite well for me here. It's just that I've got the most amazing friend circle back home and none of these individuals are here to even go for a simple coffee with. Some friends, who are in town visiting, are too busy right now fulfilling their family obligations. I'm re-thinking my whole 'time away' plan and may head back to Canada sooner than expected (yes, even despite receiving word about how cold it's getting there).

I've met some genuinely nice people here but there's still a cultural barrier. In this past week alone I've been randomly asked if I've ever had a boyfriend, if I've ever been to a 'dance club,' and if I've ever tried an alcoholic beverage. These things are considered tabboo to most, and I find myself hesitating in my replies to these questions. To some, having a 'boy/girlfriend' literally means just being platonically friends with someone of the opposite sex, which is still considered a pretty big deal. I'm not judging this value system, I'm just not used to it.

On a more positive note, I've been reuniting with family members I didn't even realise I had. I learned that I have a lot in common with my 76-year old uncle, who unfortunately is now hard-of-hearing and extremely frail. Ironically, as I was making this observation about him, he commented aloud on how frail I look!

He's the only relative I've met up to date who's passionate about the two things I'm extremely fond of - art and photography. We went through hundreds of photos he compiled over the years; he couldn't hear mosts of my remarks and questions along the way, but I believe he understood some of the comments through my facial expressions. He's a sentimental fellow and has memorabilia of nearly everything. I took some photos of his British Raj coin collection and rummaged through some of the actual historical remnants. I regret not having met this uncle years earlier, he may hold the key to learning about my family ancestry and much more.

I left Sabharmati (still very much a village but now considered a part of Ahmedabad city), the area where my uncle is from, on a very full stomach. I discovered where the country's best batata varnas' are made - in my babi's kitchen.