India - Day 13

Days are slow here. Started my morning with bass practice, going over some of the previous exercises I hadnt done in a while. Then went to Toms neighbour to get myself a new book to read. The library that neighbour has is really amazing - classic science fiction (shelves of it), popular science (Dawkins, Penrose) and biographies of scientists (a la Einstein, Bohr), A shelf containing most of what Pratchett has written as well as things from Gaiman. When I asked whether she had any existentialists, she said that she should have some Camus and Sartre, but she couldnt find them.. So I settled for the diary of Anne Frank, also taking a science book by Penrose.

I then read my mail and found my mother had sent me the story my grandfather had wrote about his youth in siberia. Tom had asked me whether my grandparents would be willing to recount what happened to them during 1940-s and as it turned out, both had agreed. I read my grandfathers story and tried (unsuccessfully) to hold back tears. I then proceeded to translate it and once I was done, gave the file to Tom.

I then went for a walk to look at yet another park (and to do some reading there). This time, the destination was NTG park, which had a rather magnificent memorial tomb in one corner - which you could only enter barefoot. Black marble gets really hot in the sun so I think it was like walking on coal - assuming a proper pace, everything was fine, but go too slow or too fast and your soles start taking heat damage. The tomb was quite wonderful architecturally and the whole place kind of reminded me of Pirita (and the memorial there - possibly because the lake was nearby, reminding me of the sea, and the memorial was just across the road from it, just like there as well). The park itself was also quite nice, but I was pressed to find a quiet place where to read, since everywhere I went, someone eventually sat close enough and started talking to his friend.. or something even more disturbing, such as a band of schoolchildren coming to play all around me. That does not really sit well with reading Anne Franks diary.

I got back and had some vegetable curry Tom prepared. Then his indian assistants took me and Dave out for indian sweets... which were nothing I have ever eaten in estonia and veery delicious. They asked, whether I will come to the colors festival tomorrow and I agreed. Ought to be fun, as I understand the main attraction is throwing paint at one another..

India - Hard Rock Cafe, vol 2

This time it was not as exiting as the first time. We met the same germans and immediately sat at their table. As the music was quite loud, only one-on-one conversations were really possible and as I was not really in the talking mood, I was phased out in my own thoughts most of the time. This time, most of the songs were not familiar to me (although there were still a few I did know, most notably Linkin Park "In the End" and Metallica "Unforgiven")

End got a bit interesting, however. We even danced to about two songs. Then cops showed up, as the bar should have closed at 12.30 but was still open at 12.45 (as we all demanded one extra song from the DJ). We quicly put together our money to pay the bill, but then the germans said that they would be paying for us.

We left and tried to get a taxi for Gabriel, which was an undertaking in its own right as most drivers wanted to rip him off but Dave would not let them so they just drove away. Finally, he got a cab that asked a fair price and got on it. Then we started walking back home. At some point, a car passed us and one guy yelled something at us from the window. To which Dave replied something in telugu ("shut up", he translated to us later). The car pulled the brakes and stopped 10 m from us... and then drove away. Probable reason - Me, Dave and Alex are all of rather large build even by european standards:) To be honest, I would have been very pissed at Dave if they really had come out and started asking for trouble, as I generally do not believe that such passing insults (as they assumably yelled from the car) should even be acknowledged, much less replied to. However, both Dave and Alex seemed quite proud of what had happened. Pride of youth, maybe...

India - Day 12

Im writing this as the islamic call to prayer is sounding throughout the city. Forgot to mention before that this happends 4 times a day here, as is usual in the islamic world. Hyderabad was originally an islamic city, but was dominated by Hindus for centuries. As I understand, islam has started to gain popularity here again in the past few years. Both men and women dressed in islamic traditional clothing are quite a common sight in here, but Tom sais that this was not so when he first came here.

Anyways, the scooter broke today so I will not be able to practice for a few days. Kind of sad, because I think I was already getting the hang of it.

I visited the national park that is nearby. I arrived at the gate at around 2, only to be told that the ticket clerk would arrive at 4. I spent the two hours thinking and reading and they passed fairly quickly.

The park itself was amazing. Despite being in the middle of a city, it really felt like being in the wild. Made me realise just how much I really need nature, as just walking around there made me feel balanced and serene, being a semi-religious experience. Has happened before - in China, Cologne and Australia, and in parks in all cases. There is clearly a pattern :)

My general conclusion for today:

(and I thank K. for reminding me that song existed about a year ago)

India - Day 11

Went to the school again, this time to set up a wireless router. However, there seemed to be no internet connection.. and when I asked about it, the head mistress told me that they had had it switched off as they could use the broadband wireless connection.. so I first had to explain I cannot really share a connection that does not exist and then to figure out how to share internet connectivity gained from a USB dongle. Fortunately, It wasn't hard.

I then tried riding the scooter again. Did a bit better than last time, but I still did not dare to go to the streets with it. So I went for a walk instead, firstly to go get something to eat and then to see the national park nearby. The park was closed, though, so I just sat down in its vicinity and thought about life and its meaning for about an hour.

Im sad to report that the more I think about things, the more meaningless everything becomes. The world is just slowly floating away from me and I really have nothing in it that I would want to hold on to desperately. The more I think about it, the less I believe in the possibility of making the world a better place. The world has its own way of coping even with the biggest of catastrophes. To us, the poverty here might seem appalling, but to people actually living in it, it is just life as usual - they treat all this as normal, and, as everyone else, just try to find ways of moving upwards, if they can, whilst otherwise accepting what they have got.

All this comes from a person who has helped fix computers and install internet for two different charities by now, both of which are very grateful to me. Gratitude I do not deserve. I still try to help out, however and whenever I can, but the more I think about it, the less I feel it actually does any good.

All this is not depressing to me.. just worrisome, for I fear where it may very well lead. But emotionally, I do not feel neither anxious nor sad. For the moment, I still have over two weeks to sort things out in my head.. No point in rushing things. After all, that drifting away is one of the reasons I chose to come here.

In the evening, I sat on the balkony with Dave and Alex and we talked about life, universe and everything.. later, Alex left and we continued with just Dave. It was quite interesting, as we managed to discuss things in the wide spectrum ranging from morality in business to ex-girlfriends.

India - Day 10

I finally started my scooter lessons. I will probably not go driving on the streets with it in the next few days, as I will need to learn to maneuver it a lot better than I can currently manage. I practiced in the garage of the apartment building Tom lives in. It was scary as hell, as the walls and pillars were quite everywhere and the scooter has surprisingly good acceleration.

Tom took me to the other side of the lake to get the suit I had ordered from the tailor and also to buy some computer equipment for the school. He manages to drive considerably more agressively than most natives do.. Sadly, I turned my camera off just before the good bit... but anyways, here are two more clips taken from the back of a moving scooter.

India - Day 9

The back tire of the scooter broke as Tom was driving to the store. As such, me learning to ride it will probably have to wait. Reading Heinlein clearly does me no good, as he seems to believe that in the future, the hippie culture will have prevailed. That is not bad in itself, except for the sex-related themes which there are quite enough to spark my imagination.

One thing I have to mention, though. British cusine seems to have even more grease, fat and butter than american cuisine does, and that is saying something. Indian food, on the other hand, is spicy as hell most of the time, although I have already gotten quite used to it.

Im looking at my toy seal and I still think it is by far the cutest thing ever..

In short - yet another slow day :)

Edit: I went for a 3 hr walk to see Hitec city, which, as I was warned, did not really have much to see. However, the walk itself was quite nice, as I had not really gotten out much these past few days.

I finally got around to uploading some of the pictures from around the city. They are now up on picasaweb.

Something one friend of mine wrote kind of stuck in my head and made sense. Something about being easily swayed emotionally and thus preferring not to hang around overly depressive people. The downside of having a strong sense of empathy, I suppose. However, the main problem is that just acting cheerful only makes things worse, as empathy generally goes deeper than the acting can.

I think I am slowly regaining stability - feeling good about who I am and what I am doing at a given moment, rather than worrying what will happen in a month or so. This change of pace has allowed me to do some things I normally would not have. Actively writing a blog clearly being one of these things:)

India - Day 8

Today I went to visit the school for the second time and made a census of all the computers that they have. All of them seemed to be working, but there were these truly strange problems with power that initially made me suspect that power cables were faulty but I later shifted the blame to either the mains or extension cords.

We went out to eat into a really fancy place. Tom generally hates fancy places, but for some reason, he likes that one to the point of actually inviting us there. The food really was good, though.

Otherwise, a slow day yet again. On the ride to the school, I talked to Dave (who wants to become a lawyer) about burning out. I suggested he keep at least one hobby that would force one to physically relax, at least to some extent. He said he plans to keep up playing at least one instrument, but in general, sex seems to be the best solution. Guess what that made me think of. However, it seems I no longer obsessively think of M. as I used to. Thoughts go more along the lines of just giving up, on everything. Not much healthier, but a bit easier to evade, thankfully. For the time being, I try to take as much of a bystander view to my thoughts as I possibly can and just let things be as they are. Still, I worry about this month just leading me into a worse condition than I started from. However, only time will tell on that one.

With some luck, Tom will show me how to drive the scooter tomorrow. Should be fun :)

India - Day 7

Power just went out in the appartment, in the middle of the night, so the three of us are sitting in darkness and waiting for the power to return. Internet is also dodgy at best, so the computer I have tried to fix for 3 days now is not really that far along (as I constantly need to check something from the net but cannot get access to it). In case anyone is wondering, this is also the main reason why I have yet to post any pictures.

Today I went to the place where Dave and Alex work, helped set up one computer, then fetched lunch and, after eating, was taken shopping for telephone cable. This time I got a ride on a motorcycle, which was pretty fun. On the ride, I took two short videos about the traffic. I am hoping to put them up into youtube at some point, but I sincerely have no clue as to when that could be.

Otherwise, today was quite a slow day. I finished one book and started on another, practiced playing the bass and just sat around doing pretty much nothing. Slow day, and I see plenty of those in my future. Then again, it is pretty nice to average 70 pages of reading a day and to have my bass skills noticeably improve each day. I have fears about coming back but I worry about them increasingly less. Nothing really seems to matter any more.

India - Day 6

Initially, I thought today would be a very slow day. I had plans to go out for lunch with Dave and Alex, but otherwise, I decided to stay in and just read and practice bass. However, in the evening, the plans changed somewhat, as I was first invited to a party at a neighbours flat (who was a friend of Tom and needed help with computers) and then later to a party at some south african called Ragu (where we went together with Dave, Alex and two indian guys, one of whom drove). In there, the others watched cricket and we then played one round of Wii Bowling.

As the others were just drinking and doing the other usual male bonding stuff, I decided I would lose comparatively little by leaving early and just walking home. However, 100 m out of the door and I realized that these sandals were hurting my knees (as they were forcing me to walk in a somewhat unhealthy way). So I took them off and walked home barefoot.

So here comes yet another paragraph about the streets here, but this time from a new angle. Despite the fact that there is dust and rubble and trash everywhere around, the streets themselves are actually surprisingly clean and smooth. There were relatively few pebbles or grains of sand, so my soles could quite easily bare the 5 km I needed to walk. The surface was mainly tarmac (asfalt), but laid in quite a smooth way, something you could fairly easily rollerblade on, if you wanted to (not that the traffic here would allow for it, mind you). In general, it was an interesting experience, as I did not really think while walking here.. just.. flow, I guess.

To be honest, during the day today things got pretty bad in my head. Im just thankful that Ma. sent me an e-mail reminding me that people back home are still there. The evening was a bit better though. As long as I am not alone with my thoughts, everything is quite good here. However, I have spent nearly a week here and no noticeable progress has been made in my search for meaning. However, the search for being is going well, as it seems :)

The next two days I will probably spend working, fixing computers and laptops for Tom, the school and one other charity. It will probably do me some good :)

India - Hard Rock Cafe Hyderabad

As I mentioned before, I hadn't seen any clubs around and assumed that only a few actually existed. This made it quite weird when Dave said that he was going to the Hard Rock Cafe with his friends. This I did not want to miss so I asked if I could join them. As it turned out, the cafe was only a kilometer away (i.e. VERY close). Others had already all had three beers and continued drinking there. I just drank two cokes (which was a mistake, in the hindsight as I am already having trouble sleeping due to jetlag).

Anyways, tonight was fun. Despite not drinking, I more or less kept up with Dave and Alex, sitting in a table with a bunch of germans and their indian boss, singing along to the Village People, Rammstein, Linkin Park and a few others. As the afforementioned indian spoke fluent english, I asked him about the clothing discrepancy mentioned in the earlier post. He said that breaking of tradition is much better tolerated in men, but that it is changing in the upper classes of the younger generation. He also told us of a more western-minded bar where we might actually meet some women who are not out to get married (as the HRC had male-to-female ratio of about 5-to-1). Whether I will go there will, of course depend on many factors but.. hell, it would be fun to see, at the very least.

Thoughts still invariably went to where they probably should not have, as there are relatively few people who have both consistently and successfully dragged me out to the town. However, today it was more of me just being thankful that they had indeed done it for otherwise I would currently be a very depressed nervous wreck. At the moment, I actually feel kind of good. It was fun :)

India - Day 5

Today I walked around the city for about 10 km without accomplishing much anything.

To be precise, I was trying to get myself some peppermint tea in order to kick the nasty caffeine habit. The problem is, they only have green and black tea here - no camomille, peppermint or any other type of herbal tea anywhere. Best I could finally find was hibiscus, which will probably have to do.

Shopping here is complicated. Everyone is helpful, but they generally speak just a few words of English so asking for help doesn't really work. As mentioned before, most of the shops are small and also sell quite similar stuff, so if you want anything that is not generic, you will have to know where you can get it -- which may well be on the other side of the city. Large malls only sell clothes and there seem to be no supermarkets for food. I did see my first McDonalds today, tho :)

One more thing I have forgotten to mention before is that electricity goes off at noon from 12 to 1. Tom said this is not a bug but a feature, for they are shutting entire neighbourhoods off in order to balance the load of the electrical grid. I always manage to forget it, however. For instance, today I wanted to charge the battery of my cellphone only to come back and see it had gotten nowhere.

One more thing that crossed my mind is that for some reason, most men wear western-style clothing (from pressed shirts to football jerseys) while the vast majority of women wear traditional dresses - either saris or the traditional muslim dresses. I am not at all sure how this has come about, but to me it seems somewhat odd.

One more thing that seems strange is that there are many advertisments for doctors (Medical, not traditional) on the streets, even for specialties that definitely require a sterile surgery (neurosurgeon, for instance). I assume they still do their work in a hospital, but that you contact and pay them separately and they just rent the surgery room from the hospital when they need it or something.

My mind is still overflowing with too many thoughts and memories... and I haven't been dealing with them, to be honest. In theory, I could probably keep on learning and seeing new things here every day, but I came here not to learn new things but rather to learn how to be without doing. In some sense, I feel like a complete failiure... well actually, in many more senses than just one, to be honest. I think I need a hug, but that will probably have to wait until I get back.

India - Day 4

The fourth day started off slowly. I read a book and practiced the bass, again having toast for breakfast and skipping the lunch. In the afternoon, Tom took me to his tailor, and after essential hesitation about the price tag (2150 Rb or around 530 kr) I still decided to let them make me a set of shirt and pants from very finely woven wool.

Tom then showed me to the computer stores, which were located in one building, but instead of one, there were around 40 on the ground floor and another 30 in the basement with only one of them being large enough to pass for a store in estonia :) I asked Tom about the shopping algorithm there, and he said that you basically walk into the first store and say what you want. They will tell you they have it later.. so you come back later and they will have it. What goes on in the mean time is that they will find the store that actually has it and buy it from there, then add 5% for themselves. However, good luck finding the place that really has the stuff, as all of them will claim they do, so the 5% is pretty much inevitable and there is no point in inconveniencing oneself with trying to get away without that.

I then told Tom I would walk home on my own. I had a map with me but one place seemed to be off on it and I found myself unable to determine where I was. However, I knew the general direction and kept walking until I found a major road, at which point it turned out I had taken a pretty direct route.

One thing worth noting is that (at least in Hyderabad) street names and building numbers do not really exist on the streets. The larger roads have sign posts with their names, but these seem sporadic at best. However, Tom told me to get a map on the first day and this has helped me avoid getting lost on numerous occasions. I am slowly forming a mental map of some of the more nearby areas. There is no central city because the city is built around a huge lake, but the part of the inner city closest to where I live is slowly starting to take form in my memory.

One other thing I have to mention are the smells. Nearly everywhere there is a smell of something, be it either raw sewage, something being cooked or the artificial perfume at the mall.

Going back to the story, I walked on the edge of the lake and came up to a park. I thought I would have a look around there. Entrance was on the other side of the street and went as a tunnel to the other side. Ticket cost 10 Rb and they searched my bag briefly before being allowed to enter.

This is another thing one will eventually notice here. All the larger, walk-in stores have a counter where you leave your bag and in many places they will just search it but let you pass (and in some cases, both are done). In estonia, you would just have security scanners against shoplifting but I guess this scheme is also quite effective, especially if manpower is cheap (which it is here).

Those who have seen the pictures from China, Australia or Cologne, know that I tend to be quite fond of parks. The park here was quite large (about as large as the one in Cologne) and also very beautiful. However, the main attraction for me was something similar to an open mic night they were holding in the park. The moment I walked to the nearby tree to watch, all the onlookers eyes collectively turned to me. What followed was bizzarre to say the very least. They first asked me to sit in one of the ten chairs in front meant for "special guests" which I of course respectfully declined. They then just asked if I would sit closer, which I granted them. As I sat down, about 15 other men sat down all around me and every single one of them asked where I came from. The answer "Estonia" was most often interpreted as Austria or Australia, but at least one of the people managed a guess of Somalia :) In total, about 10 different groups of men had their pictures taken with me (remmember: very conservative culture in terms of family values. A woman doing this would have probably been excommunicated by his family, but among men this seemed like completely normal behavior).. I did not attempt to resist this because it just seemed too absurd. People clearly do not see foreigners often here, so why not let them have some fun:) They also wanted to drag me to the microphone to say a few words, but that I again did not allow.. and they also asked me to dance, but this I also refused. In the hindsight, I might as well have done it though.. ah, well, maybe next time.

The open mic performances were quite interesting. People took turns singing and dancing, either alone or in groups. Group singing seemed quite similar to estonian "regilaul" - one sang in front and others seemed to repeat the same words back to him. Dancers, by the way, were mainly boys. There was also this very very gay-looking game where one man tried to touch the others while acting like a woman... and as I understand, there were also parodies of famous people being performed, which I of course did not get since they were speaking in Telugu.

When I left, people again started gathering round me and having their pictures taken. I told them "Last picture" in an attempt to get away, but still had to let them make at least 3 more.

I then continued my tour of the park, but as it was getting late, I decided I would go back at some point and would instead head home then. I spent my last 20 Rb to buy a can of Coke, which should have cost 22 Rb (I had brought practically no money with me, as I discovered at the tailors. Tom loaned me the money to pay the tailor). However, after looking at the map, I discovered I would be forced to either cross over the railroad tracks (and the walls surrounding them) in order to get home in a sensible way, or make a rather large detour (in the order of 2-3 km). I decided to try crossing the railway, but before I could do this, I met an american on the roadside with his scooter. I initially mistook him for a local, but on closer inspection (it was dark already) he was of afro-american origin. He greeted me and asked if I had had any nice shots. I replied I didn't since I wanst really out for photographs.. we talked for quite some time about G.W. Bush and our travels and then he offered me a ride back to Amyapat (the inner city district I visited last night). On the road, we kept on talking. At some point, he asked whether it was scary for me to ride on the back of a scooter. "No, I live with an 80 year old brit who also has a scooter and his driving is even more insane than yours. Im quite used to it by now." He also said he liked the traffic here and agreed that it is the perfect metaphore to life here. "If I were ever to write a book about my experiences here, it would be called ''Traffic in India''".

He then offered to buy me dinner (which was something quite strange but tasty - a hot tortilla with a vegetable sausage in it) and then explained he had come here 5 years ago too and had helped a girl he saw on the street at a telephone booth - he paid for her medical fees, convinced his father to let him go to college and paid her tuition, spending in total over 6000 $ on her. He said he also plans to help some other people (like the assistants of the doctor treating the girl, for instance). I told him of Tom and how he is taking care of a school for poor children and has also had to do some father convincing. We then carried on about some other topics.

When I walked back home, a Minchin song I had shown Tom earlier this morning again came to mind.

I have made myself cold to all the beggars here, just plain ignoring them. Not that there would be many more than in estonia or that they would be that much more aggressive. However, I do not seem to feel for the suffering of others like I used to before. Cold.. which is what I fear the most.

India - Day 3

Today began with me waking up and being told to quicly put my clothes on, because the maid refused to come in otherwise (I slept in underwear and I was initially not given a blanket to cover myself while sleeping). We then had breakfast after which I was taken to an hour long ride with Tom to see the school.

The school was located in the outskirts of the city. On the way, there were cartboard tents that people were living in. The school itself was actually quite nice, but heavily packed - 4 classrooms + a small computer class with 5 computers. Classrooms were all quite small (maybe 5 by 4 meters) and one of them had around 60 students sitting on the floor. I imagine I was quite a scary sight for them, both with my weird clothes, hair and of course height. Tom wanted a picture with me and one of the smaller girls. The girl was clearly terrified.. but I couldnt calm her down either, as the children are native Telugu speakers and are only learning english. After that I had a brief look at the computers there. Three were in quite good shape (although I had to install shortcuts of MS Office to the start menu in one of them - something they were unable to do themselves :) ) and I did not have time to look at the other two as Tom already wanted to get going.

We returned, at whcih point Tom and Dave made themselves ham and eggs. I did not join them but instead decided to check out the chinese place Tom had mentioned the day before, and also go shopping for more appropriate clothing. Tom had shown me to a store that was quite upscale by local standards but where I managed to get myself a robe, a shirt and pants, all from natural cotton, for 1700 Rb (about 425 EEK). It is somewhat strange they carried my size (and even larger, actually) since all the natives are quite short, as I mentioned before. The chinese was quite good, although a bit too spicy (too much red pepper).

I came back and read a book. In the evening, the gang of assistants came yet again and this time Tom asked them to move the furniture around a bit so that the laptops would all fit on the tables. What followed was an hour long cleaning and reorganizing session during which a lifting bench got carried to the balkony, all the computers were moved around and the apartment got a whole new look, much nicer than before.

After the evening meal (pasta with tomato sauce), I decided to go out walking. I headed downtown to see what the natives do at night.
The streets at night look very similar to those in china. Lots of small shops and eating places. Less motorbike repair shops though. Also, I saw a cow not at all far from one of the central shopping streets. Maarja would probably like this place, though, because it definately has an atmosphere.. People are very helpful, but not at all pushy. For instance, it seems that bargaining is not standard practice here (unlike in China where it seemed kind of mandatory).

A few words about traffic, which I have gotten quite used to by now. Everyone is sounding the horn quite often, and it is usually done for a reason. When I asked Tom whether there were any traffic rules, he replied - "Yes, of course there are. Do not mess with anyone heavier than you (a.k.a. Bus drivers can do what they want)". This is definately the case here - rikshas and mopeds will usually not try to run you over, but cars and buses are best let to pass. I would, however, say that the main rule in play seems to be "Live and let live". One has to use every opening available to him in order to move forward, but these openings do generally generate themselves (the "let live" part). The traffic here is the perfect metaphore for flow - complete chaos, but in a relaxed kind of way. Im actually enjoying it more than the traffic in the western world.. it seems a lot more natural. Probably because it is.

I have yet to see anything ressembling either a casino or a night club and to be honest, I suspect not many of them would be around. As I understand from Tom and Dave, the culture here is such that the equivalent of a word "Lover" probably does not exist. So - any of my friends secretly hoping I would find someone here can probably forget about it. I still kind of miss the one person back home but my mind is generally occupied with other matters, thankfully.

India - day 2

Woke up at around 9, having slept nearly 11 hrs and feeling quite rested. Had breakfast, which consisted of toast with jam and a cup of tea (with milk, as is the english tradition). Then went to the town to buy books and to look around. There were two problems with the bookstore. Firstly, it was closed. Secondly, I had previously lent all my money to Tom so he could have one of her assistants buy books for the school. However, I found a really nice small second-hand book store nearby and since I did have a few small bills, I did pick up a few books nonetheless. I then had a nice walk around town, having my first experiences of crossing the roads here.

Came back and then went out again, this time with Tom and to the nearest ATM so he could withdraw money. Had an interesting discussion on the way. For instance, it turns out that Tom and I share yet another common trait - being unable to count money - with certain limitations in both cases, of course. He also told me that he had worked 10 years fixing jukeboxes when he applied to IBM - where the person who hired him went out on a limb but did not have to regret his decision.

When we got back, Tom had to get back to work but I decided to go out walking again, this time to find a music store. Of course, I managed to misinterpret the directions given me and went to the wrong place, but since I ended up in the vicinity of the book store and now had both money and time, so decided to look around in the store for a bit longer than I did previously. I then walked back, this time through a different route, one involving many back roads, a few dead ends and crossing a 6 lane main street.

One thing I have to mention - during the whole of today, I have seen only 2 westerners on the street besides the people I am living with. Everyone on the street has black hair and a very strong tan (i.e. distinctly middle eastern, so the vast majority are probably indian and the few foreigners come from nearby countries). Most everyone seems to speak Telugu as the first language and the general level of english comprehension seems poor. Another thing worth mentioning is that I feel safe here, even in the back alleyways where I would not dare go in Estonia. The fact that the tallest man I have met here comes to my shoulder length might partially explain this, but people really do seem friendly here. Of course, to them, I am quite a sight for them - white, tall and with light brown dreads.. one passer-by actually wanted to take a picture with me :P

I will start working this evening - first order of buisness is to reinstall windows on two of the laptops here at Toms apartment.

Tom keeps on repeating India will change me. I think he is right, but in what way, remains to be determined. Some thoughts still haunt me... but it is much easier to get my mind off of them in here than it would be back in Tartu.

India - day 1

After n hours of flights, I arrive at Hyderabad where Tom (Thomas Holloway, 80ish british gentelman and ex-hippie) is there to greet me, as promised. We take a taxi back to his apartment during which I find out he is an liberal leftist and that the caste system is still strongly in place in india, among other things.. Through the windows of the taxi I get my first glimpses of Hyderabad - which has something of a soviet feel to it, to be honest. After I toss my bags, we go to change money - on his scooter, which he drives through the traffic in a SCARY kind of way... but in a good kind of scary way, something I get used to after the first trip already. Money changer is on the second floor of some building in a small allyway.. but Tom ensures me that in india, you cannot judge the success of a company by its looks.

We get back to the apartment and I unpack my bass and start practicing. Pretty soon, however, I am interrupted by what Tom calls the "gang" or his 4 assistants - two of whom study IT and the two others study psychology. I also meet David, who is spending his Gap Year (british tradition) in India doing charity. It turns out he learned to play the drums but has also learned guitar and piano when younger.. and is going to study Law after the gap. We spend the evening before the meal, Tom reading a book, David playing with the computer and me practicing bass. For the meal, the gang again shows up.

We eat rice and dahl with eggs and very greasy but good pancakes. However, the eating habits here suggest one eat with his right hand (without any utensils). This takes some time getting used to (especially considering the food is hot) and is not as easy as it might first seem :)

After the meal, I go to one of the neighbours to lend a book for evening reading. I decide for "The Thief of Time" from the discworld series, although the lady also has a sizeable collection of science fiction. David, Alex (his friend) and I then bring in the bed we lent from one of the neighbours earlier. I then sit on the sofa that got displaced to the balcony, enjoying the warm summery air.

I have a good feeling about all this. Although Tom will probably have me working fixing the computers (and growing onions and potatoes:P), it seems quite likely I will be able to rest and relax here:)