Do You Leak?

"Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashions. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly."

Sunday night the group hopped onto an overnight train ride heading to Mumbai. We met a family from Mangalore who were so friendly and generous - they offered me their whole plate of food when I asked what it was (normally, of course, I would have accepted but we had just eaten a large feast outside of the train station in Ernakulum) and the kids offered us their chips. Good conversation with new people made the bumpy tracks not-so-bumpy.

I got my wish and took over the sleeper by the window so I could watch India pass by before bed. It was great to look out and see nothing but the moon before falling asleep. Slept fairly well due to the pleasant rocking of the train car. I woke up to the sweet sound of "CHAI. CHAI. CHAI." from the train salesman. I think it was a five am wake up call. They proceeded to walk up and down the train calling out their fare for the rest of our 24 hour ride. It was a great time to chat with everyone, do some reading, journal a bit, watch the scenery change. If you walked to where the cars connect outside, there was a bench you could pull down to watch where the tracks were taking you. This was really peaceful. Although I think we all were ready to get off the train, it really didn't seem like an entire day... but I am still swaying.

We had to transfer trains for another hour or so to get to Mumbai. It was filled with men crowding each other, almost on top of one another (which I've noticed is very common) bustling in and out of the car. Right above our heads was a flyer asking: "When you LAUGH or COUGH or SNEEZE or EXERCISE? DO YOU LEAK?" There was no contact information. This might have been the highlight of the evening...

Today we woke up early to get a tour of the Dharavi Slum in Mumbai which is the largest slum in Asia. It was really interesting, really moving. I don't know if I had much of a real idea about slums before, but it's a whole community in there with workers and families, they even have a school center where they teach kids English and other subjects. We were shown the entire process of recycling plastics and how much hard work each person there really puts in DAILY. And the conditions for living were hard to believe... and yet everyone was smiling. Puts a lot into perspective and leaves me feeling truly grateful for all I have.

It's my last day with the group and after finishing a huge meal of Thali we are off to explore Mumbai. Plane ride to New Delhi tomorrow morning, Agra by night to see the Taj Mahal.

Wishing everyone a happy day, and no leakage!!
:) dani