Talking to Raakesh (one of my Indian friend in the office)today, I am thinking to write about India where I have been living for almost 8 months since last Nov 2011. The weird thing that I intended to write about India in the end, not now. However, after drinking Raki with Ahmet (a Turkish friend living with me) and the watchman of the apartment we are living, few hours ago, I have a feeling to write my first story in India tonight. Then, I will turn back to finish my trip experience in Europe.
I would like to name the article about this country to be “INCREDIBLE INDIA” to tell you guys about my unforgettable experience in India. “INCREDIBLE INDIA” seems to be a popular name for all of interns in India to mention about their stories and photos in Facebook, Twitter and other social networks in such a crazy and amazing land.
And my story was begun on the mid night my flight landing at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. It was on 11 Nov I have still remembered. My first impression of Indian would be more beautiful if I could find a flight to India in daytime. Even so, there was only a route to India from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at mid-night. So, I had to accepted because the air ticket flying with Malaysia Airline was cheaper than other airlines at that moment.
What I researched about India from my home seemed to be not enough for this country. I already heard a lot of stories from Vietnamese friends who used to stay in India for a while, particularly in the smell of India. It is very true for everyone who are coming to India in the first time. Getting out of the plane, I already smelt it. The smell was very terrible and extremely strange for me. It was everywhere unbelievably. I had known that India is not a very clean country … (sorry my Indian buddies …but it is true) but it was the international airport, why there was a smell like this around. The big question was in my head when I was walking to the Immigration Counter for checking, what the hell of smell is it…I had not smelt that kind of smell in my whole life before. India is so INCREDIBLE.
After the first shock of India Smell, I got the second one that is their English speaking. Oh My God, “what the hell are you talking?”, “Are they speaking English?” were questions in my mind at that moment. I could not understand anything. I have known that my English is not very well, just in basic level. Moreover, I also met a lot of Indian people when I was in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore before; but, I could not believe that it is very very hard to understand Indian English like this….OMG India.
I continued to be shocked again when I stepped out the gate of the airport. It was very crowed male people who wore the masks and white skirts. Many people slept in the outside the airport. The toilet was always overcrowded and dirty. The radio from the airport turned on the Indian music with the woman vocal is very soft and too Indian style as in Bollywood movies. My friends already told me that the airport in India is very terrible and dirty. But I was still very surprised at that moment. It is international airport, why it is very dirty, smelly and a lot of poor people sleeping around like that. No choice for me. I had to stay in the airport a whole night from 12am to 6am in order to take a Aero Express bus going to Hitech City where I would meet a person from AIESEC Hyderabad. She promised me that I had to go the meeting place and she would pick me up there, then she would take me to my house around there. If not by her promise and I believed it, I would take a taxi going to directly my Vietnamese friend house in Begumpet, there was a Vietnamese girl named Nhung taking an internship in Hyderabad as well. I thought that I should keep promise and wait in the airport in 4-5 hours then take the bus to our appointing place. Being in the Indian airport at mid night was such a night mare to me, especially I would not find any foreigners at that moment, only local people who wearing traditional clothes called Sari for women, and White shirts, skirts and pants with masks on their face for men. Indian people and sight seeing at that moment did not look like what I saw in the Indian movies. Then, feeling hungry, I came to Mc Donald to buy something to eat. And the young Indian kid sold me a hamburger that I would not eat at the end because of the smell again. What was the hell of this smell? It was terrible. I had just found out it is called “MASALA” from my colleagues afterwards. Taking out the book “7 Habbits of Highly Effective People” of the author Stephen R. Covey what I brought from Vietnam to read during my waiting time for transit in KL, Malaysia and now. Although my eyes was looking at the words in book, I could not concentrate to read anything. People around were looking at me…. Such a terrible time. I would not go anywhere in the airport. When I went out to find and canteen and hotel, many people came closer and ask for food, taxi and so on. So I decided to sit somewhere near the security staff in the airport to let them see me and if something would happen, they would help me immediately. At present, I think that I was very affair to come India at that time because of the news about the boom in New Delhi in September before in Vietnamese television, and many bad news I researched in the internet. That was why I felt unsafe at the first moment in India. Finally, the morning was coming, I bought the bus ticket to go to Hitech City to meet the TN Manager of AIESEC Hyderabad. But, another new shock happened with me again. What should I say at that moment…Only the word beginning the Big letter in my head “F”…She did not come as she promised…
——To Be Continued
Huey To 