Masala Chai

It's funny how being half way across the world can feel just like home. It was as if I had always been a part of India, as if nothing was new, the smells, the sights, the sounds, all so familiar and not in a I've-been-here-before type way. Whizzing past the bright colors in the back of a rickshaw and listening to the blaring of horns was as comforting as being in the back of a taxi cab in NYC heading to a Broadway show.

This feeling was only heightened and strengthened lying on Candolim Beach and being approached by a local Goan "reflexologist" speaking in Konkani at a mile a minute, asking me whether I was interested in a foot massage, assuring me that he has had 3 years of training and attempting to convince me that a diagram of the pressure points on the feet with his picture crudely taped to it was his certificate of authenticity. He then wore a look of shock and continued to speak to me in Konkani even though I was explaining to him (in English of course) that I didn't speak Hindi/Konkani and that I was okay. Again I was approached, this time by Nitin and Charlie, two people I had met the year before. Not expecting them to recognize me I smiled politely; to my surprise they exclaimed "Sonia?!" Again I felt right at home, people recognized me, as if I was a local who frequented the area regularly. In addition to Nitin and Charlie, cab drivers and waiters at the resort (I use resort loosely considering this meant buildings of rooms and flats with a pool and restaurant, no spas or concierge) came up to me and said they remembered me from last year, and was I enjoying my time.

I had many a conversation with the cab drivers of Candolim. After the first few days I was able to extablish that I knew the prices and was not to be ripped off, I was no tourist, not new to the game of bargaining. When they asked me what I was doing on my holiday I replied that my cousin was getting married and I was her only bridesmaid.
This reply was immediately countered with "When are you to be married?"
Thinking they misheard me I set them straight, "Oh no, it's not that is to be married, it's my cousin."
"Yes, but when are you getting married?"
To this of course I was shocked and said, "I'm only twenty!"
"But, that is not so young."
"Okay, but I also don't have a boyfriend."
To this the popular response from the younger drivers was "What about me?" (it was impossible to know whether to laugh or actually reject the offer) and from the older ones, "Well, will you marry a Goan?"
This conversation happened quite regularly in the first few days, until I had a regular cab driver who just made general small talk since we had conquered the marriage conversation.

My family was no better, the first question was, "So, now that Rommel was married last year and Tanya this year, can we expect another wedding next year?"
This of course ran a similar course to the back and forth with the cab drivers minus the proposals. The night after the wedding there was a large family dinner at which Tanya, my cousin that had just been married, realized she had neglected to set me up with a nice Goan boy. The night proceeded with all the family members, Ralph's (Tanya's now husband) and Tanya and mine alike joining in a match making between one of Ralph's cousins, Lou-Ellen and me. The night was amusing to say the least with many jabs about our shyness and lack of interaction to forced pictures and adjacent chairs at the dinner table. Tanya then inquired 1) whether I couldn't delay my ticket back to the states and 2) whether Carmen, Lou-Ellen's Mother, would consider sponsoring a trip to NY. All in all it was a fun evening and ended in Tanya's assurance that Lou-Ellen was a man of few words and that next time she would be sure to begin her match-making at the start of my next visit.

To sum up, India was wonderful. I could see being living there and truly becoming a part of it's daily hustle and bustle. It was also a nice change to start my day with a steaming Masala Chai instead of the traditional cup of coffee. I can't say that now I'm back I will convert but maybe every once in a while.

Namasté