People

“Which Country?”

Countless conversations with random people in Bangalore have started this way. The first few times I would get very torn over what to respond with, since I have three different countries to pick from. Inevitably I end up saying “Denmark” though. Why? Although I do not have any affinity to spare for Denmark, it still sets me apart from a lot of western stereotypes I guess. And I am, after all, not American, although I often sound like it. If I have time for it I usually explain that I currently study in the US, and that I haven’t actually lived in Denmark for 9 years now because I moved to Rwanda as a teen. That frequently brings about some funny reactions.

Anyway, I’ve met a lot of interesting people recently. I’ve become friends with a bunch of co-workers from the main office, and I’ve started picking up on the ‘which country’ cue to make conversations with people I bump into on the street. You really learn a lot more about a country that way. It exposes you to the lives of regular people, and you get to hear so many interesting stories; because each and every person you meet has a different story to tell, about what they do, where they live, and where they grew up. For example, the main guy running a street-vending operation off of 80ft Road in Koramangala told me him and his business mates were all from Darjeeling in the North East. They cook Indo-Chinese food (from a stall with gas burners), which is common in their home town although not traditional food. He told me about the diversity of Darjeeling, being near three international borders, and how he lived in different cities while growing up with his military dad. A week ago I talked to the Auto-rickshaw driver the whole way home using less than 50 words of English. I’ve become friends with the sales clerk at my gym. And wednesday night I said goodnight to half a dozen people at Legends of Rock (bar) although I only knew one of them, haha. 

One of the many things I love Bangalore for is that it’s just a genuinely relaxed and friendly city. Great people, great places, great atmosphere. It’s one of those places where you can get to know someone, and a few hours later call them “soul sister” – that’s right Nilisha, I’m referring to you! And your neighbor can come knocking to ask about bathroom times so we don’t walk in on each other, and we end up talking for an hour and hang out almost every day henceforth.  That’s my buddy Rohit by the way, he’s pretty much the definition of the word “chill”, and he also happens to be the tallest Indian dude I’ve ever met. You rarely meet such fun and friendly people you have so much in common with. And then there’s hilarious people like Mohita, who like Rohit is very similar to me but in the craziest possible way – it cracks me up just thinking about how hyper active and forward she is. This truly is a city of love and care, and I will miss it sorely when I leave. 

 Rohit, me, Graham and two of Graham's roommates at Legends of Rock's karaoke night