As soon as I told a friend from University I was in Pune, his hometown, he got excited. Several people would be in Pune this weekend, which gave him a great excuse to come home. Living in a hostel, it’s not like it takes much for us to try and plan for some escape, but when you’re doing an internship in Bombay, planning anything is a nightmare because of how unpredictable your life and schedule can get. But lo & behold, here he was: my batchmate, my friend, my debating teammate, and generally the guy who finishes my water in class before I’ve even had a sip – and that’s saying something, especially given the amount of water I consume.
Driving around a city with someone from that city is an entirely different experience to visiting a city as an outsider. I got to see him speak in Marathi, we drove past his old school, and we ended up having some lovely sandwiches and great conversation. It’s times like this when I realize how much I’ve benefitted from my time on campus, and how much I value the friends I’ve made there.
I’ve also managed to get a lot of reading done today, an unexpected benefit that arose from being clued to my Kindle right from breakfast. I didn’t anticipate how much my reading speed today would be impacted by merely carrying the device around with me, and keeping it in my back pocket. But it has.
Also, a word on buying undergarments in shops in India. I don’t understand why I struggle so much in interacting with females who sell me my innerwear, or why I shy away from purchasing the same with my parents around. Such an odd feeling to find strange. Oh well.
Tejas Rao 