Thoughts on the way to India

Alright, I took some notes on the 19 hour plane ride to India. While I am, now, officially in Pune, and so now these notes are slightly misleading I am too exhausted to write anything new. Here they are:

The top three questions I got when I told people I was going to India.

Third place:
“Aren't you scared to go by yourself to a foreign country like India for six months?”
I like to answer this question with a quick laugh, a roll of the eyes, and a pounding of my chest, because, for the record, I'm scared of nothing. Off the record, yes, I'm absolutely terrified.

Second most common: “Why?”
Answer: Because after living in Boston for twenty one years, I needed to get out. I also couldn't get a job in either the United States or Ireland. Seriously. Ireland was my number one plan, until my friend got offered the job instead, and stole it right out from under me. It's funny how things work out.

And the most common (by far): “Have you seen Slum Dog Millionaire?”
Answer: Yes.

The company is called Extentia. They have a website and everything, so they seem pretty legitimate. I've yet to meet anyone in person, but I did get telephone interviews. I actually forgot about my technical interview until my cellphone woke me up at eight one morning. I'm not sure if they realized they were talking to me in my boxers for the whole interview. Then again, for all I knew, they too were in their boxers. Maybe that's how interviews are done in India. At the breakfast table. I'll be sure to ask someone at work.

As for what to expect for when I get to India, I have no idea. The input that I've received about India has been mixed. Some people told me to expect open sewage in the street, poverty everywhere I look, and cut throats waiting behind every corner. Others told me to be wary of 'touts' (confidence men) and other scam artists. After discussing it with a couple of people, I'm not so sure that we were even talking about the same place. One friend wanted to know why I would want to live in the middle east. A family member of mine, after being told that I was going to India, exclaimed, “Oh! Well shalom to you, Matt!”. A guy at my old job told me that Indians are brutal, violent people, because of genetics. Everyone seems to know something about India that I was never taught.

On the plane to Brussels, I sat next to a guy who was on the Indian Rifle Shooting Team. He was also the son of some kind of gas stove supplier baron. After he found out I was from Boston, he told me that he had been accepted to MIT. Unfortunately, he wanted to instead go to the Deli University, because if he lived in the states, he would get kicked off the rifle team. He has a meeting to discuss things with the president of MIT later this year.

For those wondering, there is absolutely nothing sexy about Malaria pills. While I have yet to experience any side effects, I've been told it's pretty common to experience intense hallucinations and vivid nightmares. I can't wait.