Another day in Kolkata

How I got to work yesterday: Walked from my apartment to main street, waited approximately 15 minutes for not full bus to come, no luck, got into auto rickshaw (very small golf cart thing fits (very squished-like) 3 in front including driver and 3 in back, with no sides, only rails. The drivers feel they are invincible and love to speed directly at oncoming buses and swerve away at the last second.) to a larger street with more buses. Ran and jumped onto a bus and squeezed in. The bus was packed, very bumpy and over 100 degrees. Mmm. From the bus, we caught another auto rickshaw to the hospital and walked a few blocks to the institute. I was very grumpy all day.

Momita and I finished our experiment early and went to the South mall. 4 marble stories tall complete with stores, fancy restaurants, a Thai spa, a 3-D Imax theater, tons of coffee and sweet shops and flat screens playing Bollywood Films. Momita had never been there so we bought ice cream and sat and talked. The language barrier is significant and exhausting. Talking slowly, my hands are a puppet show of gestures and facial expressions larger than life. We often grow tired of saying "what do you mean?" and will just nod in agreement or laugh. To add more confusion, Indians bop their head from side to side or shake their head to mean "yes' not "no".

Michael and I's trip home was hot, packed, so loud, polluted, stressful and an hour long. When we get to our house, excited for A/C, we find a power cut. It was not funny but so funny. With nothing to do we swapped life stories, chased a huge lizard around the apartment and spied on our neighbors. The power came back on in a few hours, and I was too tired and hot to find dinner, took and shower and crawled into bed.

I have seen so much of Kolkata but have not been able to live it. My days are so long and tiring and monotonous. Will I ever find the energy to go out after lab? To have fun? Will I ever get comfortable here?