The country that defies understanding

I’m sitting in Om made cafe on the beach in Anjuna looking out on the ocean and its waves crashing into the worn red cliffs which characterizes this part of Goa. I’m sipping a iced ginger lemon tea – anything but a chilled drink is out of the question. It’s hot, humid and my skin has taken the toll for not having been exposed to the rays of sun too often in the last three months. In other words, my skin tone has shifted close to lobster-red and I’ve removed myself from the beach in fear of ending up testing out the next level of skin tone, blood-red.

The days go by so fast and my days in India are coming to an end. It’s been four long, strange and interesting weeks filled with every emotion possible. I have cried out of frustration and sadness, I have laughed off and with India. I have questioned the world I know and been grateful that I can return to it. I’ve been embarrassed over my ignorance and enlightened by ppls effort and willingness to teach and guide me. I’ve been amazed by ppls persistence and perseverance, alas also angry and annoyed at the exact same things. I’ve cursed, yelled and insulted Indians; I’ve complimented, embraced and honored Indians. More than once have I been frightened, but every time have I been brought to safety. More than anything else have I been overwhelmed and stunned in shock, amazement and disbelief. India is hard to put into words and utterly impossible to explain. After visiting India I’m certain everyone has a small lump in their stomach and a fraction of their heart filled with feelings which cannot be put into words, only experienced. One of the books I’ve read, Holy Cow, is spot on in describing this exact problem:

“[…] foreigners attempting to figure out India. I’m beginning to think it’s pointless to try. India is beyond statement, for anything you say, the opposite is also true. It’s rich and poor, spiritual and material, cruel and kind, angry but peaceful, ugly and beautiful, and smart but stupid. It’s all the extremes. India defies understanding.”

For this reason it seems like there won’t be a lot of blog posts about India (that’s at least how I see it at the moment). Maybe a couple of days rest in Qatar will let me start processing it and something solid and grasping might come out of it.

At the moment, this is all there is to say.