Les Pensées de Ed

It’s a funny thing, I’ve written a not unreasonable amount since I’ve been here. Sent some (quite long) emails, written several draft posts, but haven’t felt quite right about publishing anything thus far, for a variety of reasons.

I’ve been in Hyderabad for over a week now. It’s been absolutely fascinating, to say the very least. From taking an auto (aka rickshaw) to and from the office every day, to experiencing Chaand Raat at the Charminar Bazaar. There was definitely a bit of culture shock, but each day it seems to less and less of an issue. I’ve learned the streets well enough to navigate to where I need to go (and, more importantly, being able to instruct the auto driver how to get there). 

The one thing that still gets to me is the sheer number of people. Now, I’ve lived in two of the top 5 largest US cities, both with millions of people each. Two things to note about India: 1) the top 7 largest cities all have more people than any city in the US, except New York. 2) Hyderabad faces a density issue, much like New York, where there simply is not enough space for the number of people living here. So on a day-to-day basis, it’s congested and there are people everywhere. But when there is a holiday or festival, things really get packed in. I wish I had a better photo of this at Charminar, but for quite a while there, we were unable to move, except by the crowd shuffling you around. Eventually you would come to a pocket, re-angle towards where you want to go, then go back into the mass of people. And don’t forget you’re also trying to dodge motorcycles and two-wheeled vendor carts cutting through the crowds. It makes being in Times Square or Grand Central Station feel like standing in the middle of Montana.

It’s already very likely that I’ll be planning a return trip as soon as I get back to the States — each day that goes by it gets more and more familiar. I think I’m starting to get the hang of “it”, whatever that is. There is still lots to learn, and simply not enough time.