choice

It is probably a good idea to read the fine print in your guide book before you chose the type of train ticket you book in India. There is a wide range of seats available. All I cared about was being able to lay down flat, since it was 20 hour journey from Sikkim to Varanasi, so I booked "sleeper class". When my friends heard this, they told me to lock my bags up, and be very cautious about thieves, as the train was going through the province of Bihar, one of the poorest areas of the country. I was hoping to have a buddy to take this trip with, but I didn't have any luck with that on this leg of my journey. But I had faith that I would connect with an angel or two along my journey. What I usually do is get myself in a really good mood, and smile a lot, and I bring out the best in people (I also keep my valuables in my handy hip pouch). I sat down in across from a sweet couple who couldn't help but stare, and a young Indian man sat next to me who was thrilled with the opportunity to practice his English. I was the only foreigner on the train. It was a pretty dark car, and could definitely use a good scrub, but I opened the windows, and was happy to see the beautiful country side rolling by clearly. I later found out that the A/C and first class cars have plexiglass windows, which are often scratched up and difficult to see out of, so I took advantage of this ride by gazing out at the people and landscapes that we passed (and attempted to capture the beauty with my camera, of course!) The young guy ended up keeping me company and translating for the couple (who thought I was very brave, traveling solo... she rarely leaves her house without her husband). I soon found out that she was on her way to Varanasi because they have a good hospital, and she had a lump in her breast. Her vitality seemed low, and I wondered if she might have cancer, and imagined how different her journey would be from the people I have worked with in my massage practice in the states.

Every stop the train made, local people would come aboard, selling mangoes, cucumbers, samosas, tshirts, toys, water, and of course chai tea! Along with the vendors came the beggars. And as soon as they saw my blond hair, they saw gold, and came right to me. The kids would reach through the metal bars on the window with their little hands, tapping my shoulder, then opening up to receive, saying "madame, madame" and motioning to their mouths. It was difficult for me to see children in this state, as you almost never see children this poor where I am from. I had heard that begging was a bit of a business, and that there were bosses who collected the money from these children and managed things (as seen in Slumdog Millionaire) and I didn't want to support this business. I did however want to make sure that they had food, so I would buy a bunch of bananas and pass them out. Some of the kids smiled and skipped off.. and some of them gave me a funny look and held their hand out again saying "rupee!" It was difficult for me to ignore. One girl kept motioning to her mouth, showing that she was hungry, so I bought her some vegetable curry, with flat bread... and she didn't want to take it at first... but she did after she realized she wasn't going to get any rupees for me, and her friends were happy to share with her.

One particular beggar stuck out in my memory: He was an older man who had both of his lower arms amputated, and used the stump of one arm to open up his bag to receive the rupees that I gave him. Can you imagine what your life would be like if you didn't have hands? And then I remembered the video of Nick Vijicic, the inspirational speaker who has no arms, and no legs, and yet is totally happy... and I remembered how everything is a choice... and I chose to have a safe, peaceful journey. It is still difficult to apply that concept to these people who appeared to be suffering so much... did they create their situations? Was it karma that forced them into these circumstances? Whatever the reason, they do have many ways of coping with their circumstances... and one thing I did not see in these people was shame. They are not afraid to ask for what they need. So later that night when I was sleeping, I wasn't afraid to strongly say "Leave me alone!" to the strange man who was sleeping in the bed above me, and kept hanging his head down to stare at me, guessing out loud which country I was from. Even though this was extremely annoying, I could understand his behaviour... if I had never met anyone from another country, I would be a little excited as well. All of this has made me so grateful for the diversity of my life growing up in Chicago. My best friends in my neighborhood were a Puerto Rican family across the alley, and the Yugoslavian couple next door to me felt like my third set of grandparents. India has a lot of diversity, but not much exposure to foreigners, even if you live in one of the big cities. But thank goodness, he listened to me, and I got a decent night sleep. When I woke up, I discovered someone had gone through my backpack (note: locking zippers are a good idea in India) and taken a couple tank tops and short skirts (which is funny because Indian women don't even wear these items!) But I was happy to arrive in Varanasi safe and sound... and then I got bombarded by taxi and rickshaw drivers! I just laughed at the absurdity... and probably paid too many rupees for the ride, but was ready to be in a real bed... and grateful that I chose to have that experience, even if it was on accident.