true life planet

Everything is coming up roses…

 Well, not exactly roses, but let’s just say things have much improved.

I went out yesterday and had a lovely day..went out for a proper cup of coffee at a fancy place and then watched the new James Bond film. I don’t even like james Bond movies, but who cares? I just needed not to think so hard for awhile.

The old movie theatre here is marvelous and I felt like I was lost in time. Except for the Bollywood film previews and the crowd yelling out now and again, it was almost like being in an old theatre at home.

At the intermission, they actually stopped the film and a man walked around passing out little cups of coffee and baggies of potato chips and popcorn. It was all so formal!

After the film, a friend and I decided to go to the famous Atrium in the Park Hotel–the nicest place to eat here in the city.

They happened to be serving some sort of brunch since it was Sunday and it came with  a menu as long as my arm and was so well priced compared to ordering things individually that we decided to have the brunch.

It was a wildly extravagant meal–11 courses, a person who stood there to serve our food and put our napkins on our laps..and in was ridiculously cheap.

Meanwhile, sushi chefs prepared everything we wanted as we watched and listened to strange American music hits from the eighties and drank all of alcohol provided.

We needed the luxury though–she had been helping me with George when I got really sick and she was just as worn down as I was.

We giggled like school girls over the menu and thought that we’d get 5 courses out of the 11 on the list. We were wrong. They brought out all of them. It took us hours to eat it all and I think we got a little tipsy, too. It was pretty funny.

When I got home from the amazing meal I was suddenly depressed at the sight of the hotel room I was calling home.

I decided to find a new hotel room.

I had decided this before, but somehow the city is just so..overwhelming..that it makes it hard for me to make proper solid decisions sometimes.

Anyway, I realized that although my bathroom was decent in my current room at Hotel Neelam.. most bathrooms here are disgusting beyond belief. I knew I’d have to give that up if I wanted to change rooms and hotels.

But I knew I’d be trading that in for a little more sense of community. My problem has been that although I wanted to be on my own here, I didn’t actually want to be alone most of the time. Or rahter, I wanted to be alone but near people. Sounds weird but it works for me when I am traveling.

And unless one is in a hotel with other long term people, it’s hard to have that sense of community.

Unfortunately, the Hotel Neelam, although nice and well staffed, has few foreigners staying there. So, it’s been a little isolating.

I think when I was sick this was compounded, as none of the other guests in my hotel looked in on me to see how I was except a German couple who were only there for a day.

Today I wandered around and looked at a few places.

And this time–compared to the last time I tried to find a diffeent hotel, which proved fruitless and left me disgusted–I found a great room at the Modern Lodge on Sudder street.

Yes, it’s in the center of the tourist hub, but it’s on the third floor and has nice views of the back streets.

It’s also not one room, but two rooms. It’s complete luxury, really. I’ve got FOUR single beds (I’ve scooted two together to use as a doble bed in one room, while in the other room, the other two will serve as couches)! An old wardrobe, small little tables, and yes, a very disgusting bathroom.

I’m thinking of the bathroom more as a place where a faucet is located than an actual bathroom. Makes it easier to go in there.

As for the rooms, they are both white with hot pink trim and loads of shuttered windows with bright green shutters. I’m going to use one room as a bedroom and the other as a workspace, to write and possibly paint or draw.

It’s a very inspiring space.

Best of all, there’s no tv, which I was using as a poor escape these last few weeks at my old hotel. Now I can read and write and have the space to do it in. I think this new living situation will conserably brighten my outlook on being here.

Best of all, it’s cheaper than I was paying before!

And the new hotel has many long term travelers staying there..with out a complete party scene..so I can have community just by walking through the hallways and meeting my neighbors. I’m looking forward to that alot.

Also feeling good about returning to Dany Dan–I returned to work today. I missed the boys and they missed me so much. I got a little tired out so I am only working a half week this week so that I don’t overdo it–I’m not twenty years old anymore!

Binoy especially missed me and gave me the biggest hug when I walked in the door. It was amazing.

The head nun is busy getting descriptions together of five of the austic boys who need the most help. She’s really into the idea of getting them mateials that help them communicate and make their lives easier. It’s very exciting that she is interested in the possiblity of change.

As for George, good news: He was accepted at Prem Dan. I’ll go visit him tomarrow and tell you how he is doing sometime this week. He is aware now and no longer talking gibberish. He apparently has a wife and three childen living in a suburb of the city but he hasn’t seen them in a long time. Oh..and his name isn’t george. It’s something like Rajul, I think.

I’m sure his story is the same stoy as for thousands of men who have come to this place in hopes of earning a living and somehow ended up in the gutter.

He’s quite ill with malaria but there is hope for recovery. As he is at Prem dan, they will keep him until he is fully better.

What a miracle it is that he is there and that I am well and that life is good again.

More later on Prem Dan, going to visit it tomarrow and I will write up a description of the experience for you…

I’m also going to write about the International Film Festival that is going on this week here–it’s not all Bollywood films either. They show 5 International films a day and they are all artsy films. I’m going to see several on my next day off from work….

Hope this entry was not too boring. Nothing dramatic to tell, for once! Just feeling better, and that’s such a good feeling.

gigi

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