“OK, So You Saw Your First Eunuch”

Sanju and I drove to the orphanage today, and the ride itself was an experience. First, obviously, traffic is insane. How Sanju does it is beyond me, because I could never drive in this without freezing. Indian concepts of personal space extend to the automotive world–a two foot barrier is all you need between you and any other vehicle. Sanju drives a Hyundai, but the roads are dominated by rickshaws, motorcycles (with 2, 3, 4 people on them), and huge trucks. None of those would be phased by a little bump with another car, especially at the low speeds here, so the stakes are much lower. In the US, with everyone traveling quickly in expensive cars, any contact between cars will leave a significant mark on both. Crumple zones may be safe, but they wreck your car upon any contact. Anyway, there are no set lanes, you gun it whenever there’s space in front of you, and honking is necessary, not just something you do for show. When traffic is so fluid, it’s totally normal to honk to get a rickshaw to shift by 2 feet, allowing you to get alongside him.

I also saw my first cows on the street, but I didn’t have my camera on me, since we were heading to the orphanage, which doesn’t like photography on the inside. Best not to even bring one. The first cow was shivering from the rain. The afternoon of my arrival, there was a huge, torrential downpour, which Sanju’s roommate described as some sort of residual monsoon or something. Sanju said she was shocked–she didn’t see it coming at all. Upshot: on my first day, the power was in and out, internet was spotty at best, and the cows were surprised and cold.

I also saw my first eunuch. Picture a cross-dressing, aggressive bum, and you’ve got an Indian eunuch. These are the equivalents of the dudes who knock on your window at the Garfield exit off the Dan Ryan, except wearing dresses. I actually saw him first–I saw someone in a dress up ahead poking into a stopped rickshaw and just said “That’s a dude.” Sanju’s Hyundai had windows and locks, so he didn’t bother with us, but the guys in the rickshaws and the motorcycles were out of luck. They all got harassed until traffic started to move again. Sanju was excited that I’d seen my first eunuch, but of course said “That was nothing.”