From this post and for future postings, I will be referring to my home country, Nigeria as the Motherland.
Phew, I am so glad to be sitting in my front room typing this message to yous all. After the experience which I had today in India, I really hope not to experience such again.
I know you all want to know what happened so here it is.
Remember I said that my friend was going to be showing me Mumbai? Well, it so happened that she would be leaving soon for the motherland and she needed to get some stuff for home. We ended up at some market near Bandra looking for bargains. This place seemed to be a really local area and the minute we stepped outside of the car, we attracted a crowd within seconds. Two black girls, this must have been like some freak show happening live. You are probably asking why we were standing on the streets and not going directly to the shops to do our business. Well, we were waiting for another girl (also black) with whom we were supposed to be bargain hunting and she asked us to meet her further down the same street. As we proceeded in her direction, the crowd started to move with us. There were about 4-5 kids in particular who were really close to us, running and shouting for 10 rupees. One even went as far as touching my hand bag to get my attention. As we met the third girl, I looked behind me and I kid you not… nothing less than 50 people had followed us and now they stopped behind us, almost encircling us and just standing there, staring...staring.. staring.. From my own experience, when you are staring at someone and they catch you looking at them, you look away in embarrassment. I thought I’d try that and see if their eyes would leave me/us alone. Forget that o! It was as though the stares became more intent. It was then that I started to feel disgust, almost sickened and I almost started to panic. I just wanted to get somewhere where they would not be able to look at me anymore. Shit! Even now, sitting here, typing this message, I can feel myself shuddering. Finally, we met the third girl, entered a shop and the crowd slowly dispersed. Phew! The relief. After doing our business, the car was right in front of the shop and we were able to get in without much furor.
So now I will be going to bed. The coming week should be quite interesting. My Venezuelan friend, whom I will be referring to as “Hijo” left for china today. It was such short notice and he had less than 36hrs notice to pack his bags. He will be away for two weeks. Penny (My Malaysian friend) and myself will miss him dearly as Hijo is a very funny guy who feeds us alcohol (well me in particular) and makes our stay here in Thane very interesting while teaching us loads of Spanish (mostly curses) Looking forward to seeing him early November.
Good night to you all.
Phew, I am so glad to be sitting in my front room typing this message to yous all. After the experience which I had today in India, I really hope not to experience such again.
I know you all want to know what happened so here it is.
Remember I said that my friend was going to be showing me Mumbai? Well, it so happened that she would be leaving soon for the motherland and she needed to get some stuff for home. We ended up at some market near Bandra looking for bargains. This place seemed to be a really local area and the minute we stepped outside of the car, we attracted a crowd within seconds. Two black girls, this must have been like some freak show happening live. You are probably asking why we were standing on the streets and not going directly to the shops to do our business. Well, we were waiting for another girl (also black) with whom we were supposed to be bargain hunting and she asked us to meet her further down the same street. As we proceeded in her direction, the crowd started to move with us. There were about 4-5 kids in particular who were really close to us, running and shouting for 10 rupees. One even went as far as touching my hand bag to get my attention. As we met the third girl, I looked behind me and I kid you not… nothing less than 50 people had followed us and now they stopped behind us, almost encircling us and just standing there, staring...staring.. staring.. From my own experience, when you are staring at someone and they catch you looking at them, you look away in embarrassment. I thought I’d try that and see if their eyes would leave me/us alone. Forget that o! It was as though the stares became more intent. It was then that I started to feel disgust, almost sickened and I almost started to panic. I just wanted to get somewhere where they would not be able to look at me anymore. Shit! Even now, sitting here, typing this message, I can feel myself shuddering. Finally, we met the third girl, entered a shop and the crowd slowly dispersed. Phew! The relief. After doing our business, the car was right in front of the shop and we were able to get in without much furor.
So now I will be going to bed. The coming week should be quite interesting. My Venezuelan friend, whom I will be referring to as “Hijo” left for china today. It was such short notice and he had less than 36hrs notice to pack his bags. He will be away for two weeks. Penny (My Malaysian friend) and myself will miss him dearly as Hijo is a very funny guy who feeds us alcohol (well me in particular) and makes our stay here in Thane very interesting while teaching us loads of Spanish (mostly curses) Looking forward to seeing him early November.
Good night to you all.
2 comments:
Awwwwww Tola, l can imagine the way you felt. I mean the good thing is you met another Naija chick. I know that feeling adjusting to life in another country especially "India". It is a whole new experience. CAtch ya later. Stay safe.
Hi -- I found your blog very interesting. I am an African American woman who will be moving to Mumbai with my family in January. I found your blog during a desperate and so far, futile search for a salon where I can get my hair done. I would love to hear more about your experiences as a woman of African descent in Mumbai -- I am sure it is wild and fascinating (and of course, at times, frustrating).
Best,
Natalie Williams (nadjanaomi@mac.com)
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