What I hear in the morning

When I wake up here, the first thing I hear are the birds. No ordinary chirping, these are tropical birds with strange calls. The bird calls invite other birds: right now, I hear a grouchy crow. The birds start at the very first light, while it’s still gray in my room. The light brightens and intensifies. Human voices, some of them rhythmic and hawking wares (tomatoes, corn, vegetables) shout. And the ever-growing din of the incessant traffic, the car horns, rickshaw horns, scooter engines, motors. Yet still, the woman across the street uses a long broom to clean the sidewalk and her part of the street.

I’m tired from absorbing so much, tired from jet lag. Yesterday, I didn’t even do that much beyond being at work, going to Coffee Day for a delicious blended coffee. India doesn’t have Starbucks (at least, not that I’ve encountered) but they do have Coffee Day, and it’s ubiquitous. In a place where people don’t frequent bars and drink in mixed company, it’s okay to tell your parents you’re going to meet someone at Coffee Day. It’s always buzzing with people and I think I might need to go investigate more of them. (Kick me, beat me, send me to a cafe.)

Off to shower and then to MSR’s spiffy offices. It’s very comfortable there. The interior design is gorgeous, the people are lovely, we eat lunch on the roof, there is yoga and kickboxing. (Not all at the same time.) I think tonight, I’ll try to venture out again. Last night, I just needed some rest and quiet. Okay, really, I played a lot of World of Warcraft but it helped matters.