Air India 102

And there I was, where those 30.000 feet above the ground make the difference between being home or far from it. It had been a dream but it wasn't until taking off on flight 102 that it hit me. There was no turning back at that point. And then it started; the images of what it was left behind; the questions. There I was, listening to beautiful lyrics I couldn't understand, tasting a dessert not knowing what it was made of, and observing different faces and foreign accents. Some of them were happy to be back home, others were eager to explore a whole new world, and a few like me experiencing mixed feelings after deciding to become temporary Indian citizens.

Yes, this time it wasn't a three and a half hours journey like it was fourteen years ago. This is India...and the difference is dramatic the minute you set foot on this land. This sky splits in between a dirty gray and a "trying to survive" baby blue. People everywhere, overcrowded Gollu Coaches where, literally passengers sit on top of the ceiling. Traffic lights are unknown and everyone fights to occupy the dotted lines between two lanes so you see two lanes and three cars trying to make their way. Among all this apparent chaos, people look humble and their eyes transparent. Life seems to run smooth. From here, at the top of the Aravali Hills, a mountain range that runs all the way to the Arabian Sea, nature is in charge and it smells like honeysuckle and incense. However, when you open the gates, the real India awaits you with its curvy, unpaved narrow roads, farm lots waiting to be nurtured, women proudly walking with heavy bunches of hay on their heads, and sacred black and white cows claiming their domain. Electricity shuts down at least ten times a day. Inside the gates, we have a power plant. Outside in the real world, the common people, enjoy this luxury for only eight hours every day.

It has been just 48 hours. Silence has become loud, giving me the time to play with my thoughts and elaborate strategies. It has given me the chance to reflect on all the things we take for granted some times. Amazingly, with so little, the people here seem to be happy and maybe that's the secret we all have to learn; magic and happiness are everywhere. We just need to see it with eyes wide opened.