Every person who travels beyond their culturally similar borders, faces a lot of odd, funny and sometimes dangerous situations. I went through a a very "funny" one myself and here is the story...
The first morning I came to Zambia I reached home exhausted from the long journey and on the verge of going mad form the need to visit a proper bathroom - the ones on the flight are so cramped I have a little trouble in them - confession.
So I found the bathroom at the guest house and went in like I had found treasure - with joy on my face. Blissfully I finished my duty and then came the horror of horrors - there were no taps. I frantically looked, left, right, behind and no - there just was no tap, only a handle sticking from the wall with a roll of tissue with puppies printed on them.. I realized that there was nothing to do but accept fate as it was and do what was necessary. When life gives you lemons make lemonade is how the saying goes...
I had read about Indians in situations like this (Inscrutibe Indians by Anurag Mathur) and even seen them in movies (Anybody who saw the Madhavan's flight scene from the tamil movie Nala Damayanti would know what I refer to).
But to be in the situation oneself, was not hilarious, but a little odd and irritating. The lifelong habit suddenly being changed gives one a sense of incompleteness and a dirty feeling too if I may say..
But we Indians who coined the term "Jugaad" will always find a way and I did. I found a plastic container in the kitchen just the right size and without my roomie's or maids knowledge stole it into my bathroom and it's serves me faithfully today..
And life is back to normal... Blissfully
The first morning I came to Zambia I reached home exhausted from the long journey and on the verge of going mad form the need to visit a proper bathroom - the ones on the flight are so cramped I have a little trouble in them - confession.
So I found the bathroom at the guest house and went in like I had found treasure - with joy on my face. Blissfully I finished my duty and then came the horror of horrors - there were no taps. I frantically looked, left, right, behind and no - there just was no tap, only a handle sticking from the wall with a roll of tissue with puppies printed on them.. I realized that there was nothing to do but accept fate as it was and do what was necessary. When life gives you lemons make lemonade is how the saying goes...
I had read about Indians in situations like this (Inscrutibe Indians by Anurag Mathur) and even seen them in movies (Anybody who saw the Madhavan's flight scene from the tamil movie Nala Damayanti would know what I refer to).
But to be in the situation oneself, was not hilarious, but a little odd and irritating. The lifelong habit suddenly being changed gives one a sense of incompleteness and a dirty feeling too if I may say..
But we Indians who coined the term "Jugaad" will always find a way and I did. I found a plastic container in the kitchen just the right size and without my roomie's or maids knowledge stole it into my bathroom and it's serves me faithfully today..
And life is back to normal... Blissfully
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