It is a Small World Afterall

 It was my day to travel to Koramangala to check out an Air bnb. There are blocks and I was heading to the first block. When I initially got there, he said Raheja Residency, which was this huge condo building. After he said, head to the doctor’s clinic and I am waiting- I realized that I was not heading to the Raheja Residency, but he used that as a landmark. It was a small room on the first floor of his father’s clinic who was currently in USa visiting Baltimore. His father would return to his practice in January and currently he stays upstairs with his wife and daughter. I said, “Oh how cute, How old is she?” He said, “3” and she is the biggest terror and so crazy. I was like “Oh well kids are like that at this age.” He looked at me and was like no this one is definitely special. She is always screaming and crying all day…  

After that was said, I figured this would not be the spot for me to stay in as I wanted peace and quiet. I love staying with families in children, but with that expression on his face and me looking at how close the living quarters were-I said “Um no.”  

I was walking around blind because this was not my territory so I really had no idea where I was going. My old friend, Amit, said he would meet me for lunch so I found a place and waited.  

What is so special about Bangalore (and people just want to say it is “being a foreigner.” But people are so incredibly knowledgeable and informative. The bartender I was just talking to and he directed me to great website for accommodations. He had no issue sitting and talking to me and answer any question I had.  I feel like this has been common for just everywhere I go. The language does not even matter. I can show a person  a map, a location, or use my signs to understand the direction of place. Everyone helps here in Bangalore…. 

As I was standing at the bar, up walks Amit. He gives me a big hug and we sit a share one beer each (have to specify how little I actually drink).  It had been over 6 years since I last saw him, but we spoke regularly. He has his own IT company and he has always done really well. He lost quite a bit of money during the pandemic, but who did not lost money? 

 He is always very humble, but I consider him very intelligent and inspiring. I also really like the way he treats people especially his workers. He is so kind to them and has such respect with everyone, which is important. He gave a 100 rupee tip to the server, which was very nice. The waiter was from the famous city that I am meeting everyone from- Aslam. Very sweet kid maybe just 18 years old. Always, always take pride in everything you do and I hope that one day you will be rewarded.  

The menu was quite a tourist trap with tourist prices and probably average food. I requested that he take me to his favorite food spot and I also requested non-veg food specifically tandoori chicken or chicken tikka-my favorite. My dad used to make  tandoori chicken-it was one of the only Indian foods that he could make, but it was my favorite when he did make it.  

We took an auto and went to Lucknow, which is famous for kebabs. We had biryani, chicken seek, chicken tikka, and paratha. I never get tired of good Indian food -soooo good! 

 We talk about his life. He gave up his flat fore rent because he felt he did not need the space. Now he just sleeps in a simple space near his office. He says that his mother is an American citizen, which I think he already told me. He said he could go to United states if he wanted to, but he stays in India. He always talked about moving to Colombia. I always try to encourage him to explore new places and visit places he has always wanted to go-that is my job… 

Another lovely server- dressed so clean cut with his apron steamed or looked like it just came from a drycleaner. It is just the pride that goes into your appearance and how you present yourself to the world. He was so happy because I told him the food was so good and I said I loved everything.  

After dinner, we went to visit a past couchsurfer who started his own hotel chain called “Small World.” Not based off Disney, but an Indian novel. We went to look at spaces that would offer long term options as I wanted something that was in a central location so I did not have to commute back and forth, BUT I loved my Vidyaranapura- just loved it so much there.  

He told me about all his events they have anything from board games to poetry readings to book clubs to movie night to jam sessions. I guess it was really know for events more than living spaces.  

Each room was named after a country that was painted on the wall and titled on the door. I found it to be a very cute idea and loved the name- of course. 

It has become very common to meet people over the years who started off just like me, as a traveler, and they turned that into a business for themselves. Couples who started guesthouses, cafes, restaurants, adventure companies, even a friend who started an airline.  The creativity that comes from travel and the ability to start something new is endless. 

 Now people just become “digital nomads,” which has nothing to do with the community, locals, or making a difference. It is just taking photos and representing brands-the most superficial and useless job you could have as a traveler and you do nothing for a country sitting at a hotel for free and getting everything paid for….. 

Anyways, that was him, Suresh, he created a brand in in the most prime real estate area in all of Bangalore- SCORE 

After this visit, I stopped by a hostel called, “ZOSTEL” I was just asking about the bus, but we started chatting. He was the property manager for a hostel that was just opening in Koramangala. He shared with me the good places to stay and the not so good. I would have loved to stay there, but they did not have any private rooms unfortunately and construction was not going to be finished until another week or two. He said that he is from North India and we were chatting about how amazing North Indian food-he was telling me some dishes I should definitely try. How can I get all of this amazing local talk without recording it? Ugh  

It looked like he had an injury and I wished him well. When we were talking he gasped and grabbed his chest, I felt like maybe something was wrong and asked if he was okay. He seemed like he maybe had some injury. He told me to come by and visit when everything is open and ready. They will have a small opening celebration and of course… I am welcome to join…. 

The overwhelming amounts of kindness and blessings come at times when I am needing it the most. Coming to Bangalore and having limited contact with family and feeling like a bit of an outsider- God said to me….You are not alone Priscilla. You are so loved. You are amazing. You are a ray of sunshine that brightens people day. You will meet strangers everyday sometimes more than once a day, even 20 times a day, who generally care about your well-being. They might not have known you for days, weeks, or years, but they have met you and they know your heart. You are a good person at heart and they connect with the real you and they want to make sure you are safe, happy, and healthy  

After I left this lovely man, I went to take the bus to Kempegowda to take the bus to Vidyaranapura. It is just exhilarating being at the bus station and running looking for my bus and catching it just in time.  It is just so much fun for me to see what kind of driver I am going to get or conductor-it is always a gamble, but usually they are entertained with the foreigner on the bus….