I had been in India for exactly three minutes and already there was an entirely different atmosphere than there had been 14 hours earlier in New York. We got off the plane and immediately were assailed with scents, sounds, and people pushing at us, begging for food and money. We followed my dad as he pushed his way through the throngs of people, and found the family driver, Vijay. Blearily, we followed Vijay to his car and got in. My sister and I gasped as the heat, even in the night, of India hit us. We jumped into the car, but were disappointed to feel the heat even more inside. Worse, there was no air conditioning. To a seven year-old, these were unbearable conditions.

Luckily, there was air conditioning in the hotel. But the next day as we started out to visit Buo-ji and Prem Uncle, I realized that we would have to quickly get used to these difficult atmospheric conditions. On our way to Buo-ji’s house, our car was mobbed by hungry, poor children and clawing men and women. They grabbed at our car, in an effort to wean even one rupee from us. Vijay quickly told us to roll up the windows and not give any money to these people. We made our way slowly down the street; our way was blocked by a snake charmer, a cow and a family of peasants. With the horn blaring, Vijay barreled his way through the crowds.

Finally outside Buo-ji’s house, we were in a less-crowded neighborhood. But there were still so many people around the neighborhood. We hustled into the apartment, my sister and I only stopping to marvel at a troupe of monkeys and their owner. We walked up four concrete flights of steps littered with trash and debris. We opened the door the the apartment and were immediately hit by the delectable smell of pranthas, aloo gobi, daal, chole, and other delicious foods. Aunties, uncles, cousins, and people who we had never heard of or seen before. Came over to us and bombarded us with kisses, and hugs, staining our cheeks with ochre lipstick. We entered the apartment, which was like a mini-India: crowded and scent-filled.