Carelessness got stolen!
Some years back when I was staying with my parents in Ulyanovsk our apartment got robbed. I remember that night I came home and did not find any lock on the door: the latter just uselessly shielded the flat from the entryway. I got in and saw my mom, sister and granddad. My alarmed look met theirs and I could not believe their answer to my already-knowing-still-not-reconciling-with question “What happened?” I rushed into my room and saw chaos on the table – boxes and papers were just thrown upside down. I could not relate to the things around as mine any more because someone came and just violated my private and so seemingly secure world. The reasonability of the robbery comes obvious from the fact that, for example, my mom never bought a new fur-coat to replace the stolen one. Since that whenever I am at my parents’ place I never leave my laptop on a visible place if I am out…and every time I go outside and look the door I get mentally ready to depart with anything left in the apartment…if something happens again.
Some time later I travelled to London and for a week I stayed at a hostel that was far from those nice and neat ones In Scandinavia. There were different kind of people coming and leaving. But mostly I was struck by the fact that some people stayed there permanently as they were doing some work in London. I remember this girl who just came back from the office and managed to make herself comfortable in this fully packed room with 4 bunk beds: she put on her fluffy sheep-like sleepers, switched on a small nearby-bed lamp and absorbed in reading. I was leaving next morning and I saw her cute sleepers beside her bed, her big suitcase that served her as a wardrobe and wondered how it must feel when every day you leave home without knowing whether you find your stuff as you left it once you come back. Kinda like my apartment in Vinoba Puri now, as I can see.
The issues of privacy and carefulness became very prominent for me in India. I am always alert and prepared for worse. Not in my house, though, when the friends are around. Until last night…
We had a farewell party for my flatmate last night and each of us invited his/her/common friends. About 20 people showed up (but us 10 living there) – AIESEC trainees and various Indian friends. I did not know half of the people but it took a short while to get along with most of them. The party was going really well – people were just roaming around, meeting each other, talking, dancing. I myself was outside in the terrace when music stopped. I came in and got to know that one of our guests could not find her mobile at the place where she left it. Sounded like a diagnosis already. I was the only one who had her number, so I dialled it - no ringing tone broke the silence in the living room. “The Hutch phone you are currently trying to reach is switched off. Please, try again later.”… I could not believe it… We searched around more and I said aloud that however finds the phone, please put it on the such and such table. Last try… We know you are among us, please, be human… We invited you to your house and you don’t do that to us…. This is what I meant by the request. Nothing came out and our guest never got her brand-new Nokia back. I’ve got trust in all the people who were there but some friends of one of our flatmates. She said they are friends. What kind of friends, how did you meet them? At a club. Right…. how can one invite people they met in a club to their house in this country. Especially, if this one is a pretty White girl, especially if it’s guys she met…. And this is not once that my flatmates would bring people they just met at a party for overnight to our house. I do have Indian friends and I bring them to my house: but I do not meet people when outing. I meet friends of the friends, family friends etc and we see each other regularly – we meet often for various activities, visit each other. These are friends and not hanging-out mates.
I got to chat to one of this girl’s “friends” during the party and this was the most unpleasant person I got to speak to in this country so far. Usually when u hang out with your friends and young crowd around u feel secure, whereas with him – I did not. Did she feel safe hanging out with them? I mean, my flatmates would not bother to lock the door before going to bed, so if it’s not up to me we sleep with the door open. Come on in, people, we are hospitable foreigners feeling so high because of all this attention to our personalities here…
Once inside your house you expect it least, right. What do you do if you are to be alert even when inside. I wanna live without been taken over by brood hen instinct… They really want me to…
Some time later I travelled to London and for a week I stayed at a hostel that was far from those nice and neat ones In Scandinavia. There were different kind of people coming and leaving. But mostly I was struck by the fact that some people stayed there permanently as they were doing some work in London. I remember this girl who just came back from the office and managed to make herself comfortable in this fully packed room with 4 bunk beds: she put on her fluffy sheep-like sleepers, switched on a small nearby-bed lamp and absorbed in reading. I was leaving next morning and I saw her cute sleepers beside her bed, her big suitcase that served her as a wardrobe and wondered how it must feel when every day you leave home without knowing whether you find your stuff as you left it once you come back. Kinda like my apartment in Vinoba Puri now, as I can see.
The issues of privacy and carefulness became very prominent for me in India. I am always alert and prepared for worse. Not in my house, though, when the friends are around. Until last night…
We had a farewell party for my flatmate last night and each of us invited his/her/common friends. About 20 people showed up (but us 10 living there) – AIESEC trainees and various Indian friends. I did not know half of the people but it took a short while to get along with most of them. The party was going really well – people were just roaming around, meeting each other, talking, dancing. I myself was outside in the terrace when music stopped. I came in and got to know that one of our guests could not find her mobile at the place where she left it. Sounded like a diagnosis already. I was the only one who had her number, so I dialled it - no ringing tone broke the silence in the living room. “The Hutch phone you are currently trying to reach is switched off. Please, try again later.”… I could not believe it… We searched around more and I said aloud that however finds the phone, please put it on the such and such table. Last try… We know you are among us, please, be human… We invited you to your house and you don’t do that to us…. This is what I meant by the request. Nothing came out and our guest never got her brand-new Nokia back. I’ve got trust in all the people who were there but some friends of one of our flatmates. She said they are friends. What kind of friends, how did you meet them? At a club. Right…. how can one invite people they met in a club to their house in this country. Especially, if this one is a pretty White girl, especially if it’s guys she met…. And this is not once that my flatmates would bring people they just met at a party for overnight to our house. I do have Indian friends and I bring them to my house: but I do not meet people when outing. I meet friends of the friends, family friends etc and we see each other regularly – we meet often for various activities, visit each other. These are friends and not hanging-out mates.
I got to chat to one of this girl’s “friends” during the party and this was the most unpleasant person I got to speak to in this country so far. Usually when u hang out with your friends and young crowd around u feel secure, whereas with him – I did not. Did she feel safe hanging out with them? I mean, my flatmates would not bother to lock the door before going to bed, so if it’s not up to me we sleep with the door open. Come on in, people, we are hospitable foreigners feeling so high because of all this attention to our personalities here…
Once inside your house you expect it least, right. What do you do if you are to be alert even when inside. I wanna live without been taken over by brood hen instinct… They really want me to…
posted by Olga Tikhonova | 3:15 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home