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I will leave for India and Pakistan in mid-May. It is most certainly not real for me. I'm not quite nervous, I'm not quite ready, and my head is not quite screwed on tight enough. I am writing this introduction not only for the strangers who may happen upon it, looking for information, but also for my family and friends so that they can monitor my trip as it happens.

April 14th: An Introduction

Esilbert
2006-01-19 13:16:27

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I will leave for India and Pakistan in mid-May. It is most certainly not real for me. I'm not quite nervous, I'm not quite ready, and my head is not quite screwed on tight enough. I am writing this introduction not only for the strangers who may happen upon it, looking for information, but also for my family and friends so that they can monitor my trip as it happens.

I can't decide what to call this travelogue. Obviously when you read it, a title will have been chosen, but as I sit here, an insomniac, recording silly titles on my laptop at 3 a.m., I can only come up with things like, Betel Late Than Never and Motherlandofthepure - Halving Fun in India and Pakistan.

I've spent this year preparing for the trip in various ways. I took a wonderful course in the History of India as well as courses that dealt with Colonialism and Orientalism. And all I've learned is that somehow I must learn to travel, tread lightly, make an effort not to essentialize the Indian and Pakistani cultures or report back only the "novelties" of the East. I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to go about doing that. The most helpful thing I've learned this year is that there is no real India, so attempting to see it is futile. This relieves some pressure.

I am planning on travelling and staying in backpacker hotels and guesthouses as well as with an international peace organization to which I belong that consists of hosts and travellers. As a traveller, I will be able to stay and interact with local host families. However, there are limitations to this option as an Indian kaleidoscope. I know that the majority of the people who participate in this organization that I will meet will be high caste, well-educated Hindus who speak English. And in Pakistan it will likely be roughly, demographically the same situation, only Muslim.

Why am I going to India? I can tell you I am not going ...