India is like the great act no one wants to follow—anything that comes after feels pale in comparison. Not as exhilarating, not as captivating, not as exciting. At least, that is how it has felt for me as I hesitantly eased back into routine after the most extraordinary adventure. Returning home required an adjustment. The…Continue Reading Sarees & Seis
Kia Ora from Auckland! So, my journey has finally come to an end. Adjusting back in Aotearoa has been a whirlwind and I’m so glad to be back with my friends and whanau. While I type this blog, I look back fondly on all the great memories I’ve made with some fantastic people. I miss…Continue Reading Ka Kite Mumbai: With Me, Always
And just like that, it was all over. Six weeks in India, an amount of time that seemed so incredibly daunting in the beginning, went by in what seemed like a matter of days. This has been the most incredible, fulfilling, eye-opening, and just downright fun six weeks of my life. Assuming you’ve read my previous four posts,…Continue Reading A Few Final Thoughts on India
Two weeks have passed since touching down at Auckland Airport. Returning to New Zealand after six weeks of immersion in India’s daily life has been an enormous reverse culture shock. I no longer take for granted what was once trivial. Living in a developing country has made me more aware of how fortunate I am…Continue Reading Reverse Culture Shock: From Mumbai Madness to Kiwi Calm
As I left Mumbai, I thought of all my adventures. The highs and the lows. The buzz and the silence. My first day and my last day. The experience had shaped me, leaving me with memories I will forever cherish. Reading my first blog, I could see how I was so taken aback by the speed…Continue Reading Echoes of Mumbai
Waking up in my own bed on February the 22nd felt strangely normal. I got up, brushed my teeth, showered, ate cereal, and got into my car. Muscle memory kicked in as I drove to the hockey turf, trained, returned home, and ate again. It was as if the past six weeks in India never…Continue Reading Was it all just a fever dream?
Every day, I found myself saying, “India is so colossal!” And it truly was. In six weeks, I felt like I had done it all—marvelling at the towering Taj Mahal in Agra, standing amongst the countless pilgrims in the ancient city of Varanasi, paragliding over the mesmerising mountains in Lonavala, and exploring both the enigmatic…Continue Reading A Colossal World
From courtroom to the streets of Mumbai Having been to the Bombay High Court a few times, I feel confident in navigating the structure. I have become familiar with some of the endless courtrooms and technical jargon – like ‘annex building’, which stands for the additional structure holding all filing departments and record offices. As…Continue Reading Work & Exploring Mumbai
In New Zealand, I often feel the weight of my identity pressing upon those around me. I am seen as radical, too progressive and always asking for too much. The contributions I offer are often overshadowed by stereotypes that breathe life into narratives society continues to write about people like me and who we are…Continue Reading “If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you’ll learn things you never knew you never knew.”
As a Pasifika woman, through a series of fortunate events, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to multiple countries and experience different cultures. However, none of these trips could ever match up to living in India. The hospitality, the food, the colour, history and culture – to experience this first hand while living here has…Continue Reading Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan: Until we meet again