Hospitality

Our neighbors stopped by the other day wanting to know if they could recommend a maid service.  The couple seemed friendly; and because we are in desperate need of internet access at our place and because we’ve been told to get to know our neighbors and use them as resources, my roommate asked if they had WiFi, and how did they get it. They said their daughter could help. 

We visited them at their apartment the following day to follow up on this offer.  We were warmly greeted, enthusiastically asked to please sit, and offered tea and chatting.  While the lady of the house made deliciously sweet, milky tea and the man of the house went to the bank, we got to know their daughter who is around our age and has a precious son, Rohan. 

Rohan, maybe a bit shy, disguised himself as a ghost under his grandmother’s scarf and went about his day – taking his paints from here to there and playing with toys.  Meanwhile, we quizzed our generous hostess about getting gas to our apartment, internet services available, and obtaining water tanks for our home.  She likewise asked us what we are doing in Hyderabad, where we are from, what are our degrees in. 

She works for an American software company based in Scottsdale, Arizona.  When we told her we are working in nonprofits in the education sector, she replied, “The world is topsy-turvy.  I work for an American company and you come here to do social work.”  How much truth there is in that statement, huh?

We left glad to our neighbor, glad to have her on our side – finding needed numbers for us, giving us the name of a pizzeria that delivers, and being a friendly face. 

Later we were down the street at the banana cart.  We asked about the price.  Realizing that we had no clue how much is reasonable in Hyderabad and knowing that we are consistently, frustratingly ripped off, we called one of our colleagues who is from Delhi to ask, “How much do bananas cost?”  (How hilarious is that?  Can you imagine calling up a colleague to ask such a thing?) 

We were being overcharged and so she told us to give the phone to the banana vendor.  We handed him the phone and (laughing at our own incompetence that our friend should try her hand at mobile bargaining) we listened to the barter go down in Hindi.  He lowered the price and sold us a large bunch of bananas for 35 rupees.  Yet another kindness we are grateful for in our first weeks here.

Later that night an uncle and aunt and grandmother of a friend of a roommate stopped by to bring us cookies and helped us with our initial logistical questions and concerns.  Auntie and grandmother were concerned that we could not yet cook for ourselves – me too! – and uncle is going to help us with all of these things we seem to need.  They were beyond gracious and supportive. 

The hospitality we’ve received, once you really meet people, is outstanding.  These people we have met are so willing to offer such kindness to us, we who are strangers really.  They have treated us as family.  Their openness and caring reminds me of my own family, of home.  For the phone numbers, for the advice, for the mobile bargaining (who knew!), thank you!