At First Blow

The first thing that always hits me when i touch down at the airport in India is a sledgehammer blow of humidity. Its almost like entering a different planet, especially after a long flight in air conditioned comfort. Having lived in several cities over the span of my life, i am no stranger to heat. But there is no heat like Calcutta heat. With its high humidity, you feel like your skin is liable to shed like a snake. All I want to be is lie on a cold cement floor, scarcely breathing if i can. Of course this is never feasible not with cockroaches and lizards thinking they own the land, roaming freely and insolently about. As I leave the airport for home, the sheer cacophony of the traffic almost sends me into orbit the first time I hear it. I develop an instant headache and wonder, for the umpteenth time why do motorists in India drive with a lead finger on the horn. Having lived abroad and seeing how traffic flows there, for the most part in silence, I always wonder whether honking in India is just another way of asserting aggressive machosim. Maybe by the time i start driving here, i will end up that way but for now, i prefer to wer ear buds and block out as much noise as I can. Better to hear, " Grab somebody sexy tell them hey...." than "Ppppeeeepppp, peeeeeeeepppppp".