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Just before I left home to start this adventure, I got engaged to my boyfriend of three years, Vivek, who grew up in India -- born in Calcutta and raised mostly in Bombay but with stints from Kerala to Hyderabad to Uttar Pradesh. So on arrival here, I had a lot of future in-laws to meet -- and they've been an amazingly welcoming bunch, taking care of not only me but also, quite often, my co-worker Greg, who was along in Chandigarh when I was literally welcomed into the family.
Greg and I just got back from a lovely evening at my cousin-to-be's house -- playing with her two young kids, talking with her father (my father-in-law's brother) and watching her husband, a journalist, on TV -- and then having a chance to chat about politics with him when he arrived home. We were served a delicious Bengali-style meal, listened to Elton John (Greg picked, with the help of the kids) and looked at family photos -- of Holi, of a trip to Rishikesh, of ceremonies such as annaprashana.
We have a busy week ahead, but I'm super glad we took tonight to visit. Living in India for three months is bound to be an amazing experience, no matter what, I think -- but being able to meet and hang out with my new relatives -- seeing a glimpse of what truly living in India looks like -- has made mine even richer.
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