I know now why most of my wrinkles vanish when I arrive in Kolkata...the air is so moist it's like applying lotion 24/7. It rains most days - some times twice...usually for about an hour & then abates...it took me awhile to acclimate, both to the deluge when it did rain, and to watching locals go about their day in the downpour - hanging laundry, walking with no umbrella, shopping, cooking. It finally dawned on me that it's like working in a snow storm at home...you know the garden variety type we get at least weekly...folks still go outside, folks still go to work, shop, take care of the business of the day. Once I made that connection it felt less odd. The high humidity level does take its toll - buildings have water marks off roof lines, etc., that are difficult to paint over, for example, and metal takes a real beating, with the rust barely being able to be kept at bay. Altoids, even in their patented little tin, turn to mush within 48 hours...I miss them :-)
Here's some other consequences:
My hair is actually quite curly here! (AND oh, goodness, I haven't seen the grey in the back of my head for years! How kind of all of you to not mention that I'm 100% salt 'n pepper. Yep, I'm 48!)
The glycerin, organic soap I packed for a special treat upon moving into the apartment met its match less than a half hour after unwrapping...it was actually melting! (It ended up reaching some form of equilibrium before it turned into a sliver, so it was still around as a treat for several weeks.)
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Cal/Kol, WB
No comments:
Post a Comment