Changes...

Gretchen again.  My mom asked me to reflect a little on all the changes I'm noticing since I was last in India 11 years ago.  The crowds are the immediate change!  Certain neighborhoods in the city of Pune are almost unrecognizable in the jumble of a booming population, high rise apartments popping up everywhere, and multitudes of store fronts.  The exhaust is UNBEARABLE, and women are seen with scarves wrapped entirely around their mouths and noses...even Katherine and I have started doing this.  (I know it's gross to admit, but perhaps you'll understand how bad it is with this image: even when I blow my nose, my snot is occasionally black...I'm more grateful than ever about the role the nose hairs play in sifting out good air from bad).  There are malls on many street corners now, whereas there were only a few ten years ago.  And the music in the malls is mostly Western.  Brands I recognize are all over the place, from Levi's to Domino's and Papa John's.  And coffee shops!!  Espresso has found it's home in India, and when Katherine and I want a familiar feel, we'll just duck into Barista.  The global culture, inspired by American corporations, is everywhere!  It's definitely unsettling.