There really is no concept of a queue in India.

Really, sometimes I'm driven to think that the idea that people can bring themselves to form something as remotely resembling order as a queue is alien ... no I think the word is incomprehensible, to the Indian mind. I give you a few examples.

The train system in Mumbai is like a feisty little old lady. It's slow, it wobbles, it screeches and smells funny but it still manages to somehow move hundreds of thousand people over miles of rail everyday. Sure, sometimes it's a little late, but at it's age, it's a tribute to Indian/British engineering that the old bat is even moving at all.

Ok, more to the point. Every morning thousands of Indian men, women and children at every Indian rail stop crowd around the trains and start to push,shove and kick their way in. It's actually quite a fascinating scene...if you aren't smack right in the middle of the maddening crowd. The first few times I was on the rail, I heard people shout what seemed to me like some kind of warcry as they exited the train. It turns out that if the people in the train wanted out, they had to work together and charge out of the door in unison, otherwise they get washed away by the human tsunami flooding into the carriage. I guess it's ok if you were a guy, but not so hot if you were a child or a woman. I guess that's why there is a women's compartment on the trains somewhere. Makes sense.

The training facility I am in has a nice little canteen serving Indian fare at an incredibly cheap price. I like eating at the place, the food's good (though a little unsatisfying) and there's often a little extra protein surprise waiting for you inside(Masala surprise!!...flies in yogurt anyone? I thought they were raisins....honest!). The canteen works like this: You look at the menu for the day hanging on the wall and buy a ticket for what you want from a guy manning a counter infront of the canteen. You take the ticket and claim the items from the people in the canteen. Everyday it was like the train. You basically kick, push, elbow, knee-in-the-groin the guy in front of you to get what you want or you eat last. I'm trained in Tae-kwon-do, Maxim in Jiujitsu and Paulo in Capoeira and Karate, between us, we can usually gouge a way through for our team.

I'm becoming a little more Indian every day. Today I just caught myself giving that sideways shake of the head indicating affirmation that Indians so love to use. I just hope that when I get back to Singapore, I don't get caught elbowing some old woman on an MRT. **SNORT**

Ok, a little something off topic here. If you followed my blog, you might think that from all the snivelling and whining I've been doing, I am having alot of problems adjusting to life here.

Actually, erm, nothing can be further from the truth. It's been a blast. Trust me. Life is a patchwork of little moments, some good, some bad and some truly ugly. It's just co-incidence(yeah right) or my twisted little mind that I remember all the fugly stuff.

I mean, yeah all the stuff's true. But here I am, with a huge bunch of real friends who will go through thick and thin with you (try finding some in your office in Singapore), sharing some truly unique experiences which I am sure I will carry to my grave. I'll give you a little something I remember.

Daniel (the crouching guy in the photo) had actually arrived 5 weeks before the first of our batch stepped into India. He had belonged to the previous batch, but had arrived too late to join that batch. He spent some rather times in India travelling, doing some rather interesting stuff (he was an extra on the set of a bollywood movie). We had to purchase our air tickets to Trivandrum and it cost something like 5000 rs. Daniel didn't have much cash left and had opted to travel by rail. A cheaper option at 1000 rs, but an uncomfortable two day journey. Guillaume and Beyhan suggested each of us contributing a little to pay for an extra ticket. That we did and Daniel travelled with us. Although I hadn't come up with the idea, I find this single act of comradeship truly (sorry for all the trulys, but I'm all shot up...can't think of an alternative term) inspiring.