Welcome to India!

So the first few days have been interesting to say the least! : ) Our last connection to Trivandrum was enlightening. The plane was full of mostly Indian men and a few women and children, of which I was the only white one. As the plane door opened after hitting the ground, there was a mad rush to get out of the plane. There was no consideration for letting the person in front of you go first as is usual in America. I wondered what all the rush was about??? Were they desperate to see their wives? lol I don't know but personal space was obviously not necessary as they were all crammed up against each other and it didn't seem to bother them in the least. I was prepared for this as Paul and I have discussed this difference between our cultures and the pros and cons of it many times. This was also apparent as we went through customs and out to baggage claim. Everyone was trying to force their way in front of anyone they could. I looked at Paul and said, "When in Rome, do as the Romans," and I started cramming my way through the masses. lol He looked at me kind of funny but went along with it. So then it was time to get our baggage and Paul approached someone about it. He showed us a few piles of luggage which of course were not ours. I was warned that we may not get our bags for a while so I didn't think it would be that easy and had made sure to spread Rohan's diapers and wipes around all of the bags. He brought back a few other men who worked at the airport and they all discussed where our bags could be. After speaking in their native language for a while they decided they did not know and asked us to wait until the right person arrived. At that point, I thought we would be there for a few hours and we were smelly and craving a shower which of course is no big deal in India. lol However, I was pleasantly surprised to find our bags had arrived after about twenty minutes. As we took our bags outside of the airport, there were hundreds of Indians lined up, some holding signs, waiting to see their loved ones. There was loud Indian music playing and I felt like I was walking down a smelly runway! : ) It was a great experience and my first Welcome to India! Of corse the kids were so excited to see Acha and Amy (Grandpa and Grandma) who we managed to find through the masses...