Having booked a taxi the night before, I was rushed out the door by my hotel at 4:30 in the morning (I never slept for more than five hours while in India). Unfortunately, my “private taxi” turned into a minivan stuffed with four other people. We had all fallen victim to the same dirty trick, but it was 4:30 in the morning and there was nothing we could do about it. India cheats you every chance it gets. It is the one aspect of the country that disgusts me, and unfortunately, it is also the most prevalent characteristic.

After arguing with the driver because, on top of everything else, he wanted more money to take us to the international terminal (absolute nightmare!), I found solace waiting at the gate outside my airplane. I made it alive through India.

My flight touched down late at night, and I still had to pick up my bags from a friend in Shanghai. As is typical, I checked into a hotel near my old campus well after midnight. However, for the first time in over two weeks, I had a hot shower, crisp sheets, and an air-conditioner. I was in heaven, and slept like it: a full thirteen hours.