We woke up at three a.m. and were out of the house by four, stuffing samosas and sipping cha as we headed to the airport. By seven a.m., seated in the back near the toilets, we were both revved up for our trip, watching intently as the plane took to the skies. By 7:30, we were both fast asleep. Navdeep doesn’t even remember waking up to consume half of his scrambled egg pita pocket thingie.
Navdeep: Our Kahani 2007
Sona and I started “talking” on the internet with no intention of getting married or even pursuing a long-distance relationship. She put up her ad on indiandating.com out of curiosity. I put mine up to spite an ex-girlfriend who wanted to “see what her options were.” I never got very many responses though. It may have had something to do with the eye-catching log line I used: Hairy Indian Male Seeks Financially Independent, Attractive Woman. Ugliness and caste no bar. Neither of us had actually paid for an account so we hid our email address in the free messages and then started writing each other rambling, long winded letters. Because we weren’t looking for anything, we let our guards down a bit and just let things happen. It started with letters, late night phone calls and ended with three weddings, an engagement, a pre-engagement, two receptions (one in california, one in New Jersey!) , and plenty of bhangra . . .
Sona: Our Kahani 2007
When Navdeep says we’re part of the Tech Generation, he’s not kidding. We not only blog as a couple, we even met online. A little more than three years ago, I was a reporter at People magazine, toiling away on the frontlines of celeb culture (and pursuing my masters in screenwriting and South Asian studies). Navdeep had just returned from two years teaching English in China and was pursuing his MFA creative writing in Fresno.
Oyy, Rickshaaaa! That Time Navdeep’s Parents Visited Him in China
When I taught English in the small border town of Dandong, between China and North Korea, I was also a rickshaw-vallah. This is a photo someone took of me with two completely random people I have never seen before. They were not good tippers.
So Many Gadgets, So Little Time
Okay, so it was supposed to be simple. Navdeep and I hit the road with just the clothes on our backs. (And the ones stuffed into our super-sized backpacks, of course.) He kept drilling it in—pack light, pack light, pack…
Our Gear: India 2006
We’re in the final stretch for our India adventure and while we’re super excited, there’s also a lot to think about. We’ve got most of it sorted out, and the rest . . welll, we’ll wing it. Cameras, video camera, tripods, backpacks, things to put in those backpacks, camera and video bags, memory cards, laptops, software, web-design stuff. And of course, books! There’s loads to think about. Check it all out here.