Life through rose-colored glasses with rose-flavored lattes

Rose-flavored treats at Habitat Cafe in Hyderabad, India

It’s Tuesday October, 22 9:49am

I’m sitting on the rooftop of Habitat Cafe in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, India.

I just finished a delicious snack and am sipping on a rose latte after my first yoga class in India.

My heart is full and cozy, my body is warm and loose. The yoga teacher said I had a strong practice and asked if I was an athlete when we chatted after class 🥰

Water misters are on keeping the air somewhat cool. I can hear car honking below, and children playing at the school across the street.

Hyderabad has been full of magical surprises. Yesterday’s tour with Srinu took me to places I’d never even imagined, yet the déjàvu I felt walking into the famous Nimrah Bakery near the Charminar mosque reminded me that I’m still on the right path, I am meant to be here, and that this 90-day travel break is all part of the plan.

I’n reminded that no matter how far I am from my “normal life” and home, there are similarities here in the humanity I’m witness to.

During this morning’s yoga practice, the students who showed up after class started were somehow the loudest, thrashing their mats and things, just like back home. The woman sitting next me at this cafe, who I presume to be a teacher, is talking to her husband about her concerns she has about a sick student. The energy leaving a bangin’ nightclub on a Friday night with your new Indian friends spills out into the street just like when we’re at home.

And there’s no explanation for the warmth I felt in my heart as I watched a group of people start the morning with a communal tooth brushing outside my hotel window.

I kid you not, I looked outside yesterday morning and saw a group of people (maybe siblings or roommates) all gathered around the hose brushing their teeth and washing their faces while starting their day. (It was about 6am, and my presumption is that they all lived in the unfinished building across the street.)

It was in that moment I was reminded of my privilege and ability to freely rent a hotel room in a foreign country. I have leisurely time to go for a sunrise walk to a fancy cafe before starting my work-free day.

Going analog and using pencil and paper again while traveling through India

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Life feels so unreal these days. There's been several moments where I’ve been jolted from reality for a split second. I’ll suddenly have an “out of body” experience where it feels like I’m being woken up and forced into another reality. I’ll stare down at my hands at whatever they’re doing, and realize that I’m this little human experiencing the randomness of life on this planet. The feeling is other worldly, almost like a gentle nudge to wake up, remember who I am and what I’m doing in that exact moment. These moments, I notice, are happening more often. So much so that when they do appear, I hope they last longer or come with a pointed life lesson in form of a sign or image.

I’m starting to pay more attention to the way others perceive me. Whether it’s an old friend celebrating me for my career-based accomplishments, the shock in people’s faces when I tell them how old I really am (I’m beginning to think I should start lying about my true age because strangers think I’m still in college), to the yoga teachers who compliment my form and focus after only knowing me in class for 60 minutes. People’s perception of me has been fun to watch and experience, whereas before it made me want to jump out of my skin.

One of the main reasons I stopped posting stories on Nadia Wanders was that I was starting to feel a bit too exposed. The very nature of sharing your thoughts and feelings on the internet is scary. And I guess I didn’t experience that fear until only recently.

As an elder millennial, it feels like I’ve been blogging for as long as the internet has been alive. I never used to feel shame or fear about sharing my world and thoughts on my life, body, and conversations with strangers.

But I felt a bit over-exposed these past couple of years and that’s why I stopped posting. I’ve been reminded a lot lately (from friends, mentees, family, and strangers) that now is the time to write again.

I feel a bit out of practice — especially because the world is so different since my last post in 2020, and because I put so much focus into writing for corporate America. But I’m getting back to it. My intention is to write an essay in every new country and international city I visit during this unemployment gap. It’s a gift to myself to be able to jot down memories and lessons from the places I visit, or the wonderful interactions with strangers I just can’t get out of my head.

My stories are also a gift to others as they get to experience the world through my eyes and my heart.

Whether you’ve known me since I was a teenager writing on Blogger (iykyk), or you found me because of the internet, I’m learning how to push away the fear of openly sharing my life so that the my experiences, opinions about live, and interactions with people have a place to live again.

Just like those out of body experiences, I want more signs and moments that inspire a story.

By focusing on writing for myself again, I’m pushing myself to not only see life’s lessons but also realize that the energy and light within me is appreciated and enamored by others.

To many more stories, lattes at beautiful cafes, an open heart, and curious readers.

I love you 💗