Member-only story
My story is that of many others I’ve met while traveling through India. I was fed so much negativity about coming here, especially as a woman on my own, that by the time I landed in Delhi I was terrified–paranoid, even.
The doctors and travel clinic nurses had led me to believe that every mosquito bite I suffered was a risk of getting malaria. Others convinced me that it was almost unavoidable getting sick from food/water at some point on my trip.
Pretty much everyone (some more dramatically than others) told me it wasn’t safe to travel to India solo. I was told I would be groped, possibly kidnapped and trafficked.
So you can imagine my sleep-deprived thoughts as I made my way through the New Delhi airport, taking in the gradual introduction of Indian culture. This is okay, I thought cautiously.
Then, I emerged from the front doors into the engulfing, hot morning air. Everyone was staring at me. I wore leggings and a T-shirt. I looked horrible. I’m frustrated, thinking “What the hell are they looking at?”
All the warnings and predictions came flooding into my brain in that very moment. The Uber I’d ordered was taking much longer than the app was telling me. After twenty minutes, I cancelled and ordered another. Same thing. I felt the stares intensify and my…
