a new carry-on
by Kay
This is my new carry-on, my retirement gift to myself. Katie and I leave for India in a couple weeks. This 20-inch Samsonite and my tote will be all I take. This suitcase is light. It weighs less than a gallon of milk.
I’ve been reading quite a bit about India: about the tourist spots, of course, and also about the religion and history and economics. Here’s a fact that I’ve found heart-wrenching: my new suitcase cost more than the average Indian makes in an entire year.
left on walnut 
It is going to be a splendid trip for you!
I have imagined doing a lot of things with my daughter, but never this. An amazing blessing.
I LOVE that suitcase! Have a fantastic trip.
Didn’t mean to disregard the appalling poverty in India. I feel a bit shallow. I do hope you have a great experience.
The more I read and look at photos online, the more I realize I’ll come home a different person. I ache for the conditions, and I’m not even there.
This suitcase weights 4.8 pounds. I have Berkenstocks that weight more than that.
Is it TOO beautiful? Enjoy your trip and report when you get back. Having lived in Africa, I know the guilt of poverty vs (relative) wealth. Just try to learn as much as you can about the people and the country and it will go a long way towards finding a solution to the problem. By the way, they would likely not resent you for your possessions.
Thank you for your wisdom. I am going to check in with you when I get back. You might be able to help me debrief from all I will have seen! Thank you, friend.
It is so hard to see the poverty when you have so much. I too understand the guilt – especially when I feel like I made a wasteful purchase. Seeing that kind of poverty will change you forever – for the good. It turns you into a bit of an activist.
I hope so! I want a bit more activism in my life! “If not us, who? If not now, when?”
No one should feel shallow about the fact that there is poverty in India. Feeling shallow is, like, so American! There are also many-and-growing mega-rich people in India. But the rich-poor divide will be extra-visual to you because you are a visitor there.
The thing to ask yourself when you visit is: who smiles the best genuine smile? The chap in the souvenir shop who knows that it may help sales, or the woman digging the field who smiles at you when your car breaks down and offers you some water.
Roddy