#ratfight

The other day I was in my local train station, waiting for a train to take me downtown. I felt a rivulet of sweat drip down my temple. Another slid down my neck, and I felt yet more slithering down my back. You can picture it, right? The only white girl on the platform, sweat covering every surface of my face and neck and chest and arms, and every Indian woman staring at me with an expression that says "Did the American forget her umbrella? But, wait, it wasn't raining, so why is she wet all over?"

Here's the worst part: it felt normal to me. The station is relatively enclosed. There's no wind. I always end up gross. It shocked me to realize I have accepted dripping sweat as a normal part of my commute. "Oh yeah I grab the CST bound Harbour Train, wipe the sweat from my chin, sit tight as it goes past Kharghar and Vashi, wipe the sweat from my neck, and get down at VT, wipe the sweat from my elbow."