In case of emergency…..

As I move about in my new routines, I get the sense that I have figured things out and that I am now at ease in getting around in my new environment. I have phone numbers of taxi companies to get to and fro. All of the boys have cell phones and we call and text each other as needed. Then these little things come up that make you realize you are not quite as “on top” of things as it seems, once you scratch the veneer. Back in the states, I have solutions, as well as backup solutions if the first tier fails. In India, we don’t yet have all of those “safety valves.” Case in point: I came hope from work rather late one evening, and it was raining. The taxi left, and I approached the gate of our apartment. It was latched, and I wasn’t able to open it. (The gate is shared by the 3 families in our building, and one of the tenants frequently latches the gate.) It is possible to open the latch from the outside, but on that particular night I had trouble with this. I called the cellphones of Amnon and the boys, but no one picked up. And I started reflecting….what exactly is Plan B if I can’t open this latch? I don’t know any of our neighbors. Where would I go? Who else would I call? A work colleague that lives 30 minutes away? The police? (What is the 911 equivalent here, anyway? Is it 100?) Stuff that we take for granted back home…I fiddled with the latch for a bit, and it opened…