A Day in the Life

During our midpoint retreat in Thailand a few weeks ago, we were called upon to make a comic strip about a typical day in our lives. Since I have yet to really explain what I do on a typical day, I thought I would share this comic strip with you. We were told that we had to be the superhero, and that we had to include onomatopoeia.

Apologies for the less than ideal image quality (both on account of my camera and drawing skills).

*Raina happens to be the last name of one of India’s most famous cricketers, making the name easier to explain in India than in the US.

*Raina does not see herself as a raider in any way and recognizes the colonial implications of said adjective. However, the lure of alliteration and insistence of a friend lead her to use the title here. 

 Despite a 9:30 am rickshaw leaving from right down the street, Raina the Raider flies out the door, past her inquisitive neighbors and resident cows, nearly missing her free ride to Khamir.

In the rickshaw, Raina the Raider camouflages herself among the mass of people, pretending to understand the Gujarati conversation while actually studying her coworker’s mannerisms for future disguise purposes.

Arriving at Khamir, Raina the Raider takes on her first foes: Bully, Happy, Chicoo and Joni Mitchel. Though they attack her with demands for food, she distracts her canine adversaries with affection and charges forward into the office.

With the internet disappearing into the void, Raina the Raider chooses to connect with coworkers rather than start her day without her greatest weapon of distraction.

As if by magic, Masi (auntie) appears with chai and a smile, offering a charge of morning energy for a day of adventure.

Suddenly, a coworker appears, calling for her aid. With a foreign visitor on campus, it is up to Raina the Raider to explain her NGO while protecting its secrets.

As she and the foreigner wander through the exhibition of Textile Legacies from Kachchh and Sindh, Raina the Raider struggles to explain her presence in Bhuj.

With the ring of a bell, a coworker enters, announcing the time for lunch.

At lunch, Raina the Raider surreptitiously avoids chaas (buttermilk) and roti in an effort to protect her stomach against the myriad antagonists attempting to weaken her system, instead sticking to rice, dal (lentils), and subji (vegetables).

Realizing her morning has disappeared into the abyss, Raina the Raider struggles to complete her own projects while responding to last minute needs from coworkers.

After eight hours of sitting at a desk and two in a car, Raina the Raider gets out of the rickshaw early in order to walk half an hour in the relatively cool evening.
*Note that the Loch Ness monster in this picture is in fact a camel.

Raina the Raider meets up for dinner with the other international spies stationed in Bhuj, or gets vegetables from a stall to make into dinner.

Risking her life, Raina the Raider shoots electricity into a bucket of water to heat for her bath, then allows her mind to escape into the familiarity of media.

After a day of disguise, Raina the Raider takes off her mask and goes to sleep, ready to start again in the morning.