So, India was quite an experience; a truly unique place. I don't even know where to begin.
I will say that it was not what I was expecting. I wasn't made aware of the uncleanliness until days before I got to India so that was a shock. The tour group I was a part of did help me get through it, but as time went on, I really wanted to separate from the group. Regardless, I was able to meet older people with more wisdom and experience than I, and it allowed me to just sit back and let someone else take the reigns. The places we stayed were nice, complimenting the amazing sites.
The country can be quite backwards, but somehow it works?! Because of their previous British rule, India drives on the left side of the road. Threw me off at first and was even harder to get used to when I cruised through Mamallapuram on a moped, "wait, which way is the traffic supposed to come from??" (As I cruise through a busy intersection with no traffic lights.) People probably use their horns more than they do the gas peddle. However, it is not used as a "get out of the way" sense like in most other countries; instead it is used as a warning that the car is about to pass. Indians can turn a 2 laned road into 4 in a heart beat. Tuk tuks, rickshaws, mopeds and motorcycles dominate the roads in more congested areas. Most vehicles don't have side mirrors, that is the main reason for all the horn blowing. Also, pedestrians use the road as their sidewalk. It was kinda weird just walking out into traffic and having every vehicle just casually move around me. I'd be a goner in the states. Oddly enough, there are sidewalks, while they are in bad shape, I'm not sure why they aren't used as an alternative to the road. In some places you would see the sidewalks overtaken by shops or random vendors. In the more congested areas, the shops spill out into the streets with parking in front of that, so what could be a 4 laned road is reduced to 1 maybe 2. Pure mayhem. I will say, I never saw a single wreck in the month that I was here, in some regards, deregulation does work better.
The sanitary conditions are medieval. Like I said before, there is no real system for collecting trash, to my knowledge. Just got a new camera? Open it up and throw everything else out the window. It is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. The toilet paper is a faucet and a bucket of water... Stay away from the left hand!!! Sewage seems to run under some of the sidewalks and leaks everywhere, I even saw a little river leading into the Indian Ocean across the beach at Mamallapuram. Sad. While there are people that pick up bits and pieces of the trash, it is the equivalent of hitting an international cargo ship with a baseball bat, your not doing much damage; so it is normal to see burning piles of garbage throughout your day. To top it off, because of India's high heat, people primarily wear flip flops, open toed shoes, or no shoes at all (even at work whether its at the clinic or metal factory). So the locals are all walking around on the filthy ground. Different cultures for sure.
However, India does have an amazing and rich history. The forts and monuments perfectly display their heritage. The people are beyond nice. Of the stories I have told you where I have walked through the small villages and spoken with the locals, not one bad thing happened. Could you imagine a group of foreign people walking into Gonzales Gardens (a government housing project in my home town)? They would most like be shot or all be beaten up. Instead, we were greated with smiles, laughter, and invitations to join in on their sports games. How rare?
It is also weird to see how backwards some men and women's "roles" are. Women are typically seen on the side of the road doing all the work, while the men sit around and chat. Men are the ones sewing up clothes and cutting fabric. Also, men and women are separated in some public area. There is a security line for women and there is a special car on the train for women along with sectioned off areas in some busses.
The income disparity in India is a huge problem. The people that are poor are POOR! Living on the streets, a home made of trash on the side of the road, or in their rickshaws. Sad. Hard to go a day without seeing a beggar. Some of them will be women and have their child wrapped around their chest saying "food...food," holding out their hand then pointing to their baby's mouth. Or you may see a man with missing body parts or a serious disease. I never gave away money, only some leftover food. Lone vendors are another story, these guys will harass you till you die, showing off the most useless stuff. Do I really need a one and a half foot long cartoon guitar? One flock after the next, showing you the same stuff. "Excuse me sir, special price JUST for you." You can hear this echoing in the distance in almost any big tourist area. Once you get used to it, it's not a big deal at all, just walk past them and don't say A WORD. Even if you say no, or no thank you, you are the fish and they are the fishermen, you are hooked and they want stop reeling you in till you've bought something or you escape them.
I have heard that people leave India and absolutely fall in love with it. While I did grow up in a household where everything was to be picked up and put away or I got in trouble (after all my mom does get paid to be perfect, a blessing and a curse for her children), I did really like India and can't wait to come back. Now that I have seen the more iconic things in the country, I would like to visit more of the outskirts. Since the country has currently a large growing economy, I would love to see how it changes in 10-15 years. Often love is found after the two are separated. Maybe as time goes on, I will grow to miss India more and more. An American cooked chicken curry or veg thali can never be replaced by one cooked in India. The street food is definitely irreplaceable!
It is weird to think that I'm already done with India?! Time seems to go by so slow, then when I talk to other people and say, " yea like two weeks ago when I was in Jordan... Wait, that was over month ago!" I really understand the expression, time flys when your having fun.
The past two months have opened my mind to so many religions, cultures, and lifestyles both good and bad, but true life experiences are the only way to truly learn. Being around the history will teach you so much and allow you to soak it all in. How much do you remember of the Muslim religion or its history from your younger years in school (if your school taught it)? Me, not much, being a part of it everyday is like a secondary way of teaching. That is what I truly enjoy. It is the reason why I had 8 jobs in college. I like to work on cars and wanted to learn more about automobiles, so I got a job with a car repair company. I wanted to learn more about insurance, so I got a job with a commercial insurance company. I wanted to learn more about finance, so I got a job with an amazing wealth management team. To me, everything is amazing and I want to do, almost, everything. While in a professional sense that is not possible, I would like to learn law, medicine, politics, development, and engineering, which would take lifetimes to learn and practice, in a personal sense it is more achievable and that is what I am set out to prove. Most people are amazed that I, an American, know where their country is on a map or that I can ask them questions about their culture that most others don't know. THAT is why I'm out here.
I am out here fulfilling a longtime dream of mine, and I am thankful for it everyday. An idea can change your life. Not many people get to travel around the world, whether they cant afford it, had a job lined up after college, or simply have no desire to do it or are scared to, so I am taking full advantage to the cards in my hand.
Two months down, six countries checked off, and miles full of unforgettable memories and to think that the journey is no where near complete. What could the next six months possibly teach me?
Only time will tell and anything is possible.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." -- Robert Frost
amazing!
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