Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Day 1: June 15th, 2015

My first full day in India. . . I will do my best to put it into words. I have been learning from the moment I set foot in the country. New Delhi is what I would call tragically beautiful. The architecture, vehicles, people, animals, and colors are all absolutely gorgeous, but the poverty is blatantly apparent. There is so much to see, hear, smell, and do. Every sight is a rainbow. There are huts displaying colorful foods, beverages, and tapestries. Men and women stand in the streets to sell things to people waiting in traffic. These goods vary from life-sized balloons to sliced coconuts. while these are interesting--they are far surpassed by the ways of the roads. Lanes are painted on the streets as expected, but not a single driver follows them. Turning signals do not exist, neither does the three second rule. Communication is done through blaring horns, screaming Hindi out windows, and head nods. And the driver is seated on the right hand side of the car.
Another sight is the animals. There are what I like to call "generic" dogs everywhere. I refer to them this way because they are exactly what I picture when I hear the word "dog." One of the hardest things for me is to not touch or feed the poor things. Dogs here are as common as stray cats and squirrels in America. You cannot go anywhere without spotting at least three. Indian squirrels are absolutely fascinating to me. I had sent a picture to my mother who denied that it was a squirrel and rather referred to it as a "beaver-skunk." Due to the heat, Indian animals do not require as much fur for insulation, thus the squirrels look more like oversized gray chipmunks to the black and white stripes and less fluffy tail. Of course, I cannot forget to mention the cows. They are everywhere, easily as common as dogs. Bovine freely wander the streets and drivers dodge them just like a human pedestrian.
As well as these visual "lessons," I learned about Gandhi. we traveled to Gandhi Samadhi--The memorial of Gandhi. It was absolutely beautiful. The lesson, was enlightening. In America, we talk about Gandhi as a hero but here in India, he is viewed in many ways. He was both loved and hated. People respect him, but some are very unhappy with the way he did things. With this lesson I think it is important to remember that not everything we read is true--even if it is from a history book. Important information can be lost and misunderstood through transfer. Be wary of calling yourself a cultural expert unless you have truly lived your life their way. And never be afraid to question things. Questioning is how you can learn, no matter the lesson--it's how you get to the roots and begin to truly understand things.

 

4 comments:

  1. I enjoyed your post. It sounds like a crazy good time. What is your living space like there?

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  2. Thank you! It really is neat. My current living set up is in a hotel. In a few days we will be traveling to Nainital for a ten day home stay

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  3. So excited for you! I love you and I'm so proud of you.

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  4. Thank you for sharing. I could actually visualize the beauty as I read your beautiful words.

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