· *September 9th marks day 100 in India for me and I've been gathering a list of things that India has taught me. For those of you that have been here, please do add your own bits of wisdom - I would love to hear them!
· On a dark road, avoid even darker spots on the ground
· I will never get used to the smell of urine
· Always carry Toilet Paper
· Squat-toilets aren’t always better than no toilet
· Always carry an extra plastic bag (thanks Tina)
· Always carry mosquito spray/afterbite
· Always carry a flashlight/torch
· I can never have enough masala chai
· Never plan on electricity
· Never expect anything to depart/arrive on time
· I love riding in auto-rickshaws and hate riding in cycle-rickshaws (and will not ride in the wagons pulled around in Mt. Abu)
· Monkeys, cows, dogs, and goats are cheeky animals, it’s the pigs that behave
· There is nothing like Indian hospitality
· Words like different, same, little etc must be repeated to have meaning
· Staring is not impolite, it is in fact, a way of life
· Traveling as a single woman means that I haven’t been able to find a husband in my own country and came to India to find one
· When in doubt, take your shoes off
· Trash put in the ever-so-rare bin will end up tossed in the street anyway (and I still can't bring myself to put it there myself)
· Red on the ground is either blood or snowcone
· Coconut and ginger go well with (almost) everything
· Hindi is a very difficult language – but I love the challenge
· Bless India
· Bless India for giving Tibetans sanctuary
· Bless Tibetans
· Bless the Dalai Lama
· Yes means, yes, I don’t know, I don’t understand, maybe, you’re welcome and We found your item but we are not going to tell you where it is…
· There are actually times when I am not in the mood to be in a photo
· I’m finally getting retribution for all of the ‘snaps’ I’ve taken of locals
· Stickers are a good thing to have on you for local kids
Something as simple as a red dot can gain entrance into some of the most private circles
· Apparently, I love playing dress up as much as I did at age 5
· We should all celebrate brother/sister day
· I am destined to carry a layer of India around as long as I am in the country
· To me, ‘dirty’ is relative, however clean is not
· One can never be alone in this country unless locked in your hotel room and even then, more than likely, bugs are there to keep you company
· I believe I have seen more than enough Hindu temples for the rest of my life
· Poverty and poor are two very different things
· The human spirit can endure much more than the mind can comprehend
· My horn honking/buzzing/jingle-jangling tolerance is a bell curve
· The aggregate of little things is what’s important, frustrating, what teaches, defines, builds up and breaks down – what is India
5 comments:
Great observation, Good luck with your stay in India. Have linked to your piece from my blog http://rickshawchallenge.com/blog/
What's the "retribution" for your snaps?
I hope you have lots of pride in this list; one of the best lists I've ever read... not to mention it will help me tons.
Stickers! Brilliant! They weigh... nothing.
a few i'd add:
-always carry a fake wedding ring and be ready with an explanation of where your "husband" is.
-four facts about indian whiskey: cheap, effective, awful, but mixes well with sprite.
-in india you will learn to appreciate the importance of (and yet never quite master) the country's two national sports: cricket, and head-wobbling.
missing you (and india) tons my dear, have fun and keep up the adventuring!
Lis - The retribution for all my 'snaps' of locals is getting 'snapped' all day long myself! :)
Shira - too true! Very worthy additions. You know, Scott also ammended my "red on the ground" to being not only blood or snowcone but also betel nut. Indeed, we mustnt forget the betel nut! :)
When people ask me to bullet-point my thoughts on India, I'm just going to point them to your blog from now on. =)
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