Goodbye India
In 11 hours, I'll be flying to Korea and from there, home sweet home. I don't think I'll get down and kiss the ground when I get there, but I would if it weren't so unhygenic. I'm thinking I probably will kiss my bed and my shower, and my refrigerator and my high-def TV and my DVR and my toilet... ummm, cancel that last. But you get the idea. Nothing makes one appreciate the finer things in life more than being deprived of them.
If I take away anything from this experience, it will be that we in the USA are so incredibly fortunate. Ours truly is a land of plenty. Those unfortunate people among us who feel they haven't shared in the 'American Dream' should see what poverty really looks like. Here, the poor sleep in the open on hard pavement without even a pot to pee in- literally. No TVs. No cars. No changes of clothes. No food. No nothing. They posess only the rags on their backs. Nobody is there to give them a handout of any sort. I mean no disrespect to India, but honest to God, our so-called poor have a standard of life equal to the lower-middle class here.
Except for the fortunate rich, everyone in India works incredibly hard and for long hours to get by. Even the beggars are hustling in what, here, is a profession. Nobody gets a free ride. And yet, they remain gracious and good natured.
It is a different world. Not better or worse, just different. I've learned that when you come here you should leave your judgments at home. Take India on it's own terms. In a material sense, our standard of living is orders of magnitude higher, but as far as I could see, Indians enjoy a quality of life Americans could only wish for. People who have jobs are grateful to have them. They have strong family ties. Our divorce rate is 50 percent- they don't even have one worth measuring. While our cancer rate is in the 40 percentile, theirs is around 4 percent. I read their newspapers most days and I don't recall a single instance of anyone shooting kids in schools. Imagine that!
I have experienced absolutely no resentment from anyone here. Even though, from their perspective, I am fabulously wealthy. Not even a whiff of any "Yankee go home" sort of business. I can't say that about my travels around my own country. On the contrary, folks went out of their way to be warm and hospitable. Sometimes so much so that it was downright embarrassing. For example, I was standing outside a palace admiring the building when two young guys approached me and asked where I was from. This has happened uncountable times since I've been here. (How do you suppose they know I'm from out of town?) Anyway, they were so overwhelmed that they were talking to a real live American from California, they started hugging me and putting their heads on my shoulders and calling to their friends to look. I'm ashamed to say it, but the thought crossed my mind that my pockets were about to get picked, but no, they were just nice guys who were happy to meet a foreigner. I've been asked many times, with genuine sincerity, if I have been enjoying India. They want their guests to be happy and they feel individually responsible that you do. And its been like that from day one. Indians would sooner open a vein than be rude to a guest in their country.
BTW, those young guys weren't gay. It is customary for men to show affection for each other physically. I don't mean kissing, but hand holding or walking arm-in-arm. That sort of thing. Its a little disconcerting at first until you get with the program. Conversely, there is NO physical contact between the sexes in public. In private, well, you do the math- there are a billion of them, lol.
There's another quirky little thing Indians do that still throws me a curve. Instead of nodding their heads up and down like we do to indicate a "yes", they sort of waggle their heads left-right. To the uninitiated, it looks like a no. Sometimes they give it an abbreviated tilt to one side that apparently means "of course", but looks to me like "who gives a crap?" This lack of savvy on my part has lead to some amusing who's-on-first sort of exchanges.
So, before I go, I'd like to say, "Thank you, India, for your hospitality and your generosity of spirit. Thank you for your many little kindnesses and your enthusiastic eagerness to help an oft-times befuddled traveler stumble his way through your amazing country. I've had a wonderful visit.
Fare well."
And to the rest of you- I'll let you know that I've arrived home safe and sound when I get there. Once I'm done kissing appliances.
If I take away anything from this experience, it will be that we in the USA are so incredibly fortunate. Ours truly is a land of plenty. Those unfortunate people among us who feel they haven't shared in the 'American Dream' should see what poverty really looks like. Here, the poor sleep in the open on hard pavement without even a pot to pee in- literally. No TVs. No cars. No changes of clothes. No food. No nothing. They posess only the rags on their backs. Nobody is there to give them a handout of any sort. I mean no disrespect to India, but honest to God, our so-called poor have a standard of life equal to the lower-middle class here.
Except for the fortunate rich, everyone in India works incredibly hard and for long hours to get by. Even the beggars are hustling in what, here, is a profession. Nobody gets a free ride. And yet, they remain gracious and good natured.
It is a different world. Not better or worse, just different. I've learned that when you come here you should leave your judgments at home. Take India on it's own terms. In a material sense, our standard of living is orders of magnitude higher, but as far as I could see, Indians enjoy a quality of life Americans could only wish for. People who have jobs are grateful to have them. They have strong family ties. Our divorce rate is 50 percent- they don't even have one worth measuring. While our cancer rate is in the 40 percentile, theirs is around 4 percent. I read their newspapers most days and I don't recall a single instance of anyone shooting kids in schools. Imagine that!
I have experienced absolutely no resentment from anyone here. Even though, from their perspective, I am fabulously wealthy. Not even a whiff of any "Yankee go home" sort of business. I can't say that about my travels around my own country. On the contrary, folks went out of their way to be warm and hospitable. Sometimes so much so that it was downright embarrassing. For example, I was standing outside a palace admiring the building when two young guys approached me and asked where I was from. This has happened uncountable times since I've been here. (How do you suppose they know I'm from out of town?) Anyway, they were so overwhelmed that they were talking to a real live American from California, they started hugging me and putting their heads on my shoulders and calling to their friends to look. I'm ashamed to say it, but the thought crossed my mind that my pockets were about to get picked, but no, they were just nice guys who were happy to meet a foreigner. I've been asked many times, with genuine sincerity, if I have been enjoying India. They want their guests to be happy and they feel individually responsible that you do. And its been like that from day one. Indians would sooner open a vein than be rude to a guest in their country.
BTW, those young guys weren't gay. It is customary for men to show affection for each other physically. I don't mean kissing, but hand holding or walking arm-in-arm. That sort of thing. Its a little disconcerting at first until you get with the program. Conversely, there is NO physical contact between the sexes in public. In private, well, you do the math- there are a billion of them, lol.
There's another quirky little thing Indians do that still throws me a curve. Instead of nodding their heads up and down like we do to indicate a "yes", they sort of waggle their heads left-right. To the uninitiated, it looks like a no. Sometimes they give it an abbreviated tilt to one side that apparently means "of course", but looks to me like "who gives a crap?" This lack of savvy on my part has lead to some amusing who's-on-first sort of exchanges.
So, before I go, I'd like to say, "Thank you, India, for your hospitality and your generosity of spirit. Thank you for your many little kindnesses and your enthusiastic eagerness to help an oft-times befuddled traveler stumble his way through your amazing country. I've had a wonderful visit.
Fare well."
And to the rest of you- I'll let you know that I've arrived home safe and sound when I get there. Once I'm done kissing appliances.
posted by Rick | 1:14 AM
2 Comments:
Well I know that you are already on your journey home, but I want to thank you for allowing me to share it with you. Thanks for taking the time away from your trip to include us.
Welcome home, Nancy
Hi Rick,
I absolutely love your blog! It so very refreshing to read someone who makes you feel as if you are experiencing things through their eyes. Couple this with the fact that you are just too funny and it makes for an incredibly enjoyable read! Thanks for sharing!
Tracy
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