I couldn't help but want to post this to give everyone a true flavor of what its like to be in India. Some people think of India as a 3rd world country, full of poverty, snake charmers, and guys in turbans. This is partially true but its also a little too stereo-typical. Its important to understand the true India.
First, India is a developing country, meaning there are some modern facilities in place but lots more to do. Some people may not realize but India was under British rule until 1947- which is not so many years ago if you really think about it. As here, the British weren't super nice to the people there which limited their ability to grow and develop as a country.
Here is some good stuff:
You can purchase food and lots of different items in small stores all over town- for cheap. Walmart was forbidden (to date) from entering the Indian market. They would reek havoc on the 'mom and pop' shops that are everywhere and everyone knows it, which is why they were never allowed to come. You can get cheap stuff and pretty good variety, and the other good thing is they are open early morning to late night so when you need something you can get it.
Pharmacies don't need a prescription for most items. Although this can also be considered bad, again there is a convenience here that you don't have to run to a doctor just to get some cold medicine or antibiotic. I hear you do need a prescription for narcotics and things like this- so thats good. Also these pharmacies are open early and late, and located everywhere, so thats nice and easy.
Transportation is cheap. Auto- rickshaws are everywhere and will take you miles and miles for a dollar or less. Some of these guys are a little snotty and won't leave their area of town but lots of them are friendly and most drive safe so thats good. The India government regulates these guys pretty good so they have to post their name and license and wear a brown shirt and pants which helps identify who they are. Most of the autos are in good shape- although periodically you get in one that has a loose backseat bottom which slides around or is extra dirty or the guy drives way too fast, but for the most part this is a good source of transportation in a town where traffic is about as bad as it gets.
The shopping is awesome. There are parts of Bangalore (and I'm sure in most large cities) where there are streets and streets of vendors (like a flea market) selling jewelry, crafts, clothing and virtually anything else you can want. You can bargain pretty good with these guys and they again are open early and late. Also in this area are all the small Tailor shops which will custom sew you almost anything you want. I had 2 salwar suits (the long shirt and pants) custom made for me for around $15 (I brought the material). Its pretty amazing to have something made for your body-Indian people find it a little strange that we just buy all ready made stuff. Also you can have the blouses made for a sari for pretty reasonable- I had 2 made for about $10 including adding lining to both sari's so it lays nice and isn't transparent where you don't want it to be.
There is a very historic, old world feel. The temples are ancient and beautiful and lots of buildings have old carving and has a very interesting visual appeal. India overall is visually interesting- especially Bangalore which has lots of greenery and flowers.
Hindu Temple
Random street with some awesome greenery and flowers.
People overall are polite and helpful. Although they stare an uncomfortable amount of time, I never felt threatened or unsafe. I do feel overwhelmed at times because of the large volume of people in most places, but people there are known to band together if someone is attempting to rob someone or even if someone is acting inappropriate (it wouldn't be uncommon for a teenage boy to get slapped by a stranger if he got a little too close to a girl) on the street.
Here is a lady and her little girl we met at that religious function. I thought it was hilarious the little girl referred to the baby as 'foreigner'. btw- the old lady in the front I referred to as 'capital T' because I knew she was trouble the second I laid eyes on her. Roy's mom knew her from last year's function and although I couldn't understand much of what they talked about, I knew she was gossiping and probably thought we were a little crazy although she bought me some desserts and invited me to her house when we left.
Here is some bad:
Well, the poverty is quite real. There are areas where people just set up camp. This is sad considering they don't have a home and do only a simple job which probably only earns them enough to eat. As far as I can see, there is no good government welfare-type program to help these people so they basically just fend for themselves. If you ever want to read a good book about India- check out City of Joy. Sad, shocking, enlightening, and heart-warming all at the same time.
Volume of people. I guess the population is better under control now- but back in the day people had 10 or 15 kids so there are so many people living everywhere that its just so overcrowded its amazing. This adds to the litter, pollution, traffic and living issues.
Infrastructure issues. India has a ton of government corruption which is really sad. Money that is allocated for schools never makes it there, food intended for the poor never get to them, and cops are in it for themselves vs serving the public. This seems to be a very common problem that they just can't get a good handle on it. Also, issues with power and water are all over the place. As I mentioned in previous entries- the power goes out a few times a day for an hour in the area where Roy's family stays, but back in their hometown I hear its out more than its on. Also water is only released from the city once per day- so imagine turning on your faucet and not getting water. They store water on top of houses, which I can only imagine contributes to the water sanitation.
The street dogs really bug me. Dogs are treated there kinda like how squirrels are treated here. They are everywhere, most people avoid them, and nobody really thinks of feeding them. Some are hurt or sick and they are often violent in looking for food or defending their turf. Its sad for me, as a dog lover, to see them wander looking for food and trying not to be hit by a car. They are shockingly smart when it comes to knowing how to cross a 4 lane road filled with thousands of cars and not get hit.
The super weird:
McDonalds delivers.Considering this kind of fast food is new to India, having them deliver seems very odd to me and also the food never seemed quite as hot to me as I would like so knowing Indian punctuality, chances are good your food would be a iceberg by the time it arrived.
Apparently there is a group of people who I am told are neither male or female (they look like drag queens to me) and I guess if you give birth to a baby who has this medical condition, they somehow know this occurred and they come and get the baby and raise it for you. I find it difficult to believe this is that common (although I know it happens) but I am guessing a lot of these guys are gay or transvestites and just want to dress up like women but Roy thinks they are truly unisex. (note; being gay is ILLEGAL in India) I snapped this quick pic but was afraid of what they would do if they saw me take it. (You can see them behind these 2 guys in front- the one is wearing a red sari)
Women are very cautious in the way they dress. Although they can wear a sari which allows for a short blouse many times showing your stomach and back, virtually nobody shows their leg or shoulders and chest/neck area. I saw women in full sari's swimming at an amusement park, while men swam in their underwear and nobody seemed to mind. Women also prefer to remove hair from their arms vs legs or underarms- which seems odd to me but I guess goes along with the custom of being covered in those areas. Here is me with a little more stomach skin than I'm accustomed to- but thankfully no leg is showing...LOL
People honk their horns nonstop. After awhile you don't notice it and it seems super quiet here, but overall this is strange. As far as I can tell, people do it to alert others to your presence or to tell people to move over (for reserved people, this seems strange to me). Even big trucks encourage this by writing these types of messages on the back:
Some things aren't funny- or maybe just their brand of humor is different such as this wrapper from Taco Bell:
Arranged marriages freak me out. This is the 'norm' in India and I really don't get it. I guess its usually the family elders or widows who really get into this and there are all sort of unwritten rules related to caste and part of the country that govern how people get together. Generally its something like- your family knows some family and through discussion they determine their kids are a good match so once dowry (although technically illegal- but now referred to as gifts) is agreed upon, and priest determines if their astrology info matches up (apparently if it doesn't you can do ceremonies and other things to get around this)
In the pic below, Roy's college friend was getting engaged. (yes this is done via ceremony not the 'popped question' as we are accustomed to) You can tell the girl is super nervous and I felt bad for her as I heard she hardly knew or spoke to her to-be groom prior to this day. I am not at all comfortable with someone picking my future spouse, but in talking to one of Roy's local friends Ravi- he shed a little light on it for me. I asked if the guy in this pic would be bringing the girl to this get together we would be having one night and he said no it wouldn't be common for a guy and girl who are getting married to spend too much time together. The elders don't like to seem them get to know each other too, too well in order to prevent them from forming opinions prematurely. If they dont' know each other too well, after marriage they will grow together going down the same path vs going off in 2 different directions. Indians must know what their doing because the divorce rate is almost non existent and you could argue that women are just too meek to divorce guys here but the people overall are both very dedicated and truly believe in staying together for life no matter what. Even though I object, there was a small piece of logic to this that seemed to make sense.
India is both the strangest and most interesting place I have even been. I both hate it and love it at the same time. I feel very at home and very foreign when I am there. I miss it a lot now but die to come home.
First, India is a developing country, meaning there are some modern facilities in place but lots more to do. Some people may not realize but India was under British rule until 1947- which is not so many years ago if you really think about it. As here, the British weren't super nice to the people there which limited their ability to grow and develop as a country.
Here is some good stuff:
You can purchase food and lots of different items in small stores all over town- for cheap. Walmart was forbidden (to date) from entering the Indian market. They would reek havoc on the 'mom and pop' shops that are everywhere and everyone knows it, which is why they were never allowed to come. You can get cheap stuff and pretty good variety, and the other good thing is they are open early morning to late night so when you need something you can get it.
Pharmacies don't need a prescription for most items. Although this can also be considered bad, again there is a convenience here that you don't have to run to a doctor just to get some cold medicine or antibiotic. I hear you do need a prescription for narcotics and things like this- so thats good. Also these pharmacies are open early and late, and located everywhere, so thats nice and easy.
Transportation is cheap. Auto- rickshaws are everywhere and will take you miles and miles for a dollar or less. Some of these guys are a little snotty and won't leave their area of town but lots of them are friendly and most drive safe so thats good. The India government regulates these guys pretty good so they have to post their name and license and wear a brown shirt and pants which helps identify who they are. Most of the autos are in good shape- although periodically you get in one that has a loose backseat bottom which slides around or is extra dirty or the guy drives way too fast, but for the most part this is a good source of transportation in a town where traffic is about as bad as it gets.
The shopping is awesome. There are parts of Bangalore (and I'm sure in most large cities) where there are streets and streets of vendors (like a flea market) selling jewelry, crafts, clothing and virtually anything else you can want. You can bargain pretty good with these guys and they again are open early and late. Also in this area are all the small Tailor shops which will custom sew you almost anything you want. I had 2 salwar suits (the long shirt and pants) custom made for me for around $15 (I brought the material). Its pretty amazing to have something made for your body-Indian people find it a little strange that we just buy all ready made stuff. Also you can have the blouses made for a sari for pretty reasonable- I had 2 made for about $10 including adding lining to both sari's so it lays nice and isn't transparent where you don't want it to be.
There is a very historic, old world feel. The temples are ancient and beautiful and lots of buildings have old carving and has a very interesting visual appeal. India overall is visually interesting- especially Bangalore which has lots of greenery and flowers.
Hindu Temple
Random street with some awesome greenery and flowers.People overall are polite and helpful. Although they stare an uncomfortable amount of time, I never felt threatened or unsafe. I do feel overwhelmed at times because of the large volume of people in most places, but people there are known to band together if someone is attempting to rob someone or even if someone is acting inappropriate (it wouldn't be uncommon for a teenage boy to get slapped by a stranger if he got a little too close to a girl) on the street.
Here is a lady and her little girl we met at that religious function. I thought it was hilarious the little girl referred to the baby as 'foreigner'. btw- the old lady in the front I referred to as 'capital T' because I knew she was trouble the second I laid eyes on her. Roy's mom knew her from last year's function and although I couldn't understand much of what they talked about, I knew she was gossiping and probably thought we were a little crazy although she bought me some desserts and invited me to her house when we left.Here is some bad:
Well, the poverty is quite real. There are areas where people just set up camp. This is sad considering they don't have a home and do only a simple job which probably only earns them enough to eat. As far as I can see, there is no good government welfare-type program to help these people so they basically just fend for themselves. If you ever want to read a good book about India- check out City of Joy. Sad, shocking, enlightening, and heart-warming all at the same time.
Volume of people. I guess the population is better under control now- but back in the day people had 10 or 15 kids so there are so many people living everywhere that its just so overcrowded its amazing. This adds to the litter, pollution, traffic and living issues.
Infrastructure issues. India has a ton of government corruption which is really sad. Money that is allocated for schools never makes it there, food intended for the poor never get to them, and cops are in it for themselves vs serving the public. This seems to be a very common problem that they just can't get a good handle on it. Also, issues with power and water are all over the place. As I mentioned in previous entries- the power goes out a few times a day for an hour in the area where Roy's family stays, but back in their hometown I hear its out more than its on. Also water is only released from the city once per day- so imagine turning on your faucet and not getting water. They store water on top of houses, which I can only imagine contributes to the water sanitation.
The street dogs really bug me. Dogs are treated there kinda like how squirrels are treated here. They are everywhere, most people avoid them, and nobody really thinks of feeding them. Some are hurt or sick and they are often violent in looking for food or defending their turf. Its sad for me, as a dog lover, to see them wander looking for food and trying not to be hit by a car. They are shockingly smart when it comes to knowing how to cross a 4 lane road filled with thousands of cars and not get hit.
The super weird:
McDonalds delivers.Considering this kind of fast food is new to India, having them deliver seems very odd to me and also the food never seemed quite as hot to me as I would like so knowing Indian punctuality, chances are good your food would be a iceberg by the time it arrived.
Apparently there is a group of people who I am told are neither male or female (they look like drag queens to me) and I guess if you give birth to a baby who has this medical condition, they somehow know this occurred and they come and get the baby and raise it for you. I find it difficult to believe this is that common (although I know it happens) but I am guessing a lot of these guys are gay or transvestites and just want to dress up like women but Roy thinks they are truly unisex. (note; being gay is ILLEGAL in India) I snapped this quick pic but was afraid of what they would do if they saw me take it. (You can see them behind these 2 guys in front- the one is wearing a red sari)
Women are very cautious in the way they dress. Although they can wear a sari which allows for a short blouse many times showing your stomach and back, virtually nobody shows their leg or shoulders and chest/neck area. I saw women in full sari's swimming at an amusement park, while men swam in their underwear and nobody seemed to mind. Women also prefer to remove hair from their arms vs legs or underarms- which seems odd to me but I guess goes along with the custom of being covered in those areas. Here is me with a little more stomach skin than I'm accustomed to- but thankfully no leg is showing...LOL
People honk their horns nonstop. After awhile you don't notice it and it seems super quiet here, but overall this is strange. As far as I can tell, people do it to alert others to your presence or to tell people to move over (for reserved people, this seems strange to me). Even big trucks encourage this by writing these types of messages on the back:
Some things aren't funny- or maybe just their brand of humor is different such as this wrapper from Taco Bell:
Arranged marriages freak me out. This is the 'norm' in India and I really don't get it. I guess its usually the family elders or widows who really get into this and there are all sort of unwritten rules related to caste and part of the country that govern how people get together. Generally its something like- your family knows some family and through discussion they determine their kids are a good match so once dowry (although technically illegal- but now referred to as gifts) is agreed upon, and priest determines if their astrology info matches up (apparently if it doesn't you can do ceremonies and other things to get around this)
In the pic below, Roy's college friend was getting engaged. (yes this is done via ceremony not the 'popped question' as we are accustomed to) You can tell the girl is super nervous and I felt bad for her as I heard she hardly knew or spoke to her to-be groom prior to this day. I am not at all comfortable with someone picking my future spouse, but in talking to one of Roy's local friends Ravi- he shed a little light on it for me. I asked if the guy in this pic would be bringing the girl to this get together we would be having one night and he said no it wouldn't be common for a guy and girl who are getting married to spend too much time together. The elders don't like to seem them get to know each other too, too well in order to prevent them from forming opinions prematurely. If they dont' know each other too well, after marriage they will grow together going down the same path vs going off in 2 different directions. Indians must know what their doing because the divorce rate is almost non existent and you could argue that women are just too meek to divorce guys here but the people overall are both very dedicated and truly believe in staying together for life no matter what. Even though I object, there was a small piece of logic to this that seemed to make sense.
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