Inspired by Republic Day (the day India celebrates the writing of their constitution which made them a Republic) and my first year anniversary, I have made a list of things that I love about this country and a list of things I find challenging. Also, in the newspaper they listed 60 reasons to love India. I won’t share all 60 but have chosen my favorites to share with you.
Things I Love About India
1. People- I am very thankful for the kindness of strangers and the friendship of my colleges. I wouldn’t have survived my first year without my language helper and her family.
2. Food- I try to eat one Indian meal a day and one American meal a day. My favorite Indian foods include muttar paneer with puries, bhindi masala, yellow dal, dal makhani, pulauo and/or biryani, chana bhatura, masala dosas, samosas, vada, upma, uttapam. I love coconut chutney!
3. Celebrations- Indians know how to celebrate and they can find any reason or excuse to do so.
4. Family- It’s the most important thing. Enough said.
5. Shopping- I don’t like shopping in the States but I love to shop for material, clothes, a new suit or saree here. Of course, you have to find the appropriate accessories to go with your new attire. I also love buying books here b/c they are so cheap. Spice shopping can also be very fun. Don’t get me wrong…this is not everyday shopping…that I can do without.
6. Cool Places to Visit-It would take me years to explore all the amazing a nd historical things in the city where I live. A short train ride away are spectacular other cities as well. Then there’s the rest of the country. I could never see all that India has to offer.
7. Delivery- Anything can be delivered here…your groceries, your laundry and dry cleaning, anything purchased at a store, even McDonald’s delivers.
8. Color- I’ve never seen so many rich and vibrant colors.
9. Diversity- As the message my phone company sent me said, “31 states, 1618 languages, 6400 castes, 6 religions, 29 festivals, & one country-that’s India! That’s an understatement!
10. History- India’s history is an epic story that grips the reader with its twists and turns. There’s never a dull moment.
Challenges of Living Here
1. Water? Electricity? At least the sun is dependable=)
2. No, I’m not married.
3. India Weight Loss Plan=Delhi Belly + Crohn’s
4. Where’s the Beef?
5. Sanitation
6. Specialization-there’s someone different to do every little job.
7. Inhale, Take a deep…cough, cough, cough (Pollution)
8. Language---which language is that?
9. Triplicate Forms and more…
10. IST-Indian Standard Time…a new definition of being late
From the local paper, my top favorites:
1. Indianising of food: The can take any type of cusine and put an Indian twist to it. The best would be the Indianised Chinese.
2. Storytelling: India has some of the best stories. To begin with just take time to read the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. India is full of stories and the people are great storytellers. Every celebration, event, holiday, or festival is based on a story.
3. Chai: You need chai when it’s cold to warm you up; you need chai when it is hot to cool you down. You need chai when you’re tired to energize you; you need chai when you can’t sleep to help you fall asleep. Over-boiled, over-milked, over-sweetened. That’s Indian Chai. Never thought I would get sick of the stuff but living here has made me switch to coffee.
4. Bollywood Films: They are all the same: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back, someone dies, someone fights, add in family drama, something about friendship and finally mix in some singing and dancing. The audience will laugh and cry guaranteed! You’ve got a hit. They are fun and addictive.
5. Autos: Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Each auto reflects the driver’s personality. There’s a never a dull ride in these three-wheelers. Good luck on getting them to use the meter!
6. Bargaining: You can’t shop here without bargaining. It’s a definite art form with rules and guidelines. Don’t assume it’s like bargaining down on the border of Texas and Mexico or in an African market or anywhere else for that matter. Bargaining here takes on a style of its own.
7. Desi Hospitality: Want to feel like a king or queen? Just visit an Indian home. You’ll get more than you could ever eat or drank. You’ll be the most comfortable person in the room.
8. The Sheer Number of Holidays: If today isn’t a holiday then there must be some type of closer for some reason. With 6 major religions and national holidays, everyday is a holiday.
9. Food Taboos: I’ve finally discovered why people of different groups don’t eat with each other…it’s too complicated! This person won’t eat meat but will eat all veggies including onions and garlic. But this other veg person won’t eat onion or garlic or anything else grown under the ground. Who knows if they will eat eggs? Then if they do eat meat they may not necessarily eat eggs. For those non-veg people, the question is which meat and how was it butchered? One must make sure their guest partakes in dairy or not. Where does fish fall in all this? Preparing meals here makes me believe for the first time in segregation.
10. Indian English: It’s a language in its own rite. I’m having to learn it along with Hindi and Urdu and Punjabi and Parsi and Guajarati and Bengali and whatever else is being mixed into one sentence.
11. Domestic Help: This is where life becomes interesting. India is not a “Do it Yourself” nation. It’s more like find one person who can do one minute job very well and pay them for it. I have a man who empties my garbage, a woman who cleans my balcony and stairwell, another to clean my house. I pay her extra so I don’t have to hire someone to wash my clothes and another person to press it. If I need something hung, then I call the picture hanger guy, then there’s the electrician, the plumber, and all sorts of other people. When I go to the market I go to many different shops to get what I need. There’s very few one-stop –shops here. The ones they do have never keep the same things in stock. You’ll never know what you’ll find anywhere. It can be fun and annoying all at the same time.
12. Cell Phones: Everyone, Everywhere. No matter of social-economic status, caste, creed, race, gender or age. Whether you live in the most remote village or in the central of the capitol, you have a cell phone (which they refer to as mobiles here and txt are sms).
13. A name for every single person you are remotely related to…seriously! My mom is ma; my dad is papa or numerous other names. My sisters are didi or bahin or whatever their pet name is. My maternal grandma is nani; my maternal grandpa is nana. My paternal grandma is dadi; my paternal grandpa is dada. My mother’s younger brother is mama and there are other names for my other uncles depending on if they are older or younger than my parent and which parent they are a sibling o). My brother-in-law (of my eldest sister b/c it would be different if it was my younger sister’s husband) is giga. Nieces and nephews have different names depending on if they are your brother or sister’s child and if your brother or sister is younger or older than you. Then there are all the names for your mom’s aunties and uncles and your dad auntie and uncles. The list goes on. There is a specific name for each member of the family.
14. Pet Names: Then to make all the family names confusing, most people have pet names. One reason for this is the way names are given here. Each group names children differently. It is very common in most groups for someone else other than the parent to name a child. This usually happens weeks or even months after birth. Most kids are given pet names to be called until they are actually given a name usually in a formal naming ceremony. Then the kid rarely gets called by their given name unless at school or other official places.
My snot is black unless I'm sick. Then it’s green and black=)
I'm either cold, hot, or wadding through water.
Elephants, camels, monkeys are common place.
My definition of clean has become very arbitrary.
There are definite moments I would rather squat than sit on a toilet seat.
I've had to learn to let others do everything! Even change my light bulbs.
The list could go on and on and I will try to share more as I think of them. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my first year in India.
