This blog is a bit overdue, but I figured better late than never.
When in India…
• The traffic and roads are crazier than anything you have ever seen.
• The roads are not only filled with cars, but there are just as many motorcycles and autos every where.
• Street food was our favorite food, which consisted of fried rice or noodles.
• There are shopping malls, just like American malls, all around.
• There is American food! Starbucks, KFC, Chillis, McDonalds, Burger King and Subway.
• Women are expected to dress very modest. We must not show our ankles and our bottoms must be double covered, which means a pair of pants and a shirt then past our bottom.
• In church women must also double cover their chest with a scarf and cover their heads.
• Two common Indian women outfits were punjabis and sarees. A punjabi is a pair of baggy and typically colorful pants with a long shirt to your knees. A saree is about 10 yards of fabric that you wrap around yourself multiple times to create like a dress. I got the chance to wear both of these!
• You may attempt to live off $3 a day, but will find that just 1 more dollar makes all the difference in the world and is very doable.
• The food is extremely spicy. Even when your request no spice on your food it is still spicy.
• It is considered rude to use your left hand for anything.
• The streets are filled with all sorts of smells, some good and some very bad. You never know what you are about to get a whiff of as you walk by.
Due to working and living in an American run organization I’ve been told I didn’t get the full Indian culture experience, so here are a few points that I got from another team that lived out near a village.
• You will be asked to pray over coconut oil.
• People will take tons of candid photos of you while you are eating.
• Village food is some of the best food you will ever have in your life, according to our village people.
• You will need to draw water from a well to bathe or flush the toilet.
• If you weren’t served chai tea twice a day it was a true tragedy.
• Every dessert shared the name “sweet”.
• You may be asked to not leave the compound on which you are staying without your host accompanying you at all times.
India’s culture was very unique compared to anything I have ever experienced. We had a blast adapting to it and wearing all of the cultural clothes.
