Because I found Indian culture to be quite interesting I decided to dedicate an ENTIRE blog to India and its Indian-isms.
Enjoy. 🙂
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Indians really do bobble their heads when saying “yes” and “no.” I have yet to master it, because our “no” looks like their “yes.” Confusing.
- My life has probably been put in danger more times this month than any others when it comes to transportation. Who knew riding in rickshaws would be so fun and yet so dangerous?
- Indians are very proud of their Bollywood actors and movies.
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Cows are as much a part of traffic as cars are.
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Car horns are used in place of turn signals and as a way to say, “hey, I’m here.” Lots of honking, and many of the horns sound like clown car horns.
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Shoes are left outside – haven’t worn my tennis all month (a first!)
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Indians sure do like their upbeat music in church!
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Electricity goes off at different times during the day.
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Go to bed sweaty – wake up sweaty. Simple logic.
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Mosquitoes are the spawn of satan. I counted (with a sharpie) 99 bug bits on my legs alone. My teammate Leah counted 170!
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Henna is the new pink. So fun and so not permanent! 😀
- It’s acceptable to throw trash just about anywhere. There’s a lot of it.
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Indian food has affected my diet. I’ve been sick the most this month, it’s exciting when I actually have an appetite now, and the amount of food I eat is smaller now. I’m still recovering in Nepal!
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Bangles. Are. Everywhere!
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Women and men sit apart from each other in church.
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Women cover their heads during prayer.
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Traffic is pretty much every man for himself, and lanes in the road are either nonexistent or ignored. Surprisingly, though, there is very little road rage. Who knew?!
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Idol statues, shrines, and temples are everywhere – even out in the middle of no where.
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Lines in stores or at fast food restaurants are also nonexistent. Yet, it’s not considered rude to push one’s way through to purchase something or to place an order. That’s a hard one to get used to.
- Toilet paper is a luxury. Most rural communities do not use it. I’ll leave you to guess what’s used instead…
- Indians eat and shake hands with their right hand only (the left hand is the one they wipe with). It was weird at first eating rice and a curry sauce with my fingers.
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Stringed lights that we would typically use at Christmas time can be found on many buildings for no apparent reason other than decoration. I thought they were fun. 🙂
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Rice is a staple.
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Smiling at men = flirting…oops! Not good for me, because I love to smile – a lot!
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Men often wear cloth wrapped around their waists like a skirt; however, they do not wear them in church. Our boys found out the first Sunday that it’s like wearing one’s bath towel to church (ha).
- Laundry done by hand consists of whipping clothing on a stone slab. It’s quite loud.
- Driving by the slums in Mumbai was like stepping into Slumdog Millionaire. So real and so heartbreaking.
- Burning incense can be found in many places.
- In many retail and food establishments idols are placed at the doorpost or near the entrance.
- Indians take education very seriously. Children would often request prayer to do well in school (not exactly the first thing on my mind when I was 8).
