Traveling in India has been a great experience so far. I took my first ever overnight train ride that was 14 hours and am now in the most religious city in India, called Varanasi. I haven’t been taking nearly as many photos this month as I have previously, and I think it’s because I wanted to capture a lot of beautiful things, but in India that can be difficult. The wealthy and the extreme poor literally live side by side.
I’ve had mixed feelings about India, and wasn’t sure how to quite say it, so I decided to compile a list of 5 things I love about India and 5 things that I could easily do without in this country. This list is completely personal preference and I hope it doesn’t sway your perspective of India too much.
1. I love the food! It’s cheap and you can find it anywhere. Chai tea in a small clay cup costs about 8 cents and meals on the street start at about 20 cents. Everything is also made in front of you, so you can see the ingredients and if you want your food spicy or not.
2. I hate the traffic. It’s horrible. I think people honk just because they have a horn, not really because it accomplishes anything. There are dogs, cows, people, bikers, tuk tuks, taxis, cars, and everything else that will jump in front of you at any second. Staying on your side of the road at all times is not mandatory; it’s optional. Nobody obeys the street signs or stop lights. Actually, that’s probably because I’ve only seen maybe 3 stop lights in this country….
3. I love all the colors. The women wear beautiful sarees and jewelry and love to adorn themselves. They also spend time on their makeup and hair. To women, looking beautiful is very important and shows that they respect themselves.
4. I hate how patriarchal this society is. Female infanticide is common here with many people practicing it illegally. Arranged marriages are also very common, and if the bride’s parents don’t have enough money to pay a nice dowry to a groom, they will sell their daughter into the sex slave trade to make a profit. These things mentioned are not researched; this is information that locals have shared with me.
5. I love the kindness of locals. People are always more than willing to answer our questions, and if they don’t speak English, they find someone quickly for us who can understand what we’re asking. We also find locals walking us to places, even if they’re 10 minutes away, instead of just pointing down the road.
6. I hate the impatience of people. If you’re standing in one place for more than 30 seconds, someone will surely push you or bump into you to make you move. When boarding a train or bus, people will forcefully push you to hurry up.
7. I love the history. India was the foundation for the Indus Valley civilization, the origin for Hinduism and Buddhism. Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa are famous for their work in India.
8. I hate the discrimination against foreigners to pay more. And this actually happens in a lot of countries, not just India. I hate that for a native of India to see the Victoria memorial costs 20 rupies, but for a white person it costs 200 rupies. And it’s like this with most things too: tuk tuk rides, taxis, visiting temples etc.
9. I love how common English is! It is SO REFRESHING to be in a country where people speak English. I didn’t realize how often I took it for granted until I started traveling and no one could understand me.
10. I hate all the pollution and lack of care for the environment. There is literally trash everywhere. The air reeks of pee, rotting food, poop, dead dogs and more. Sewage floods the streets instead of being contained. I just can’t really describe in words how filthy this country is…it is the dirtiest place I have ever been in the world.
Overall, I am adjusting daily to the ever-changing atmosphere in India and am enjoying myself more everyday, even with all the things I dislike mentioned above. This truly is a very unique country and worth a visit for anyone to learn about the distinct cultures and religions that are here. And I am learning more than anything that the more open I am about learning of other lifestyles, the more receptive people are to hearing about mine that includes sharing about Jesus.
