Entry #2
May 3, 2014
Oh no, I drank the water. I'm not sure if it was bottled or not, but I stopped drinking after a few sips. The driver was not there to pick me up at first, but I still waited in the sizzling, Delhi heat for a half hour. After realizing I would need to call someone in the program, I asked a couple security guards about a pay phone. The only phone booths were inside the airport I had walked out of. Apparently I was not allowed back in with my suitcase, and I would drag that sucker to the ends of the Earth with me. So pay phones were out of the question. I waited at Pillar 17 for ten more minutes and then walked across the street to the police assistance booth. I was able to use a taxi driver's cell phone to make the calls. His group of fellow driver buddies were very willing to help me, although they did not understand most of what I was saying. I was told to go wait again at the pillar by Hema, a coordinator in the program. The driver found me five minutes later and we took off toward his car.
Culture shock #1: most citizens do not appear to speak English like I assumed they would. To further update you, the few Hindi phrases I learned are not enough to sustain an entire conversation. I am feeling quite alone due to this. I suppose I may also be feeling alone because I am sitting in a small room alone, waiting until my traveling partner Greg shows up later tonight. Please show up soon, Greg. I need a fellow North American!
Culture shock #2: Proper plumbing is not a major concern of India's. I have medication and toilet paper on hand, but I fear I may still encounter difficulties with my bowel system. Notice my use of the word "may," signifying that the chance of such an occurrence is not only possible but also probable.
Culture shock #3: Indians are quite touchy-feely. Let me clarify, in case any worried adults read this. I have not been groped or harassed since I've been here. Rather the physical closeness is something I notice when I see men holding hands because they are friends, almost every motorcycle carrying two or three passengers, or my taxi driver grabbing my hand to pull me somewhere or to examine my leopard ring. Really, I can't fault him for that one. My ring truly is completely fabulous. I do not mind this specific aspect of my culture shock because I am, fortunately, a very touchy-feely person also!
Culture shock #4: this is the big one–the traffic. Believe me when I say that no amount of research could prepare me for actual travel on the roads here. It's crazy! Insane! Madness! As the cab driver said, "there are no rules." And there honestly aren't! Seat belts are not worn; red lights are ignored; there is no such thing as "right of way;" there is no safe distance to maintain; and there is no rhyme or reason to anything! Roads are free game for cars, rickshaws, auto rickshaws, vikrams, buses, pedestrians, motorcycles, cows, basically anything that can physically touch the road. There were two or three times I feared for a pedestrian's life, but he or she did not hold the same fears. To be quite honest, if I could choose my preferred way to drive, it would be with no rules. I've never enjoyed heeding red lights or stop signs. After seeing the way every person drives, I focused on the cars to check for dents and scratches. My attempts were not wasted in futility. There were more cars with small dents and marks than there were without. This intrigues me for two reasons. The first is that I did not notice any cars with severe damage as are commonly seen in the United States. This is most likely because cars in India are constantly in very close proximity and thus do not travel as fast as those in America, which has a need for speed. The second reason this intrigues me is that the drivers are not afraid to drive mere inches from another car because they are not very afraid of a small collision. Almost every car had some sort of scratch or dent, but no one seemed to care! The cars in India don't look nearly as nice or expensive as those in the U.S. I feel this is because cars here are only used to get from point A to point B and not as a status of wealth. I may be wrong, but I get the feeling that Indians have far less vanity when it comes to material good or even overall.
Omg! It is scorching hot here! I can't believe they don't all wear tank tops and short shorts! Why do the most conservative cultures originate from some of the hottest climates?? With how little food I'll be eating and how difficult it can be to obtain bottled water, I fear I might really pass out from sun stroke. We will see, I suppose.
I can tell, already, I will not enjoy the food here. I am very scared I will offend my host family due to this. It is not that I am unwilling to try new foods; my stomach simply doesn't agree with many foreign dishes. Obtaining enough food and water is my primary concern at the moment.
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