Having arrived in India only a few days ago, my experiences
thus far have been notable and remain very fresh in my mind. Although I was
somewhat educated about Indian culture and customs before I left, there was
nothing that could have fully prepared me for the organized chaos that is
India. What follows are descriptions of some very notable first impressions and
advice for India, all of which represent strong deviations from the American culture
to which I have grown accustomed to.
1. Don’t
lose your bags
Yes, it happened to me and it has apparently happened to
many before me but DON’T let it happen to you. It has been four days since I have
arrived and I still have no clue as to the whereabouts of my luggage despite
many fruitless attempts to communicate in Pidgin English with the airline customer
“(dis)service”. At the very least, travelers should take a carry-on with at
least four days of clothing and supplies but make sure your carry-on is under 8
kg otherwise you will be forced to check it in. This was the case with me. Thus,
the first thing that I discovered after stepping off of the plane in India and
discovering my luggage was missing was that I have nothing but the shirt on my
back to keep me company. It has been four days now in the same clothes and I am
beginning to become concerned that the prolonged stares from people are no
longer because I am white but because they can smell me from across the street.
2. Be
prepared to be a foreigner
Having grown up in the United States and traveling only
sporadically to the neighboring countries of Canada and Mexico, I have never
truly felt like a foreigner. It is an eerie feeling to be 3-5 inches taller
than nearly every male and ogled constantly at for what I think must be my
white skin or blond hair. However, during these first few days I feel I have
been staring back just as much as everyone here appears just as foreign to me
as I must appear to them. It is as if two alien cultures are meeting for the
first time on uncommon ground and neither quite knows how to react to the
other. My interactions of this nature inevitably degenerate into a classic
staring contest every time.
3. We’re
not in Kansas anymore
I received my first real glance at India during my departure
from the airport. While I struggled to keep down my airplane meal as the taxi
driver careened through a traffic jam at 12:00am, it hit me that India, especially
driving in India, is simply organized
chaos. No one can quite explain how it works, but it works. Driving in
India is a sport for the insane where two lane roads morph into three lane
highways and cars and mopeds compete with each other in an endless game of “Chicken”
to see who will give way first. The universal language seems to be communicated
in a relentless symphony of honks and blaring horns. Of course, one must not
forget the stray dogs and cows which also share the road. Yes, I said cows. I
still cannot quite fathom how a huge bustling city like Bangalore can manage to
have stray cows walking around the streets. But then again, there are still
many things in India which mystify me.
4. The
bathroom situation
Excuse me for a moment while I engage in some potty talk,
but I do this only because I feel a duty to educate ignorant travelers like
myself of the ways of India. While packing, it was mentioned to me that I should
bring a roll of toilet paper to India because their toilet paper does not meet
the discerning plush standards of Western buttocks. However, I declined to listen
to this knowledgeable advice with the thinking that my butt can handle a little
harsh toilet paper. I was sorely mistaken. Picture me in this situation as a
weary traveler who has just checked into his room at 1 am and is in need of a bathroom.
With the tunnel vision of a man on a mission, I located the bathroom and
realized during the cleanup portion of the procedure that there was no toilet
paper. I had prepared for harsh toilet paper, not a complete lack of toilet
paper. As I searched frantically around the bathroom I came across a shiny
hose. It didn’t take me long to figure out that in India, water jets are the
new toilet paper 2.0. To prevent any unnecessary discomfort, I gingerly applied
the water hose until I felt I was clean enough. Dare I say that with no toilet
paper means there is no way to dry oneself after applying the hose. I will
never forget that soggy pants feeling as I walked out of the ordeal.
Needless to say, getting to bed my first night in India was
quite an experience. Stepping into the travel adventure of India is a
borderline sensory overload experience. Lucky for me, three months remain to
explore and discover India.
