india 07

the time's come to live up to my promise of going back to my past trips. it seems like for the time being there's nothing much happening in my little bit of Chicago, and since it's been almost a year that I went to India it seems like a good place to take off.

You might think - ancient history, in a year you are bound to forget the whole trip, maybe all that's left are some stereotypes that, after all, stay with us the longest. But that's not true. I remember a lot, the longer it's been, the more I miss India. And it's not because I look at it through rose tinted glasses, no, I think I am aware of all the faults that lie in this subcontinent, of great poverty; nevertheless, I appreciate my Indian experience a lot.

When I think of it, the most amazing thing about India are its people. They are open and hospitable. This is what some say of Poles when they come here but to my mind there can be no comparison between these two nations. After all I don't know any Polish family that would invite complete strangers from a different country to dinner. And that's only one of many nice things that happened to us during our three-week trip. At first I thought it was because they wanted us to buy something from them or trick us somehow. Now I am ashamed this thinking. Most people we met on our way turned out extremely friendly and helpful, which makes you wanna come back even more.

The more you realize how immense and undiscovered the country is, the more you want to come back. We only visited two regions and it took us almost two weeks to see some parts of them. Anywhere we went there were people telling us what else there is to see and all we could do is shrug our shoulders with helplessness at our limited money and time resources and promise ourselves that one day we would be back.

What struck me most in India was the colors and the smell. I don't think I have to explain this. For me, a product of European mass culture, it was like being dumped in the whole different world, a world where women don't wear black jackets and don't scurry off to their offices. I realize it's not like that everywhere, and definitely not in Mumbay ;) but still. I really liked the fact that young girls and women wore sari one day and jeans and a T-shirt the other, that they have a choice and they are wise enough not to reject their tradition but they know how to combine it with the new.

Our cultures are different, we eat differently, we work differently, we dress differently. I appreciate all those differences realizing that it's just the way we are, you have yummy veggie dishes, we have good dumplings, for you it's OK to run late, we wouldn't be admitted to classes coming 30 minutes late, you wear lots of jewelery, for us one or two rings and a bracelet is enough. But there is one thing about which I can't think differently but in terms of sheer jealousy. It's about how you dance! When I went to a Hindu wedding and saw ten-year olds dancing I turned into a green-eyed monster.

Even though I skipped classes during these three weeks I learned a whole lot. This India experience taught me not to give up so easily (haggling) and to enjoy little things (an ice-cold lassie in a crowded street cafe) and to know what you want and how much you can sacrifice.