Things that Americans and Indians can learn from each other....

This is just a brainstorm of the best things I can pick out from both cultures so far...

Indians can teach Americans:

• Be more earth friendly:  clean with reusable rags, serve food on plates that can be washed and reused, share transporation, use a fan instead of AC.
• Don't be so scared of germs.  You don't see Indian kids with allergies, because they aren't raised in the land of Purel and Lysol.  A strong immune system needs to be built.
• Don't smile so much, people will take advantage of your friendliness.  (I don't like this one, but it is true)
• Don't say "thank you" unless you really really mean it.  The phrase loses its meaning if it is over used.  Plus, if you are friends with someone, it is expected that they will help you out, and vice versa.
• Bargain!  No one should pay full price.
• Be comfortable with your emotions.  Indians are not afraid to be passionate and honest.
• Take care of your family.

Americans can teach Indians:

• Don't believe everything someone tells you.  Get some evidence for health remedies before blindly following them.
• Don't be so lazy, walking is good for you.  (disclaimer- there are a whole lot of lazy Americans too)
• Know directions.  No one in India has a map or could tell you which way was north.  People get to where they need to go here, but often not in the most direct way.
• Stop being so dependent.  Boys are often spoonfed (literally and figuratively) by their mothers until they marry off in their late 20's or early 30's.  This is frankly a bit creepy.
• Stop littering.  This is your home, do you want it to look like a dump?

Thats it for now.  But be assured that I love both India and the US!

Ankleshwar

I decided to visit my friend D in Ankleshwar.  She is only 3.5 hours away by train.  However, many of my fiends and coworkers warned me against it.  They said "trains aren't safe", "Ankleshwar is too polluted", and "her in-laws won't appreciate you imposing on them".  Not a single person in Ahmedabad was supportive.  I went anyway.  D needed some distraction from her boredom, and I was super homesick and needed a distraction from that as well.

As it turns out, everyone in Ahmedabad was wrong.

I took "sleeper class" for my train ride.  It is non-air conditioned, but there are open windows.  Even in the 106F heat, it wasn't bad at all.  It only cost 130 rupees each way (less than $4).  I could have easily afforded a first class AC coach, but I am getting sick of associating with the stuck-up upper middle class segment of India.  The people in sleeper class are more fun and friendly.  I made friends each way.  I bought tea for my train friends on my way there, and was given peanuts by neighbors on the way back.

Ankleshwar is a small city.  It is termed a "village" even though it has 60,000 residents.  The city is known for its chemical plants and oil refineries, but I didn't notice any smells or pollution duing my visit.

D's new family is Punjabi.  I had great food at their home (lots of non-veg, a nice change).  I practiced my Hindi and they seemed to appreciate my attempts.  We toured the neighborhood, went to an engagement ceremony, visited the temple that D was married in, and I learned to make roti and paratha!  I am thinking of even making roti at home for myself.

Before going to Ankleshwar, I got so homesick, I was thinking seriously of going back to Philly and leaving India for good.  Even though Ankleshwar is not a "tourist location", it was so nice to see some new sights and just the genuine goodness of families in india.  D's neice was especially sweet and friendly.  I now have a renewed excitement to stay here for a long time!

On the train

Riding scooter with friend, the ladies all wrap up like this to protect themselves from the sun and dust

Random ladies wanted pics of us

Boys playing cricket

Neighbors are moving out

Engagement Ceremony

Sikh temple will feed anyone, I love this...

D's family auto parts business

I rode a scooter, not yet ready for Ahmedabad traffic...

 

Sugarcane juice, yum

American Girl's Weekend

I had my first American visitor!  I met "D" on the expat-blog website.  She has a very interesting story.  She came to India as a tourist and impulsively married an Indian boy back in December 2010.  Now she is here in Gujarat staying with him and his family for 2 months, trying to learn to cook and speak hindi (her blog:  http://youareanindianwife.blogspot.com/).

I had so much fun playing the role as local in Ahmedabad rather than my usual role as newbie foreigner.

I picked D at the train station (side note: I'm starting to speak like an indian.  They "pick" someone instead of "pick up" someone from somewhere.  I will henseforth denote all my new indian phrases with an underline).  My proudest indian moment came next.  In a great crowd of auto drivers and arriving travelers, I drove a hard bargain and negotiated a very fair price from a driver for the trip to my flat.  Of course, I knew how much the trip should cost by meter because I had just made the trip from my flat to the station.  It was my first successful bargain.  Having never bargained for anything in my life, I suck at this.  Plus, the indians here know white people have no idea what anything should cost here, and try to charge even more.  I will try and develop this skill.

Since D has spent much time in India (5 weeks in Dec, and has been here this trip for a month), she didn't have much interest in Indian tourism - temples/mosques/Gandhi Ashram/step wells.  She is now staying in Ankleshwar, a "village" of 60,000 people, where there isn't much to do.  Therefore, she was excited to go to the Ahmedabad malls where there was a great bookstore and western stores.  The mall also had a "scary house", which was the funniest haunted house that I have ever visited.  We ate sandwiches (my favorite food when I am sick of indian), dinner from my favorite non-veg joint - Chawla, and even lunch at McDonalds.  I hate McD's, haven't eaten there in US in over 10 years, but had to see what it is like here.  I had the salsa paneer wrap (80% of the items are different than the US menu items).

Another funny food story.  We got ice cream.  When we paid, they gave change to the nearest 5 rupees, as it is common that small change is not available.  Technically, we were owed an additional 2 rupees.  That is only 4 cents, so I wasn't worried, but D asked for it.  I suggested that we get a small tasting spoon of another flavor to account for the money owed.  The ice cream shop workers agreed and we all had a good laugh about it.

I had so much fun talking to D about her experience here, and everything that is different and funny here.  We both love it here.  I think she should move here, but in Ankleshwar it would be hard for her.  I will try to convince her and her husband to move to Ahmedabad.

It was also so nice to walk around and know that everyone was staring at her in addition to me.  It took some of the self-conciousness away to have someone else "different" with me.  I hope more Americans will visit me soon (hint hint!).

I will be visiting D in Ankleshwar in 2 weeks, should be fun.

Us after the Scary House

McD's delivers here, how strange!