Culture Shock

Key concept: "Culture Shock"
Definition: When one's mind continuously relays the phrase, "omgomgomg what's going on omgomg."

I'm now going to tell you some things about India. I'm just gonna spit them out in no order because I'm trying to hurry because we have a car coming to pick us up in an hour or something. These are things I noted in the Agra-Delhi car ride.


Notes:

-Indians are very often BEAUTIFUL. In the poorest of areas one can see model-gorgeous people! Stunning eyes and pretty faces. Children are a-freakin'-dorable. I yelp every time I see a toddler.

-Billboards always display light-skinned Indians. I thought this was interesting considering that the average person I've seen is much darker. "Paint my face in your magazine. Make it look whiter than it seems." -Nelly Furtado sings that. This happens all over the world. South Korean pop stars use powder in music videos to appear whiter. hmm.

-Guys hold hands as they walk places sometimes. Men are very comfortable with touching each other while talking.

-Even if an Indian only knows 3 phrases in English, one of those phrases is "no problem". This makes me feel very secure.

** So now I will talk about the driving. This may be boring for you to read. But I want to remember my thoughts and notes. 1st, Pictures:




- I have heard this phrase thrice since I've been here: "Good horn, good brakes, good luck." This is the only law for the roads in India. (with the exception of New Delhi, which I have not been to. It supposedly has traffic laws.)
- I describe a trip on Indian roads as ' constant severe danger.'
- I would describe road-culture as 'functional anarchy'.
- A bike hit us yesterday. Insurance companies were not called.
-I have been on the roads for more than 12 hours so far since being here. I have not seen a single wreck or damaged car on the side of the road. No doubt, if I drive from Atlanta to Sylvester I will see more than 3 accidents. Hence, "functional".
- I was thinking about how I would want to start a neighborhood committee that would aim to lessen street dangers and would rally to produce a safer environment. Soon after I thought that- I unthought it because there is absolutely NO need- as no one seems to be scared or hurt. Roads appear to be dangerous while they actually produce no harm. It's like an optical illusion.
- Drivers hardly never use their rear-view mirrors, as there is too much happening in front of them to have time to peek behind! CHAOS.
-People run across the road without looking. Mothers hold babies on the back of motorcycles with one hand as the child sleeps, bounce bounce! Dangerous weaving by monstrous trucks.
-Every driver on the road is only looking out for his vehicle. Drivers try to find the shortest and fasted route to destination. This means they swerve all around the road and shoot through tiny spaces and do not wait for others or let others in front of them and no one WAITS A SECOND!!- they just GO!
- Our driver's strategy was to stay straddling the center line of a 2-lane road as to get a better view of the entire road. This way, he could weave left or right faster, depending on where other cars are. This is the same strategy I use for Temple Run. This man was using this strategy with my LIFE.
- I have detected some sort of honking language. Indians know if a honk means, "I'm right here!" "Move!" "What's up?" "I'm coming!" "I'm about to pass you" and "I'm literally about to smash all your lives together!".
- Intersections in India can be described like this: Close your eyes and imagine Spaghetti Junction. We know that Spaghetti Junction can feed cars onto I-85, 285 East, 285 West, and several other highways/roads. Imagine Spaghetti Junction, in all it's glory, without any side railings. Dangerous, huh? Now, imagine what Spaghetti Junction would look like if an over-sized elephant sat on it to squash all the bridges to one level. Without railings. Without stop lights. And with cars freely choosing which side of the road they want to travel on. This is a typical intersection in India.
- I read something that mentioned a study that showed that Indian cows prefer to be in the street because the toxic fumes from cars keeps flies away.
- No India appears scared. When we almost smash into someone while holding the horn... the pre-squashed person doesn't even look at us. They say, "Well I've never gotten hit before!"

That's all I wanna say about traffic. Now, we speak on TRASH. Obviously I have not been all over India, so I cannot speak to that degree. But here's the summary of the trash where I have been. Here are pictures.





- Trash is everywhere.
- Animals eat the trash. I have also seen humans looking for treasures in trash piles. Severe poverty.
- Boys pee wherever they darn please. And not how boys pee in Sylvester behind their truck or in bushes. But on town walls. Disclaimer: I must now point out to you that I have also done this in my adult life.
- I know people who cut Coke 6-pack plastic before disposing of them in trash cans for fear dolphins will die if they don't. India is laughing at you. These animals are fine.
- My ipod with my notes on this topic died :-/


END.