What to say after 2 1/2 years of living in India?
Here are my answers to my most frequently asked questions.
What do you like the best about India?
Without a doubt, the best part of India is the people. Indians have been incredibly welcoming, patient, understanding, patient, gracious, patient, tolerant, and patient. We thank everyone we met for putting up with crazy, ignorant Americans.
Secondly -- food. The food here is exceptionally good -- as I have told many people, if the rest of the world cooked vegetables like India does, we’d all be more inclined to be vegetarians. Now I'm back in the land of bland overly-cheese-sauced veggies. Dump the cheese and get some masala in those veggies!
What one thing do you like the least about India?
This one is also easy -- the trash. It takes a change of mind, but it's not difficult to put trash in a "dust bin" rather than just drop it on the street. Indian homes -- at all economic levels -- are immaculately clean. But the streets and river banks and beaches can be trashy and polluted beyond description.
Personally, I also felt defeated by the climate from time-to-time. Monsoon is clean and refreshing, but everything is damp and moldy. "Summer" (April-May) is unbearably hot and dusty. On the other hand, "winter" (December-January) is fabulous weather: Cool nights, and warm (not hot) dry days.
What do I miss the most about the U.S.?
It's not peanut butter or beef.
What do I really miss? #1: Clean water. #2: Clean air. #3: Sanitation. #4: Weekends.
More thoughts
India is at heart an optimistic country. It has many problems, but many young and enthusiastic problem solvers.
India's biggest problem (IMHO) is sanitation. Poverty, lack of health care, and lack of sanitation go hand-in-hand. It's a big challenge, but cleaning up trash, sewage, and industrial pollution is possible.
Health care. If you get to a major hospital, you can get decent to excellent care. The main problem is getting to a hospital if you get sick, or worse, if you get in a major accident. Good hospitals are few and far between. The traffic woes make it even worse. When it can take an hour to go a few km in Mumbai or Delhi, even being close to a hospital may not be enough. And too many "hospitals" are not even close to western medical standards. Some are downright dangerous.
Corruption is a fact of life here, but the expectations are changing. Say what you will about the heartlessness of multinational corporations, but they are in the lead on fighting political corruption.
Regulation is on the books in India, but enforcement can be lax. Pollution is tolerated for the sake of jobs and wealth. Medicine and education are definitely caveat emptor industries. And yet, I repeat the first paragraph in this section. This is a young and irrepressible country.
So, fir milengi ("'til we meet again"). We'll be back for a visit in 2017. India has gotten into our blood, and it's not going away!
Here are my answers to my most frequently asked questions.
What do you like the best about India?
Without a doubt, the best part of India is the people. Indians have been incredibly welcoming, patient, understanding, patient, gracious, patient, tolerant, and patient. We thank everyone we met for putting up with crazy, ignorant Americans.
Secondly -- food. The food here is exceptionally good -- as I have told many people, if the rest of the world cooked vegetables like India does, we’d all be more inclined to be vegetarians. Now I'm back in the land of bland overly-cheese-sauced veggies. Dump the cheese and get some masala in those veggies!
What one thing do you like the least about India?
This one is also easy -- the trash. It takes a change of mind, but it's not difficult to put trash in a "dust bin" rather than just drop it on the street. Indian homes -- at all economic levels -- are immaculately clean. But the streets and river banks and beaches can be trashy and polluted beyond description.
Personally, I also felt defeated by the climate from time-to-time. Monsoon is clean and refreshing, but everything is damp and moldy. "Summer" (April-May) is unbearably hot and dusty. On the other hand, "winter" (December-January) is fabulous weather: Cool nights, and warm (not hot) dry days.
What do I miss the most about the U.S.?
It's not peanut butter or beef.
What do I really miss? #1: Clean water. #2: Clean air. #3: Sanitation. #4: Weekends.
More thoughts
India is at heart an optimistic country. It has many problems, but many young and enthusiastic problem solvers.
India's biggest problem (IMHO) is sanitation. Poverty, lack of health care, and lack of sanitation go hand-in-hand. It's a big challenge, but cleaning up trash, sewage, and industrial pollution is possible.
Health care. If you get to a major hospital, you can get decent to excellent care. The main problem is getting to a hospital if you get sick, or worse, if you get in a major accident. Good hospitals are few and far between. The traffic woes make it even worse. When it can take an hour to go a few km in Mumbai or Delhi, even being close to a hospital may not be enough. And too many "hospitals" are not even close to western medical standards. Some are downright dangerous.
Corruption is a fact of life here, but the expectations are changing. Say what you will about the heartlessness of multinational corporations, but they are in the lead on fighting political corruption.
Regulation is on the books in India, but enforcement can be lax. Pollution is tolerated for the sake of jobs and wealth. Medicine and education are definitely caveat emptor industries. And yet, I repeat the first paragraph in this section. This is a young and irrepressible country.
So, fir milengi ("'til we meet again"). We'll be back for a visit in 2017. India has gotten into our blood, and it's not going away!
No comments:
Post a Comment