Just plain different

*I started this post on Wednesday, but just now had time to finish it. Sorry it is so long. There is just so much to share. :)

Today marks one whole week spent in India. It seems like I have been here A LOT longer than just a week. I have seen and experienced so much that I cannot comprehend that I have been here 7 days and have a little over three months to go. All that there is to take in and learn makes some days so overwhelming. The little things from taking a bucket shower to walking on the left side of the walking path makes daily life in India a constant challenge. Don’t get me wrong, I am still enjoying India. I think that I just got over the new and exciting stage and am now realizing that this is the place where I am living and have to get use to for the next few months. Here are just a few things that make adjusting to the Indian life tough at times.


Language: Many people here in Coimbatore speak English, but there are still quite a few that don’t. And even if they do speak English, the accent can be hard to understand. I remember the second day we were here and the principal gave us a welcoming speech. I could barely understand a word that she said. Thankfully with each day, the accent is getting easier and easier to understand. It takes a little more than usual concentration to understand professors when they are teaching, but it makes me pay extra special attention, so I guess that is good.
Another aspect of language that is different is not just the pronunciation of words, but the words themselves. Professors use the word “doubt” instead of “concern.” So they will say, “Class, be sure to let me know if you have any doubts.” Another example is majors here are called departments. Students will frequently ask, “what is your department?” In the US we ask, “what is your major?” Here they do not have all the majors we do. When I say I am studying elementary education, most students do not know what I am talking about.

Shopping:

Last Saturday professors and students from BACAS took us girls shopping for Indian clothing. It was something I had been looking forward to since I found out about the shopping trip. Little did I know, shopping in India is NOT like shopping in America. First of all the stores we went to had at least 5 floors filled with fabric, saris, salwars, men’s clothing, and so much more. Not only was the store extremely crowded by customers, but there are a bunch of workers waiting around to follow you around the whole store with intentions of helping you. Really, if you spend more than 2 seconds looking at something on the rack they will say either, ”you like” or something else in Tamil which I never understood, and point towards the dressing room. You would think after the dressing room you would be free, but nope, they wait outside asking if you like it and follow you around once again. It is all in good intentions, but it was extremely overwhelming. One mistake I made at the first store was asking if they had a different color of a salwar that I liked. The man behind the counter pulled out every single one that was the same color or had even close to the same design (which was a lot!). This all happened at the first store, so I thought at the second and last store I would be a pro and find some outfits that I liked and not be stressed out by all the people.

I was so happy when I found three outfits at the second store! They recommended we get five but I thought three was a solid start and by this time I just wanted to go home. Because most of the workers in the store only speak Tamil, some BACAS students helped me and a few other girls out with the checkout process. The process of buying clothes is so complicated! I still don’t understand it, but all that I know is that you pay for your clothes and get a “bill” in India terms. Then your clothes are waiting for you on a different floor for you to pick up. After pick up you can take it to the tailor for free alterations. After paying for my clothes I was so relieved that I was done shopping and the stressful day had finally come to an end. We went downstairs to pick up the order. It was there we were informed that someone else went home with all the things I had bought. It was such a long day and the last thing I wanted to hear was that all that stress and craziness was for nothing. Luckly, this week I have been able to borrow clothes from one of my roommates until some students can take me shopping again.

My roommates Erin and Becky on our first dat of school. What we are wearing is called a Salwar. It is basically a long top, loose pants or leggings, and a scarf.


Food: Ok so overall I think the food is something I could eventually get used to, but I never know what I am eating. Lunch at school always consists of rice and some sort of mushy, spicy stuff. Having the same thing everyday gets old, but it is better than nothing. Also, I have had some really good southern India food in some restaurants.

The real problem is when we have to cook meals ourselves. It is not like American stores where you have all kinds of food you could ever dream of. All the stuff available at the supermarket none of us know what to do with it. All the stuff we do know how to make is usually imported and expensive. On Friday I start a culinary class, so hopefully that will help. Oh and I thought eating with your hands would be fun, but I feel like my hands are never clean and it is tricky to eat with only my right hand.


Attention: Everywhere we go we get stared at. I knew that was going to happen, but sometimes I just want to be normal and blend in. Today I had an internship at a school. I was stared at all day. It is different when we are in a big group, but when I am by myself I notice it way more. They are only curious, and always very friendly, I just am not use to all the attention. I would just simply walk by a classroom window and disrupt class. I asked the two mentors I was with what people were saying and she said they called me a “foreigner” and mostly just curious. A lot of cute little kids would come up to me and ask my name, where I was from, and shake my hand. They were so proper and polite, it was adorable!


Inequality: Girls are not treated as equal. For example in the hostels girls have to be back in their hostel by a certain time (I don’t remember the exact time but it’s early), Like 5 or 6. It makes it hard for us to hang out with the BACAS girls. They get free time for a few hours on Saturday and that is it. One reason for all these rules is it can be dangerous for women to be alone, but this is just one example of how women are suppressed here in India.


Bathrooms: Most of the bathrooms here are what we call “Squattie pottie” and have no toilet paper. Thankfully the bathrooms in our apartments and some at school are regular western style. Another difference in the bathrooms is the shower. We have shower heads in our arpartment but the water pressure is not that great so I take a bucket shower. It is kinda fun! However, I usually do not feel clean after a shower and I think my feet are permanently dirty.

I wanted to be challenged. So here we go. I am being challenged in more ways than I could write about. Getting accustom to this Indian life takes time. I am praying for patience and understanding. I keep having to remind myself that I have only been here a week and over time things will become easier.