#Delhi2013 Dozen On the Town

One of the many lessons I am really starting to get about India is if you think you understand India, but you have never visited here (or any place like India that's really nearby), then you're almost certainly wrong. You can understand that there are differences and even investigate why those differences exist, but you don't get it until you're here for a very long time.

As I wrote that paragraph I thought about an Indian community in South LA County that Angel & I once visited with Sav and Neha. Literally all of the stores and restaurants sell Indian products, food or services. I recall thinking that this must be a little like how it is in India. 

It's not. At all. And the reason I can come up with in my infinitesimal knowledge is you can never assume anything is similar to India if it didn't have India's speed, energy, diversity with utter inclusion -there's rarely a choice, horns (oh my God, the horns) and the ever present knowledge that this is "normal" and it's not going to adjust to you or your needs.

 And why should it?

This blogging platform isn't letting me share pictures directly at the moment, but what's even better is on my Facebook page you'll find several pics that I and the others have taken as we tag and share posts. You can also see a lot by following @afreshchapter and @moonriderpro (our documentary filmmaker) on Instagram or Twitter.

It's getting late, so I'll bullet point today's highlights:

- When large numbers of people are trying to get to one place, they have no qualms about moving in and out of as many people they need in order to get to their destination faster. Several times I wasn't fast enough and I quickly found myself removed from anyone I know. There's no pushing or shoving, it's just how they get around. They drive EXACTLY the same way.

-  People like to get their pictures taken with Westerners. We definitely experienced this. We were told that it's because all fair-skinned Westerners are assumed to be rich British tourists and their families would feel honored for having members who met Brits.

- In orientation we learned that many in India, including well-educated women, dislike Western women due to the sexually revealing things they do in soap operas, TV, movies, and dance. There is a common impression that Western women are loose. (Apparently the 1960s Hippies caused a great deal of harm in this area because they embodied some of the same liberal morals that the Indians had already seen.)

- My favorite quote for the day: in India, the clock chases people. Westerners chase the clock. The group determined that the world would best function if we met in the middle. And when the Country Director wondered why anyone would need online dating - 'just go out and meet someone!' I realized this relationship to the  "clock" may have something to do with it.

There's more - a lot more - but I can't stay up all night!

Namaste