Learning from others

One of the biggest differences which I have found between the US and India is way money and credit is handled.  In the US as you may already know there is an extremely large reliance on credit to finance almost anything.  Banks are private and “regulated” by the government.  In India things are much different.

Banks are not privately owned and are strictly regulated.  Also Indians buy things from savings and credit is not widely used and even hard to get access to for an average person.  These policies have done two things.  First it has allowed India to grow at a sustainable rate.  While housing prices in Delhi have become very high, the market is stable because of the lack of credit.  The second effect that this regulation does is made progress very slow.  The  infrastructure here as many Indians will agree is very poor and people who are less fortunate have to fight and even steeper uphill battle.

This leaves the question of which policies are correct.  The feeling I got when talking to Indians about this was that there needs to be more credit to foster progress while at the same time there needs to be a system built for sustainable growth.  Only time will tell us where the Indian and the US economies will go.

Having trouble with digestion?

On this trip one of the things we all have learned is how there are so many different “Indias” and theres no way to experience them all.  In order to immerse ourselves in the culture our group has participated in a multitude of activities from eating sugar cane to attending a wedding.  By far the most far out thing that was done happened the other night.  Earlier in the trip our professor had said how some people in India drink cow urine to help with digestion.  It was really a shock and people were immediately ready to vomit at the mention of this.  The more “open-minded” bunch or as we on the trip call the back of the bus were ready to go!  Now for those of you sitting there ready to vomit theres something you have to understand.  Its used as a medicine here and is known to have positive effects on the body when taken, or so I’m told.  It is also filtered and preservatives are added to keep the stuff from going bad.  Finally, not all Indians do this and some even wince when the subject comes up, but the point is some do so why not immerse ourselves into some cow pee?

Well the other night we finally got that chance.  The smell was extremely strong and once smelled it made your eyes water and your stomach gag.  Count to three and down the hatch it goes……..  For some that countdown happened twice!  One things for sure, most people won’t be doing that again but it was a different experience for sure.

Crazy Streets, Spicy food and Lots of People!

Traveling for the first time abroad can be very overwhelming, so when I decided to go on this trip I began to prepare myself.  Even with all of the readings, videos and stories I came across before my trip to India none of them could have prepared me for my experiences since landing in Delhi.

 

 

Driving on the streets here is an experience in itself.  No one has the right of way, whether you are walking, riding a bike, driving a motor rickshaw or even a car.  Lanes are non existent, even if they are painted on the street it makes little difference.  The first time our bus made a hard right across the highway blocking all off the traffic I thought theres no way we aren’t hitting someone but I soon realized that driving here actually can work.  Horns are a tool used to warn other drivers, people and even animals that you are passing or next to you.  Traffic may seem chaotic and deadly but drivers here in my opinion are more aware of their surroundings.  Somehow in the absence of rules, rules themselves are formed.  While there is always going to be traffic just from the amount of people on the road, you always end up getting to your destination.  The speed which cars drive here of course is also much slower reducing accidents to small fender benders, especially in the cities where the average speed has to be somewhere between a walk and a jog.

Like driving, the food in India is also much different.  Spices here make your mouth burn, nose run and you beg someone for a sip of their water.  There are a variety of drinks made from milk that almost have a cottage cheese taste.  Deserts here are the sweetest and richest tasting treats I have ever experienced.  If your traveling to India anytime soon I recommend you try a banana parawthe.  It is an Indian bread with banana inside and while it has its kick to it, anybody’s taste buds can bare it.

What makes any culture is it’s people and India has plenty of them!  Crowded streets are filled with everyone from business owners to small children, poor and rich.  I think Delhi is the city that really never sleeps as people are always out and about eating, socializing or selling different things.  One thing is for sure, that its variety of people is what makes its culture so rich!