Written in 2011, to my friends in Westend Baptist church, Houston.
Dear Westenders,
I did not expect this to be such a long mail, but it ended up to be one! So read it when you have time!
For those who wondered what India is like, this is a lil sneak view of the other side of the world. I wrote this over past few months. ( Btw, it is entirely my point of view, what I saw, and what I felt/feel. ) READ DISCLAIMER. So please don’t forward this to your friends. I wanted to send this before I left, but dint get to do it. This is just for your reading and a good laugh perhaps!
DISCLAIMER: It cannot be collectively said as ‘Indian experience’, but only as ‘Beulah’s experience’. India is wide and so different in culture, language and everything among itself. So it may or may not agree to other Indians’ opinion.
So what’s the big difference?
Houses
Ø We don’t have centralized ac's in our homes. I have never seen one in India. Normally only the bedrooms have split ac's, which are individual units that cool only the room they are fixed in. Not all houses have this luxury!
Ø And ofcourse, we need no heaters!
Ø Our houses are not carpeted. The flooring is mosaic, tile or marble. We don't have wooden floors either.
Ø Houses are made of brick and cement. Wood is only for doors and windows.
Ø We normaly don’t have 2 faucets for hot and cold water. Bathrooms are fitted with water heaters, which can be turned on to heat the water. Hot water will come out of the hot water faucet only when the heater is turned on.
Ø We don’t have bathtubs. we either shower, or fill water in a bucket and use it. (There is water shortage ALL the time, so water is spent very carefully. )
Ø No Toilet papers. No bidets. There would be a water hose or a bucket and a mug.
Ø Most houses have a well in the backyard. Or a borewell, and the water is pumped by a motor to an overhead tank. This water is used for washing/cleaning. Drinking water is either bought at store or used from the water line that the government had laid. ( We have heavy water shortage during summer, and water is a precious commodity which is hoarded)
Ø We don’t wear shoes inside the house. In most traditional houses in India, it is even a disrespect for guests to wear footwear inside the house. They should be left near the front door. ( people can use house slippers).
Ø Each room will have a fan, but the fans do not all have lights. The ones with lights are merely ornamental.
Ø Dim lighting is only for hotel dining rooms. Almost every house in India is brightly lit with long and powerful tubelights in every room.
Ø Each house will have a minimum 1-2 motorbikes.
Ø Owning a car ( 1 per house) used to be a luxury in itself, but nowadays, many families have a car. still, every single person does not own their own car.
Ø I have never seen a garage in India. Cars are parked inside the front porch, which are probably called as ‘carshed’
Ø By the way, nobody uses terms like ‘yard’– back yard, front yard , patio or porch. The only term I have heard is ‘balcony’, garden.
Kitchen
Ø Electric stoves are extremely rare. The most prevalent are LPG Gas stoves. The gas comes in cylinders which a gas delivery guy drops at your home, when you order for it. Many lower-class houses do not have gas stoves at all. they use what are called kerosene stoves.
Ø We have stainless steel utensils, and not just dishes. In fact, pewter and china are used when there is company. We have nonstick pans.
Ø Dish washers are another rarity in India. I have seen only 1rich house have it!
Ø Most people in India have maids who come in and clean the house, do the dishes and wash the clothes everyday. Maids are not hard to find, although it is getting increasingly harder now.
We pay our maid Rs 1500 equivalent to $33 per month! ( for cleaning house, washing, and cooking)
Ø No homes have oven. Baking is not a common thing. Only those who really are interested in making cakes bake using microwave oven.
Ø We use the right hand to eat. Left hand is considered dirty.
Ø We don’t normally use a fork, unless we are eating noodles. A spoon is used if you have cut your finger and can't eat with your hands.
Ø We don't have kitchen rolls. There will probably be a small wash cloth hanging over the sink for you to wipe your hands after you wash them.
Ø Ziploc bags, aluminium foil wraps are not as commonly used as here.
Ø Milk is never in a can. It is fresh milk,delivered by the cowherd in person, or it is packeted the day before and delivered to the house every morning.
Roads
Ø We don’t have as many lanes.
Ø We don’t have yield signs.
Ø We have right-hand driving that means we are on the left side of the road. No free left or right turns.
Ø We have bikes ( which we call cycle- for bicycle), bikes ( which are motorbikes), autos ( 3wheeler for taking people on short distance), taxis( long distance), buses, trains ( trains have 10-12 compartments of which 2 compartments are air-conditioned ). A train can carry more than 1000 people at a time. It is too long.
Ø ‘ Autos’ are 3 wheelers which carry people, they are like mini taxis, which can carry 2 easily.
Ø 80Km per hour is the maximum speed limit, even in highways. ( ie 49 miles/hour)
Ø There are 25% of motorbikes, 25% cars , 20% buses, 10% autos, 10% trucks.
Ø It is common to see stray dogs in neighbourhood streets. Very common to see a cow or a buffalo sleeping or walking in the street.
Ø Common to see old people and street urchin on the roads. They eat and sleep there.
Ø All cars are much much smaller than what I saw in Houston. Small cars, that fit our roads, and easy to park and push through the crowd. I have not seen any trucks ( like that of daniel’s old truck)
Ø Motorbikes are not the fancy ones, but these can carry 2 people around. This is the most common and easy way to travel in the crowded street.
Ø Helmets and seatbelts are not used. No body follows rules anyway!
Ø We have a strict rule against using cellphone while driving though!
Ø Bribe works wonders! You have to bribe to get anything done. You have to even bribe the garbage guy to take your garbage too!
Buses
Ø Every bus has a bus conductor, who gives your tickets, depending on where you got in, and where you want to go. 5 years back, he would have a stack of different tickets, but now they have an electronic machine, which gives a paper ticket. We don't use rechargeable metro cards. ( and not the flat rate $1.25 however you travel )
Ø Only 20% of the buses in India are air conditioned.
Ø Men sit on the right side of the bus. Women on the left. ( it is marked in red above the seats) You have seats dedicated for the disabled and the aged, and pregnant women.
Ø Most buses don’t have doors.It is so crowded that people hang outside.
Ø We have double decker buses, and vestibule ones( double the length).
Ø Unlike here, where you only have one bus for a route, and most buses don't cross routes, in India, almost every route has two or more buses, and more often than not, bus routes criss cross a lot, which makes taking a bus a lot easier.
Others
Ø Swimming pools are for teaching swimming I guess. ( I haven’t seen one . may be the rich have it!)
Ø We have the longest beach in our city. There are HUGE waves on the seashore. I have seen men swim there. Women just wet their legs. Beaches are crowded. No one wears swim suit. People are dressed for a normal day. ( I had seen only swim suits on tv before)
Ø People mostly wear cotton clothes as it is summer all year! Even though it is hot people were clothes that cover them up. ( may be to avoid heat burn! )
Ø Mosquitoes are common all year round.
Ø No concept of dating!
Ø I have not seen ‘made in China’ materials as much as I saw in Houston, in India.
Groceries
Ø We don’t call ‘grocery’ shopping.
Ø We don’t have supermarkets as big as Kroger or walmart. They are smaller supermarkets and are very less in number.
Ø In a normal grocery store, (one for almost every street) you stand at the counter and ask for what you need. The grocer will pick it off the shelf and hand it to you. they even weigh the vegetables themselves and hand it to you in a bag.
Ø There are separate shops for each. You get fish in Fish shop, Chicken in another, Goat/ beef in another shop. Vegetables in one shop, Clothing in another. Footwear, gift, Furniture, pharmacy, books, electronics, all in separate shops. Nothing like ‘everything under the sun’ as Walmart or even Kroger or HEB or even Walgreens! They strictly stick to what they are known for.
Ø A grocery bag is usually 1 bag that you take. Unlike here, where you have multiple bags ( probably because u have a cart to pull thru and a car to carry it home).
Ø There are what is called street vendors - people who bring you vegetables, books, toys, nuts and fish, pushing a cart through the streets. most housewives buy from these vendors at their own doorsteps.
Ø Bread is eaten only when you are sick. Bread/jam is a sick person’s food!
Ø Cheese is not used in our food regularly. Ghee and butter are used for cooking and on bread.
Ø Canned and frozen food are not used. ( I have not heard of them)
Ø Everything is freshly bought, and consumed. Leftovers are rare, and are mostly discarded. Most cooking is on a daily basis.
Restaurants
Ø ‘Restaurants’ are the fancy ones. The local restaurants go by name ‘hotel’ – just a place to eat – and not to stay.
Ø The fancy ones provide you with spoons. The hotels will provide spoons if you ask for one.
Ø A cheap meal will be less than Rs 20/- A good meal will range from Rs.30-60. Very costly meal is Rs. 80 above. $1 = Rs45. You can do the Math.
Ø You can get good coffee for Rs 4. Fancy restaurants may cost you Rs 10.
Cost of Living
Ø There is no minimum wage concept in India.
Ø I spend probably $1-2 for an entire day. my commute/breakfast and Lunch. My commute from home to office includes – 2 buses and a train. ( Last year I started using car pool!- which costs me 10-15$ per month for travel)
Food
Ø No Hot dogs, pies, marshmellows. No canned food. No frozen food.
Ø Chicken, and mutton ( not lamb, but goat) are the most common and used meat. Beef and pig meat are available too. Turkey is not that common.
Ø Ofcoz, Fish is very common. You get fresh fish from the market. You can pay to get it cleaned. But once you get home, you still have to clean it thrice to get rid of the waste. ( Not like what you get in Kroger! I have never seen any fish without bones in india!)
Ø In South India, for lunch and dinner, rice is the base of the meal. Vegetables and/or meat are made as kulambu /curry (of consistency like stew) and poured over the rice to eat.
Ø You drink hot coffee and hot tea or hot milk.
Ø We don’t have so much variety of chocolates ( that I saw in Houston) We have few chocolates, and lot of sweets. Sweets are stuff mostly made of milk and milk products. – sugar, cashew nut and you get them in sweet shops.
Some mixed up terms.
Following are some terms that we use, which are used differently there.
Ø Petrol not gas
Ø Tap not faucets
Ø Vessels/utensils not dishes
Ø Biscuits not cookies
Ø Curd not yogurt.
Ø Slippers not flipflops
Ø Cycles not bikes.
Ø Bikes not motorbikes.
Ø Hotels not restaurant.
Ø Lorry not truck.
Ø Dress not clothes. ( both words are interchangeably used)
Ø Metric system is used. So miles and gallons or pounds is unheard of. I had tough time converting them!
Climate.
Ø Lowest temperature is 60F in Dec/January
Ø and Highest temperature is 114F in May.
Ø No Spring, Autumn or Winter. Its only summer!( In my city, with humidity 97%
Ø Not much greenery, because water is always a shortage. People do have small gardens.
Ø I haven’t seen so much flowers in Chennai.
Ø Jasmine and rose are common. Women thread jasmine into strings and clip it in their long hair.
Ø People apply coconut oil in hair. Considered to help hair grow, and cool you down, and give you dark hair.
Population
Ø US - 307,006,550
Ø India - 1,155,347,678 ( 1.15 billion) ( China is 1.33 billion)
Area of Land
Ø US - 9,826,630 km2
Ø India - 2,973,190 km2 ( China 9,326,000 km2 )
So India is 3 times the population of US, in an area 3 times smaller than US!!!
So now you know, how crowded our city can get!
Read here to know more about my City
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
No comments:
Post a Comment