Some Final Feelings

Oh my, there are just so many updates!

Well we left our readers in Jaipur. Our time there was very pleasant. We then took the train to Agra. Agra is the home of the infamous Taj Mahal. This muslim structure was built in 1632 by the Mughal Empire. Even now, their is still a very strong Muslim influence in these areas. While in Jaipur, we decided that because we had so few days left in India that we would prebook and upgrade the rest of our accommodations online. So when we arrived in Agra, we simply had to take a taxi to an address. It should be as simple as that. But like so many other instances, a simple task like getting a taxi from the train station to our hotel turned into a dark, intimidating tour through an unknown place with an unknown hotel address an three unexpected passengers. The hotel turned out to be nothing we expected and everything we wanted to escape by upgrading. We should have known!

The next morning checked out early and left on foot for the center of town (Somehow we always manage to find ourselves hot and sweaty, with our backpacks and nowhere in particular to go. But here I go listing the things that we've done. I think I'll stop now and try to write differently.

(Got back to USA here)

Mio, MI

While in India, for some reason I wasn't very motivated to blog. Megan has had the honor to write most of the entires. For me, I usually prefer to write about my experiences in retrospect. It is not only more satisfying to me, but offers a clearer and all-encompassing read for others. In this blog, I hope to capture my feelings and emotions rather than specific experiences.

I like to know a bit about a country before I arrive, but with India, due to the circumstances, this was impossible. I felt so vulnerable being in a country where I haven't studied the culture. Also, it's an extremely vulnerable feeling to travel with a spouse in a land with so many unknowns and potential dangers. As I look back and imagine what I would have looked like walking down the street, I picture a man with a severe case of paranoia- a head on a swivel and darting eyes, his hand on his money

pocket and trusting nobody.

 Each day seemed to bring an unfair amount of difficulties. Whether it was receiving blatantly incorrect directions and walking miles the wrong way or only being able to purchase things with nearly exact change (nobody has change!).  We just couldn't seem to get a grasp on the place. We would wake up in the morning feeling refreshed, head out to the street, and immediately hit some sort of problem that left one or both of us frustrated.


 It was hard to see how anyone could enjoy visiting a place so uncivilized and openly degrading to women. How can it be that while walking through the center of New Delhi, the capital city of India, its difficult to ignore the man urinating on the side of a building, especially when he is half turned and winking at my wife. Its hard to describe the uncomfortable feeling of having my wife looked at like a sex object. Wherever we went, there was a constant flow of men of all ages who would stare, wink, make kissing noises, try to grope, and verbally assaulting her. In many cases, I could shoot glares or say things that would stop an individual, but there were just too many men. It seems very similar to how I imagine wild animals during breeding season. Every male seems ready to pounce at any moment. No matter what other tasks or transactions others may have been doing, the one white woman that is walking by is of the utmost importance. There were even a few instances in which I almost got into fights. In many places that we were, it seemed like someone had taken all the Indian women and stuffed them somewhere out of sight. How could I defend my wife against a county of 1,170,938 (see footnotes) that are mostly men? By the way, check out this article. It is very interesting. (http://www.economist.com/node/18530371). And society was proceeding without the all the softness and necessary attributes that only a woman can offer. For those that can still imagine their college days, here is my best analogy:

India : United States
as
Freshmen Bachelor Pad : Middle Class Professional Home

As I read through this, I realize that I've painted a very bleak picture of India. I would like the reader to know that we had many great experiences. It was so incredible to have such tasty food at our finger tips wherever we went. In addition to the fresh naan bread and curries, we regularly partook in corner-side hot milk on chilly evening, numerous pastries, guava, chai tea. After we became fluent in with rupees, purchasing everyday items became easier. I even enjoyed bartering for some items. One thing that I learned was that bartering is not the same among different countries. In thailand, we found that with enough effort we could get 30 or 40% of initial prices. But in India, after we got a feel for vendors, we could regularly barter a price to 50% or more off the initial price. Due to Megan's innate tendency to write in a positive manner, I will let her. But before I finished, I'd like to note that although there were many great experiences in India, the part that gave me the most and consistent satisfaction was the currency inequality. No matter how bad or tiring a day was, it always brightened our day to consume large amounts of delicious food for less than $4!

Corey






Footnotes

1. http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators?cid=GPD_WDI