Stories and Anecdotes v3

· The head bob, what does it mean?? Indian people have the nod and the headshake just like any other culture, but the head bob adds something extra into the equation. It resembles a nod, but from left to right as opposed to forward-back (don’t ask me to do it, I’ve tried and I can’t). The worst part is that Indians use it all the time and I still can’t figure out what it means. I think it represents a sort of affirmation, but yet it is different than a normal head bob. My best guess is that it means like, yes I hear what you are saying and I acknowledge it. Maybe by the time I leave I’ll be doing it myself.

· The difference in technology here is amazing. The Indian people as a whole are so much less dependent on technology than Americans that I almost can’t function here. The father of the family I’m staying with, for example, works on accounting all the time. How does he crunch these numbers, Excel? No… pencil and paper. He will sit there for hours just scribbling away at something that can probably be finished by excel in minutes. Another example is me and Karan’s complete inability to entertain ourselves when the power goes out (happened again this morning). We sit around, useless, while the rest of the Indians go about their day as if nothing is wrong. Also this is one of the first places in the world that I’ve been and there are no wireless networks, secure or un-secure, on my WiFi locator. That should be a testament in and of itself.

· Finally, I’ve found that several times during the day, as I’m riding or walking around the city I have to just stop and say, what in the world is this person/animal doing. It has happened several times a day, moments of sheer incredulity that only can be explained by the strangeness of India. Here are some examples:

o I walked out of a fair that I went to (story for another day) and there was a person there with a weighing scale on the ground, Christmas lights coming out of it up to a TV screen showing a Bollywood movie, and the person yelling Gujarat at everyone who walked by. I honestly wish I knew what he had been saying…

o A tiny motorcycle blasting down the center of a crowded road holding his horn down, which is playing the La Cucaracha.

o Walking down the street and seeing 3 small boys trying to wrestle a very disgruntled cow down the road.

o Riding a rickshaw at around 10 pm and a group of 5 kids come running down the middle of the road into oncoming traffic screaming and no one stops or even gives a second glance.

o A cow with his horn stuck in a fence and like 15 Indians all trying to get him out.

The worst part about all of this is that I’m having trouble even noticing them as strange any more, I’m just starting to accept them as the norm. That can’t be good.