The continuing list of things I have learned in India….
How to puncture, prod, and turn a goat’s eye into pulp. “Surgeon” is not a career change option.
How to eat soupy rice, with my fingers, off a banana leaf.
When I walk down the sidewalk, I’m walking through homes. I was tipped off before by steaming pots over makeshift stoves, but the supine sleeping bodies confirmed it.
Inhaling is bad for your health. Avoid it. Out of seven volunteers, seven are sick with presumed pollution-induced asthma.
The elaborate process for shopping in large department stores. Includes a personal “shopping assistant” who escorts, helps with selections, expedites check-out, introduces you to the manager(s), and requests photos. All for $10 jeans??
Age isn’t as concrete as we think. Just ask the little “10” year old who found out he was 7, and the “10” year old that found out he was 14 thanks to a dental visit.
How to dance to Hindi music. Twist the lightbulb high, twist the lightbulb low.
Various methods for food preparation. Last night I observed a man in an open kitchen stirring batter in a large pot, with his arm.
How much I like biting and chewing chunky food. Not taken for granted in a country that boasts mostly smooth, dippable, gummable food.
How good Pizza Hut can taste in India. See above.
How quickly I can get accustomed to walking by men peeing on the sidewalk. Oddly, it’s just part of the backdrop.
How to accept that a couple inches is sufficient space between speeding vehicles. Traffic bumps elbows so closely that our autorickshaw driver actually shook hands with another passing by.
A side-to-side head bob means “yes,” and “yeah, no” means no.
Tags: India
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