India, In Summary

The pictures that turned out the best and some videos (at the end) are now up at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/abramsjoe/IndiaFavorites#
Enjoy!

I have finished all of the days entries for my trip to India. Some time has passed given me an opportunity to reflect on my experiences there. Overall, I loved it. I would not trade that experience for anything. I wish I were still there.

The hospitality of the Indian people is incredible. I have never experienced anything like it before. They truly treat their guests as they would a god.

I love Indian food. Just as much as I like the food, I like how they eat it, with their hands. Seriously go to an Indian restaurant and try eating everything with one hand. I have gone to two Indian restaurants since being home and the tastes bring back so many wonderful memories. I have also made gulab jamun, an Indian desert, twice.

Really, the biggest difference was really the sheer number of people. The word 'crowd' has a very new meaning to me. You want to be constantly surrounded by people, go to India. For many Americans who enjoy a private life, this will be difficult for you.

If you want to experience India, you need to use the public transportation. Although I was miserable doing it, I loved every minute of it. While battling exhaustion on the bus back from Haridwar I couldn't help but smile and think, I love this.

There are wonderful people everywhere. I feel a part of the family now with several Indian families. I will never forget them. Although my time with each of them was short, it was quality. Also, I was able to make some great friends apart from those I stayed with. I am so glad that I was able to converse with the people that I did on the trains, in the streets, at the schools. It was awesome. As I am writing this, a flood of memories and people are coming to mind and it just makes me smile.

I learned so much while in India. One of the things that impacted me the most, was surprisingly, arranged marriage. I will not be able to convey well my thoughts but I will summarize. It is nothing that I thought it was before. It is still a consensual marriage between both parties. But more than that, it is a union of families. The process, in short, is as follows: the family agrees that the son or daughter is ready to be married. An instant network of friends and family begins a search for a compatible mate. This network extends in an incredible way. After the families find each other, they meet. Not only the parents and the proposed spouses but also the siblings, uncles, aunts, etc. join them. After some further discussion, the man and the women are left for a time to discuss a possible marriage. It is during this time that they discuss what is truly important in a marriage. This is such an essential step that is so often missed in our 'Love' marriages. They discuss in a couple of hours what they expect from the other as a spouse. If they don't like it or don't agree, they don't get married. It is not forced upon them from the families. It is still the choice of those getting married. However, they have full support from the families. The divorce rate is unfathomably low. The mindset going into the marriage is compromise. In American marriages we are becoming so independent that we refuse to give in and accept the other for who they are. Now I don't mean to settle but to again, let someone be who they are and love them for it. Now I don't think that arranged marriage is the cure-all. When I asked why they do it, what I came to understand was the following; kids make mistakes. As a parent, you want what is best for your kids and you know what marriage is really like. That is why they insist on being so highly involved in that process. I like that. Those are just some thoughts. Enjoy!

My final step of my trip was completed tonight. I had dinner with Radha, Sree aunty and Nandagopal uncle. What a wonderful family. I actually feel bad that I had not gotten to know them better before. My dad was lucky to work with aunty. It is funny because I feel inadequate in thanking them for what they have done for me, and everyone else also for that matter. My experience in India contributed to my life so greatly that I can't imagine not having it. How wonderful life is!