2008 Woodie Awards
Little pieces of the people we know
Blog dispatch from students in India
Anne Bellingrath
Issue: 7/14/08 Section: summer in india
Posted August 29, 2008
Of all the things I want to write about, Dheli is most definitely not the one. But I had to write an official blog on it as part of this class, and I was struggling with what to write about. After spending two weeks amidst the fervor of the city, a trip to the suburbs might be seen as refreshing for some. I, on the other hand, wanted to push and shove my way through the day.
But here we are in Dheli. We step off the plane, still groggy from the early morning flight. The sun beats down us as we make our way to the bus. With my sprits low at the aspect of spending an entire day on a bus, I begrudgingly hop on.
As we drive around, I rack my brain about what to write about. I wanted to eloquently capture the city as everyone else had done with their experiences. But I am going to be completely honest and say I had lost all interest in the sights of Dheli and was wandering back to America in my mind.
Then it hits me, after almost three weeks in India, it isn't the sites I am enjoying the most, it is the people. We spent two weeks at the West End Hotel, during which time we came to know a lot of the staff. It became our home away from home, and the staff became our friends. The vendors that set up around the hotel became familiar--yet at this point, I couldn't drag my mind away from a real beef cheeseburger and sleep in my own bed. These are the things I felt I had given up to come here, but they weren't; they were just things I couldn't obtain here.
Already the Indian way of life sparked my interest, the way any culture other than my own does, but here it is the overall mindset that I couldn't even begin to compare to anything I had come across before. This very morning, Gina and I discussed how peaceful we view the people to be here despite what we look at as their lack of basic needs. We pondered how they could be complacent when there were so many of them-- anyone heard of an uprising?
This reminded me of a lecture we attended. In discussing the globalization that was currently taking place in India, the Indian mindset was placed under examination. They had all, at least on the exterior, found peace with their situation in life. And this is why I became so interested in the Indian mindset. Coming from a country where bigger constitutes better and where more is a necessity not something that has to be earned, the idea of happiness in all the situations I found myself in was appealing. But then it comes crashing down to some extent when I hear in this lecture that the Indian people are living with their heads in America while their physical self remains in India.
Of all the things I want to write about, Dheli is most definitely not the one. But I had to write an official blog on it as part of this class, and I was struggling with what to write about. After spending two weeks amidst the fervor of the city, a trip to the suburbs might be seen as refreshing for some. I, on the other hand, wanted to push and shove my way through the day.
But here we are in Dheli. We step off the plane, still groggy from the early morning flight. The sun beats down us as we make our way to the bus. With my sprits low at the aspect of spending an entire day on a bus, I begrudgingly hop on.
As we drive around, I rack my brain about what to write about. I wanted to eloquently capture the city as everyone else had done with their experiences. But I am going to be completely honest and say I had lost all interest in the sights of Dheli and was wandering back to America in my mind.
Then it hits me, after almost three weeks in India, it isn't the sites I am enjoying the most, it is the people. We spent two weeks at the West End Hotel, during which time we came to know a lot of the staff. It became our home away from home, and the staff became our friends. The vendors that set up around the hotel became familiar--yet at this point, I couldn't drag my mind away from a real beef cheeseburger and sleep in my own bed. These are the things I felt I had given up to come here, but they weren't; they were just things I couldn't obtain here.
Already the Indian way of life sparked my interest, the way any culture other than my own does, but here it is the overall mindset that I couldn't even begin to compare to anything I had come across before. This very morning, Gina and I discussed how peaceful we view the people to be here despite what we look at as their lack of basic needs. We pondered how they could be complacent when there were so many of them-- anyone heard of an uprising?
This reminded me of a lecture we attended. In discussing the globalization that was currently taking place in India, the Indian mindset was placed under examination. They had all, at least on the exterior, found peace with their situation in life. And this is why I became so interested in the Indian mindset. Coming from a country where bigger constitutes better and where more is a necessity not something that has to be earned, the idea of happiness in all the situations I found myself in was appealing. But then it comes crashing down to some extent when I hear in this lecture that the Indian people are living with their heads in America while their physical self remains in India.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 7
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Kassi
posted 8/29/08 @ 3:38 PM PST
I agree that this trip was about the people we met, and the things that we were allowed to do. My least favorite day was the Delhi tour because although we had seen so many sights it just wasn't what I wanted at that point. (Continued…)
Erica Webster
posted 8/29/08 @ 9:22 PM PST
I completely agree with you in terms of valuing our interaction with the people over simply regarding the sites, especially from within a bus. While I learned a lot about Indian journalism during our lectures, I feel that I learned more about the city itself by talking with the people in Kolaba or around our hotel. (Continued…)
Jessica Miller
posted 8/30/08 @ 11:21 AM PST
It is part of the human condition to want what you can't have. Although, for every "good" thing someone has, there is the tradeoff for it. It you have money, then you will have the stress of bills and envy, if you don't have money and you live a relatively simple and stressfree life, then you envy those with money. (Continued…)
Joshua Treybig
posted 8/30/08 @ 11:24 AM PST
Good choice of blogging content. After the group left my few days in Delhi were hell. And I think looking back at the people we were able to form bonds with are some of my favorite memories and I was really genuinely sad to say good bye to them. (Continued…)
Vincent Hobbs
posted 8/30/08 @ 7:40 PM PST
I feel what you're saying. At one point in the trip, I was extremely anxious to get back to the luxuries I took for granted. However, now I realize there are some things that we can't get back in America- the superb customer service at hotels, inexpensive food prices, cheap taxi fares, and friendly vendors. (Continued…)
Laurel Saito
posted 8/31/08 @ 9:35 AM PST
I am happy that you highlighted the people we encountered. I loved when the hotel staff grew to know me and people on the street would recognize me. Watching homeless moms care for their kids and seeing families huddled sleeping together was a constant reminder that there are better things to live for than money and possessions. (Continued…)
Gina
posted 9/02/08 @ 2:06 PM PST
India is still in my head...I can't get it sorted out and I remain amazed at the complacency of the people -- living on the streets, trying to navigate traffic, greeting us in the hotel, sharing the culture of their food and dance, etc. (Continued…)
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