So it’s gotten down to my last 10 days of being in India and while I’m obviously excited to return home to friends, family, and the lifestyle I’ve grown accustomed to, I’m feeling a little sad to leave after my time here. I think I’m going to do a countdown of sorts to commemorate what I’ll miss most about India, and since I’m traveling a little this weekend, I’l start with the first two today.
10. AUTO RICKSHAWS
For those who aren’t familiar with auto rickshaws, they’re these small three-wheeled vehicles that are nearly as ubiquitous as cars and essentially serve as my transportation everywhere. Most places I go to range anywhere from 20-50 rupees ($0.30-$0.80) and the fee is divided amongst the three people that it typically can carry (though I think I’ve done up to 6 “illegally”).
Despite the near death experiences I have with traffic every other day, these guys get the job done. Luckily in Ahmedabad, they don’t try to cheat you as often and are pretty flexible with your requests, e.g. waiting for you run inside a cupcake shop and come out with your afternoon snack.
You end up enjoying the wind in your face and a chance to explore the city outside of just the neighborhood of the office, and I’ve learned to enjoy these times. Yes, they’re dinky and dangerous by Western standards, but I’ll miss them.
9. AMERICAN ENGLISH VS. INDIAN ENGLISH
The British colonized both the US and India, and the form of English that is used in the countries has diverged as a result. Although India keeps pace with American culture through movies and TV shows, there are definitely still some differences in the language that took some while getting used to. Now that I’m accustomed to them, I chuckle a little bit to myself every time I hear some of these differences highlighted.
Pronunciation: It’s well known that Americans created the harsh “A” sound that we use for words like “cat,” and that vowel has been picked up in only certain circumstances here. This one never ceases to make me stop laughing:
Me: Naaaasty….
Indian: You mean naaahhhhsty?
Same words, different usage:
Example 1 –
Me: Man that food was really good!
Indian: That food was yum!
Example 2 –
Me: I have a couple questions about your program.
Indian: I have some doubts about your program
Example 3 –
Me: There were a bunch of old ladies at the gym today. Not a pretty sight.
Indian: There were a bunch of aunties at the gym today. It was yuck.