10 Thoughts about India

10 Thoughts about India

10. SO MUCH TRAFFIC!  I saw very quickly that India is the most populated country in the world, and the city I went to was one of the most populated cities in the country.  I thought Indonesia traffic was bad, then Vietnam traffic was 5x worse, then India traffic was 5x worse than Vietnam…hopefully the traffic isn’t worse at the next stop! 

9. Why so much traffic, other than lots of people?  Cows!   Cows are worshipped in the Hindu culture because people believe over 33,000 gods live inside one single cow.  This means that the stray cows on the side of the road (we will get to that in a minute) must be given their time to cross.  And we all know cows are not the quickest animals, so they create traffic jams quite often. 

8. Why stray cows?  Well, people believe that if they “give” their cow to the gods, meaning release it to run free through the streets, they are worshipping and thanking their gods.  This leaves many stray cows, and also wild boars/pigs, roaming the streets without food, causing traffic jams.  I don’t know how letting an animal run free and fend for itself for food is worshipping, but hey, whatever you believe I guess?

7. The dress in India is very unique- I was thinking men would wear shorts and t-shirts, because it is always so hot (it was around 105 Fahrenheit one of the days!).  But instead, the men always wear button down shirts and long pants.  I think I only saw 2 Indian men in the 5 days I was there wearing shorts, and only a few more wearing T-shirts.  Women wear elaborate, colorful, traditional dresses that are quite beautiful themselves. 

6. Security is intense!  In every metro stop, bus station, or public place, there are metal detectors and full body pat-downs required.  It was incredibly slow sometimes, but I definitely felt safe.  They also have a separate area for women to get patted-down with female security guards, so there are two lines to go through the metal detectors: one for the men and one for the women.    

5. India is cheap…except if you are a foreigner.  Every backpacking blog I read said India could be travelled in about $15 per day, and I found this to be completely false.  Even the simple things, like transpiration or food, were twice as expensive for me than my Indian friend (the Taj Mahal was $16 for me to enter and $0.60 for him!).  Granted, we did eat a bit in restaurants rather than street food (which is how I avoided the dreaded “Delhi Belly” sickness, thank you Jesus!), but I still don’t see how India could be travelled in $15 a day. 

4. Indian food is amazing!  Almost the whole population is vegetarian, because Hindus don’t want to eat meat, but there are still so many varieties of tastes and flavors to make vegetarian food every meal taste different and still delicious!  I recommend you go somewhere to try Indian food if you haven’t ever had it- probably my favorite ethnic food I have ever tasted!   

3. “You may be whatever religion you want.”  This quote came from a friendly Indian man I was talking with on the bus.  He said that a person’s nationality is important, because that defines who a person is, but the religion is a personal thing and does not need to be shared with others.  Please be praying for these people: I don’t know if this is a common feeling throughout all parts of society or just his own opinion, but religion definitely plays a major part in defining a person. 

2. The Taj Mahal is incredible.  If you ever get a chance to go, don’t even think twice.  The whole complex is completely symmetrical, made with white marble and red stone, and fine gems are cut into the marble- nothing is painted.  There are four gates, along with a mosque and a guest house on either side of the main building as well- these parts often get left out of pictures but they are equally as spectacular.  Pictures make it look pretty amazing, but the beauty of the building is even more breathtaking live!

1. When people become Christians, their lives should be changed.  “Behold, the old has gone, the new has come” it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17.  I saw this attitude so prevalent in the lives of the Indian Christians I worked with.  Many of the Indian people from outside of the Christian faith were quite pushy, rude, and very difficult to enjoy being around, but the Indian Christians I met were some of the most friendly, welcoming, and helpful people I have met.  We quickly became close friends over just a few hours of talking with some of them.  Christianity changes people, and that was so clear to see through my time in India.  Continue to be praying for their work; there are so many people in India who do not know Him as their personal Savior. 

Day 9 of 42 completed! 

Next adventure: Central Asia

Luke Forshey

June 17, 2017