नमस्ते (Namaste),

There are many things that I don't think of as "different" anymore. As I have often been reminded, there are many aspects of India that Americans would find out of the ordinary. I have put together a list of things that occurs in my daily life here.

1. I take my shoes off before entering any sort of building. This includes temples/ houses/ shops/ rooms in schools, ect. This is done to show respect and of course to keep the floors clean!

2. I take auto rickshaws at least once a day. These are three wheeled taxis with no doors, painted yellow and black (the colors vary according to where you are in the country) and often look like they are going to fall apart. They are my  major form of transportation and I get a lot of practice communicating in Hindi with the drivers, as many of them don't speak English. I barter for each trip and it usually costs around 30 rupees ($.60) for a 5 minute trip and up  to 80 rupees ($1.60) for 15 minutes. It is a very convenient form of transportation.

3. There are always so many people on the street. At any given time I would say there are at least 10 people nearby. This means there is always someone or something making noise. Whether it is honking, hammering, yelling, crying, TVs, or the sounds of engines, there is always sound. At first it was overwhelming, but I now find it relaxing and soothing. Noise and people are definitely two things that I will miss about India.

4. Given that I am white, tall and blonde I tend to get lots of stares from the Indians. It is something that I don't notice as much anymore. The women generally just stare and then look away if I look back. Young girls will sometimes come up to me and ask where I am from. The men and teenage boys often ride by on their motorcycles and yell things like "Aare Yaar", "Foreigner!", "Hey babe!", "Hey, Hello, Hi", "Where from?". I usually just ignore them and keep walking. Indians also like to take pictures of me and the other exchange students and we usually ask them not to.

5. Another thing that I will miss is that most buildings in the city have roof terraces. It is so nice to stand on top of my house and watch the city.

I know this is not a very long list, but it is surprisingly difficult to think of everything that used to seem so different. I guess it means I am fully immersed in the culture :) 

हना (Hannah)