Differences Observed Over Vacation ... part 2

Another example ...

After the flight to England we de-boarded the plane
and followed signs to immigration. We joined the
queue and stood in line as the stamps thumped and
returning vacationers chatted away excitedly. We
then followed signs to baggage claim. People tended
to park their trolleys to the side, then stepped
up closer to the belt, ready to grab their bags.
We got our bags and joined the orderly queue through
customs, handed over our paperwork to the customs
officials and answered about 5 questions on details
of our visit. We filed through and followed signs to
the hotel shuttle. It was slightly cool, so the
10 people waiting for their friends/family from the
flight all wore light jackets. We found the waiting
place, the bus arrived in 5 minutes and we quickly
left the airport.

After the flight to Mumbai we de-boarded the plane
and followed signs to immigration. We were sent
to the front of the queue because we had 2 children
and were checked in very quickly. We then followed
signs to baggage claim. All the signs directed
passengers from our flight to belt 2, but when we
got there an uniformed man stood there, waving his
arms, telling us to go to a different belt. On
we went to the different baggage claim where people
grabbed the trolleys and jammed themselves plus the
trolleys up against the baggage claim belt - Twiggy
couldn't have slipped in to get near the belt. The
bags came trundling around the belt soaking wet from
the rain. Some bags had little pools of water on the
top. We retrieved our damp belongings and joined the
mass of people surging towards customs. At customs
the man took our small form and waved us on. We filed
through to outside where hundreds of people stood by
waiting for passengers. Half of them had to stand in
the rain holding flimsy umbrellas. As we stood to the
side waiting for our ride, a man tried to take a photo
of our son. Our driver arrived and led us to the van -
as we walked over a guy walked up to us, grabbed the
suitcases and followed us to the van where he hurled
in the baggage so it slammed into the side. Then he
raced back over to me and grabbed the stroller - with
my son in it - and raced back to the van. I yelled
after him to stop it and give me back my son, meanwhile
my son burst into hysterics. My husband and our driver
then started yelling at the man to leave us alone. Then
my daughter started to get upset. In retrospect it's
all very funny but at the time I was almost hysterical
with exhaustion, frustration, and irritation.

Then yesterday morning after a long day, my husband and
were in the kitchen, we looked out the window, and there
on the roof of the neighboring apartment was a guy peeing
on the roof.

Welcome back to Mumbai.

Differences Observed Over Vacation ... part 1

Our vacation to England served so many purposes
that it is hard to list them all. Inclusive of
these ... and I won't discuss the obvious joys
of vacations .. are a renewed appreciation for, in
fact enjoyment of, cultural differences.

For example ...
On arriving in England I had to visit the restroom
to change my son's nappy. All stalls in the
spotless bathroom were available for use, there
was an infant changing table available, and
everything was automated (toilet flushing, water
from the tap, soap dispenser, hand dryer). There
were 2 attendants there, one cleaned the stalls
and the other stood around staring at nothing in
particular. Both wore wearied frowns and neither
spoke a word to anyone.

On arriving in Mumbai I had to visit the restroom
to change my son's nappy. Three of the 6 stalls
in the run down and not very clean bathroom were
unavailable, I had to change the nappy by balancing
my son between two sinks, and nothing was automatic
so I had to clean my hands one at a time.
There were 3 attendants there, sitting on a sheet
on the floor. They sat in a circle, in the middle
of which lay 3 plates of food and a pile of naan bread.
The three chattered away, laughing and smiling as
they ate their lunch in the middle of the bathroom
floor in an airport that serves a city of 20 million
people.

Then, at that time, I felt surprised. But 2 weeks ago, before I left
this all would have seemed normal.

Rickshaws

It's strange how quickly one adapts to a foreign culture
and suddenly ceases to be intrigued by differences. I
have not made any interesting blog entries for quite a
while because I have adjusted to the differences and
find them no more noteworthy than the weather. Perhaps
after my vacation my recognition and appreciation of such
differences will bloom again.

Yesterday on the way home we passed a rickshaw. A rickshaw
is a small 3-wheeled vehicle powered by a motorcycle
engine. The driver sits in front center, and generally
2 adults sit comfortably in the back. We have managed
to fit in 2 adults, 2 children, and a push-chair.
Yesterday we passed a rickshaw containing no less than
8 school children. There may possibly have been more,
but I had difficulties decomposing all those arms, legs,
pony tails, and feet into their individuals. All the
children had great big silly grins on their faces
completely oblivious to the dangers of such chaos.

Was I ever that silly?

Probably.

Education Differences

Due to the outrageous spiraling of oil prices, the
company I work for is booming and we are hiring.
Over the last few years our office in Mumbai has
increased in staff almost 100 times. So working with
such young people, straight out of college, I have
observed an interesting thing about the education
system here; the students do not question their teachers.

That may seem of minor interest, but the end result is
that most of the people coming in to our office assume
on blind faith that what they are given is correct,
and they don't even consider questioning it. They
are hesitant to disagree with other more experienced
people, and when they do ask about something that
doesn't make sense to them they ask quietly, under
their breath, as though they are to blame for not
understanding.

This seems subtle, but it actually has a big impact
on how I interact with people in the office. When I
came here I had to change to accommodate this difference.
The staff are still too young for me to determine if
they will be the future leaders of the company. Surely
they are bright enough, professional, and hard working,
but in their work they must also learn to question
everything - that is the way to learn, adapt, and innovate.

Farewell Priscilla

My children's nanny, Priscilla, will leave us next
Tuesday. We've all known that she will be going,
but still we feel so sad that she is leaving our
lives. Yesterday my 5-year old emptied out her
piggy bank and laid all 15 US pennies on the bed.
Then she called Priscilla over and said,
"Priscilla, if you stay with me I'll give you all
this money. But if you go, you can't have any of it."
I think my little angel will have the hardest time
next week.

Waiting for Rain Again

The air is thick and heavy today, a result of no rain
for a week. Every day feels denser than the one before
and I feel a tension everywhere as though everyone
waits for the great deluge. Last week the nightly
bouts of lightning and heavy rain were welcomed and
enjoyed, but this week the waiting makes me twitchy.
I should not hope for rain for it must make life
desperate for the millions of homeless around here.
Although what some call home is really four walls of
corrugated metal sheets enclosing a square the breadth
of the sidewalk with a tarp thrown over the top.
When we pass these corrugated neighborhoods, I'm
always surprised to see padlocks bolting the door
shut when the windows (cuts in the metal panels)
are wide open.

One road we frequently drive on crosses a long stretch
of undeveloped swamp land. The left side of the road
is all buildings, stores, apartments, and people while
the right side of the road is a wall separating the
road from the swamp. Trees grow alongside the road
in measured gaps along the footpath. Some
individuals have chosen to live along the sidewalk
so I always see laundry hanging out to dry or naked
little children struggling to stop their mother/sister
from washing them. The interesting parts of the
scene lie high up in the trees - hammocks are strung
from bough to bough. So I suppose at night these
guys climb the trees to sleep.

Childhood

Earlier this week I just couldn't stand to
see my 5-year old cooped up any longer. So
I took her outside to the little courtyard
and let her run around in the rain. I held
an umbrella and stood while this hurricane
of exuberance raced from wall to wall in the
pouring rain. She slid, she slipped, she
crashed in to things, she was absolutely
soaking wet and having the best time in the
world. Afterwards we returned to our apartment
where she had a long shower, bundled up in
a warm towel, and ate a pile of food.

Therein lies the joy of childhood for both
child and parent.