- Did you know that there are 29 states in India?
- Did you know that each state has a different "official" language?
- This means that English is the language in which people from different states can communicate with each other.
- Did you know that not all Indians know English or can speak English very well? This makes communication difficult.
- Did you know that India has the second largest population in the world?
- Chicago has about 3 million people in the city; Delhi's population is 15 million!
- India is incredibly diverse in terms of the appearance of the people, language spoken, religion practiced, food devoured, and climate enjoyed.
- If you hit a cow with your car or auto rickshaw, you must pay a fine and pay for all the cow's medical bills at the hospital.
- While walking down the street in Delhi you will find not only people and cars, but cows, donkeys, monkeys, camels, dogs, and goats.
- Many people own motorcycles to get to and from work and it's common to see the Dad driving with his little boy in the front of the cycle, and the Mom in the back sitting sideways with her sari on carrying a newborn. A motorcycle isn't just for one person!
- Indians are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.
The hardest part about the trip was seeing the poverty and the stray dogs. The streets are scattered with homelessness: 6 month old babies sleeping on cardboard next to their mothers, a mom and dad with their three children sleeping on the sidewalk so the pedestrians have to step over their feet to walk, a little 7 year old boy sleeping in an ancient ruin who wakes up while we are touring the old city and carefully rolls up the poster he was using for his mattress, or the single women begging for food at the intersection. Dogs were littered all over the city and the countryside: old, young, puppies. All trying to find some shade and water. It breaks my heart, but it reminds me that I always need to keep giving back as a priority in my life. I am so incredibly blessed and it is my responsibility to bless others who are less fortunate.
As I wrap up my final blog post, I think my experiences can be summed up with the phrase: Unity in Diversity. India is a country of contradictions, diversity, and differences but the people are all unified as Indians. The Indians are an exceptionally friendly group of people who accept all people, no matter their religion, appearance, language, or culture. I was continually amazed by this character trait. Hindus valued and respected Muslims, Muslims valued and respected Sikhs, etc. etc. I hope the U.S.A. can become a country that is more unified in spite of our differences than segregated or hateful. I think this will become a goal I have in my teaching: to help students value differences and recognize how differences can be a unifying factor in our national identity.