ANTICIPATION…

How will I “fit in”? Will I like my roommate? Should I plan to bring gifts for children we will see in the villages? Will we have plenty of time to shop? What kinds of things can one find to purchase in India?

All very good questions and all are a part of what novice travelers, as well as seasoned ones begin to question when only two or three weeks remain before we say “Good-bye” to family and friends, co-workers, fellow Rotary Club members, and then begin the journey, most likely with little or no sleep the night before. 

Taking each question separately…

Will I “fit in”?

India is a huge melting pot of cultures, religions, politics and even as Americans or Westerners and therefore, minorities in India, once the shock of seeing taller, heavier and lighter-skinned people, the natives pay little or no attention, unless initiated by the visitors.  The more we return, however, to the same villages, towns and neighborhoods where we have administered polio vaccine in the past, the more familiar we become to the natives and the more welcoming they become.  A good example happened a year ago.  I was working with three other Rotarians – one from Florida, one from Las Vegas and one from California, in a booth located up a narrow alley in Bisru.  Once I had a chance to stretch my legs, I went for a walk in the neighborhood. About half a block away from where we were distributing vaccine, a boy of about sixteen years stood in his doorway.  In perfect English, he said, “Good day, sir!”  I returned the greeting and then asked his name.  He told me his name and then asked me for mine.  When I told him my name is Elias, he said, “My father is Elias.”  “But,” wearing a big smile on my face, I said, “I am not your father!” I asked if his father was at home and he said he would send his younger brother into the village to find his father and bring him to their home.  A few minutes later, a gentleman, wearing a turban, arrived, with a smile on his face.  We greeted one another and had a “photo-op”, where each of us had an arm around the other’s shoulder.  Then, with not even a beat skipped, he turned and asked, “Where is Sarah?”  After a few questions back and forth between us, I was able to ascertain that he was looking for Sarah Miller, a teenager who had traveled with us a couple of years prior.  Evidently, she had given out the drops of vaccine at that time, and he remembered her, and by name! I explained Sarah was not with us at that time, but that I would extend his greetings to her.

 

Will I like my roommate?

Did you ever go to summer camp? Or to boarding school? Or to college or university?  At the time, did you wonder who your roommate might be, where from and whether or not you would get along well with them? Generally speaking, while keeping flexibility as one of the “rules”, one can tolerate and most likely come to enjoy the company of a total stranger.  When leading a Group Study Exchange to India in 2003, one of the young men on the team, Tim, a gifted photographer, happened to be riding with me to get some lately delivered luggage – about a week late!  While we were riding along, Tim asked if he could ask a couple of questions.  I told him that would be fine.  The questions turned out to be more statements than questions.  He said, “You know, Elias, we have been here for about a week. We are total strangers to these people. We are  living in their homes and they have vacated their own bedrooms for us. We have totally different ways of driving, cooking, speaking and we have absolutely nothing in common.  But,” he paused, “you know what?  We are all just the same!”  I congratulated Tim and said, “Congratulations, Tim. You get it!” In other words, although sometimes we slept two or three in a bed (something none of us had ever done other than with our spouses) and we were eating food which had never before passed our palates, nonetheless, we were the same as out hosts, just dressed differently and spoke differently.  That is one of the “magical” qualities of Rotary that I have found over many years. When you see someone wearing a Rotary tee-shirt or a Rotary pin, you kind of already know something about the other person. There is a commonality of understanding and purpose – that of serving others.  So getting back to the question, if you know it is only for a period of two weeks AND you are both Rotarians or in some way affiliated with a Rotary Club, then you can rest assured that you and your roommate will become fast friends and also lifelong friends. 

Should I plan to bring gifts for children we will see in the villages?

Absolutely!  Gifts, no matter how insignificant you may feel they are, become cherished, especially by the children.  We have taken Frisbees, Nerf balls, pencils, balloons, tiny bottles of bubbles, pads of paper and of course, the old stand-by – the WalMart SMILEY stickers. This year, I am planning to take a couple hundred bead necklaces – like the ones they use at Mardi Gras.  I am sure they may well have been made in India or China, but the fact that they are gifts makes all of the difference!  The gifts each of us receives in return are priceless – the sparkling smiles and the flashing eyes and perhaps, even a hug!  How can anyone go wrong? 

Will we have plenty of time to shop?

This is a common question and one which is the easiest to answer. “YES!”

 What kinds of things can one find to purchase in India?

Whether it is walking through the dusty streets of Bisru and Punhana, and watching as the young boy takes a cleaver and deftly chops off the heads of chickens and then “bleeding’ them and tossing them into a pile to be picked up to go to market; or it might be blocks of sugar cane sugar – sort of like maple sugar – but about a foot square, that are stacked on carts and infested with flies; whether it is the finest of gold jewelry (or as it is spelled in India – jewellery) or jewel encrusted brooches or bracelets; whether it is the finest of silk scarves or the sought-after Pashmina shawls; or perhaps a “scrimshaw” type of painting on camel bone; maybe you prefer a handcrafted white marble table which is reminiscent of the Taj Mahal; or finally a handmade oriental carpet sold in one of the high-class emporium shops. All these, as well as padlocks or automobile tires or fresh vegetables, can be purchased throughout India.  Just bring your rupees or your credit cards (for those larger items).