So far today was spent driving the 4-5 hour drive back to Delhi from Agra. What was expected to be an unremarkable drive, ended up providing a very reflective experience. An hour into the drive, Kelli asked our friends from Caliber Point if we were coming back a different route, because everything looked different. Although I hadn't vocalized it, for awhile I had been wondering the same thing.
The answer was "No, there is no other way back." I thought about this for awhile and realized something. Yesterday was a day spent trying to take in the vast differences in Indian society vs. American society. The initial thing that you notice is the chaos and disorganization along the streets, and the rampant poverty.
On the ride back you are offered a totally different perspective, as this has all sunk in. I realized, I was now looking past this, and looking at the parts of each village that were organized. It wasn't entirely mass chaos, there was a functional society in each area, and some buildings that could be compared to lower working class America, mixed in and around the slum housing.
As we got closer to Delhi, Kelli, I and Grover who were sharing one car at that time, noticed how as we approached Delhi we noticed the dramatic change mile by mile (or kilometer by kilometer) in terms of the quality of the buildings, and an increase in the general quality of life of the thousands of people on the streets. Less people dressed in rags, and starving, more twenty-somethings in clean, new jeans talking on their cell phones, wandering the markets.
What was striking was that 24 hours before, this was the exact point that we were looking out at the streets in shock and amazement at the poverty and poor conditions. Our perspective had changed 180 degrees, once we saw how much worse it was further out from Delhi. Now it was Delhi that became our reference point as the more "normal" society.
This contrast in our reactions only 24 hours apart was so striking that it precipitated some very emotional reactions within our car. Its amazing how your perception of bad can change, once you've seen worse. Placing our own lives in this perspective made the 3 of us feel very fortunate, and truly appreciate what it is we have.
I need to run to some shopping, and will post some pictures later.
On a side note, some of you may have heard of the bombing in Haryana. While this is only 50 or so miles from us, (and they have warned of some possible protests in New Delhi) it has been quiet so far, and we are all, of course, alright. The incident was targeted towards a specific individual, and was a retaliation for some sort of insulting act that individual had done (although I clearly don't have all the details.)
The answer was "No, there is no other way back." I thought about this for awhile and realized something. Yesterday was a day spent trying to take in the vast differences in Indian society vs. American society. The initial thing that you notice is the chaos and disorganization along the streets, and the rampant poverty.
On the ride back you are offered a totally different perspective, as this has all sunk in. I realized, I was now looking past this, and looking at the parts of each village that were organized. It wasn't entirely mass chaos, there was a functional society in each area, and some buildings that could be compared to lower working class America, mixed in and around the slum housing.
As we got closer to Delhi, Kelli, I and Grover who were sharing one car at that time, noticed how as we approached Delhi we noticed the dramatic change mile by mile (or kilometer by kilometer) in terms of the quality of the buildings, and an increase in the general quality of life of the thousands of people on the streets. Less people dressed in rags, and starving, more twenty-somethings in clean, new jeans talking on their cell phones, wandering the markets.
What was striking was that 24 hours before, this was the exact point that we were looking out at the streets in shock and amazement at the poverty and poor conditions. Our perspective had changed 180 degrees, once we saw how much worse it was further out from Delhi. Now it was Delhi that became our reference point as the more "normal" society.
This contrast in our reactions only 24 hours apart was so striking that it precipitated some very emotional reactions within our car. Its amazing how your perception of bad can change, once you've seen worse. Placing our own lives in this perspective made the 3 of us feel very fortunate, and truly appreciate what it is we have.
I need to run to some shopping, and will post some pictures later.
On a side note, some of you may have heard of the bombing in Haryana. While this is only 50 or so miles from us, (and they have warned of some possible protests in New Delhi) it has been quiet so far, and we are all, of course, alright. The incident was targeted towards a specific individual, and was a retaliation for some sort of insulting act that individual had done (although I clearly don't have all the details.)
Here are some random pictures from the day though from our trip back to Delhi. The first is a snake charmer (actually his son, the charmer himself disappeared when I finally decided to give some money, so his son had to step in.)
Next is a small child taking a camel ride.
The bottom picture is one of the men that open your car door in front of the hotel in Delhi. I have to say the ones in Agra had even better outfits, but I didn't get a picture of them.
1 comment:
I think you did a good job on capturing the essence of our trip. As I said to you today, I have come to learn that it is not as much the enormity of the problems that we should dwell on as it is what are the things each of us can do, big or small, to contribute to a sustainable solution for the people who our hears went out to.
Grover
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