My fascination with India began with my love of their food. Throughout the years I have made friends with many people who call India home. My friend Romila even jokingly refers to me as an "Indian magnet", because wherever I go, I always wind up inadvertently befriending an Indian person.
Prior to my long awaited journey to India, I felt quite prepared. My dear friend Rema had told me so much about the Hindu Gods, the caste system, proper greetings, the rich culture, and she even touched on the fact that there was a lot of poverty here. But nothing she could have told me would have prepared me for what I've seen with my own two eyes. It has been so overwhelming I don't even know where to begin.
With all due respect to everyone with any lineage to India, particularly Delhi, this is the poorest, dirtiest, poverty stricken country that I have ever seen. A bus ride from one place to another consists of men urinating in the streets, children covered in dirt and grime, malnourished animals, sharing the road with pedestrians, horse drawn carriages, bicyclists, and motorcyclists, and garbage as far as the eye could see.
A trip to the market was like no market visit I could imagine. The streets were filled to capacity with people who looked like they just may be desperate enough to do anything, and quite frankly, I just didn't feel safe. I clutched my purse the entire time as I impatiently counted down the time until I'd be safe on the bus again and on my way to my beautiful westernized hotel room.
An early morning stop at the train station included what I would typically view as an invasion of privacy, as the train station appeared to serve as the bedrooms to entire families. Everyone just walked over them as if it were normal. Nothing I've seen here wold meet my criteria for normalcy and it has been extremely difficult for me to process. During my short stay here, I've taken several opportunities to just sit and cry. My emotions are running wild. Partly due to the fact that I am incredibly empathetic in nature, but also because I have a great deal of guilt, as I think about my own life in the U.S. and how I unconsciously take so much for granted on a daily basis.
Overall, I'd say this experience is eye opening and one that everyone should experience, should they be given the opportunity. I've witnessed a lot in a very short period of time, and to think…this is only the beginning.
-Ronda Miles
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