Contrasts

This morning when I walked out on the street two men sitting on the sidewalks shouted after me: "Happy Women's Day!" I smiled and said "Happy Women's Day" back and kept walking. I turned the corner and three rickshawdrivers were loitering, as I think the term is, ("drive dank"), waiting for their next customer. One asks me if I want a rickshaw and I politely say no.
"All right bitch, good bye bitch."

India has grown on me, the culture shock was gone by Tuesday, but still there is lots of things that are frustrating, confusing, downright silly or just stupid. The traffic is one example. Here you have to keep walking. The drivers of two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles are all completely mad, and if you want to cross the street you have to walk semi-fast and determined. Don't run as you will be in a spot the driver did't expect you to be in soo soon, and he will most likely run you over, don't stop as the driver behind the one who maybe will run you over will run you over as he thought you'd kept walking and don't just stand there as you will never cross the street.

India has some of the absolute richest and absolute poorest people on the earth. 23 of the world's 700-something dollar billionaires live in the country, yet so many countless of millions live on really, less than $1 a day (and not any of that PPP-dollar-svada we had in human geography, these are real people making no money for a lot of work. Yet I find it hard to give money to people who I know are bullied into begging, children are forced into the "trade" by gangs, women by their husbands of fathers. If they have a baby on the arm it is especially cruel, so you definitively have a chance to re-think your perpectives in life.

Then there is the male chauvinism I was faced with earlier today. In general, as us Westerners don't believe in the beauty of arranged marriages, some Indian females look at white women as promiscuous tarts who should be dressed up. Fair enough, and we do get told to cover knees and shoulders, which is fine and we happily do it in respect for them. Then however is the Indian males who think any white women who is against marriage and pro all sorts of explicit fun and every Tom, Dick and Harry over the age of 12 thinks a white woman means an easy shag. There are so many dissapointed men out there, but for crying out loud, don't make pussycat sounds when we walk past, it's pathetic!

Nevertheless, India is an absolutely beautiful country, the people are gorgeous, the children who are not used as slave labour by their parent adorable and the food is delicious. Enjoy!