Culture shocks and experiences in India- be ready for these.

I was reading through my own blog- https://triplogues.com/concerns-of-a-foreigner-traveling-to-india/ . And realized every person also feels a culture shock when they travel to another country. And that might look like- the way people dress, their concept of time, how they spend their day, how many people walk around the cities, whats important to them, how they live etc. So if you are planning, then be ready for these Culture shocks and experiences in India that I have mentioned in this blog.

I really want you to experience my country. Only after having known the experiences you will or might have. Hence consider this as the part two of the blog mentioned above, where I will tell you about the real things that you need to consider. This is coming from a girl who grew up, did her schooling, undergrad and worked a few years in India and is well traveled across the country.

However, having lived in UK for past three years made me realize things that I was so used to before, but not comfortable anymore. Not that I feel negative about it, I still love my country. There is a price to be paid to get to the beautiful parts of the country. A price you will have to decide if you can be okay with.

The GAZE and STARE

It’s difficult here not to stared upon by people. This one probably tops the list of Culture shocks and experiences in India. In a country with highest population, you are going to get stared upon. Simply because probably you look different than the locals (especially because of your color). They might be intrigued the colour your skin, the language you speak, the clothes you wear, and so many things you do differently. But don’t confuse it with the creepy gaze of men who don’t even think they might be doing wrong. They might check you out top to bottom with absolutely no shame.

Two important tips here. One- In the former case, You can ignore people to safeguard your sanity. In the latter case, you can look them in the eye and they might feel a bit embarrassed. I have also gone to extent of calling them out in public places. It just feels disgusting sometimes to heights that you can’t bear it anymore.

Mannerisms

There is a very very diverse mix of people. Decent mannerisms are not something to expect from majority of them. India is a progressive country, I have seen the country change so much in my life till now. Having said that, there still are so many people who don’t have access to education and culture that teaches you basic manners and exposure. Its getting there, but you will majority still lagging behind in this segment. This might show up in various ways such as:

• People staring in to your phones. They usually are very unaware of ideas of privacy and space.
• The idea of queuing up- I still think 80% of people still don’t have the manner to queue up. They will not think twice to go up front even if there is queue of people waiting for the same.
• Not many people would space out when queuing up for something. People just stand very eerily close to each other. There again are several reasons why this happens. It could be due to space constraints, or loads of people queuing up and all seem to be curious of what happening at the front. Whatever it is, its somehow wired into the mannerisms of people.
• Unnecessary honking- Some do it because its absolutely necessary. Others just enjoy honking because NOISE is not something they would understand. Honking sometimes is really necessary while driving in India, everyone seems to be in their own world. And sometimes you might wonder if people even care for their lives.

Shopkeepers or drivers trying to cheat you

This is not something unique to foreign travelers, local fellow Indians face this on a daily basis. People tend to develop a habit of bargaining and be conscious when they go shopping. Now let’s come to the WHY of it. People grow up in a very competitive environment which makes them indulge in unfair practices and they try an fool you at the first instance. Most times, the intent is to earn as much profits as possible. While also competing with other many competitors in such a huge population. The practices might be very simple such as :

• Them quoting 2-3 times the actual value of products
• Giving you less quantity for the price you pay
• Lure you to buy stuff from their shops using tricks

Being mindful about such tactics and being mentally prepared that you will face this can help you be okay by the end of the day. Its important to know what the right prices are, where are the right places to go.

Dirt, trash everywhere

While there are some very. Nicely maintained pristine localities and areas in every city. Bad air quality, Plastic wrappers everywhere, trash on roads, animals poop at places, open gutters, dusty surfaces are a very common sight. While I say its getting better, its indeed very slow. This one comes down to again two major reasons- first people are very educated and civilised. To care about these things and local authorities don’t seem to care enough as well.

While there isn’t any trick to tolerate this, just use masks, wet wipes and sanitizer wherever possible.

The TOILET situation

I have literally struggled to find communal toilets in foreign countries while traveling. So I am very thankful to India, there are communal toilets available in all cities at least. However that doesn’t neglect the condition you find the toilets in. I can rate my experiences from Okay at places like Airports/ Hotels/Restaurants/Shopping malls/ high end trains to absolutely horrific in places like- ‘Sulabhs’/Petrol pumps/Railways stations/Trains/Bus Stations. There is no guarantee for these experiences. As it depends on what kind of a crowd uses them or who maintains them and how frequently.

Sulabh Shauchalaya or Sulabh Complex have comes to rescue for me in very many cities I traveled around in India. They are located in many places across cities and can be found by searching them in Google maps. Just type in -‘Sulabh toilet near me’. They charge a ver minimal charge for use type as a maintenance fee, always keep some change. There are some other apps that will come handy to find clean toilets- http://Toiletseva or http://Wooloo.

There is a very mixed type of crowd you will comes across in India and the idea of hygiene differs accordingly. So many Indians are still not used to the Western Toilet seats and need not necessarily know how to use them. Again, be prepared for the horrific sight sometimes. But always carry around ‘Pee safe’ sprays, Tissues/Wet Wipes to make them at least usable.

These culture shocks and experiences in India are very common, but they can be more bearable and enjoyable if you are mentally prepared for it. Not all are enjoyable, I agree!