Working dogs

While there are many differences in the ways Americans and Indians do things that I find interesting each and every day, I wanted to dedicate an entry to 2 of the more fascinating ones that I came across in the past week.

The first occurred at work. I’ve come to realize a significant amount of differences in work style – first the whole “arriving to work at a certain time” concept doesn’t really apply here, much to my absolute joy. This is not intrinsic to India, speaking with a person from Khatmandu this week I learned it’s a similar culture in most places in southeast asia (perhaps other places as well, this just happens to be the extent of our respective knowledge put together). The Chai Walla is of course quite a nice addition to work. Getting up to make a copy is apparently not something one does here, that’s left to the office boys. Personal space and forethought to other people’s time is not something people care about. In fact I’ve been counseled throughout my first 2 weeks here to “be less formal” and to “barge right in."

Overall I’ve noticed that political correctness doesn’t really seem to exist. People say it like it is, and it’s a refreshing, if sometimes brutally honest, country. However, this does not stop within the workplace. When speaking with a vice president about a process, I asked “who can help me understand this?” to which he tells me a name I don't know and to explain this person he says: “He’s the fat guy with the turban and the beard and he walks with a limp cause his leg is messed up.” Say what??? That’s 4 cases of potential lawsuit in the states. I recover from momentary shock to say, “ah, ok…that’s a good description.” Seriously, I said that. I just didn’t know what else to say. I wonder if I’m “the white girl from boston who drinks a lot of tea.” I can’t help it, I’m addicted to the Chai Walla.

The second eye opening moment occurred Friday night after a few drinks at a swanky joint in bandra. One thing about India which I need to disclose is that there are an inordinate amount of dogs running around the streets, and at night they go into a howling orchestral symphony that lasts about 2 hours. It’s awesome if you re into dog symphonies; I’m not. Anyway, we are on the street chatting and this dog wanders by us and curls up right by the bar door. I know a lot of these dogs are just scavengers but I couldn’t help but wonder what a local thought so I turn to our guide and friend for the evening and ask, “so do these dogs all have owners somewhere or what?” to which my friend laughs. “No.” He says simply. My continued stare brings a rather poignant comment from him, “I don’t really understand Americans and this ‘owning of dogs.’ We don’t bother them and they don’t bother us. They have as much right to these streets as we do.” Well…ok. There are probably more humans sleeping right on the streets of Mumbai than dogs. I guess if you put it that way I get your point. But these dogs -- there is a different story and undercurrent to human behavior when you view their relationship and the sharing of city resources – you never want to touch the dogs but there is never any fear of them either. They wander right along the street next to you or cross the street near you or lay down and go to sleep next to where you are standing – it’s a symbiosis with animals I never have ever felt before and I had to recognize and appreciate that fact. Sure, the streets were dirtier, but the animals were more free.

SRK arrest

The detention and questioning of Shahrukh Khan (SRK) at Newark, NJ last weekend has generated quite a lot of hot feelings in India.

The incidents of Indian Nationals being treated suspiciously in the US upon landing has gone up (recently an Indian Ex-prez was frisked) and the senstivity among indians has proved to be quite high.

Commentary here ranges from outright revenge (“We should strip search every american coming into india!” screams one woman into the camera,) to more thoughtful discussions on the increase of religious fears in the United States and cultural differences between the two countries.

It’s a little discomforting to hear such anger about americans but it’s also enlightening to experience the situation from the viewpoint of the indian nation. It’s clear that this is not just about their Brad Pitt being treated in this manner; it’s that the United States genuinely didn’t recognize their Brad Pitt and they would have recognized ours. It’s as much cultural pride as it is the politically incorrect behaviors played out by the individual few.

I have to wince a little when I hear people expound on racial profiling. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t what occurred here, especially on a flight coming from Mumbai where most of the persons disembarking were Indian. I have gone through customs multiple times this year between Europe/Asia/USA and what I can say, as I’ve judged internationals coming into the states and being questioned, is that while racial profiling might have been part of the issue, SRK’s attitude probably didn’t help. I’m of course making a significant assumption here but I find it hard to believe that if he wasn’t carrying anything or he wasn’t brandishing a weapon he wouldn’t have sailed through security. Instead he probably popped an attitude, maybe was even so condescending that it was a matter of pride not to detain him. ("I told them I am a movie star," Press Trust quoted Khan as saying. – You can see where this is going, right?) Yes, I’m giving the customs official the benefit of the doubt. But frankly, US customs officials need a few people on their side these days.

I don’t know the answer on how to make customs/security screening any more fair. I don’t think wearing a burqua (hard to screen security wise) or a T-shirt with arabic writing about the ‘paradise of death’ on it, or as I presume in the above case - acting like a total dickhead - is the best way to get through security/customs undisturbed. I also don’t know if India has any right to judge America on it’s security techniques. I’d be interested to see how India would react if the 2008 Mumbai bombings were carrier out by white guys in Texan hats. Perhaps they would be more tolerant than we appear to be. However, I hope no one will ever have the opportunity to judge the differences in our security protcols in the face of our culture clashing.

Weekend retrospect

It’s Sunday afternoon here, around 5:30 or 6pm. It’s 8am in Boston. I know this because my sim card still will not work and my phone is stuck on east coast time.

I didn’t do much yesterday, slept a lot and read “Murder on the Orient Express.” It was also raining off and on with little warning and I didn’t want to be stuck outside when a monsoon hit so I moped aorund indoors and rested. I still don’t have internet. I spoke briefly to Eric on Friday who tried to commiserate with me on the lack of it which was sweet but annoying. “Yeah, I feel so cut off and remote” he says to which I rolled my eyes. I’m in F’ing Mumbai, okay? You’re in maine.

Today was the first day I could actually sleep in and I finally rose around 1pm. Nice thing about India is that you don’t need to shower b/c inevitably you smell better than everything around you. So I threw on some clothes and took a walk around my “neighborhood.” I have a cinema right next door to me which is cool, but there were no american movies playing. Even indian new releases were out as mumbai is shut down for swine flu and theatres are not recommended for people to sit and stew in each other’s virus breath. I wandered a bit more down the block, found a mall and some restaurants. Crossed a street (yay!) and then stopped because somewhere between the street and the mall and normal mumbai I ran right into the slums. Not sure how that happened except that the architecture of Mumbai reminds me a lot of boston – it’s an old haphazard type of city and things are just thrown together due to need rather than any forethought. Went back to the mall, found a TGIFriday and grabbed a beer at the bar.

Here is what I have learned so far: going to an american restaurant for a beer costs you the same as if you were in america drinking that beer. KFC commericals should be outlawed b/c they are so sexually explicit they make me blush. Bugs and other little creatures are something I’m just going to have to get used to. And finally, I need some ex-pat friends pronto, I haven’t had a conversation in 3 days.

jet lagged

Writing thoughts down, wish I had internet so I could blog, but this post will just be delayed.

So far I’ve had the normal reactions I expected: Excitement, anxiety, realism, and a small attack of “get me the f out of here.”

Biggest challenge is culture. I’m not really sure what is correct, what is not. It's hard to even understand queues from mannerisms b/c they are so different (for instance, shaking your head no here is a common movement to express "I'm listening"). I am also having a hard time communicating with the two people I interact with most (cook/driver) making my stay here very isolated. Last time I stayed at hotels so the staff was able to converse and I was in a 5 star hotel which made it feel a bit more like a fun international holiday. Now, in an apt., the Indian way of life is surrounding me to the fullest. The smell of the apartment is distinctly indian (curry?) with stone floors to keep the place cool (makes it less homey and cold feeling) and weird bathrooms (really, what is up with the bucket in the bucket that is in EVERY bathroom in india? Even at the work one?). The kitchen at first glance seems normal but there is no stove or oven and this is common. A 3 burner hot plate sits on the counter instead. A washer but no dryer (uncommon for dryer, people hang stuff outside their windows and doors alll over the place which does nothing to help with the aethetics of the city).

My housekeeper guy is very nice but we can’t talk and this has already led to multiple episodes of blank stares and wild gesturing which has yet to clarify anything for me. I think I am constantly saying the wrong thing: Today I spoke to a co-worker and mentioned how nice it was that it was sunny, not raining. He told me “this was not a good thing, to have monsoons end so quickly.” Whoops.

I guess it’s a sad state of affairs when everything is so foreign around you that a can of coke is the most wonderful thing you’ve seen all day. Then just as you go to take a sip of it -- as if a slow motion movie is playing out infront of you -- 3 people scream “nooooo!” as you put your lips to the outside of the dirty can. Well shit.