Coming from a developing country, I was sure my cultural shock will not be as great as when I came to study in the US. However, I was wrong. My home country might be considered a developing country, but it is definitely better off in terms of poverty than India. Yes, it was the huge amount of poverty present everywhere which was the first shocking thing after my arrival. Just seeing poor people living on the streets, having nothing to wear, or eat, with children playing around and begging for money is the hardest thing to deal with. Living in a luxury hotel for a week in Jaipur, and having a poor family living outside my window made me wonder and think about the chance in life I have compared to them. This is the main reason why I decided to include the picture Taj Mahal in this post. Taj Mahal represents the beauty and wealth and roofs of homes where the poor live.
The contrast on this picture also represents the beauty in variety that India offers. Not only in terms of wealth distribution, but also the cultural wealth this country has. Going the local market I was able to learn about different tradition from other parts of India. Clothing for example varies from state to state in India. I find it very interesting that there are 18 official languages in India, and that some people from the same country are unable to understand each other, unless they speak a common language.
Another thing I learned is how warm and welcoming Indian people are. Everywhere I went people were willing to talk to me, listen to me, and invite me to their homes. However, sometimes this welcoming behavior would become overwhelming, and I realized that this is another cultural difference I have with Indians. It is nice to feel accepted and appreciated, but at the same time, it is hard to get used to the lack of personal space I am used to having (even though Bosnian people are pretty similar to Indians in terms of personal space). As the picture depicts it, crowds and lack of space are nothing unusual in India. People are not physically close to each other, but also are very close in terms of “human relationships”. Neighbors spend time with one other and help each other. I like this close interaction between people present in Indian culture, as I think “westerners” often have no time for other people, or for relaxed social gatherings in the way Indians do.
A cultural difference I had a harder time adjusting myself to is the male-female relation in India. Taj Mahal was built by the emperor Sahan Jahn in memory of his wife. Therefore, Taj Mahal can be seen as a symbol of a woman who is isolated in the society. Women do not have a lot of choice, and their lives change entirely once they get married. Arranged marriages still take place. In many traditions in India a woman cannot talk to all the members of her husband’s family and is in many ways often isolated and separated. That is the reason why I view a woman as Taj Mahal who is a part of the scenery, but at the same time is not entirely included in it.
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