Cows! Motorcycles! Tea!
In my previous post, I talked about the places I’ve visited while in Chennai and Odisha. While writing, I realized that some of my most interesting experiences weren’t trips to sites or museums — it was in small, everyday things that make me go, “Oh! I didn’t realize that was a thing,” or “Wow! That’s way different than in America.” Here are the more mundane (but equally exciting) new experiences that I’ve stumbled upon during my time so far.
Cows!
Because I mostly stayed around the bustling city of Chennai, I only saw one or two cows walking in front of the office where the road was a bit quieter. In Jeypore, though, there were cows everywhere I turned — in places that I would never expect! When driving to the field site, the driver would often treat cows walking in front as another car, honking and swerving to avoid it. They cows would fold their legs and plop themselves on the sides of the road (sometimes even in the middle of the road), watching the traffic go by. All my coworkers were very amused that I would take pictures of the cows to send to my family and friends.
Motorcycles — small and nimble are the way to go
I would be absolutely terrified to drive in the streets of India. In Chennai and Jeypore, cars don’t stay in their lanes and often cut off one another. Motorcycles also weave in between every tiny space left between cars. Riding a motorcycle, and the auto-rickshaw, which is the motorcycle-version of a taxi, are exponentially more fun, I felt, than riding a car. Maybe because it’s like perpetually having the windows down, and it feels lighter than navigating a cumbersome car.
A hundred “Thank you’s”
I’ve been taught to say “thank you” frequently — to someone holding the door, after someone hands me a sweet, after a conversation where my coworker helped me clarify some data. One day, my coworker, Nithya, told me that I say very many thank you’s, and I realized that I do say the phrase significantly more than everyone else (perhaps even excessively). Frequently saying “Thank you” was one of many differences between the styles of speaking that I’ve found.
Though we all speak English, there’s a difference between “Indian English” and “American English.” People at the office are often taken aback when I ask “How are you?” Instead of “good,” they use “fine” (“The weather is fine today”). My coworkers and I shared a laugh the first time I tried to pronounce “brinjal” (eggplant) in a completely American accent. I’ve also found myself generally talking more formally, slower, and enunciating more, which, I think, is actually a good/fine thing!
Every time is Tea Time
Okay, this is false — tea time at the center is at 8am, 11am, and 4pm — but it seems like I am always drinking or being offered a cup of tea. The milk tea is a lot sweeter, but tastes like heaven with a salty biscuit. It’s also nice to break up the long hours sitting in the office to chat and drink some piping hot “cha,” which is “tea” in Oriya, the language in Odisha.
The wonderful colors of the Kurta
Before I went out to the field, my coworkers took me shopping for some kurta, which is Indian women’s casual wear. They told me I would look too formal with my “Western wear” among community people, and I agreed I needed a change of clothes — I already stood out completely in the Chennai office. Kurtas come in all vibrant colors with fun patterns. They’re really comfortable to wear and breathable (which is important in the hot weather).
“Take yogurt to balance out the heat of the chicken”
This is what my wonderful coworker, Geetha, often tells me. What I’ve noticed is that a lot of the Indian dishes I’ve eaten rely on a balance of flavors, such as buttermilk to counterbalance the spiciness of the dal. I’ve also noticed that different components of dishes don’t have a necessarily overwhelming flavor. In South Indian food, we’re expected to mix different types of dals with the rice, and each one is pleasant, but not exceedingly sour or spicy. A lot of the snacks are also more savory, and some sweets are more neutral and nutty rather than giving me a sugar rush. I also think I’ve been eating a lot healthier. My vegetable consumption has exponentially increased, and though I still crave beef and other meat at times, I’ve realized that I can go a couple days without it.
When I first arrived to India, it was easy to get caught up in the larger adjustments and big-picture goals of my internship. Settling into my routine admittedly took a few weeks, but once I was able to overcome the larger barriers like jet lag, food, meeting new people, and the topic of my project, I started enjoying more of the little moments that are like small joyful surprises, continuously reminding me how lucky I am to be here and how much there is still left to uncover.
