I am at Tempe, Arizona. It's a beautiful place. Ever since I have landed to US I am trying to find, that, one big explicit difference between USA and India and I am very pleased that I have not yet found any big difference in terms of facilities or anything materialistic for that matter. But, there exists a huge and I mean HUGE difference between attitude of people. People are very disciplined and have a good attitude towards rules. The biggest difference I have found is People and govermental policies. We all know about political parties in India and hence conditions of some of the obvious things like roads. GPS works like a charm here. I asked my colleague here if GPS would act as precisely as it works here in US, answer as expected was no. Roads are just awesome here. I have been discussing all the differences I have noticed so far with my friends and now I think it's a good idea that I express them in this blog here. There are many things which are just opposite to what they are in India. Switching on direction is switching off in India. The steering wheel or driver's seat is right in India, here it's left. There is silence almost everywhere. It is very surprising that I don't see anyone walking on the roads. I can see more women driving big cars than I have ever seen in India. Car is a basic necessity of life here. I was amazed to see police on horses, bicycles and the swiftness with which they act. It is good that I have visited many places in India as that has given an idea of how beautiful India is.
Standard of living is too high. I was very amazed to see beggars and homeless people here. Normal lifestyle is resplendant and luxurious here. Not only that but also working culture is different here. We have evening life here unlike in India on working days. Things are very structured and organized here and system is obeyed. I am not sure if obeyance is good in all cases but certainly obeyance is the best choice in few cases. I would not like to comment on personal lifestyle of people etc. I am very proud about the cultural values of India and I hope they retain themselves among many things that are rapidly getting changed in India or getting influenced as part of globalization. I feel few things should be made mandatory or as rules in India. First among them is elderly people should be taken care of by their kids unless goverment makes policies for taking care of elderly people. Like our former President, Mr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam I have a belief that India has huge potential and it would certainly improve on many fronts it is currently lagging behind.
Getting into some personal stuff now, after surviving on breads for many days, I finally got to eat Indian food. I am very happy to see that Indian grocery store too are here. One of my leads invited me for lunch, today and I had a wonderful time. Walmart has been my favourite hangout place if not Starbucks coffee so far!
Standard of living is too high. I was very amazed to see beggars and homeless people here. Normal lifestyle is resplendant and luxurious here. Not only that but also working culture is different here. We have evening life here unlike in India on working days. Things are very structured and organized here and system is obeyed. I am not sure if obeyance is good in all cases but certainly obeyance is the best choice in few cases. I would not like to comment on personal lifestyle of people etc. I am very proud about the cultural values of India and I hope they retain themselves among many things that are rapidly getting changed in India or getting influenced as part of globalization. I feel few things should be made mandatory or as rules in India. First among them is elderly people should be taken care of by their kids unless goverment makes policies for taking care of elderly people. Like our former President, Mr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam I have a belief that India has huge potential and it would certainly improve on many fronts it is currently lagging behind.
Getting into some personal stuff now, after surviving on breads for many days, I finally got to eat Indian food. I am very happy to see that Indian grocery store too are here. One of my leads invited me for lunch, today and I had a wonderful time. Walmart has been my favourite hangout place if not Starbucks coffee so far!
Kumud:
ReplyDeleteIt's great hearing your first impressions of a new country! It sounds like you are having a great time and adjusting quickly - no surprise.
> There is silence almost everywhere.
LOL. After my experiences in India, I can see how Arizona might seem like a vacuum.
> surprising that I don't see anyone walking on the roads
True. You may see more pedestrians in downtown zones, but we're so spread out compared to Europe and other areas.
> see more women driving big cars than I have ever seen in India.
Funny. Just the size of American cars is one thing, but I hadn't though much about women driving here. It's been that way for decades - one of my grandmothers drove a big four-door car.
> very amazed to see beggars and homeless people here.
Sad but true. We've discussed this. I think the wealth disparities in the U.S. are greater than anywhere else, and getting worse.
> finally got to eat Indian food. I am very happy to see that Indian grocery store too are here. ... Walmart has been my favourite hangout place
Indian food? I'm sure you mean Indian/Indian food, not American Indian food :-). Arizona has a number of Native American tribes, though the "reservations" tend to be less desirable area.
Here's a museum suggestion (Mesa is not far from Tempe, by Western standards):
http://www.azmnh.org/
Kumud,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the US! I, too, have lived overseas in a culture and climate very different from that which I had left; I moved from mid town Manhattan in New York City to a tiny village in the south of Austria. So enjoy the insights you gain into your own culture and assumptions.
Yes, the poverty in the US is shameful; there has been a trend of the rich growing richer and the poor growing poorer, and I wish more people were concerned enough to do something about it. Many people contribute to food pantries and volunteer in their communities, but more needs to be done.
As for women drivers, I heard in the news this week that women have now surpassed men for the number of driver's licenses in the US, so you are likely to continue to see many women drivers. As women more often are the ones driving the children to their after school sporting or social activities, it is common in most of the US to see women driving larger vehicles.
I look forward to reading more of your observations during your time in the USA.
Regards,
Gretchen Lindquist