Only in India

Smile
Originally uploaded by taraksharvari.

Well, 6 months have flown by..here we are, our last day in India. It has been a changing, exciting and unforgettable experience. This country, as massive and beautiful as it is, has a huge dichotomy. I mean, to see the extreme spectrums of health, wealth and way of life was at times extremely difficult to accept. But to see the people who were at the rough end, always smiling, giving and living life one day at a time put our lives back home into perspective. That happiness is not measured by how much we make, how many gadgets we accumulate or the lifestyles we lead, but through the bonds of relationships with friends and family, the sincerity in our hearts, and truly giving without expectation for any sort of return. It’s amazing how very easy it is to take for granted the opportunities we simply get placed in front of us, and to lose sight of what is really important.
As we have already shared our volunteering, our sightseeing and our family stories, we thought we'd end on "only in India" blog. Besides the incredible food, sites, hospitality, culture and our roots, there are some things that words and blogs cannot capture about this country. Many times in the past 6 months, we've seen, heard and done things that we swear ONLY happen here. On our flickr link, we've posted some of those pics, that I'm sure some of you will very much relate to....so, as we head off to Southeast Asia..with Singapore and Malaysia as our first stop..we leave with a top ten list...
Random things to love about India:
10. Having to look both ways not only for oncoming crazy cars and rickshaws, but camels, oxcarts, cows, and elephants (which are usually close behind some crazy $200,000 phat car).
9. Eating the best chinese food, fresh juices, and almost any type of cuisine on the side of the road(and then potentially paying for it a day later).
8. Not knowing the meaning of full, and feeling like you are going to explode after eating at someone's house, and literally having your plate refilled 4 times because they think you don't look "healthy" enough.
7. Having random people thrust their entire medical file in front of you, and describing their "loose motions" the instant they find out you are a doctor.
6. Having every and any possible piece of land, whether schoolyard, gutter or rooftop be adequate grounds for cricket playing.
5. To go into any small village town, run down street, or extremely impoverished area and still have kids smiling and dancing along to the latest Bollywood remix song.
4. Just when you think there is NO way 1 additional person could fit onto the local train, 18 more people leap on and ride with random appendages hanging off.
3. No matter how nice of an area you might be visiting, shopping around or just admiring, there will definitely be someone either peeing next to you or sticking some random object in their ear (usually their freakin' pinky finger) vigorously cleaning it.
2. Making sure your windows and doors are locked not for robbers but for monkeys that like to wander in and raid the kitchen.
1. Being truly accepted and treated like family, and being given such sincere hospitality by people who you might have literally just met.