Random

As I was contemplating this post on my way from work, walking up the stairs to my apartment, I saw a baby lying by itself on the platform between flights of stairs. Poignant timing. The housekeeping mother was outside gardening. This is just a random occasion, so it is a good start to the randomness post.

Traffic - people, cows, buffalo, bicycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, cars, buses, in all directions. People take countless photos/videos of the traffic. There are few sidewalks, and you usually have to join the fray. To add to the confusion, every participant beeps, rings their bike bell, squeezes their horn, or just hollers. Proper times to sound off are if you are changing or not changing lanes, about to get hit or about to hit someone, planning on going faster or slower, see someone you know... you get the point.



Marriage - Couples who meet on their own are said to have a love marriage as opposed to the still present arranged marriages. Personal ads in the paper and on the net are matrimonial driven and very specific in their descriptions of themselves and their preferred mate. At times, the arrangement process can be quite formal with a sit down interview process and shrewd dowry negotiations.

I would not want an arranged marriage, but I understand the idea. It seems to take the stress and heartache from the dating process by formalizing it. In fact, it removes the dating process and turns it into an interview process conducted by family and friends before you even meet. They get right to the big issues which can be underlying and can destroy a marriage down the road. The detractions are obvious: you don't have the thrill of finding that special someone and many people enjoy dating. An Indian friend of mine said that she did not have the temperament to fall in love before getting married. Arranged marriage aims to secure a steady mate and build a loving relationship based on shared values. This seems to open a possibility for a love-less marriage, but this could be said for any marriage.

Divorce is far less common here, but one could attribute that to societal norms rather than blindly crediting the arrangement process. It would be interesting to see a divorce rate comparison of love versus arranged marriages.

Family Life - After marriage, it is quite common for the woman to move into the man's house who is still living with his parents and could possibly continue to do so for some time. Sometimes, your extended family will all live together: grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins, all in a house. I think this is pretty cool, probably because I love my family, but you could be sacrificing many things depending on the house size.

Activity - The sport of choice is cricket and there are no seconds. People play anytime, anywhere. However, the public on the whole does not seem to be overly excited about activity and its health benefits. I think people aren't outside running or stuff like that is because it's too damn hot most of the time and there aren't enough public forums (like sidewalks or parks) to help. A lot of the popular games seem to be low impact, like badminton, or rely on smarts, like quizzing. Gym culture is around but has not caught on yet.

Directness - Strangers can ask you very direct questions like what your salary is and about your romantic history. It catches you off guard at first but eventually affords you the opportunity to reciprocate and find out about people quickly and candidly. Additionally, your friends will tell you things that Americans don't generally hear: "You look like you have been gaining weight." "You are looking very tired." "You are not as attractive as your sister." You will find out if you have something in your teeth pretty quickly. Business is also conducted with this directness, small talk and sugar-coated statements are minimal.