Sana Thakkar Week 6: How to Survive the Real World
Stepping out of Indira Gandhi International Airport and embracing the intoxicating air is a truly magical and indescribable feeling. It extends throughout my visits, as fascinating stories I thought to be true only in movies come to life, and I am introduced to new perspectives and ideas, the restraints of Fremont, California rejected me from. In a population of 1.4 billion people, I was in awe after my interactions with just a few of them, learning the stories of the street food venders serving deliciously unhealthy delights and the salon ladies who gave me special treatment in awe of my American accent. Reflecting on my trips to India allowed me to realize the significance of seeing my mom aggressively bargain with a shop vender or witnessing a plethora or profanity during traffic, with multiple scenarios of five people crammed onto two-seater motorcycles. While these encounters may seem rather unpleasant or unimportant for some Indians, they include some of my core memories, because growing up in America, I never experienced the abnormalities other countries find trivial.
On my last trip to India, my dad decided to teach me skills I could not develop in America. I learned how to drive an Activa, with my dad and uncomplying brother as passengers. When my mom was my age, she would drive her Activa all around Ahmedabad thriving with independence, something I wished to emulate. But, before long, I too was speeding the Ahmedabad streets, swerving street dogs, cows, and pedestrians. Although I was a few years late compared to the natives, I deeply valued the important skill I had achieved, knowing it was one of many I had yet to learn. l also lived in a neighborhood with many kids my age, allowing me to improve my Gujarati and Hindi, and explore their day-to-day life which was immensely different from mine. There, me and my brother learned how to play street cricket, a staple in an Indian childhood, one I eventually developed.
Living in a nation with such a vibrant and intense culture develops the character and experience, I was denied of growing up in America. A sheltered life in the suburbs prevented me from exploring the real world, which the children I met in India had a much clearer view of. Their survival instincts and street-smarts were incomparable to mine, simply because my covert American home did not require them. While it is considered ideal to live in a safe space with little controversies, the real world operates in a different setting filled with unexpected dangers. While I cannot speak for the entire nation, the American society I live in is full of children who were deprived of the unique experiences that characterize their abilities to survive and thrive in the real world.
Hello Sana! I feel that your characterization of the Indian experience has definite validity in its essence. In kindergarten, I lived in India; I continued living there for a few years. I find it funny when you mention the American accent that inspired awe among locals in India. This statement helped me reflect on my own proficiency in the English language. During my elementary school years, I spoke little English and had no American accent at all or any American experience. When I moved here, I was quite intimidated, since all I knew were the streets of Chennai and the earthy smells at night. I visit my family in India every summer consistently and I feel at home there—with the aroma of the food that my grandmother cooks drifting across the room.
ReplyDeleteYour comments on the divide between the American version of childhood and the Indian upbringing are intriguing. It reminds me of the troubles that my cousins tell me when I visit them: their early waking up times, the windy trip on the school bus, and so forth. I feel that my street smarts are minimal as well, which is something my parents are sure to remind me of often. Your experiences in India are instrumental in building your perception of street culture and the differences you noted between American and Indian childhoods.
Hi Sana! I enjoyed how your blog was engaging and articulate with relatable experiences that make me feel nostalgic for the culture and core memories I had in India. The post made me think about the crowded streets of India with the sound of shop venders calling out to people to buy their food and the lively sounds of farm animals expressing their greetings to visitors of the farm. I like how you provide a clear juxtaposition between the characters and experience of people who live in India to your experiences in the U.S. It really entails the feelings of not being able to explore the real world from living in a suburb to learning to adapt and gain the skills of survival against certain dangers in a rural area. Your post is unique in a way that not only captures the culture and languages in India, but how that compares with the American home.
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