Hey guys! I’m back!
I told you guys that I would give you an update.
I moved to India in the end of August, 2024.
It’s my birthday month, and it’s time to reflect.
People have been asking me so many questions.
How is life in India? How are things going there?
Transparent moment: moving to India has been hard, and it’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.
I have left behind all since of familiarity of home.
Even though India is similar to Cameroon, frankly, the cultures couldn’t be more vastly different.
The lack of structure and order within each country is a shock to my system, but India takes to another level the meaning of “beautiful chaos”.
I’m going to speak solely on my personal experiences related to culture and society, and not my experiences with the education system here.
I’ve been in India for about four months now, and it has been a very beautiful and complex experience.
I will start by saying this: India is not for everyone.
It is a country with a lot of complexities for sure.
Understanding the culture can be very difficult.
I have had to deal with very harsh living conditions, as the country is not very sanitary.
I have had to deal with issues here from day one.
I think that is what people are expecting to hear.
But that’s not all of the parts of India I want to share. I want to share the beautiful aspects too.
Southeast Asia is deeply intricate and complex.
It’s one of the most beautiful parts of the world.
I have come to enjoy and learn so much here.
From the landscape, to the people, it’s fascinating.
I dare say it’s one of the most fascinating travel experiences that I have ever had internationally.
In this region, I’m exposed to different religions.
Buddhism and Hinduism is very important here.
These religious beliefs are distinct culturally here.
They are embedded into the system everyday life.
Everyone knows about the importance of Mahatma Gandhi, and his impact on the world historically.
In India, I got to visit and spend time on a field trip at the memorial for Gandhi, and it was incredible.
It chronicles his life from beginning to end, and his time in Coimbatore and the work he did there.
I learned so much about the different types of work he did in India and throughout the world at large.
I also got to see the historical impact he had on the movements across the world in nonviolence.
You can read about his impact on Dr King here:
MLK’s Visit to Gandhi in India
I also got to see the Isha temple and statue, which is a part of the culture and religion of Hindus.
The level of shock I had realizing that Isha is similar to Disney World for people who are Hindu!
Isha has an ashram, and I met people there from all over the world who came to practice spirituality.
I am Christian, but world religions fascinate me.
I also learned about and saw the Shiva temple. It is a very large temple with a snake hanging on it.
I was able to participate in traditional ceremonies.
There were many, and India has many celebrations.
The first one was the celebration of Ganesha, then Navaratri, and then there is Diwali and Pongal.
I got to experience celebrating these in India!
I actually went to the DC Asian Museum to celebrate the Diwali festival in November last year.
I have lived in DC for a year for graduate school, and I have been studying international education.
This journey led me to where I currently am today.
It has been exciting, to experience Asia up close.
I have been able to travel all over South India.
I’m based in Tamil Nadu, but have been to Bangalore in Kolkata, Kochi in Kerala, and Chennai.
All of these places are vastly different culturally.
I have been able to try new foods every few miles.
I even have picked up new words in two languages.
That’s what’s so fascinating about India and SE Asia. The vastly different cultures within a country.
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Thank you for reflecting with me!
Until the next adventure,
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