A room with a view of one's own
Backpacking, you're in the hustle and bustle. You're flagging down auto-rickshaws and negotiating fares. You're surrounded by people, you're breathing in smoke and smog, exhaust and exhaustion. You're soaking up the vivacity of the cities, the energy. You're hot and sweaty and dusty and stressed. It's very intense, this India, it's harrowing, but you're definitely in the center of Indian life.
Working, you're chauffeured and coddled. Cars are booked for you ahead of time, hotels are arranged for you, tea is poured for you, and even toast is buttered for you. Any means of public transportation is unthinkable, instead BMWs pick you up from the airport. You hire a driver and car for the whole day; a driver who waits for you in the parking lot until you call to indicate your next destination. Cookies are waiting for you at your hotel 'home' and food from around the world can be ordered up.
Work India seems like you lead life in a sterile plastic bubble, it's seems like a faker India. But, reflecting upon work life more, I'm starting to believe that it's not a faker India but a different side of India. And one that is probably, in more sense than one, a lot more authentic than the Backpacker India.
In Work India, I'm not looked upon like another tourist dollar. I'm a resource, I'm a worker, I'm a person of some suspicion but also interest. I am a foreign consultant who is here to do something yet unknown. But isn't that how all projects start? Aren't all consultants suspicious characters to a degree? And I realize, I'm not in any way receiving special treatment. Chai-wallas are a way of life. My colleagues and clients don't traipse around the city, death defyingly making their way through the mass of weaving cars on the road. No, they take a car to from one building to the next, buildings that essentially face each other across a street. Because that's what one does.
This life may be easier, but it's also not a show put on for a foreigner's pleasure. It's not staged nor rehearsed. It's just everyday comings and goings by people who are trying to make a living. And that, I've come to realize is something that I can appreciate. I've always maintained that I want to work in another country and be a working, contributing member of society, and I suppose I could say that I'm doing just that, if on a short term basis.
Work India may not be as 'culturally interesting' as Backpacker India, but then again, maybe it is. It's incredibly fascinating and stimulating to work in a place where knowing cultural nuances is important. And I've come to realize that while street food in South East Asia is quite possibly the best dishes one can find in these countries, there's something to be said about quality ingredients found is more established, well, establishments in India.
I can't wait to see some more of India, an opportunity I'm fortunate to have over these next few months. And I can only hope I obtain an even better understanding of the many cultures, societies, foods, and maybe even languages that make up this great country.
(and for those who wonder, the picture is from my room window. A WEDDING procession. Five days in India, and I've already bore witness to a wedding! HEHE)
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