Friday, February 10, 2006

If I Were An Average Indian...

...And I were moving to America, I'd have some issues. I would spit randomly and frequently onto the street, and I would burp loudly after every meal. I would grab the hands of my male friends while walking, and really sit close to them at rest (yeah, watch out fellow 3-301ians!) I would run to jump on my bus while it was still moving (which I love doing, by the way, but I'm always afraid I'll lose a sandal in the process), only to smash into the closed door. I would then attempt to pay my fare based on distance traveled. I would be frustrated and irritated by the immensely idiotic English measurement system, wondering why the orderly and sensical metric and Celsius systems had no place in America. I would feel confounded by the necessity to use toilet paper, and I would have a hard time feeling clean after using the bathroom. And I would have problems using both hands to eat meals.

Sure, I'm generalizing and caricaturing Indians, grouping lots of practices into one person. Perhaps most Indians who move to America wouldn't have these issues. And yet, anyone who made the cultural transition with minimal problems...I salute you!

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