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July 01, 2010
Finally able to post...
NOTE: I wrote this post quite a while ago, but was not able to post it until now. I have been in Dehradun for a little over 2 weeks now and I am currently staying at the Wildlife Institute of India. And now to my actual post...
It seems that whenever I am in the states for a long time I forget to appreciate little things. One of the most frustrating aspects of India for me has been just how inefficient almost every aspect of (my) life is here. Making an international call, something my family does on a daily basis in the states, is a problem here in Dehradun. On the day I wanted to make a call the international lines were not working and the internet is not fast enough to support an adequate skype connection (i.e . I was disconnected several times and could barely hear the other person on the line). The power goes out so many times that it is difficult to keep track and while I am fortunate enough to be in an institute that has its own generator that kicks in as soon as the power goes out, I wonder about the people who live outside this institute that do not have this luxury. I do not know what I would do if the power went out for a longer period of time and I could not use my fan.
The wireless router on the second floor of the hostel, conveniently attached to the wall: https://mfile.umich.edu/?path=/afs/umich.edu/user/k/s/ksenijas/Private/2010_0625AA.JPG
Caught in a traffic jam one night coming back to the Institute with one of my friends I wondered how people manage to drive here. I thought Americans were aggressive drivers, but road rage is child’s play in the United States compared to the driving I have witnessed here. It seems that everyone is in such a hurry that any time the opportunity presents itself people will try to cut the person driving in front of them off. It’s easiest perhaps to pictures the driving with reference to a funnel where there is one small opening in the front and many cars trying to fit into that one opening. Even my friend who was born and raised in India her entire life commented on the traffic congestion and how there would be much less if people only drove in lanes. I agreed with her that it would be much more efficient, but the people are used to driving this way. But not only is this sort of driving inefficient, it’s also dangerous. That same night we witnessed an ambulance trying to get through this mass of cars, the drivers did not seem to heed to the ambulance (mostly because there was no where for them to go). I do not know the real reason why the ambulance was called, but someone’s life could have seriously been on the line. This is where the real danger lies.
One close call: https://mfile.umich.edu/?path=/afs/umich.edu/user/k/s/ksenijas/Private/2010_0624AC.JPG
One week after writing this, I do not feel much different. While I have become more acclimated I cannot say that I have become more used to any of these things that I discussed. I normally do not like the “things could be worse” mentality (mostly since, well, things could also be better), but I feel that this is one way that I will be able to get through the following few weeks.
Ksenija
Posted by ksenijas at July 1, 2010 02:11 AM