THINGS I PREFER IN THE U.S. VS. INDIA
As the country celebrated July 4th two weeks ago & Americans reaffirmed their commitment to freedom, life & liberty, and on the eve of my trip to India, it got me thinking:
What are the things I love about living in the U.S., my adopted country, vs. the things I love about the country I left behind? (One of my favorite authors, Monica Pradhan, writes about it as well in her novel, The Hindi Bindi Club.)
THINGS I PREFER ABOUT INDIA
1. Spirituality
2. Hospitality
3. Sense of community
4. Respect for elders
5. Cultural diversity
6. Family values
7. Multiple languages
8. Traditions & Celebrations
THINGS I PREFER ABOUT THE U.S.
1. Orderly traffic2. Cleanliness
3. Safety
4. Education
5. Time means actual time, not the different time schedule Indians jokingly refer to as Indian Standard Time
6. Use of 'Please' & 'Thank you' & other common courtesies
7. Infrastructure
8. Work ethic
9. Respect for manual laborers & subordinates
10. Acceptance of outsiders
11. Relatively low corruption
12. Sense of pride for & maintenance of historical landmarks
I was suprised to see "orderly traffic" though if traffic in India is anything like traffic in Italy, then I guess I'd understand.
ReplyDeleteHi Anoop,
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading your book....and you've nailed it in your blog....we all have a list of things we love/hate about our beloved land. Love the pictures also....you should post more of them!
Good Luck!
Sonya
Frankly, I think your preferences for India are far more important than the ones for the US. I wish, so badly, that America was what it was even twenty years ago. Twenty years ago we had traditions and more. Not now...
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