Nicole Ward worked with the farm and allied sector of CORD (Chinmaya Mission for Rural Development) in Himachal Pradesh India.
Since being in India my whole concept of normalcy, as I know it, has been tossed right out onto the middle of the 401 during rush hour traffic and completely crushed by a giant Mack truck, and then crushed again by a million others.
I have to readjust everything in my mind and body to conform, if even a little, to the ways of the East. Everything from waking up in the morning is different.
What I am used to is waking up and looking out the window to see a line of fences that keep all the suburban dogs and children from wandering too far from the safety net of their cookie cutter houses.
Now I wake up to see a calendar with Lord Krishna on it and look out the window to see the sun rising over the Himalayas. One is not necessarily better than the other, it’s just very different and this takes some getting used to.
I am slowly getting used to seeing women carry bushels of grass on their heads, driving on the opposite side of the road, eating with my hands, seeing children as young as three and four walking down the street alone, and seeing goats and cows on the streets as if they were pedestrians.
To be immersed in a culture is shocking, wonderful and tantalizing all at once. I am trying to be open and absorb as much as possible without comparing these ways to what I am used to.
This can take a toll. I was a little sick for the past few days and I am convinced it was part of the adjustment process. It is stressful to both the mind and body being on the other side of the world. I think I just have to recognize this and allow the process to happen without trying to fight it.
With blonde hair and green eyes, at home I am very average looking. People here look at me with puzzlement and curiosity, especially children. Some of them have never seen foreigners; the word minority does not even do me justice here.
I was walking alone to a nearby village yesterday to meet some of the other volunteers (don’t worry it is very safe here mom!). People were looking at me like I had just landed from the moon.
Everything really is relative to where you are, who you are, what culture you associate yourself with and the people you surround yourself with. I think it’s important to keep an open mind when you see things that are different because that person might be looking at you thinking the exact same thing.
I'll leave you with a quote that I think puts all this into one sentence, "Ours is not a better way, ours is merely another way." Neale Donald Walsch.