Post port reflections by Students on Mar 11

March 11 post port reflections

What does India do better than we do in the US?

Cooperative development. There are cooperative development organizations for the purpose of helping women better their lives. As a culture, India has not placed high value on women, and there has been serious harm to them as a result. People are now recognizing that women can make positive contributions, but they need some assistance in fulfilling those dreams. For instance, you might remember that I went to the Chendamangalam Village Program where the money earned was for the purpose of giving to women to start their own businesses.

Hospitality. Quite a few of the students were invited into homes of people they met while traveling.

Men supporting the rights of women in rallies. Since mistreatment of women has been a long-standing problem in India, now men are joining rallies in the street to support changing the culture so that women are treated with respect.

How would you define poverty and privilege?

 

One student went into a small, three-room house with no doors where a mother, father, grandmother and two small children live. They are saving as much money in order to pay to send their children to a private school with a hope for a better future for their children. Poverty is when there is no hope for a better future.

Another student bought a drink from a man he knew couldn't even afford to buy the drink for himself. Poverty is lack of opportunity because of unfortunate circumstances.

One Indian student on the ship said the education in the state government schools is pathetic. However, the schools in the state of Kerala are better than in most states with the highest literacy rate in the country of India. After high school, the institutes of high education run by the central government are top quality, it is very competitive to earn a place in the class because the population of the country is so large.

One student from Los Angles, California, thinks that the rough places in LA are a lot tougher than he saw here. He believe that there is more of a communal responsibility in India with extended families helping one another, whereas in the US, it's every person for him/herself. When you are down, you are down by yourself with no one to help.

What was surprising to you?

It was difficult to figure out what the Indian head shaking from side to side meant. Apparently, the angle of the head tells what it means. It can mean...I'm listening to you....It's good.....It's not so good....I'm not as excited as you are...

Many students were annoyed by having to bargain for prices of everything. They felt like the attitude was “I already know you have money” and they felt labeled as rich visitor.

Others commented we need to remember that it's not the Indian's responsibility to bargain with us—that it's a give and take communication. Others reminded us that even if we overpay, it's not much money lost in terms of our lives, but it makes a big difference in the lives of those who are “overpaid.” One student said she tried to think of “overpayment” in terms of what it would buy in the US, e.g., a cup of coffee. We also need to remember that the person making the sale doesn't benefit totally from the profit, the owner of the shop benefits the most.

 

How can I travel in a developing country without feeling privileged?

It's important to recognize we all have common needs; don't worry about how much you paid for sovenier elephant pants that aren't even worn in India! Realize that we are only seeing the extremes—very nice places and extremely poor places. We don't see the middle (if there is one). We don't really know how the locals live.

We come off the ship with the mentality of getting the best price—buy as cheap as possible. In the US, even buying a MacDonald's hamburger, part of the price goes back to the corporation.

One entrepreneur on the ship said when he goes into ports, he has to bargain for supply so that he can build things. His experience in ports is just practical and not dramatic. When he goes to wholesalers, he talks to people on a business level and feels just like the locals. (Andy T—you probably can identify with this.)

Being privileged isn't what defines you, but what you do with it that defines you. Take feeling lucky when you go back home and do something with it. Don't just say, “I have it better than others.”