Samuel Benoit

The following is a list of some of the many things have I learned, most of them the hard way, during my journey to India and in my first week of living here. It is provided here, in order, for your education and amusement. The list is accompanied by some images of different signs and labeled things that I captured along the way.

• You will not look forward to eating cucumbers and green peppers in zip-lock bag during your trip, especially after all of they have released all their smelly juices into the other contents of your bag.

  

• During Ramadan in Bahrain, it is illegal to eat or drink in public during the day.
• Indians are really into this sideways nodding thing. 
• The same emissions standards placed on vehicles in Canada do not seem to be present in India.
• There are more than a billion people in India and you can tell just by looking at it.
• Forming a queue in the Bangalore train station will get you nowhere.

  

• I do not know any Hindi.
• According to my phrasebook, the word for bus in Hindi is ‘bas’.
• My Hindi phrasebook and its accompanying language are useless here.



• It’s okay to rub your eyes with both hands while driving a motorcycle.
• That shower you were looking forward to wasn’t a cold one. 
• You aren’t supposed to shake hands with girls.
• If you wear glasses, don’t turn around while riding a motorcycle.
• I am the only male above the age of 13 in both Hubli and Dharwad without a mustache.
• There is always enough room to pass the vehicle in front of you, even when there clearly isn’t.
• While in Canada one is born omnivorous and may – nay should choose to become vegetarian, here most are born vegetarian and may choose otherwise, but shouldn’t.

• Yes, it turns out everything is available here, and need not be packed.
• While you have to work on Saturdays, there more than enough holidays to make up for it (three this past week).
• The bus has a ladies section, and I’m not supposed to sit in it.
• It’s possible to catch a cold in India.

Coming up when I get the chance to hook up my computer to a fast connection, whenever that will be: a video of the monkeys that I just caught humping on my windowsill. Unfortunately, no actual humping was caught on tape.