ioana
in quest for genuine
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About Me
- Name: ioana
- Location: Bucharest, Romania
I experiment with myself and the world around me. I always seek for that small sparkle of what's real and authentic in things, people, nature...
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Friday, September 23, 2005
Bengal Nights
Some of the people I know are truly-madly-deeply obsessed bloggers! I guess this is not quite my case, since again I've posted a very long time ago. The thing is I enjoy blogging, but so many things happen so fast, that sometimes it's hard to wrap the stories all together before the next thing comes along.
The most wonderful experience just passed, trip to International Congress 2005, in Agra, India. For the non-AIESEC people, IC is our largest yearly meeting, with around 500 people from the 90 countries and territories we are present in. The conference itself it's an amazing opportunity, both from the professional information you gain, and also from the incredible diversity of the participants.
But now I want to talk about India...beautiful, hot, crowded, spicy India! I always say I won't have any expectations when I go to a different country/place, but this I made the mistake and went with many expectations. I guess I started dreaming about India ever since I read Mircea Eliade's novel, Maitreyi (English version- Bengal Nights). The books is amazing, and it depicts images of an exotic, conservatory, colourfull and profound society.
Everything is so different! The heat was the first thing that stroke me. An unreal, steaming, wet, suffocating heat. And it was 3 in the morning when I arrived, the day-time was twice as hot. Then the traffic - few cars, many ricsas, no traffic signs, no rules, just everybody horning like crazy.
Delhi, a city with a population larger that entire Romania, has very few streets with pavement. Blocks of flats are a rare sight, small old buildings are all around the place. People sleep in the streets, live in small racks build of clay, wood, while a privileged few live in palaces like I never saw in my life. The country smells of something different with every step you take, some are wonderful, some are grose, some are exotic. The food is so spicy that even I couldn't eat it in the beginning. Poverty, illiteracy, HIV are big problems the society is facing in India.
In the first few days I was upset I wanted to go back home. India was nothing like I imagined! But then again, this is the easy part to notice, the obvious dirt, poor people, smells and underdevelopment. India is like a shy lady, she only takes her veil off after she becomes comfortable with you - or in this case, you become comfortable with her.
I actually don't know how I got to fell in love with this country! It could be the people, their innocence, inner peace, enthusiasm when they meet a white person, their complicated social systems. It could be the landscapes, exotic green or sandy sceneries, with legendary monuments - forts, palaces, mosques, taj mahal. It could be the music and the movies, from the silliest "boy-loves-girl-who-loves-boy-but-they-get-too-complicated" to the deepest meditation music I've listened until now. It could be the babies, the beautiful Indian babies, with huge black-kajal eyes, dark skin and hair, and with the cutest shyness.
India is like nothing you will ever experience. I love it, I miss it, and I know I will be back. and India will be waiting :)
The most wonderful experience just passed, trip to International Congress 2005, in Agra, India. For the non-AIESEC people, IC is our largest yearly meeting, with around 500 people from the 90 countries and territories we are present in. The conference itself it's an amazing opportunity, both from the professional information you gain, and also from the incredible diversity of the participants.
But now I want to talk about India...beautiful, hot, crowded, spicy India! I always say I won't have any expectations when I go to a different country/place, but this I made the mistake and went with many expectations. I guess I started dreaming about India ever since I read Mircea Eliade's novel, Maitreyi (English version- Bengal Nights). The books is amazing, and it depicts images of an exotic, conservatory, colourfull and profound society.
Everything is so different! The heat was the first thing that stroke me. An unreal, steaming, wet, suffocating heat. And it was 3 in the morning when I arrived, the day-time was twice as hot. Then the traffic - few cars, many ricsas, no traffic signs, no rules, just everybody horning like crazy.
Delhi, a city with a population larger that entire Romania, has very few streets with pavement. Blocks of flats are a rare sight, small old buildings are all around the place. People sleep in the streets, live in small racks build of clay, wood, while a privileged few live in palaces like I never saw in my life. The country smells of something different with every step you take, some are wonderful, some are grose, some are exotic. The food is so spicy that even I couldn't eat it in the beginning. Poverty, illiteracy, HIV are big problems the society is facing in India.
In the first few days I was upset I wanted to go back home. India was nothing like I imagined! But then again, this is the easy part to notice, the obvious dirt, poor people, smells and underdevelopment. India is like a shy lady, she only takes her veil off after she becomes comfortable with you - or in this case, you become comfortable with her.
I actually don't know how I got to fell in love with this country! It could be the people, their innocence, inner peace, enthusiasm when they meet a white person, their complicated social systems. It could be the landscapes, exotic green or sandy sceneries, with legendary monuments - forts, palaces, mosques, taj mahal. It could be the music and the movies, from the silliest "boy-loves-girl-who-loves-boy-but-they-get-too-complicated" to the deepest meditation music I've listened until now. It could be the babies, the beautiful Indian babies, with huge black-kajal eyes, dark skin and hair, and with the cutest shyness.
India is like nothing you will ever experience. I love it, I miss it, and I know I will be back. and India will be waiting :)