week two:
I met these women when the rest of my group was at langar. I sat out because I just can't deal with eating curry at 8 in the morning anymore... They came up to me because I was sitting alone and asked if I could tell them about America. They asked me about the food, my friends, the "University". But when it was my turn to ask them a question, I asked "If you could go to America, where would you want to go?" And the girl on my left responded, "I would go anywhere. I think anywhere in America is beautiful." Sometimes it takes flying 16 hours on a plane and a 10 hour bus ride just to be reminded of how lucky you are to be from America. Because she's right, anywhere in America is beautiful.
Especially Ann Arbor, cough cough.
Especially Ann Arbor, cough cough.
First off, I would like to say that India is a country of poets. Though most of the adults speak very minimal English, the amount that they know seems to be just enough. I met this man at Durgaina Mandir, a hindu temple not far from the Golden Temple. Upon exiting the temple, we followed a path that said "Tourists - langar." Naturally, we followed the path because langar is something that we have grown accustom to. When we came to a dead end, we stood awkwardly until the man in the center approached our group. Before even opening our mouths he said: "You're welcome anytime, you're welcome everytime." It got me thinking, if we all only knew a few words, the world may be a better place (not to mention impractical).
And to switch it up a bit, these women knew absolutely NO English. But they taught me how to cut in front of a line of 60 people and feel absolutely no remorse. And for that, I thank them.