I have just returned from a long weekend back in South India, where all (the company where I work now) AIESEC interns in TCS have met for a conference. In addition to sessions on career opportunities and all sorts of discussions about rights and obligations as members of our program, we had an exciting day to the theme of intercultural competence with a focus on our experiences here in India. First impression: although we come from all sorts of different countries, we employ the same things. Which they are, I will now write about it again.
tardiness:
Yes, even the South Americans found that Indians are not on time. If that is not aware: This property is attributed to the South Americans also gladly. To the point: half an hour late to meetings or meetings is normal, everything was going there as possible. Why this is so, we asked ourselves, and although there is not an answer for everything, are close to the following two reasons: the poor transport infrastructure to a much too often the timely arrival of screwed up at the destination. Rather than security conditions for 30 minutes early to make their way, one hopes rather to good luck rather than later, half an hour to be there early. Second, family and food have higher priority. Grandma calls and degree of cooking took longer, that's just simply more important, for neglecting grandma or go with an empty stomach to work, that's simply not!
Patriotism: Before the movie begins
a film are, first of all to listen to the national anthem. If a company in a business, the Indian festival National anthem no vocals happening, it will ensure shown by politicians as traitors. And oh, India is full of super smart people and will soon dominate the world. For example, thanks to its 5000 year old culture that is superior to all others. Sure, the Indians speak evil of their streets, they see their politicians as a criminal pack, the air pollution is not good and the caste system is bad, but as a foreigner, one should not complain. Only the Indians criticize their country, but happy and hard. Nevertheless, it is the best country in the world, sorry! And why is that? Well, really we have not found out. We Germans have learned so that Arrogance brings with it no good, but here the government has no evil consequences. The neighboring countries are so concerned with themselves that no major war threat (although the relationship with Pakistan is very tense) and thanks to huge volume of imports to keep all the major trading partners back with criticism of child labor or capital punishment. And last, it should be noted that what India has done since the departure of the British is impressive: a relatively stable democracy, coexistence of many powerful religious groups without civil wars (from a religious point of view, India is a powder keg) and finally the conquest of the world market through various industry sectors , especially the IT sector.
class orientation:
The Indians come within society. In the big cities there are indeed the caste system is no longer in its old form, but there are clear social classes: the poor, the middle class and the rich. Where the people-oriented rather then the box. Then there are the foreigners. The white foreigners seem to be classified and that means that they will be met with too much respect and consideration about the level of the rich. The classification seems apparently to be different for blacks, deeper. That being said, foreigners remain very clear exotics and are again considered very different from Indians. Here is an example of the class structure: besides the Office we have a canteen, you can just call and then one of the coffee or the food brought directly to the workplace. When you are done, to set the dishes just to go somewhere so that there are at meal times pile of dishes. As space was once barely, I thought to myself, I put things together but even so they can be collected easily. It found my colleagues very strange and told me something I should not hesitate to let someone "other" to make. So deep you have to stoop, or? Another side effect is simple lack of respect. If the Rikshafahrer or shoe cleaner something is not right way, it is simply shouted at and insulted. But the rich and stars are gods and everyone wants to be like them: rich and absolute power of decision. Explanation? Well, the caste system, but more I can not say it.
pollution:
Garbage is thrown on the road and emissions regulations is something like not really. Why this is so, the Indians can not explain. But what can you do even if there are no garbage containers and if you take a new vehicle can not afford?
food with your hand, farting, belching, spitting and blowing your nose:
eaten is to use your hands and utensils is often considered vain and would-be considered Western. Since food is sacred, may between the people and the food to be anything, no silverware, but a direct link. And belching, farting and spitting are natural things that disturb anyone, but his nose is clean absolutely disrespectful, disgusting and you should contact to go to the bathroom. Although this is a contradiction, but why we do not disturb us at blowing your nose, where it still is not the aesthetics, but for the other things? Such is life.
gaze and Begrabschen:
someone to stare at their will is punishable! Nevertheless, it is quite normal, foreigners must Lotz with big eyes. The smaller the town, the more it is so. We are just exotic and very many (easily recognizable) Foreigners are not easy. Yes, sometimes you will feel like an alien, like a natural phenomenon that no one has ever seen before in this form. We know it from movies, but if the alien is in front of a then it must be thoroughly considered yet again. You have to live content and you get used to it. What the women do not get used, however, the fact that they are groped on a regular basis is like in the step. This happens in passing and that a woman by a man more than just this one moment is being harassed is extremely rare. Why is that? Well, the Western film to be judgments that Westerners seem so quickly during sex and pleasure in the matter be. Instead of kissing, you go straight into the solid. This closes off many of: these women are not so bad so I can make it so. What is more, most Indians never have sex before marriage and are full can under pressure. It's okay to insult the offender or violent tackle, but one that the people around him in doing so help to provide, should it not be hoped.
prudery:
at the universities of Mumbai, it will be the students now forbidden to touch or kiss each other because it might distract them and their fellows from work and corrupts their ideas. A proposed law sexual introduce education in school was recently rejected. On Valentine's Day strip trailer ultra-conservative parties through the streets to track down and beat up couples in love. When Richard Gere at a recent charity event for HIV in India kissed an Indian actress on the cheek, the streets were posters of him (and her) burnt and complained like a foreigner in India have sullied honor. At the same time there are an estimated 100,000 prostitutes in Mumbai, of which over 50% HIV infected and on the black markets, the market is flourishing with pornography. Not to mention the Kama Sutra. People now say in India, had the British introduced the prudery and distributed, but these days so be it and so it shall remain so if you please.
Saying Yes:
If someone asks for directions, one must learn to understand the Indian body language, otherwise you will never reach the goal. It's just rude not to help someone, when asked for something, so you lie flat, if you do not know. Simultaneously, the physical signs of a false statement to an Indian are so obvious that no one will be resented. The honesty is in doubt, hidden in the gesture. If a meal is offered, it should not simply say no, but insist that they it for some health reasons to own deep regret, unfortunately, can not eat, unfortunately.
peacefulness:
The Indians are absolutely conflict-averse. may be too low if abused members of society, one must understand that this is not a conflict of joy, but the lower dispute partner simply has no right to defend themselves properly. Peers or superiors over a dispute when one is absolutely out of their way possible. If for example I once would obviously angry against my own conviction that Indians react to me most wonderful way in which it fit. If I snap at someone in Germany, I can make myself ready for a fight. Here is even rude and unpopular, but if in doubt you can prefer to indulge rather than risk a scramble. A wonderful effect of this attitude is the fact that you can move out there in many Indian cities is relatively safe at any conceivable time of day. Nevertheless, one must learn not to exploit this conflict-shy, because even if you do not get paid back directly, resulting aggressive behavior toward peers or Höhergstellten in clear loss of respect.
bully:
The man at the dinner table says to his wife "salt" and she gives him. Then he says "knife" and she gives him. The boss never says please and thank you ever. Extreme rude? No. would be among friends and family to say thanks or to ask for something a sign that the relationship of other doubts and therefore shocking. And even though it really should be ordered about times, it could therefore not disclose it as such. The chief, however, ordered around, for he may as chief. And noted only once in passing: the boss is a woman in India more often than in Germany.
Although many of the points listed above sound unpleasant and negative, it is important to qualify. Yes, these things are usually uncomfortable and if you want to make friends with them or maybe even is considering to stay in India, which is quite a lot of my Mitpraktikanten even do it, is everyone's own decision. You are not Disrespekt, but simply a different world view. If one keeps in mind the reasons, it is easier to be upset or disappointed not and I can do most things described here now so accept me feel at all but not with them.
Finally, a really ugly story that I was recently very worried. I play regular football and cricket with my room-mate on a large meadow next to our apartment complex. This meadow may actually be only the residents, but the children from the surrounding slums come anyway and has now won the upper hand follows, that the security people have simply given up, scare the kids all the time. Meanwhile, we meet there is always more than 100 children who find us so interesting that they are clustering around us and we will not part to play. At first the children wanted only our attention and when 10 children have the same time ask for the name, the one among them is the answer gets the star of the group. Sorry, but they understand no English and so you can teach them not just one at some point and leave in peace times and unfriendly people will refuse to be yes. Recently, the children find more and more pleasure in providing our composure to the test and while it is thus started in the pre-race to put on our T-shirts, they have now switched to to pelt us with small stones, when we divert our attention from them. The last time I was there, we had to rescue us from a hail of stones and since I do not go play there. I have told a neighbor and said we should not merely reflect or suggest, because otherwise we all would Slumnachbarschaft rush on us and that was me then just enough. It was disturbing that the children of momentum in the large group assumptions and how wild and aggressive they were, the joy with which they pelted us and dispelled. All Indians that I have now told, they said, these children are simply uneducated incredibly and to bring in the police, but so far we have not done anything Praktis. We have no hope of improvement. This is very, very bad. But since I've reread it, the wild mobs lynched here in India innocent, I will not take a chance, even if it is only children, but against a Hunderschaft I look old. So what?
The weekend in the South was way cool. Flight and hotel costs on companies and on the last day or an excursion to the southernmost tip of India where the Indian and Arabian Sea meet. Kanyakumar or something like that was called the place. Soon there will be a few more pictures of it and I will upload a few. Until then, greetings from Mumbai (Where the monsoon is now slowly into gear, D)
