Erin Sams, Erin Carver, Matt Wilson, and Daniel Factor
Indian men in the shadow of the tourism giant, the Taj Mahal.
Photo: Erin Sams
Recently we have started to examine Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist by Russell McCormmach. In this fictional book there is a classical physicist Victor Jakob, who within the first few chapters starts to realize how much the world has changed around him over the years. In his lifetime, he goes from being a war hero to being a physicist who has fallen behind and lost his place in the world. His field has gone on to expand in other directions. After an incident at an event where he is asked to raise money for war bonds, which supported Germany’s war effort, Jakob starts to re-examine what he has done with his life. He realizes that he has waited too long to gain the success in his career as a new realm of physics begins to take hold. Jakob has lost his identity as time has progressed. This can be seen in historical events as well.
The British ruled India for almost 200 years. During that time much of the Indian culture was lost or westernized. The longer that the British had a presence the more that India’s culture and identity were subsumed into that of the British Empire. When the British left, India was thrown into an interesting position. The nation tried to reject the British system that had been thrust upon it, but at the same time it no longer recalled enough of its own culture to prosper. During this time India looked to create a new identity for itself in a world that was changing very quickly. The economic and social influences of western culture along with the lingering British views have prevented India from building its own identity. The Indian people have now become entrapped in a world that has hindered their struggle toward embracing their true heritage.
Traditional Indian fishing boats backed by a colonial bungalow and modern skyscrapers.
Photo: Erin Carver.
As we have traveled during the last eight weeks every person on this trip has experienced their own paradigm shift. Personally speaking, the four of us can see how our own perceptions of the world have been drastically impacted.
Erin Carver – Being able to see all of these different countries and cultures has completely changed my view on the world and how it works. It has been a very enlightening experience. I never thought it would have this great of an impact on me, and there is still more time left on the trip. Seeing the way that different cultures live has been the most interesting part for me, it is amazing the amount of western influence that is visible in every single one. Looking back it is hard to believe that I have changed this much. In Thailand I was extremely uncomfortable with the amount of traffic and noise, by the time we left India I was walking in front of tuk-tuks to get across the street (not worried nearly as much as before). When we arrived at the Maldives and again at the United Arab Emirates something felt wrong, then I realized that even though there were a large number of cars, none of them were honking. This was a trend in India and Thailand. Situations that would 8 weeks earlier make me extremely uncomfortable have now become almost comforting.
Matt Wilson – Its funny how your perceptions can change in just a few weeks. The first morning I woke up in Bangkok and was absolutely terrified and disgusted by the smog-laden city that stared at me through the hotel window. Then as we landed in Delhi, pollution so thick I could not even see the tarmac until we had touched down, beggars and salesmen at every corner hassling you, and crowds so thick I felt like I was walking though a sea of humanity I realized something. Bangkok was a quaint little town; this was the big city. And soon I no longer flinched when I was nearly run over by a tuk-tuk or constantly honked at. The Big City is not really that big and the hustle and bustle can even be the harmony that puts you to sleep at night, if you let it.
Erin Sams – For me, I found social interactions to be the most difficult aspect of India to understand. At first, I was appalled at the pollution and the numbers of people everywhere – driving, begging, and staring. As we were waiting at the Jaipur Junction train station with all of our luggage, I felt more intimidated by the locals around me than I ever did during our visit. What began with a few men staring from afar at us and our things quickly became a swarm of men, women, and children who closed us in and watched us as intently as if we were the most spectacular sight they had ever seen. At the time, I was angry at them and could not understand why these people were staring at us. I later realized that we probably were one of the most spectacular sights to come through Jaipur in some time. After many more situations in which our group of American students obviously stood out from the local crowd, I began to appreciate the differences between our backgrounds as well as the similarities which bring intrigue to all people upon experiencing situations which are completely unfamiliar.
Daniel Factor – It is impossible to identify exactly the ways an experience changes you during the period of growth that occurs. Many people reflect back and see how their viewpoint has altered after the fact, but leaving oneself open to new experiences overwhelms the senses and as your worldview changes to align itself with new insights, the shift seems so natural as to be imperceptible. I came into this trip with expectations about each country, biome, culture, and even how I would change as a result, but so far none of my predictions have reflected reality. I write about everything that happens to me, and reflect on how each event makes me feel, but I won’t really understand what has happened to me for weeks, months, or years.
We have been immersed in six different cultures, all of which are different from our own. Our views have changed from an American view on the world to a worldly view of the environment around us.
Erin Sams
samsee at hiram.edu
Last modified 28 April 2008
Banner Photo by Mathew J. Wilson