An Indian Education

O.K.

What I learned in India...

• The Vegemite song. Well, most of it anyways...
• To exercise patience.
• Never, ever visit a predominantly Muslim town during Ramadan. Unless you happen to enjoy waking up to the sound of exceedingly loud Muslim prayer and music at 3:30 a.m. In which case, might I recommend Chanderi, India.
• Don't trust the Indian version of the Oxford English Dictionnary. It's not exactly an exhaustive listing of the English language...
• How it feels to really stick out from the crowd.
• No matter where I go, there I am (o.k., I know that sounds cheesy. It is nontheless true)
• British Airways sucks (actually I learned this en route to India, but whatever)
• Never throw a hissy fit in a hotel lobby without first putting on your shirt. You look like a total idiot and lose all credibility... (no, I did not learn this first hand.. it was still a valuable lesson.)
• Threatening to not pay someone is not a good way to get better service...(once again, a lesson learned by watching someone else's bad behaviour...)
• Apparently I am a walking disaster... Injuries /illnesses suffered in a short 6 week span in India and Nepal: cold, food poisoning, blisters, car sickness, scalded hand, sprained ankle, perforated eardrum (although technically speaking this happened on the way home. I think we were flying past Tashkent when I realized my ear was crusted with blood)
• How to play cricket, after a fashion...
• Cricket is not as easy as it appears at first blush...
• I suck at cricket...
• Not all Canadians are nice (o.k., so I knew this before I left. But I was reminded in India...)
• I'm not overly skilled at scrabble.
• Indian men are hot... Well some of them anyways... Honestly, I wouldn't have suspected...
• It is possible to climb a very steep hill with a sprained ankle. Just suck it up, baby...
• Some of the nicest people in this world are American... It's mind boggling, really...
• Australians are pretty damn funny...
• When crossing a busy road in India, don't make direct eye contact with the drivers. They seem to take this as encouragement to aim their vehicles straight at you...
• If you have to take an auto-rickshaw at night make sure the headlights work before you get in. Make sure the driver turns them on...
• There is only one kind of squash in Australia... Everything else is a pumpkin. Go figure.