(From July 21st to August 19th, I was given the time off to travel in and around India and Nepal. For this journal entry, I decided not to do a day-to-day description of what I did, but rather wrote something of a reflection piece, meant to capture my first impressions)
India is a chaotic, loud, overpopulated, polluted, stinky, beautiful, colorful, non-hygienic, graceful, forceful, cleaver, kind, manipulative, funny, problematic, diverse, and ancient country. A country of many peoples living and working alongside each other in a chaotic yet somehow manageable way. The cities are like any other large city, but without rules, where traffic gets from A to B by any means necessary. The horn is key in communication when trying to get anywhere on the roads in India. Police are, as you might expect, corrupt, and the roads are like a fine Swiss cheese. Cows meander the streets, kids push carts, families pile into 
rickshaws and Tuk-tuks and the day ends, only to start again the next morning. The summer sun beats down on the people, who push on, work hard, and do what they know in order to survive another day. By the late afternoons, people slow down, but push on to make that final sale, or to finish that project before the sun hides once more. The men are always present, always working, always talking, always standing, always waiting. The women with their subtle presence, yet shocking beauty, appear and disappear without a word. Silent yet beautiful. Who are they? Their scarves and saris flow with the subtle breeze. They disappear behind the brick walls that create the narrow alleyways where children play, men pee, dogs fight, rickshaws and carts with fruit and flowers squeeze 
through. The smell of burning trash fills the air, to be replaced with perfumes, fried samosas, and cooked vegetables. Kids cluster together, friends sit together, shopkeepers laugh together. Disagreements, frustrations, laughter, excitement, disappointment, enjoyment, exhaustion, irritation; a mind-boggling exhibition of emotions and activities.
We are all human. There are so many ways to live and to act. I feel that India shows it all, has seen it all, has lived it all, and continues to do what they know despite the conditions. Nothing is a surprise to the people of India and yet there is mystery to this country, through their history and daily routines. They understand the human experience and live it to its full potential in every sense of the word. They see and observe everything, and learn from it. Some of the children learn languages by listening to the tourists. There are places in India where a large amount of people are fluent in Japanese just from the Japanese tourists that visit that area. India forces the shyest people out of their shells and inspires the uninspired through the people, architecture, history and culture. If you get the chance to go to India, do. Go there, get sick, get exhausted, get annoyed, and get inspired. India is waiting.
Cross the boarder from India into Nepal and find a relaxed atmosphere of easygoing, smiling, and curious people. A country of unfortunate circumstances, but a host to some of the most dramatic scenery on earth. A landscape of astonishing and remarkable beauty, from the stair cut rice terraces to the snowcapped Himalayas. A country where some of the poorest people in the world reside. Nepal, like India, is teeming with history and culture. There are many different tribal groups and castes within Nepal. Nepalese is the national language that connects the people of the country, like Hindi in India. English is also studied, used as the International language.
Taking a local bus through the mountains is an experience in and of itself. The winding roads throw you off balance at every turn. You half anticipate the bus to fall off the edge, get a flat tire, or to collide with oncoming traffic. Locals crowd onto the bus with their packages, bags of rice, and traditional doko baskets. The school children finish classes and make their way home. Seeing foreigners on their bus must be quite a site. They laugh and ask questions with the most curious and excited expressions on their faces. The children of Nepal are around every corner, playing simple hand games, soccer, NEPAL (a form of freeze tag) climbing trees, and being kids. They are the life of Nepal. 
Everyday, several times a day, unpredictable power outages occur for long hours, and people are forced to cope; cooking by candlelight, playing shadow puppet games on the walls, and families talking with one another. People have no choice but to live simple for several hours a day, without the common distraction of television. Although there are ways around having no electricity, the majority of people in Nepal can’t afford alternatives. Sometimes I wish we would have our power cut out once in a while, just to make things a little simpler. The Nepalese people work hard, and earn very little, even with the numerous tourists making their way through the country in order to experience the Himalayas. Despite the conditions of Nepal, the people are still able to smile through their suffering. They are some of the strongest and kindest people I’ve met.
The Nepalese people always jump at the chance for a good conversation and a cup of chai. Short interactions and first time meetings turn into hour-long conversations and an exchange of life stories. There is not a constant pushiness to the people as in many parts of India. Walk into any shop in Pokhara or Kathmandu with ease, knowing that you can get out alive without having to buy something. Nepal deserves more time than a couple of weeks, which is all I had time for. It is a part of the world which never ceases to stimulate the senses. Once you’ve tasted that Himalayan air…
Check out the photo’s from this trip here:
http://joeygoertz.smugmug.com/Travel/India/13553773_p4WFk#988017965_UfZ5k
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