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Cultural norms?
Just wanted to put down a few of the more obvious cultural differences that both came to head pretty obviously today. Another volunteer is having her bday tomorrow so we decided to take cake in for all teachers and kids. Distributing food is fairly common practice at school, while lunch is provided everyday, often the teachers will bring in sweets celebrating an occasion, a gaggle of women came and cooked for a pupils bday lunch recently and my upbringing has taught me to always be respectful and thank who ever made effort. Following distribution of cake to over 60 people, not only did no one offer thanks, but when the cook (least well off member of teaching team) was given a couple of bits of extra cake a great drama ensused about why she should get an extra piece, this proceeded into several of women teachers huddled about discussing for over 5 mins - how on earth do you sustain a conversation on this topic for this long!!! All a bit dissapointing that our effort of putting smile on everyones face turned into such a drama!
From small scale (what i percieve as i don't know the answer but i want to help so i will tell you lies) to blatant (i will lie about no of children at school today) lying seems to be a way of life here, half truths, porkies but whatever way i try to rationalise i always seem to come up with word lie!! I even joked to an indian person "i just love the way the lies roll of your tounge" and she replied "what do you expect i'm indian"! For the most part this washes over my head, if people don't want to be honest about what their plans are "i have classes so cannot go to school picnic, in reality not true" i am not bothered but one particularily disturbing occasion when i bought something into school and someone claimed it as theirs, when i questioned this there was not even the slightest hesitation, pause, slur of words, eyes looking opposite direction they stared straight at me and said i bought this in. I get this often when asking for directions and spent over an hour finding a cinema that was in reality 10 mins walk from where i exited metro, all due to people confidentently pointing and providing what i thought! were v helpful directions. Leads me to not trust or believe anything anyone tells me, but with degree of leniency that something in there could just could be a kernel of truth, v taxing on the brain!
Off to see the new Mr Khan (star of Bollywood) movie tomorrow, and valentines fundraiser dinner on sat, people are going crazy over valentines, embracing commercialisation like oxford st at Christmas
Chow xx
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