Learning through living

By Cyrus Ruch

The well dressed instructor walked with us through concrete halls with shiny floors of the driving institute, a building cleaner than anywhere else we had been that week. He happily showed us around every area, going into various classrooms and halls, and even the employees only area. The chai given to us was wonderful, and he was always making sure we were enjoying ourselves. We didn’t know his name, and he didn’t know ours either.

The experience was nice, polite, and utterly sterile. Afterwards, everyone in our group agreed that it was our least favorite place we visited. The open farmlands, the cramped cities, and the houses which didn’t fit our western expectations were all more enjoyable to us. The reasoning for this was quite simple. Our time with the driving instructor was so impersonal and unconnected. It felt like he was just trying to impress us. The contrast with every other place was clear. Whether wealthy or low income, all the other places treated us with something deeper than respect, a need to connect with us and understand.

I consider myself a well traveled person. I've been to 5 out of 7 continents, met people of many different religions and beliefs, and had both good and bad experiences adjusting to new cultures. In my entrance essay for Bethel, I wrote about a crazy day I had in Kenya and how it shaped me, saying that the best way to learn about a country is to experience it. One of the reasons I went on the Textura trip was because I wanted to get to learn this way again.

This trip felt different. Maybe it was that the culture was even further than American culture than other places, maybe it was the stronger language barrier, or maybe it was because of the activities we did. Either way, I felt like I had a harder time being able to understand everything about India. Thinking back now, I don’t even know how I would describe the culture or their way of life. I keep trying to compare it to something, and realizing that I have nothing to compare it to. Its bothering me. I feel like after all my time there I should be able to know waymore than I do about India, Haryana specifically, and the people who live there.

What I do know is that despite my lack of understanding of so much, is that even through the barriers, there were those who were willing to engage and connect with us. Two girls on a motorbike complimented the hair of one of the members of our team. A dancer made eye contact with me, feeling the same rhythm of the music we were listening to. Two brothers laughed at me struggling with a door handle before one came over and showed me how, patting me on the back. Even when they spoke no English and knew we spoke no Hindi, they did their best to find a way to communicate, bond, or connect somehow. We found mutual connection in something as simple as sipping chai and through translators explaining how much better it was than our American recipes.

I was a little hesitant to join the Textura trip at first. India has never been a bucket list destination for me, and I don’t have a lot of experience reporting. I didn’t know if the trip was worth my time or money. Ultimately, I decided to because I didn’t know if I would ever have an opportunity like this again. I know now that I made the right choice. Through the culture and people, I have gotten an experience unlike any other.