Second Post – Charlie Bell – First Impressions of Mumbai
My first impression of Mumbai is that it’s hectically in harmony. To me, things look scrambled, random, and chaotic – but to the millions of citizens it seems in order, structured, and reasoned. The way traffic is conducted is the first thing that stuck out to me, quite literally hectically in harmony. Mopeds weave in and out of lanes, racing past cars, and tooting their horns to let you know they are there. The collective sounds of horns are unavoidable wherever you go in the city, but the horns aren’t used the same way as we use them in America. They serve as a warning to make unaware drivers aware of another driver’s presence, and they are used with incredible frequency. Such frequency is never seen in the worst of Boston traffic, and the honks in Boston are greeted by an angry face and a not-so-kind hand gesture. The tones of the Mumbai honks are not of anger but of warning, and their use is a necessity in navigating the streets.
My second observation was of the incredible poverty juxtaposed so closely with unimaginable riches. Beggars sit on the street outside of skyscraper complexes, BMWs, and designer stores. But to this, harder for me to understand now, there seems an economy where each member has his/her duty and role to play. Things impossible for me to understand seem easily understood and explained by the citizens I’ve talked to and witnessed in my first day. There is clearly a rhyme and a reason to things understood by Mumbai’s citizens that seem so unexplainable and difficult for me to understand as a foreigner.
Our orientation took place at a very nice local restaurant. Among the most pleasant of my surprises so far has been my ability to handle the foods I’ve eaten. I am admittedly a picky eater and the spiciness of Indian food was something I was worried may be a problem. I very much enjoyed dinner, but one day doesn’t make me a seasoned foodie who can handle all Mumbai and India has to offer.
Another thing that really stuck out to me was the quality of service. Everywhere I went I was serviced almost to the point of over service. I felt as if I was some sort of royalty. Before the main course I needed to use the restroom, and while I had already been informed of the location earlier, I was guided by a succession of servers directly to the exact location. It felt like an extravagant scene out of a movie, but this was the norm as far as my service was concerned throughout the duration of my day.
The final thing that stood out to me was that I need to be hyperaware to pick up on the subtleties of India culture. The norms of American culture come second nature to me, but the norms of Indian culture are very foreign. I don’t understand the small subtleties or the unspoken parts, and it Is going to take a heightened effort on my part to not unintentionally offend the Indians that I interact with.
