How Staying in India Made Me a Better Person

It may be too soon to write a blog like this, but I cannot wait to state that my stint of a year in India made me a better person. I hail from Sweden, and my mother brought me up in the cold environment of a society where people live an individualistic life. When I came to India for a job, I sensed that I had done the opposite thing of coming from Sweden to India. The common trend is that Indians go to my home country to seek better employment. Anyway, I was associated with a Japanese firm in my city, which required me to handle their operations in India for a few months. I, at first, detested at the announcement as I had heard a lot of horror stories about the country. However, I love to admit that India changed me for better and I was a changed person when I left after ten months.

Food is to share

On my first day in office, I had a great time while smiling back all the time at the welcoming colleagues. During lunch time, I went to the cafeteria to buy a couple of sandwiches. As soon as I grabbed a chair to begin my lunch, a few of my teammates banged open the door and said Hi to me. After they came to my table with their warmed up tiffin boxes in hands, the aroma of their delicious food filled the room. Before I could speak up, all of them presented their food in front of me, and simply said, "Have it." I couldn't do anything but oblige. I was happy to share my cold sandwiches with them in exchange for their fragrant rice and curries. The other great thing that I learned about Indians is that they love eating with their hands. They would wash their hands before lunch and eat food with their hands and a couple of spoons. No forks and knives come into play while eating Indian cuisines; they are required only for continental foods.

The vibrancy of India 

Throughout my life, I have seen very few bright colors. I have always seen men and women dressed in grey, black, white, and beige. Ladies in India love to dress in vibrant colors, and a few men as well. At every party, office meeting, or wedding I attended; I have seen them dressed in bold colors. Rather than making a woman feel guilty in office for wearing a bright saree, people love to compliment her. My hometown does not witness any such occurrence; people there are very strict about colors and clothing that makes the place at least visually dull.

Compassion

My friends from Mumbai once hired two Self Drive Cars in Pune to wander around the city. I have always seen poverty in India, and my friends warn me not to give alms to people as it encourages beggary. However, I make it a point not to haggle with children selling things on the streets, or the street vendors selling various articles and clothes. They do over-charge the foreigners than they do to the locals. However, if I can afford to pay a little more for a product, I do not mind doing so. Living in India has made me more compassionate towards the wealthy as well as the poor. Patience, endurance, and sympathy are required in enormous amounts to live a life like millions of people in India do. I salute these people who are made of steel to bear the unbearable circumstances all through their lives.

Being Twenty-Something and Not Going Broke to Go for a Vacation

Not being penniless in my twenty-something has been the most significant achievement of my life until now. Although the student life in my teens felt awesome, sometimes it felt terrible to feel almost broke. No matter how much money my father would deposit in my account, my pockets would always be empty just like a typical student studying in a different city than the hometown. Now that I have started earning a decent income after college, I feel at least a little relieved that I do not have to ask for money from my Dad. I would rather be able to send money home after a few years of being in a job. 

Since this is my first job as an IT engineer, the environs around me are quite standard as it would be in an IT company. My office is located on the outskirts of Noida, and I live in a rented accommodation with my friends. With some amount of income in hand, I always feel like I can have a good lifestyle. I cannot give much attention to seemingly unnecessary things, and I do not want to regret my decisions in life. Therefore, I try to take careful decisions with informed choices. 

In my early teens, I would always think about going for a vacation, but money was always an issue. Even if I would try to make a plan, my first concern was to think about not getting broke.  Nowadays, albeit the supply of money is not unlimited, I can still make an effort to go out for 2-3 vacations in a year. The time spent with the family and friends means a lot to me; I understand that with each passing year, I might lose the time that I would never get back.

My first road trip after I joined the job was headed to Rishikesh; I went there with my friends to do white water rafting and Bungee Jumping. Everything we did there was just unforgettable. We could do anything that we wanted for the two days we had in hand in Rishikesh. Sitting on the white sand on the riverside, watching people frolicking in the Ganga River, and talking to the friends was the best feeling ever. The first vacation always remains most memorable, despite the number of voyages we take later.

The next time, I made a plan to go to Nainital with my family. It is impossible to explain the pride I felt when I could make expenses for my family. It feels speechless to have your own money in your pocket, spend it on your family, and see the gratification on their faces. They feel speechless to express the delight they feel when they realize that their kids are gradually becoming self-dependent. I can do the spending forever to see that smile on the faces of my parents.

The last trip that I took this year was headed to Pune. After partying a lot for more than a year, I felt like relaxing in the lap of nature. I had never been to South India, so I decided to take a quaint road trip this time. With my friend who works in the city, I took a Self-Drive Car Rental Pune and went to a couple of places to explore the southern region of India. No doubt that I like the hills of the North, but I also fell in love with the beaches of the South in the country. I reassured myself that in the next three years, I would take at least one trip every year to this region, without going broke! 

How to Dodge the Fears of Solo Female Travel

Solo travel is indeed a big deal, especially for women around the world. No matter how strong you are, there are some things you cannot avoid. You cannot change the behavior of every person, alter the cultural setting of a place, or ask for your comfort foods at every place you visit. Therefore, the only resort to adjust to solo travel is to prepare yourself such that only you know your fears and they do not come out in the open. For the first-timers, beginning a solo trip may be an overwhelming experience, but you just need to remember that the issues are always resolvable (at least almost always!). Else, you have the option to move out of an uncomfortable situation at all times. No one is born headstrong, neither are you, but you can develop specific traits that help you carry on your solo trip comfortably. Moreover, it is only the beginning of a journey that is annihilating. Once you reach your destination, you will automatically muster the courage to move ahead.

Safety issues 

Concerning safety, the best thing to do is to select a relatively safe city to travel. Since you are a female, you would not want to garner unwanted attention from a conservative society or attract the criminals. Once you are sorted with a safe destination, you can plan further to be safe. Decide your clothing according to the location and do not wear clothes that draw too much of notice. Do not keep your belongings in the open and watch out of anti-social elements around you. If you find someone particularly shady, just watch out the person. Avoid going to the lonely places and always be in touch with someone at home, office, or college.

Keep in mind that being free is a different thing and being irresponsible is another. If you do not tell anyone about your whereabouts, you might be risking yourself too much. Let at least one friend know about your entire itinerary and keep him or her informed about every significant thing, person, and activity. Just in case something happens to you, there will be at least one person who can reach you.

Being lonely 

Facing loneliness is the next big concern for every solo traveler, be it a male or a female. You might have to book a table for one at every restaurant, go alone everywhere, and explore everything all on your own. Anyway, try to ignore the gloomy side of being alone and embrace the beautiful front of it. Since you would be among several like-minded people at your destination, you are more approachable to be friends with people and mingle with the local folks. You can spend as much time as you want at a place and still not feel guilty about it. You do not need to cling to someone just because you came with the person. Being all on your own gives you the opportunity to set your own rules and break them as well whenever you want.

If you are in India, you have dozens of cities to visit for your solo trip, one of them being Pune. This South Indian location is impressive for a road trip to and from the city with the Car RentalsPune. You can not only enjoy the drive all the way, but the place also gives you incredible options to explore the city. Solo travel is not as daunting as it sounds, provided that you know how to make the most of it. Just step out of the house someday, and you will never regret your decision.