I decided to start up this blog now when it’s still 10 days to go. Even though I do not have any flashy pictures and breathtaking impressions to post yet, I’d like to record my present state of mind, so to say.
Just checked with the calendar – indeed, it’s only 1,5 weeks left before my train brings me to Moscow and then - my plane lands in New Delhi. Already weaponed with all the tickets, health insurance, bunch of vaccines and great amount of need-to-know style readings. Kind of ready for departure.
I’ve been reading some travellogs and especially some impressions of females traveling solo in India. I got lucky to find some people who have been to India in and to talk to them personally. Yet, Living and working for a year is somewhat different from some-months-backpacking around. Understanding the mindset… Adjust your behavior…
Female issues really stand out here. I might be exaggerating at this point, but it seems that I would not just study situation with female rights, but will personally face some of the issues. Just some quotations here
‘But remember that it's very uncommon for a woman to travel alone in India and you might experience hassles. My advice is -- just be firm, and avoid having conversations with men who are traveling alone - this is generally a sure invitation to sexual harassment’.
‘On a few occasions, usually in a busy market or a crowded street, I had men brush up against me--and it was no accident! These incidents left me more offended than anything else and I learned from them’.
‘Avoid eye contact, because in their culture, contact signals to Indian men that you are both available and approachable’.
‘When I finally joined up with male travellers, the situation became entirely different. Because Indian men assumed that my companion was my husband, they virtually ignored me. I was invisible! Any conversation was directed solely to him since it was a waste of time to deal with me, a mere woman. This "all or nothing" approach really frustrated me’.
And all and that.. from women who traveled around India for a considerable time. What would one reading that think after all?
I’ve seen the Hindu alphabet which looked completely frustrating to me.
But above all, I think I got the major idea… idea of the attitude I should bring. I recall the phrase that the fox says to the Little Prince. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
