1) There is such a thing as Indian time, and it means that everything you do takes twice as long as it should. Everything from taking a cab, trying to buy a train ticket, waiting for food in a restaurant...you have to have a lot of patience.
2) Traveling or living in India is hard. The streets are in terrible shape, the trash and pollution are out of control and then of course there is such intense poverty.
3) India is fascinating. There is no way to describe India as a whole. Each place that I have visited is completely different. Different clothes, different language, different food, different people.
4) Indian people are scared. In every home and business there are heavy bars on every window and large metal gates with padlocks. There is a concrete wall around every home and on top of this wall there are shards of sharp, pointed glass or nails so no one can climb over. Every door on the inside has it's own padlock. When anyone leaves a room, they lock it. It's like they think if something is left unlocked for one second, some unseen force is going to rush in and rob them of everything. I haven't quite figured out where this fear stems from.
5) Indian people have the largest hearts (except for taxi and rickshaw drivers). They would give me their last bit of food or tea or their only blanket if it would make me more comfortable.
6) When I have a question or need something from an Indian, the standard answer to everything is "No problem". Indians notoriously tell you what you want to hear. But it comes from a place of good intentions. Unless it's a cab driver or a rickshaw wallah.
I am nowhere near being ready to sum up this experience and won't be for a very long time, but these are a few observations so far...
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