Disappointment

Blog #2

When I applied for this study abroad program I did not think how the environment will be what I will experience. All I know is that I am going to a country that I always wanted to go (India). I was all excited and ready for the trip. A week before the trip I posted my very first post mention that I am going to India for study abroad on social media. Everyone responds with surprise and proud. People were surprised because suddenly I am going to India. Lots of my cousins were proud that I become independent. After all, I was just 19, which is pretty young and It’s my first travel with and without family. Back in Nepali, I was very quiet and shy, which I am still but now I want to change that. I was not out going and now I am suddenly going India across the hemisphere. No one has ever expected this up of me. Anyways, I started my packing a week before the trip and took pictures of my packing and posted on social media. I was doing shopping and gathering what I need for the trip. Meanwhile, my sister was doing research about India, how to be safe, what to expect in India, what’s it like to be India, climate, and environment. Even my dad and my first cousin were telling me that it will be very hot and maybe I can’t stand it. I was ignoring them and kept on getting excited as the days come closer. On the flight day I was not even sad to leave in fact I was excited. I was excited to fly, excited to see Dubai because we have 3 hours layover. I was excited to see Delhi because we will land in Delhi and after 6 hours we were flying to Varanasi. As I came across to each point I was excited for turned out to be a disappointment. On the flight, I was in the middle of two chubby men. I didn’t even have any space to move. I was stuck in between two men for 14 hours. The flight was terrible I was hoping to go see Dubai, but we didn’t even get out of the airport because it was just too big so we didn’t get out thinking we might miss our flight. Even in Delhi, we didn’t get out of the airport because we all were just too tired, plus I haven’t slept for two days. Everything was disappointing. And when I got to India I was more disappointed. When We reach Varanasi, I was pretty happy to see India, however, it was just too hot I couldn't hold it. India’s environment was just too hot and messy that I cannot stand. Then I realize that In this hot weather and mess aka trash everywhere is not something that anyone should go through. There were kids everywhere begging or selling something to earn money. In the Ghats, there are kids selling water, flowers and etc. I was disappointed to see kids running around selling instead of going school. I have never seen any children begging in my entire life. Not even in Nepal. I wished I could help them but I believe giving them tons of money is not a right way to help them. They could end of doing wrong thing like drugs with the money to make them less hungry. If I could I would love to take all the kids and give them shelters. I really want to help them but I just don’t know where and how to start. In addition, I was disappointed to see animals on the street hopelessly living. Mostly cows and dogs. I was supposedly disappointed to see cows and dogs because those two animals are the only animal they worship.On the side of Assi Ghat, I was a young man hitting cows to make them move. Ghats are where people go to worship. They believe so much in worshiping but they don’t take care of it. Talking about worship, they even worship River Ganga as one of the goddess and here I see people disrespecting. There was a stream that's connected to “Holy” river Ganga, where people diving into wash away their sin or just simply swimming. The problem is that the stream  that connected to Ganga is the river full of trash. Pigs and cows eating trash out of it. The most disgusting river I have ever seen. And this river ends in river Ganga. Even if people swim in Ganga they could not find clean water to wash after swimming. Are people blind or they just don’t care about their self and the kind of environment they are creating. Furthermore, the areas are just too dirty for anyone to live. This all is just too depressing to see. Cows and dogs pooping everywhere, even people peeing everywhere. Which cause the smelly environment. I was downhearted to see too many problems in the country that was my dream to come. As I was talking with a tuk-tuk driver about him, he said that he was a teacher before he was a tuk-tuk driver. And I asked him how come you're here driving tuk-tuk. Then he said it's India things like this happens. I was pretty curious about what he meant by “it happens”. He also said its India, which will never change but I told he that if you change yourself then India will automatically change, plus Nita ma’am who is teaching us about India told it’s hard to change India. It's hard to change their thoughts about religion, culture or pretty much anything. I think the pollutants are caused  by the poverty, dirty environment, and the not developed people’s  thoughts.

Dibbya Biswa 
University of Washington Bothell
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