Believe it or not, I work for a huge multinational company.
And I thought it was gross at the old office, where they just washed our dishes in the bathroom.
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Dave wrote the above post. Here is my reaction:
Ok, to be fair, a majority of chai is made this way in India. You go to any store or any business and it’s custom for them to ask if you want a cup of chai. But, more time than not, they don’t have some state of the art kitchen to do things the way we are accustomed in the west.
In my office, if you want hot water, you fill a plastic container with hot water and nuke it.
And despite the working conditions, these guys do a good job. I’ve never noticed a dirty cup and the chai is quite delicious.
You guys clearly seem to hate india and find it inconvinient. Why dont you leave?
(This is Dave writing.) I don’t hate India. There IS a lot to hate about India, and there is a lot to love as well. For this blog, I don’t focus on one or the other but instead try to spotlight the sights and experiences that I find amazing or horrifying or wonderful or incredible. I want the people reading it to share in the experience of living here, for better or for worse.
Nice blog. As an Indian, I myself complained about similar things.
There is no reason why you should not express your opinions. There is no place perfect.
I’d have some choice words to say after looking at the photos.
-AV
Priyanka:
I come for a 3rd world country (kenya) and when I go back to visit, some of the conditions gross even me out! If you are used to living in the west, these countries will appear to be filthy and unhygienic.
I had a friend from Kenya who went to India and even she was taken aback by some of the filth. According to her, Kenya was much cleaner, but I think that’s mainly because we have a much smaller population and thus less pollution.
However, having said that, it is still my dream to visit India and to experience that rich and diverse culture.
Oh, boy. I disagree with Priyanka’s comment. You don’t seem to hate India. I think you post things you love as well as things you don’t. Quite honestly, India has its issues. I think you do a nice job of not focusing entirely on those issues. To think otherwise is to ignore how truly horrific some aspects of India are–especially the poverty. That alone is enough to cause someone to “hate” the country.
If you hate a country because of poverty then i would think you hate 2/3 of the world and even part of the western world which are filthy as well as poor.
And as far as water being used to clean the utensils is clean and they use soap, i dont see what is so bad about cleaning untensils.
Plus, Indians are the worst racists you’ll ever find anywhere. Even though, I’ve heard horror stories from African students who’ve studied in India, I’d still like to visit, but as a total tourist. It’s just not a safe country to live in if you’re black.
What an interesting blog. The things people have to go through to beef up their first world cvs! I feel soooooo sorry for you guys. I hope you are over your stint soon and take off towards your ‘normal’ life and a heftier pay package.
Ke,
Please do look in the mirror sometimes. There has been violence by blacks against Indian all over Africa. Just last year there were riots in Africa against Indians and few indians were killed in it. Ever heard of that great African leader called Idi Amin and the way he prosecuted Indians? Ever heard how much India supported black’s struggle in South Africa?
vick:
Are you talking about the riots in Kenya last year? All people who owned businesses were targeted. Actually, their shops were destroyed and they did not all belong to Indians. So, no..there was special targeting of Indians in Kenya. They just happen to own a lot of shops and like other kenyans who do, those shops got hit.
The Indians in East Africa however, embody the racism I mentioned above. While Idi Amin’s methods were extreme, the anger towards them is widespread and there is a reason for it. When these E.African countries were colonized, the Indians were placed a rung higher than Africans by the British and they were given many opportunities that were Africans were not given. This is where the resentment begun.
However, after independence, the Indians in East Africa, refused to integrate. They lived in their own walled off compounds, they refused to learn swahili, they didn’t mix or inter-marry and they treated their African employee’s terribly. The resentment towards them continued to grow as a result of this inward behavior they displayed even after living in countries that were now governed by Africans.
And by the way, many ugandas were persecuted and killed by Idi Amin himself. It wasn’t just Indians.
However, I am telling you that Indians in East Africa have brought on a lot of these problems by themselves and their refusal to integrate has largely been a result of their inherent racism. It should tell you something that despite living in African countries for over 100 years, they still refuse to integrate and inter-mix with their fellow Africans. I believe that the caste system in India has created a very insular and racist society/culture/people and if Indians don’t learn how to accept and interact with people from different backgrounds, they will not become this global power that everyone thinks they will.
Anyway, that is just my two cents based on my observations of the Indian community in East Africa.
ke,
You seem to be disgusted by Indians. Look in the mirror, you might find a racist staring back at you.
AV
AV:
I’m not disgusted by anybody. I’m just trying to understand their culture, which I found to be quite insular based on what I observed in East Africa.
Like I said, I’d still love to visit India one day.
And the dialogue here suggests that no matter what you say, if you are ‘different’, it is very easy for the conversation to be steered to racism, casteism or whatever ism du jour one wishes to discuss 🙂
Even Indians complain about all this stuff and are grossed out by it.
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it is even better to drink with your own cups that you bring from your own house 🙂
at least that’s what i do…
There’s running water and a drain below it. There are plants and it’s sheltered from the road and all. It’s perfect! What more do you need hehe? Stop being greedy!