It's Only Just Begun

Our India experience has underway.  Travel to India is exhausting - I traveled some 10,000 miles over the course of 27 hours. And though we haven't even been here an entire day, I can already sense the travel was worth it. A quick jaunt around Bangalore in a tuk tuk - a small, motorized cart -  was a nice intro to the city. To understand the culture is going to take a long time. When I was planning and preparing for the trip, my host teacher asked my partner and I to each prepare a presentation that should explain our school, school system and culture, along with something about who we are personally and as teachers.  No more than 45 minutes. To explain what my school is like or to describe education in the USA is one thing. But to explain our culture? In just 45 minutes? I'm a mid-west born, southern raised and educated Californian.  Just trying to explain the culture of California could take hours. I felt a sense of relief during a presentation today about the history and culture of India and I learned that there is no way to explain it. Each of India's 29 states were divided by language, and therefore culture. There are 700 known languages in the country with 15 official languages as noted in their constitution.  Each state has a unique language and culture. To understand India's culture is impossible primarily because it has many cultures, just like the US. In fact when compared with india, the U.S. is easy to explain. I look forward to developing a greater knowledge if India and it's education system over the next 3 weeks. In the mean time i am starting simply. I am working on understanding all the different kinds of food on our meal buffet.