Last time when I went home and was asked by my mamaji (uncle) in a profound way about the differences I saw in America, I was a little jittery. So, here I list some of the superficial differences that I have noted, for I don't have the acute sense of perception to make any profound notes. This is a foreigner's perspective who mostly sits in his couch watching TV and is therefore more likely to be – as Jack Nicholson would put it (Something's Gotta Give)– only ‘a version of the truth’.
1. You can hear girls talk about their underwear in buses; Indian girls either do not wear any or have figured out solutions to all related problems (?).
2. Corners in US are clean and dry. There is a general cleanliness all around. The ammonia rich corners in India have been universally attributed to the nature-loving traits of Indians, and there is garbage thrown all around. I have seen Americans throw cigarette butts without caring to figure out if it lands in a bin. The ubiquitous cleanliness is mainly because US is a rich country. Jhaadu lagane ke liye bhi machine hai (There are machines even for brooming). A person sitting in a mobile air blower does the rounds to blow off leaves or another one comes around in another machine for cutting grass. When the surrounding are so clean, nobody would like to dirty it up. I believe campuses of Infosys and Wipro must be clean. Secondly, US mein koi paan nahi khata hai (people don't eat beetle-nut in US).
3. Kids generally learn to swim by the time they are 10 (partly because there are many swimming pools). People do more than studying – some skate, others roller blade, juggle, play some sport, swim, or any other of the myriad activities. No wonder US gets so many Olympic medals.
4. Some students in 2nd year engineering course do not know the formula for volume of a sphere.
5. Ethics is a big issue. Cheating in exams is not as omni-present as it is in India.
6. Cars stop to let the pedestrians cross – something I have rarely seen in my 20+ yrs in India.
7. A friend in my college gave me the following advice: 'Never ever ask if something is allowed or not for they always reply in the negative'. This does not seem to apply to people at Pennsylvania State University. Every University official is eager to find a way out to help you if you ask politely.
8. You say 'hi' to bus drivers when you get in and 'thank you' or 'good night' when you get off.
9. There is enormous consumption of energy in United States. Here, cars are the main mode of transport, rather than buses or trains. Almost everything is done with electric machines. For example, something like brooming the roads which is done manually in India is done by suction pumps here. I can't recall seeing any TV advertisement on conservation of natural resources like gas (petrol), or electricity. Remember the ads in India (do they still come on Doordarshan?) promoting the habit of switching off lights when you leave the room?
10. There are advertisements, though, promoting people to spend more time on dinner table as opposed to eating out. Speaking of advertisements, the most common ones are of auto insurance and pharmaceuticals. In India, I guess Pepsi and Coke beat the others hands down.
11. Paper has substituted hanky. I wonder what would happen to seat-reservation through hankies were the tissue-paper culture to invade India. Will people queue for a restroom before the arrival of their train?
12. People of both gender can be seen in their shorts running on sidewalks any time of the day, any time of the year, even when it snows or it is a summer noon, and they are not considered lunatics.
13. If you make a ruckus during the night, your neighbors in US are much more likely to call the cops rather than beat you up.
14. Hansi to phansi does not work in US. Every girl smiles at you.
PS. About Point #1, I just wanted to point out that here in US people talk very freely in public places without caring about what others may hear and think. The line about Indian girls was just a bit of humor (at least I thought so). But after some reactions, I thought a clarification is in place though I am not sure how clear the clarification is. I hope I don't offend too many people.
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