Many Americans, when they think of India, think of some place different, conservative and while both of these things are true, India is in fact very similar to the US. Today we were taken to the University of Mysore where we got to talk to some of the students. Around 50 students showed up, all looking forward to speaking with us. We broke off into small groups where we were able to ask questions to one another. Many of us spoke about the different cultures, the school systems, politics, we discovered that we were in fact very similar. Many people still believe that women in India are married very young and are expected to stay home, while in some rural areas this still occurs, India is modernizing, and women are being educated and are putting their careers first. Feminism is also starting to rise in India and I am looking forward to watching it bloom in the next few years. Later in the evening, after the Q and A I took a cooking class. The focus was on southern Indian cuisine. The women taught us 4 to 5 dishes and explained all the ingredients and their health benefits. Indians really do put a lot of thought into what they eat, making sure they have a balance in their diet, where Americans eat whatever we want and don’t think twice. We have two more classes tomorrow and Friday and I can’t wait.
Best,
Caileigh