Things I've Learnt Since Being in India

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•  how to drink chai... I used to loathe tea
•. how to have a bucket shower

•  how to avoid a cold shower ... Turn the hot water on!
•. how to extend the capacity of my bladder so I don't need to make frequent toilet stops
•. the advantages of having a welfare system
•  the disadvantages of having a welfare system that is way too generous

• that a bed makes a very good ironing board and you get smooth sheets at the same time
•. how to pray to the Gods of every world religion while driving on the roads....especially at night
•. how  little you really need to live
•. that India is an incredibly varied country
•. that eating in food stalls doesn't mean you're going to get sick
•. that we take preventative health very much for granted
•. that I was lucky to find such a nice young guy as Tarun to show me India
•. that I really love being in India and I want to keep coming back
•. that the sheer size of the Himalayas is beyond imagination
•. how to tune out noise
•. that some military areas in India don't allow foreigners in them
•. you don't need malaria protection in the cooler weather
•. In parts of the world people still live as they did hundreds of years ago
•. that I'm not really addicted to coffee... I haven't had a problem going without it

• Indian Dominoes don't have a meat lovers pizza

• that I can be very lazy

• that it pays to keep the bedroom window closed in case a monkey decides to come in

• the sunsets are stunning

• Indians can't cook pasta

• sleeping between the sheets feels better than sleeping under the blanket

• that just because you hear cows mooing it doesn't mean that you are in the country

• just how culturally different we are

• we wear too much black

• Indian women don't hang their underwear on the line to dry

• Indian kids learn all the same nursery rhymes as ours do

• there are many quite healthy looking dogs here that never see meat or dog biscuits. They live on roti and rice

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