Perspective Is A Choice

My first train trip went surprisingly smooth. Purchased my ticket in Madurai and was thankful to be a foreigner. Since, there was a wait list and it's usually impossible to get a ticket the day of travel for overnight trains. I was pushed to the top of the list!

I waited at the train station for a few hours observing this colorful culture. Families plopped down in the middle of the main hall unwrapping banana leaves filled with some sort of rice thing to eat. Not bothered by anything, except the companionship of their friends and family surrounding them. This is one of the greatest virtues I have come to recognize in this culture. They are simply not bothered by things that us westerners would be enraged by.

I boarded the train, found my sleeper, which is purposely all ladies. I immediately began chatting with the ladies, who all seemed to be close in relation or friendship, but actually they are not. This type of friendliness and respect for each other (strangers or not) is natural. I told them a little about what I do and why I'm in India. They chuckle at most of the things I say, mostly because our cultures are so different and some of the things about each are unfathomable to the other, depending on how you look at it. For instance, they are confused that I'm married (I say I'm married to save myself that conversation and confusion) and traveling alone without my husband. Also, I tell them that I teach yoga and that I am in India to study more about yoga. She says, "Why so many westerner's interested in yoga?" A 7-hour train trip is not enough time to answer that question. I would need more time to explain America's cultural deficiencies. Not to be confused with diversity. To keep it positive for now, let me say that regardless of our seemingly lost and empty spirited culture, we have freedom of choice, and infinite opportunity which is our duty to act upon. We get to choose what is important to us, our culture does not define it. Ultimately, for many of us, we can choose our religion, our values, our schools, our husbands and wives, our friends, even our breakfast.

I guess there was more to talk about than just a train ride to Trivandrum.