India: an honest review

On first arrival not only does the impact of the heat feel like a slap to the face but the culture shock is well and truly present. A never ending stream of traffic, sounds and smells. Like an explosion to all of your senses, it is something I have never experienced before. Spending six weeks in this incredible place allows for your senses to somewhat adjust after time. The incessant beeping of horns fades away so that you almost don’t hear it anymore. That feeling of your heart jumping out of your chest every time you have to cross a road begins to subside – especially after receiving some well needed guidance on how to get across without being hit by a speeding tuk tuk. All of this combined probably sounds like the trip from hell to the majority, but then how can you discount all of the incredible history and culture right in front of you?

It was almost hard adjusting to life back in the UK after feeling like a celebrity in India. Constantly being asked for pictures, people stopping their cars to get out and say hello to us. This sight of a foreigner to these locals was truly incredible and they would wait for a picture and even queue which instead of going to our heads actually opened our eyes to their way of life. How unusual it must have been to see five wide-eyed girls wandering around in amazement at the places they have probably been a hundred times. There were families with new born babies that were thrown in to our arms as it was believed we would bless the child by simply holding them. This culture, this way of life was one I had never seen before and I wasn’t ready to let go of it even when our time there had come to an end.

As the media often does, it had scared so many people including our over-protective relatives in to thinking this trip was a death sentence. A lot of what we are shown in the media are the negatives about so many amazing countries that a lot of students tend to travel to. Of course these stories shouldn’t be thrown away at the thought of scaring a few people off, but positive stories need to be written as well. Perhaps as a result of these negative stories we were being told, it meant that the most special memories were of the locals we met along the way, who were some of the kindest and giving people I have ever known.

Religion plays a huge part in Indian culture and even to experience a small portion of it was amazing. Respectful dress was crucial, women should cover their shoulders, chest and legs at all times when out in public. Which is a lot easier said than done in 40 degree heat. Varanasi is known as a holy city and filled with mesmerising temples on almost every corner we walked down. We were informed that countless amounts of people across India save money their whole lives to be able to pay to be cremated in a daily ceremony at the river Ganges in Varanasi. Thousands upon thousands of people come to watch in this religious ritual as a daily part of their lives.

Once you get used to the slightly disturbing state of one or two of the hostels, you will be on your way to having one the most incredible, informative and humbling experiences of your life.