Back Metro Plus Bangalore Chennai Coimbatore Delhi Hyderabad Kochi Madurai Mangalore Pondicherry Tiruchirapalli Thiruvananthapuram Vijayawada Visakhapatnam
Busting many myths
| Sujeong Chloe Park came from South Korea to find that India was more than Gandhi and curry |
FINDING THE PULSE Sujeong finds the chaos on the roads in Bangalore exciting
Sujeong Chloe Park hails from Daejeon in South Korea. The young Chloe says her hometown is a very good city to live in, with its high standards of living. “Daejeon is known for its science and technology.” Chloe came to Bangalore in Febru ary as part of AIESEC, an international students’ organisation offering exchange programmes. Chloe, who studies IT business, works in AOL. “I have also studied in Australia.”
Before she arrived here, she knew India as a former British colony, famous for Gandhi and curry. “But as I have stayed here longer, I have come to know what else India is typical of. It was a cultural shock for me to see people eating with their hands and see cows sitting in the middle of the roads. I have seen camels too… I thought I would find them only in the desert!”
She finds South Korea to be an extremely organised city in comparison to Bangalore, with its public transportation and infrastructure in place. “But I find the chaos on the roads in Bangalore — the animals and temples coexisting — to be exciting.”
Getting used to Indian food was not a problem at all for Chloe. “I find Indian food not as spicy as Korean. But the smell of Indian food is strong!” She finds young urban Indian peers to be smart and nice.
“But autorickshaw drivers are not so nice. I have learnt to haggle and it is fun to bargain. So much so that when I go back to South Korea, I will bargain for products for a better rate!”
She wishes that people would learn the price of excessive infrastructural development that is not eco-friendly. “In South Korea, people are planting trees, whereas over here people are cutting them to make way for infrastructure.”
She was also surprised to learn of arranged marriages in India and is not too happy with the way foreigners are treated in India. “I also noticed that there is a big divide between the rich and the poor.”
However, she loves travelling by train and the idea of sleeping on a berth, since the concept is alien in her country of origin. “I was also sad to learn that dancing is banned in Bangalore when I thought that Indians love to dance!”
She was also surprised to learn that there are not so many Buddhists in India, considering Buddhism was born here.
She feels that as a foreigner, it took time for her to get used to life and feel safe here. “But when I leave, I will miss lassi, incense sticks, flowers and the people!”
AYESHA MATTHAN
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu