There are so many pictures I want to take and so many things that I want to write, and since I seldom sit down to the computer with calm around me, I write nothing. But today as I was eating dinner at a Western style restaurant called Mocha with my family I was so overwhelmed by the vast difference between the two worlds around me that I just had to write about it.
One world is like the world I left behind (well kind of). Imagine the scene we saw at dinner tonight: A mom was setting up balloons in the restaurant for her 13 year old son's birthday party. She was wearing a satin designer kurta and high heel fashionable shoes on her manicured feet. As guests arrived in cars they all joined the other boys playing soccer in the field. The father in his jeans and branded polo shirt ordered food for the 20+ children. I would guess their bill tonight would be around Rs 6000 or $100 at least. That may not sound like a lot for a birthday party, but that is where the contrast comes in.
Today my house helper took a series of public autos home from work. She sat in a 3 seater vehicle with 5-10 other people and her took her over an hour to get to her village. From there she walked home in her hand-me-down polyester kurta pajama suit and flip flops. When she arrived home to her 3 room, dirt house she immediately got to work doing chores. She had to pump water from her well in order to do the dishes, wash the clothes by hand, and take a bath. For dinner she probably made rice, daal, and some kind of vegetable. The rice she got on ration from the government and the daal she got with food stamps. Both of these she had to sift and clean to get rid of bugs, dirt...so that it would be acceptable to eat. Her family of 6 probably ate for less than $1 tonight. Tonight she will sleep under a mosquito net and pray that the power does not go out so that she can have a fun running to cool in her 90 degree room. She will never set foot in a place like Mocha not only because she can't afford it but because she would probably find it frivolous.
I grew up in the first scenario and this to me represents a good percentage of Americans: drive a car, eat out at a restaurant at least once a week for $20 or so, go to birthday parties, wear new clothing, live in a house with running water, a flushing toilet, air-conditioner... Which is why it is so striking to me that this is the elite here- a very small percentage of the people and the majority are more like my house helper. And the two groups don't mix. Group A's children won't go to school with the children from Group B, and barring a miracle this separation will always be. Group A will always be served by group B, seeing themselves superior- and group B will continue to serve.
As an outsider, the weird thing is that I can be in both groups. My best friend lives in a one-room flat. Her husband is a driver/preacher and she is a seamstress with very little work. They eat very simply, wear whatever is given to them, drive an old scooter and a bicycle, and pray for God's provision on a daily basis. For entertainment they do have a television, but mostly they sing praise songs together, draw, spend time together (when they have free time- which is rare). This is a life I little understand, and yet my eyes are being opened as I have been given the key to a woman's heart who is teaching me much about a world that is becoming my own.
But at the same time, I can get dressed up in my nice department store suit, go to the mall, Mocha, movies...and meet a woman from the elite class who will quickly consider me her equal and worthy of her acquaintance (she doesn't know I really can't afford the things she can). And I can be interested in shopping and eating at nice places and traveling...and we could have a relationship too.
In reality my world is somewhere in the middle of these two. Most of my neighbors have good jobs, half drive cars, some of them shop at the mall occasionally and most go out to a South Asian dinner on Sunday nights.
One world is like the world I left behind (well kind of). Imagine the scene we saw at dinner tonight: A mom was setting up balloons in the restaurant for her 13 year old son's birthday party. She was wearing a satin designer kurta and high heel fashionable shoes on her manicured feet. As guests arrived in cars they all joined the other boys playing soccer in the field. The father in his jeans and branded polo shirt ordered food for the 20+ children. I would guess their bill tonight would be around Rs 6000 or $100 at least. That may not sound like a lot for a birthday party, but that is where the contrast comes in.
Today my house helper took a series of public autos home from work. She sat in a 3 seater vehicle with 5-10 other people and her took her over an hour to get to her village. From there she walked home in her hand-me-down polyester kurta pajama suit and flip flops. When she arrived home to her 3 room, dirt house she immediately got to work doing chores. She had to pump water from her well in order to do the dishes, wash the clothes by hand, and take a bath. For dinner she probably made rice, daal, and some kind of vegetable. The rice she got on ration from the government and the daal she got with food stamps. Both of these she had to sift and clean to get rid of bugs, dirt...so that it would be acceptable to eat. Her family of 6 probably ate for less than $1 tonight. Tonight she will sleep under a mosquito net and pray that the power does not go out so that she can have a fun running to cool in her 90 degree room. She will never set foot in a place like Mocha not only because she can't afford it but because she would probably find it frivolous.
I grew up in the first scenario and this to me represents a good percentage of Americans: drive a car, eat out at a restaurant at least once a week for $20 or so, go to birthday parties, wear new clothing, live in a house with running water, a flushing toilet, air-conditioner... Which is why it is so striking to me that this is the elite here- a very small percentage of the people and the majority are more like my house helper. And the two groups don't mix. Group A's children won't go to school with the children from Group B, and barring a miracle this separation will always be. Group A will always be served by group B, seeing themselves superior- and group B will continue to serve.
As an outsider, the weird thing is that I can be in both groups. My best friend lives in a one-room flat. Her husband is a driver/preacher and she is a seamstress with very little work. They eat very simply, wear whatever is given to them, drive an old scooter and a bicycle, and pray for God's provision on a daily basis. For entertainment they do have a television, but mostly they sing praise songs together, draw, spend time together (when they have free time- which is rare). This is a life I little understand, and yet my eyes are being opened as I have been given the key to a woman's heart who is teaching me much about a world that is becoming my own.
But at the same time, I can get dressed up in my nice department store suit, go to the mall, Mocha, movies...and meet a woman from the elite class who will quickly consider me her equal and worthy of her acquaintance (she doesn't know I really can't afford the things she can). And I can be interested in shopping and eating at nice places and traveling...and we could have a relationship too.
In reality my world is somewhere in the middle of these two. Most of my neighbors have good jobs, half drive cars, some of them shop at the mall occasionally and most go out to a South Asian dinner on Sunday nights.
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