Things that bother me

There are some things that bother me regularly since I have come here.
It has been hard blogging about them and so I usually end up procrastinating.
Let me talk about the three main ones today.

In chronological order, the first is the strong presence of China made goods available in this country.
I'm not used to looking at the label before making a purchase - like people here usually look at the ingredients, expiration date, place of production, etc. - I was mostly satisfied only knowing the price. Since I came here, I gradually started noticing how everything (food, clothes, appliances, and everything else) is MADE IN CHINA!

I was shocked (that America doesn't fulfill its own needs), appalled (at how China is so powerful in America), enthused (about taking a pledge against buying Chinese products), and then just sad (at how impossible it is to live in this country without buying Chinese stuff, and no one except me seems to mind it)! It is crazy how Walmart is full of Chinese products. I shudder to think what is in store for our world if China continues to run American households. What will happen the day China refuses to share its produce? The most powerful nation will crack down? China will become the new superpower?

One day a few months ago I thought I would get rid of everything Chinese I have, and document the process with my handycam, and share my experience with others. I soon realized this wasn't going to be so simple. I had an apartment full of Chinese products and unwilling to spend money to replace all of these things, I gave up momentarily. Then on I decided to avoid buying any new things MADE IN CHINA. I have been staying clear of Walmart, which only means that I have to spend more money for the same things and buy American made goods!

It's not just the Chinese state that is evil - US is no better in its behavior and treatment of the rest of the world. I think, why should I just boycott China, and not the US, or even the Indian state for that matter? All states are evil. But China is especially inhumane in the treatment of its workers. What about all the sweatshop workers, you may ask. Maybe I'm ill-equipped to analyse the real situation holistically - but for now it is the omnipotent and omnipresent China that makes me highly uncomfortable.

The second troublesome area is a constant and seems like it will remain so. I found a blogger that addresses the same dilemma... http://gpwebdiary.blogspot.com/2005/11/foreign-returned.html
This post is a list of things that NRIs are expected to say/do when they go back to India from US. I checked the list and it turns out that twelve out of the twenty one are false for me; three seem to be true; I'm not sure about four; and two are things that I used to do before I came here (the sneeze and deo!).

Though the list may not be entirely true for me, it does seem very accurate for people who stay here for long stretches of time. What the list does for me is remind me of how I used to think of all NRIs as snotty and arrogant. They may still be that, but now I see the reason for it.

I spend my days here with my American friends constantly trying to figure out ways of being better understood by them. They don't understand me when I say "she is a spinster", "I bunked my class", "She is so bugging", "it is gross jingoism", "will you have a biscuit", "schedule with a 'd' and not 'j'", and so many other words that I can't recall. It took me many many weeks to get accustomed to writing the month first and then the date. And everyday I wonder how concsious I will have to be while doing this same simple task back in India in the fear of being called "americanized".

I like the way this blogger so simply and aptly describes himself and numerous others like him - "Just another human in New York. NRI for Indians and an 'Alien' for Americans."

The third problem is that of my addiction to pepsi! I know it seems like a silly thing, but I am totally hooked, and not happy about it! Does the pepsi here have a greater caffine content? I don't know. But it does do something for me. What I'm going to say now is going to sound horrible, and it really is - I don't drink water for days together! I need to do something about it but just can't get myself to stop or even reduce the pepsi intake.

Talk about NRI's health conscious crap! I see American kids my age being very health conscious - and I remain the same old me living on my junk! Maybe they will influence me over time, but until then I need to figure out a balance between caffinated/pesticident drinks and water! Seems like an easy choice - but tough to follow through..


# Sunshine returned, but colourless and without warmth #