Environment

When I didn't get enough sleep, when my days are too long, and balancing everything becomes stressful, the general environment of the city makes everything SO MUCH WORSE. On just okay or good days, it is a bit easier to manage, especially because I have lived in a developing country before. But there are sometimes, some days, where these things really get to me.

Garbage

Despite the city's aim to be clean...

...it doesn't always quite work out that way. Our Contemporary India professor explained to us that while Indians have an almost obsession with keeping their personal spaces clean, public space is viewed as something to be taken care of by someone else. Though I occasionally sees signs saying not to, littering is very common and I see people do it all the time. It doesn't help that there aren't any public garbage cans. While there isn't garbage all over, per say, there is definitely much more than I care to be around. On a rough day, having to see, smell, and walk among the garbage is hard. 

Traffic

Anyone that lives in a city anywhere will have to constantly deal with traffic--the crowdedness, the noise, the lack of peace and quiet at any given hour of the day. Indian traffic is much more intense than anything I have experienced, like I posted about earlier. I took a video to share with you so you would get a better sense of what I mean, but it won't upload. But just imagine what it would be like with not a lot of sidewalks, hardly any traffic lights, not a single stop sign, and tons of cars, motorbikes, and rickshaws that weave in and out of traffic however they want. 

Pollution

Because of all that traffic, there is so much pollution. Breathing it and walking among the air pollution is something I really hate. It makes my boogers black, my eyes burn, and my face and feet feel so dirty that I always have to wash them whenever I come home. Indians hate it too, and they have devised a method of tying scarves around their faces to block the pollution. I haven't done that yet, but I might have to start soon.

Coping Method: Not all parts of the city are this intense. To deal with this new environment, I just have to seek out the places that aren't. Also, listening to my ipod while I walk really helps!