Winnie Huie #3

This is the third day we are in India! It feel we have been here for more because of the many activates that have been happening during the trip. Yesterday we have left Mumbai to visit the Karpagamarts Institute. We were surprisingly greeted by a large group of students both boys and girl and were welcomed with a speech from the chairman and thanks from the student. The lighting ceremony was beautiful both visually and meaning. After, we partnered up with women students to discuss their culture and women leadership. Here we all have learned a lot.

I realized this culture was different from Mumbai even though they were from the same country. The girls here experience more conservative ideas like being home before 6pm to take care of the home and how they were not allowed to interact with the boys. Only acknowledge them as a schoolmates, but no more. I personally witness this when I asked if we can go outside to talk, but the girl felt very uncomfortable and strongly disagreed with this idea. She said there were boys out there and did not want to interact with them. Also, I realized each girl came from different backgrounds because when this event happed some girls wanted to leave telling her it was no problem.

Culture in marriage is also very different because the girls said if they were not married by the age of 24, they were asked by their family to marry. I thought this was odd, but it was more of a shock for them that women in the states were able to choose not to marry or to marry much older.

For me, I felt their life was very repressed, but when they were talking about their culture then sound proud. I feel for them this practice works for their structured culture, but would not work for me. This was an eye opener and I am excited to see what other different culture existed in India.