Am getting really, really scared about going to India :(

There's very little middle ground with India. You either love it or hate it.
It's so completely different than what you're used to that there are really only two ways to react to it:
Run screaming to the airport for the next flight back - or let it carry you along.
For the first few days you might be inclined to the former, but if you stick with it you'll probably find that you can't get enough of it.
It's hard work, but it's worth it.
You'll return home and wonder if someone set off a neutron bomb. "Where is everyone? Why is it so quiet?"
And within a few weeks you'll be back to your old life.
But you'll never forget it and soon you'll be thinking about your next trip.

I thought the link was quite offensive. I would not like to meet the person who wrote the article.

OK, well India is dirty, it stinks, there are scam artists all over the place, you suffer from power cuts, bucket showers, cold showers, trains not running on time, cowshit, trash everywhere, and abject poverty.

But, if this was what India was about, there wouldnt be an Indiamike. I wouldnt have gone back to India. There is something special about the country. I can't describe it. I recently went to China, and that special magic isnt there. There is something special about getting totally disoriented in Old Delhi, having total sensory overload and not being able to comprehend the millions of things going on at once, and actually ENJOYING it.

During trip #1, an Indian told me I should spend three months, not three weeks (as my trip was 3 wks) since he said I wont understand India and therefore wouldnt like it, and I need to give it more time. He was right that I still dont understand the country very well, but I like what I saw after the trip.

And, the best part of the trip I think is going back to my small town USA lifestyle and the pure shock, which takes 2-3 days to get over, of the order in the USA. You are just as disoriented going back as you are there.

And, think of it this way: what country on earth has HORN OK PLEASE at the backs of the trucks? It is so insane, it is intoxicating.

The bits of the article I did read are terribly offensive. But to each his own, I guess. If you're going into India based on this guys perspective, you may well see things like he did, which would be terribly unfair to India and to you as well. Give yourself (and India) a chance, once you've given everything you've got, you may then make your own conclusions.

In my opinion, I think your dad is just being a dad. Every time I go on a trip, my mom sends me links (how she finds these links are beyond me, as she finds it difficult to access her email) warning me against everything I may ever do. I've received emails warning against going on cruise ships, for fear of me falling over the edge into the sea. Emails about terrorists etc. etc. He's your dad and you're his daughter and parents will always try and protect you whether warranted or not.

My first solo trip was to India for a month. I stepped off the plane with no accommodations booked and thought, I could either I could try and catch that same plane and go back home or give it shot. I couldn't have made a better decision. That was 3 trips ago. I've survived so far and haven't found another country that intrigues me more.

2-3 days? after my first trip it took me 6 months to get over my reverse culture shock!

but by that time I was back in India.

I do not feel that India is a country about which you have to be scared - careful; I agree. Keep your eyes open and be confident.Do not try to look at India thr' the eyes of other people. See for yourself and assess. Cheating is not a general rule but there are people who cheat- are there not in other places? The variety may be astounding- that of cultures,languages and the attitudes - from sublime to absurd, from holy to profane.Dirt and dust is a part of Indian Streets as proper drainage system and waste management is nonexistent in most of the cities.So be careful, but not scared. When you go back home I am sure that you may miss India very much - the crowded Indian streets and the people who go out of their way to help you etc.etc....

Wow, I go away for a day and come back to 35 responses! Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to read my post and respond. You have all helped to put my mind at rest enormously!

I think that if India were really that relentlessly unpleasant, there wouldn't be a forum filled with thousands of people who love it there so much! I too thought the article sounded quite offensive and sensationalised but it did scare me a little.

You have all given me the reassurance that I needed and I am now more excited than terrified! Still nervous but good nervous. If people fall in to two categories of either loving or hating India, I hope I fall into the first one!

With regards to easing myself in gently - I am spending my first month in Mcloed Ganj, I have heard that this is quite a good place for solo travellers, what do you think? I'm also going in the Autumn so will avoid the oppressive heat of summer!

I am not looking for a spiritual awakening or anything like that, I just want to make some good friends, experience something completely different and be forced to leave my comfort zone - I guess India is the perfect choice then?

Thanks again everyone for your advise and suggestions, I really appreciate it! xx

Very good and hearty welcome to india, our country of Unity in Diversity

Offensive? One or two hard realities are pointed out, and people are offended?

I wonder how many people got offended by this and then dropped some litter on the street? ok, ok, probably none of the people who posted here actually did that, and I don't intend this to be personal at all --- but one of India's problems is that people get offended instead of doing something.

lo-lee-ta, I was nervous about my first trip to India, and now look: I live here! Since those days I have been saying to people, similar to narayanvee's message: don't be scared, be prepared. Look after the practical things, on which you can find much advice on this site. You may meet some bad people, but you can be sure of one thing: you will meet many more good people!

If you're going to McLeod then I assume you're flying in to Delhi?

If so, I'd advise booking a hotel in advance and with an organised pick up. Landing in Delhi can be an all out assault on the senses and to ensure your trip get's of to the best possible start, that would be my advice.

NB

Definitely agree on that one. First time in India staggering off a late flight at the New Delhi airport makes you a prime target for some taxi driver to rip you off. Get a decent mid range hotel to arrange the pick up.

When are you traveling? I'll likely be there in October for Dussehra.

And stay in a decent mid-range hotel ...in a decent mid-range area. Or better. There is no obligation to jump in the deep end: you can check that out once you've got used to the water.

That guy describes India in ways my brother and mother might discuss the place. I had a good chuckle at his comment:

"Two westerners I spoke to in Bodhgaya, where I considered sitting in on a retreat for a couple days, told me that they had never meditated before and were excited to learn it in India. When I mentioned that one could learn to meditate in 10 minutes at home to see if they actually liked it, they replied, “Yeah, but it’s so much cooler to do it in India.”"

Sounds like a passage lifted from the book "Are You Experienced?"

Or as my brother once said, "India is a place that boggles the western mind". I no longer invite my brother on trips to India. We have had great times in Burma and Thailand. My mother nearly had a nervous breakdown while traveling with my family but that was largely due to the difficult illness of my first born child.

What I've read so far from that long winded article on India is largely true, but it really doesn't express the multi-headed nature of India. Ten people can travel there and have ten vastly different experiences, no place on earth is so polarizing to the traveler.

India can be maddening at times, but always fascinating.

Nick...I meant that the GUY WHO WROTE THE ARTICLE was offensive!

off topic, but...

wow, Shaktipalooza, haven't seen you around IM in a long time! or maybe I am not here as much as I used to be (formerly YogaGal! )