I've gotten mixed reactions when I tell people that I am going to India for vacation. Half of them are along the lines of, "Wow! Oh my God, how exciting!" while others are a simple, confused, blunt, "Why?"
To put it all in context, I am not Indian; I do not have family or friends currently in India; and this is the first international trip I am taking (again, not counting Canada). However, I am Muslim, Afghan-American, and I pretty much grew up on Bollywood movies. India has always been a dream destination and I have a variety of reasons for wanting to go. To start with, the history and culture are just mind-boggling. I want to visit a place where I can admire sights and structures that have been around for hundreds, if not a thousand, years; where civilizations have rose and fell; where beauty and grandeur abound among ruins. I want to be in a place with fellow Muslims and where I can get a sense of what a real Muslim community, with multiple mosques and public calls to prayer, feels like. I want to be in a place where I develop a better understanding of what people go through in a developing country. I'm going in with an open mind, an open heart, a sense of adventure and I am willing to have my world turn upside down for a few weeks but to personally grow from what will hopefully be an amazing experience.
Oh, and shopping. I just adore Indian textiles and crafts.
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