M
y second international trip ever was to India. Visiting India was a wonderful experience for me but it was a bit of a culture shock. It was my first time being in a place where it was obvious that I was a foreigner. Being from America, which is a huge melting pot of people from different places and different cultures, it was a bit jarring to go somewhere for the first time and stick out like a sore thumb. Not to mention the fact that I couldn’t speak Hindi very well (I was learning at the time though!).The other thing that took me some getting used to was just how much people stared at me. I wasn’t accustomed to it at all. I am someone that typically likes to do anything I can to blend in and not be noticed so it was a lot to take in at first. By the end of my trip, it didn’t phase me any. But at first, yeah, it was a lot for me lol.
This photo below sums up my experience being stared at in India and just so happens to be one of my favorite photos of all time.
I was standing on the sidewalk, chatting with my group, when I looked up and saw everyone on the street staring at me. I kept turning away and looking back, only to find that they hadn’t moved or averted their gazes. Some of the people just started walking up and photographing me with their cell phones. When they did that I, in turn, raised my camera and after making a gesture requesting permission to photograph them, captured this photo.
I loved how everyone had just naturally posed themselves, without any interference from me.