Journazza

Hardly a day passes without me thinking how I can utilise my India-trip to help make the world a better place. I mean, having grown up in a country without class distinctions and poverty, the trip changed my perception of life in many ways. Studying abroad, in both England and Australia, made me realize that Norwegians have too much materialistic items in their homes. Don’t get me wrong, who am I to judge what people chooses to surround themselves with, but it amazes me that no one seems to think about what happens to the old TV e.g. when you chuck it out, and ultimately what happens to the environment. This lack of thinking I find astonishing. Though if you were one of the capitalists who just kept on buying without thinking of the consequences, it seems, you weren’t alone. Just take a look at the recent financial crisis.

Part of me wonders whether it is a major disadvantage having grown up in the West, feeling safe and without worries (well, the truth is we waste energy worrying about issues which are out of our control).

I thought living in the dodgier parts of London had toughened me up. Then I got to Qatar and travelled around Doha on my own, poorly prepared (I blame that on the recovery from a concussion), on my own, and just didn’t feel safe nor comfortable, so I decided to spend ten hours at Doha Aiport instead of exploring Doha.
Then, I got annoyed with myself. I see myself as tolerant and openminded, so why did I cope so badly with being in a muslim country where women were hardly visible whatsoever?
More so, when I was left alone at the end of my India-trip, in Mumbai, I craved going home. That was a first for me, I have never been the one to be dying to go home, quite the contrary. Lets say when your friend keeps asking whether your driver is ok, when a shop assistant tells you about rapes on Western women (why did he raise the topic I wonder?) and when you discover someone has tried to break into your room, then, you regret being on your own in a country which is so different from your own, and you just want to go back to feeling safe in the Western world which you are accustomed to.

Now, part of me is dying to return to India, but there is a part of me who doesn’t want to go on my own. She doesn’t think it is wise even, and knows she is right. Then there is the other part, who look at the Western women who travel independently outside the Western world, and she doesn’t know whether these women are strong or stupid. Though she remains impressed as she know she is not one of them, not now, anyhow. Who knows what the future brings? This part also wants to challenge Journazza to go on her own, but in the end some parts of a human being should perhaps never be challenged. But, it doesn’t leave her pondering whether having been brought up in such a safe environment has made her a coward, who is afraid of taking risks, and she also thinks this is transferable to other parts of the society.