Break Your Stereotypes

I went to Europe with the following stereotypes:

1. Europeans are racist
2. English is hardly used in France and Switzerland.
3. There are hardly any Indian Restaurant
4. Very few Indians travel to Europe
5. Petty crimes are widely prevalent in Paris
6. The Sun sets at 6-7 pm

Trust me, most of these were ruthlessly bombed. After the visit this is what I have to say:

1. Hardly anyone is racist. People are generally very helpful, far better than how we treat them on visit to the Taj Mahal.
2. No need to master French. You can comfortably manage with English at most places.
3. We found plenty of Indian Restaurant and Vegetarian Food at all places except Murren.
4. We saw buses after buses full of Indians, particularly in Switzerland. Yashraj magic.
5. Did not encounter and saw chain-snatching, pick pocketing, roadside scams (it doesn’t mean they don’t exist)
6. It’s visible till 10 pm.

Similarly, before I came to Kuwait I used to think:

1. Every local is a Sheikh
2. Arabs are brutal and unfriendly
3. Things are expensive
4. Living in Saudi and Kuwait are same
5. Buildings have Islamic appearance
6. I can’t stay there for more than two years (just because I want to make some money)
7. You will see only sand everywhere
8. The citizens own oil wells and everyone is ultra-rich

Now, after spending over two and half years this is what I feel:
1. Only the king and his family are Sheikh, others are just citizens
2. Not all of them. Many are western educated and more cosmopolitan than an average Indian.
3. Very few things are more expensive than India. Except housing and food materials, other stuff are nearly at par. Cars are nearly 30 percent cheaper.
4. There is sea difference in Saudi and Kuwait. It’s more tolerant. People wear modern outfits. Most women work and are overly made up. Business attire is Western suit. And English is widely spoken and understood.
5. Most new constructions are highly modern. Tall glass rectangular towers.
6. I’m about to complete three years. Probably as comfortable, if not, more than India. You get Jalebi, Samosa, Pani Poori and everything else you can imagine in Delhi, better than what’s offered in many parts of India and you can use Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati and Malayalam at most of the places you visit.
7. Most streets are landscaped and kept as clean as Parliament Street. Beaches are very well maintained and offer quite a few things to do.
8. The government own oil and most of the citizen have office job and not everyone is ultra rich.

Most of us live through stereotypes, which we consider truth. The world is far different. Open your mind and see the world from a new angle.