India and Georgia - Secret Sisters??

One of the biggest perceptions northerners have about the south is that the south is bigoted and racist. From a quantitative perspective, I can’t comment on this either way, but I won’t deny that in many Northerners’ point of view, “The South” and “Racist” or “Bigots” are nearly synonymous terms.

I bring this up because during my visit to Georgia there was more than one occasion when, but for the color of people’s skin, I could have been visiting with my Indian family. The incongruity of it all was startling, but the fact remains, India and Georgia seem to have a lot in common. (And when I say “Indian” I mean Indian from India, not Native American.)

I fell in love with Savannah during my few days there and in an effort to convince my husband that the South really isn’t that bad, I even made a list noting the similarities between his native culture and the state through which I was traveling.

1) When leaving a social engagement or saying goodbye after a meal, it takes at least twenty minutes – usually more to actually make it out the door
2) Social gatherings are marked by a general sense of complete and utter chaos
3) Being thirty minutes late isn’t late, it’s on time. Showing up at the appointed time is rude
4) The weather is hot and muggy
5) Everything revolves around food and meals
6) The meals themselves are shockingly similar in style in that there are at least 200 different dishes served at each meal – probably more at formal events
7) Indians and Georgians have an uncanny ability to make okra actually taste good
8) Religion is not just a religion, it’s a social thing, too
9) It’s hot and muggy
10) Everything moves a lot slower than it does in other places in the world. For example, getting your car fixed in Seattle will take approximately four hours. In Georgia and India, it will be more like four days. But the delay isn’t a big a deal since family and friends are always there to help out and drive you anyplace you need to go while your car is in the shop
11) The concept of community and family is central to the society
12) Appearances count for a lot
13) You will be judged in the afterlife on the extent of your hospitality
14) It’s hot and muggy

Needless to say, despite the similarities, I couldn’t convince him and we’re still living in rainy, gray Seattle and not warm, beautiful Savannah. Of course, our kids are getting a top notch public school education, the technology industry is still pretty strong here and violent crime is nearly unheard of in our area. But even so, I think people might be surprised at just how easy it could be for an Indian to slip right into the Southern culture.