All I Really Need to Know I Learned in India

Namaste, Sparklers! Your faithful SparkLife scribe has just returned from a whirlwind two-week trip to India where she ate lime pickles, found herself (apparently she had been lost for some time), and talked to monkeys. While she is happy to return to the land of hamburgers and escalators, she has also been reminded why she loves international travel and why she highly recommends doing an exchange program or semester abroad if you can swing it. (Je parle francais, y'all.)

Seeing the world broadens our horizons. More than just an opportunity to stock up on duty-free perfume, it gives us a chance to learn about ourselves and about other cultures. For instance, on her most recent travels, your SparkLife scribe discovered this:

* I feel flattered when flight attendants speak to me in another language. I'm not sure why. I flew Lufthansa this time, and I guess I do kind of look like Heidi. (This one, not this one—yikes stripes.)
* People ride bicycles in the Frankfurt airport.
* Geckos are really cool—and, incidentally, poisonous to humans if eaten. So DON'T EAT THAT GECKO SANDWICH!
* You are never too old or round to show your midriff in India. Shoulders, however, are a bit risqué.
Real men wear skirts.
* No one finds it funny when you say "Who wants to be a millinaire! [sic]"
* Peacocks make the saddest sound ever, something like a baby panda being squashed to death by an angry walrus.
* Indian grey jumping spiders (not their scientific name) are like the ninjas of the arachnid world.
* Don't eat with your left hand!
* All's well that ends well in Indian traffic.
* Jet lag makes you understand why sleep deprivation is outlawed under the Geneva Convention.

Have you traveled anywhere interesting? What did you learn?

Related post: Mental Note: No More Leg-Shaving in Greece

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