How do you imagine India?  Before I arrived, I had the stereotype that India was desert like; sand and dirt only, hardly any greenery and extremely hot.  My perception was quickly broken when I had time away from the city to sit and look out of my hotel room window to see a lush landscape.  I was able to experience other activities such as life on a house boat and shopping in the hectic city, but what stuck with me the most was the immense greenery as far as the eye can see.  It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to just pause and look out the window, that I was able to grasp that India is not at all what I expected.  I quickly realized that there are many people that don’t know all that India has to offer.

Traveling is most often fast paced.  Most people don’t think to appreciate their surroundings while traveling.  They are focused on what the sights of their end destination will be.  While exploring in India, I never thought to just look around at the landscape.  With this mindset, there are so many opportunities that are missed.  I stuck with what I thought India looked like and that was that.  When one of my many long days of running around came to an end, I looked out my hotel window for the first time and saw a sea of green.   There were many different shades of color and varying heights.  The sun was reflecting onto the trees making some of the leaves resemble glass.  Everywhere you looked, you could see the tops of roofs peaking out of the branches below.  The blanket of green disappeared into the tan colored mountains that sat simply below the bright blue sky.  There were towering palm trees dotting the dark green scenery, adding yellow spots to the mix of colors.  From way up above in the hotel, you couldn’t see any of the streets or bustling cars.  It was so peaceful compared to the city floor.

From my experiences, I was able to have my stereotype of India broken.  My hope is that other people can one day experience India for themselves and have their stereotypes broken as well.  Although I was able to spend time on a houseboat and go shopping, nothing beats the simplicity of staring out the window of my hotel room.  If you pictured a large dry desert when someone mentioned India, now you have a different perspective on what the country has to offer.  Stereotypes are easily made up but are just as easy to break.