By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
Saturday morning… 10 am. I will have to hurry if I don't want to miss my flight. I was told to be there 3 hours before the scheduled flight time to be able to check in my luggage and proceed to boarding. This is the first time in my life that I plan to travel outside of Africa. Guess where I'm going ... I'm going to India !!!! I will discover another continent for the first time in my life, I am so happy and excited. At the airport, everything is going well and I fly to Bangalore, but I stop in Mumbai. Arriving in Mumbai, I have no words, the airport is huge and very beautiful. There are lots of people, everyone is trying to find their way. It's so big that I wonder how to find my own way, I have to take another flight to Bangalore. Suddenly, I see a help desk from afar and run to ask for directions. There is an Indian behind the desk, I show him my boarding pass and I explain that I don't know how to find my way. He smiles at me and explains that this is a domestic flight and that I will have to take the bus to get to another airport. I tick in my mind: is there another airport? Wow, in my country there is only one very small airport for the whole population. It's good to visit other countries and see something else, it opens our minds. Once there, they pick me up and drive me to the hotel. I am amazed by the landscape that I see through the window of the car. It's just beautiful, everything is big and beautiful here, tall buildings, beautiful cars, etc. Suddenly something intrigues me, I don't see any woman wearing dresses. It's weird, in my country, most women wear dresses. Here, they wear pants with long tunics and an additional scarf. I find it beautiful, they must be more comfortable while shopping. I decide to ask the person who came to pick me up. He explains to me that it is cultural. The woman is very respected in India, she should not show certain parts of her body. I immediately start thinking about all the short dresses I put in my suitcase. Well, it doesn’t matter, since I really want to fit in, I’ll go shopping. The next day, I go to shops to buy these famous clothes. When I try them on, I immediately feel comfortable and I start to dress like them, except for the scarf. The scarf falls all the time when I try to keep it on my shoulders. On the eve of my departure, married women with whom I have become friends give me a Saree. It’s a traditional garment. It is made up of three pieces. They take three to dress me because it is an art. I am so moved. I take a lot of photos because I'm not sure I can wear it on my own afterwards. This trip is an experience that taught me a lot, everything was new to me, it was really a leap into the unknown. I have not regretted having known Indian culture, and I think that since that day, a little bit of me, even a little bit, has become Indian. I would like to travel the world to color my heart with all the cultures I will be visiting. And maybe one day I can proudly say that I am a true global citizen.