Post from Shantaram

I am on page 388 of my book and I am not even half way through. It is amazing so far and I recommend it to everyone. Currently my Mom and Dad, Jeff, Jeff's Dad, and I are all reading it. I hope that they are enjoying it as much as I am! I also hope that the rumors are true and that Johnny Depp is going to play Lin in the Movie. We will have to wait and see!

I couldn't have found p275 more true:

"A German cab driver might be pleased that a foreigner had learned to speak German. He might even say that he was pleased. Or say nothing at all. The same might be true of a French cab driver, or an American, or an Australian. But and Indian will be so pleased that if he likes something else about you -- your eyes, or your smile, or the way you react to a beggar at the window of his cab --he'll feel bonded to you instantly. He'll be prepared to do things for you, go out of his way, put himself at risk, and even do dangerous or illegal things. If you've given him an address he doesn't like, such as the Palace, he'll be prepared to wait for you, just to be sure that your safe. You could come out an hour later, and ignore him completely, and he would smile and drive away, happy to know that no harm has come to you."

This is something that is special about India. If you make someone happy and show them that you are trying to learn and understand their culture it will take you a long way. Because I asked the price of the ride in Hindi, the price was lower and he smiled the whole way home. I asked him to stop at the subzi wala so I could get some veggies on the way home, and he waited until I was finished, pulled a U turn so I didn't have to walk more than 2 feet with my bags, U turned again and took me home. I have had many people stop and wait, or ensure that I get to the place that I need to go by asking for directions 30 times on the way. The service in India is incomparable to anything else I have ever experienced.