Travel Book Review: Holy Cow

The first time I started reading Holy Cow by Sarah MacDonald was in 2006, in the summer before I left for India. I never finished it though. When I read it I was disturbed by her initial hatred of India. She talked of the smog and rickshaw drivers and dirt and begging and bargaining and hassle of every day life there. I didn't believe her.

When I was in Costa Rica the year before I had met a lot of people who hated it, who had awful experiences there, who were in constant battle with the country/ culture. On the other hand, I had a great experience, I loved it, and to this day it is still one of my favorite places in the world. Because of this, I thought I could conquer India, that I could overcome the horribleness that many Western travelers experience. I had always wanted to go to India while growing up and I was determined to love it.

However, when I got there, I realized it was just too much. I couldn't handle it, and like MacDonald, I also became physically ill and depressed and hassled by the culture. I was so eager to run away, that I left on the last day of classes. I handed in my final revisions of my school work and caught a rickshaw to the airport. Despite my commitment to stay for a year, and my scholarship I had received to study there, I just couldn't handle it.
Since then I have always regretted not pushing through. I have always regretted not overcoming that challenge.

Now I am reading Holy Cow again, and loving it. I feel like I need to push through the reading, like somehow if I do that, then eventually I will be able to push through another round of India. I am more equipped (mentally and emotionally) to deal with that country now, and as I read her story, my yearning to go back is only growing. By the end of the book MacDonald has acquired a deep love for India, and a rewarding comfort living within the culture.

My boyfriend is going to India for a few weeks this winter. I have to stay in the USA and work for a couple months, but hopefully by December I will have enough money saved to embark on another journey through India. Out of all of the countries I have traveled to, I think my desire to return to India is the greatest, because I know it is the most challenging country I have been to....a challenge I want to overcome.