Day 3: Learning about our driverI am experiencing a different type of jet lag or perhaps I am just getting more sleep than usual. I am asleep by 9:00PM but then I wake up at the crack of dawn. Today we were leaving Munnar to head to Thekkady. Therefore, I took advantage of the extra time in the morning to write and pack. I headed to breakfast at 7:30AM with the hopes of it being ready. Without fail, breakfast was not ready until 8:10AM. Abe had asked us to be ready by 8:30AM to start our 3.5 hour journey to Thekkeday. Unfortunately, we were a little late.
All of the roads in Kerala are windy, which makes sitting in the backseat of a car for four hours quiet difficult. Abe was a great driver and took a lot of care when making turns, However, the roads were terrible and barely drivable. There were several times that Abe had to stop the car and either assess which way was best or move some of the stones. He said that the massive floods that occurred during monsoon season made the roads like this, Abe said they were the worst floods the area has seen in 100 years. Unfortunately, the Indian government has elected a not so great prime minister (Abe compared him to Trump but said he was not so bad). The Prime Minister has refused to help repair the roads in Kerala. He also refused to allow foreign aid to help the people. Abe said part of the reason is that the people in Kerala do not obey Hindu law - they eat meat amongst other things. The ruling party is Hindu and thus, this creates conflict for the people in Kerala. So, fixing the roads, houses and other damages has been left up to the people. There was a point in which the car started leaking oil. Abe thought it was because the car scrapped the bottom on one of the rocks. We quickly had to find a place to bring the car. He was upset that he was cutting into our time but we assured him it was okay. Luckily, it was just the cap to the oil. It was fixed in less than 10 minutes and our journey continued. Can you imagine driving into a Firestone or something similar without an appointment and be finished in 10 minutes? I cannot - Welcome to India. During our ride, I got to learn more about Abe, India culture and life. He had been working for the tour company, Iris Holidays for approximately five years. He went to school (and he is indeed very knowledgeable) but a good job is hard to come by. Abe said the floods have drastically affected the business in the area. He has only had four trips since August and has nothing lined up for the future. Being a driver, you do not make much. He said he and his family have experienced very tough and crucial times. As you can imagine, if you are out of work periodically, this can have an affect on your income. For our four night/ five day tour, it cost us Rs. 40,000 (about $550). This included our hotels, breakfast, Abe, gas, and our luxury house boat for one night with all meals included. Diesel is about $3.78 a gallon. Doing the math, a driver makes very little since our hotels cost about $50/night, There is also a fee paid to the tour company itself. I estimated that Abe probably makes Rs. 400/day at the low end and maybe Rs. 1,000 at the high end. That is not much at all. The poverty line is about $1.25/day, which equals Rs. 90. You might think that Rs. 1,000 is a lot but he has only received one trip this month. Therefore, he is making just above poverty for the whole month. As someone who has had a relatively comfortable life, I cannot even think about not having enough food on the table. Thinking about the poverty that Abe faces, I couldn’t help but think back to when we left our wallets with him. We left him with more cash than he makes in months. Our passports, driver’s licenses, credit and debit cards and thousands of dollars in camera equipment. He could have taken everything and left us stranded. Selling our cameras would have eased his financial troubles for years. Just the cameras alone would have provided him with a comfortable income enough for four people for 2.5 years. He didn’t even touch our bags. They were in the exact same place that we left them and everything intact. I felt awful that I even questioned him - you can’t really blame me as it was nerve wrecking. However, looking back at how I felt in the moment made me feel like an awful person. My hobby expenses were more money than he would see in a long time. Abe’s financial problems are even worse at the moment. His family is trying to find a husband for his 23-year-old sister. He explained that once the girl becomes 21, her dowry becomes the older brother’s problem. He said with all of his responsibilities, or obligations as he calls them, he cannot afford to marry himself. Right now, he is 26 so maybe his time will come later. Another problem for Abe is that his parents’ home was devastated in the floods. He has applied to the government for some aid to help build a wall to prevent mudslides but they have not answered his request. It has been a few months since he has applied and still, no word. For now, his family has covered the devastated section of their home with a tarp and other plastics. His backup plan is to take mud and fill bags (his way of creating sand bags since they do not have access to sand). This will at least prevent more devastation when monsoon season hits again. When we first met Abe, my ignorant self wanted to ask him if he had been to America. However, I did not and there was no need. During our car drive, he told us that it was impossible for most Indians to travel - and now I understand why. He said, his only chance of going to America or anywhere else was only a dream. It would never come true. And here I am, sitting in his car where I have traveled across the world to have a vacation. Hearing him tell me this made me want to sink into my seat and blend in with the fabric. I know that Abe would not treat me differently because I can travel but it really makes you appreciate what you have. As Americans, we are always complaining that what we have is not enough. We want the newest cell phone, the newest car model or the biggest house. But no matter what, we all have more than what we think. I am fortunate to have the ability to travel but it is important to be modest and remember that others do not. If I’ve learned anything so far, it is that I must remember to be grateful for all that I have. I have both White and American privilege. This is a privilege that I must remember to be thankful and ashamed. This is not something many others can say they have - even in America. The take home message should be to be modest and help others achieve the same standard of living that you have to the best of your ability. It is important to note that Abe did not tell us a sob story about how poor his family was. He spoke freely and as a matter of fact. He only told us these things because we were asking and kept prying. We wanted to know how much one needed to survive comfortably. It was our own doing and he responded candidly. He did not tell us stories to make us feel bad as others might have done. Abe had shown me repeatedly that he is trustworthy and strays away from greed. The first night that we stayed in Munnar, Abe went back to his parents’ house. He had to take a bus as he could not afford the gas to get there. However, our adventures ended so late the previous night, he told us he stayed at the hotel. What this means is that he slept in his car. We had skipped lunch the day before and I do not think Abe ate dinner. When I had offered to get him a snack his answer was, “It’s okay, I am working”. Can you imagine that? His job is solely to drive me around and wait for me. It is a lot to take in sometimes.
2 Comments
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8/15/2023 08:43:23 am
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