  After hearing people like Carlos Fuentes speak at Yale on globalization, it has been very interesting to witness the development and globalization of India. English is ubiquitous, and Bombay is far more industrialized than I expected; however, Indian women maintain their traditional clothing and seldom are seen wearing western-style pants and shirts.
Unlike European cities that have developed a tourist economy in which there are stands everywhere selling snow globes and mass-produced trinkets, in Bombay I have yet to see a postcard stand. I have also become more aware of the implications of the term "melting pot"; walking on the streets of Manhattan it can be impossible to differentiate between international tourists and New York residents; walking on the streets of Bombay, as a westernized Caucasian, I stick out like a sore thumb, thereby gaining the unwanted stares of Indian men and an incessant shadow from relentless Indian children begging alms. Our hotel is very spacious and has western toilets, air conditioning, and a television with an impressive list of channels, including HBO, CNN, Nickelodeon, Hallmark, and Cartoon Network, in addition to all the Indian channels (they even have Indian forms of MTV).
Bollywood is ever present: the films were on our Air India flight, our hotel is next to a nice cinema, and Indian movie stars are on posters throughout Bombay. One aspect of India that I was very curious about before arrival was the smell. I expected a strong odor that lingered in the air; in contrast, India has several smells: jasmine, Indian spices, and human waste are the three most noticeable to me.
While walking, my nostrils will get a powerful whiff of one, and then 10 seconds later, a different odor will flood my senses. When I compare the squalor and filth of India to the residential neighborhoods of Dallas, my hometown, I'm reminded of the words of the great Colby Donaldson. In the Outback during Survivor 2: Australia, he said: "When I wake up in the morning, I'm grateful for 2 things: I'm grateful I'm alive, and I'm grateful I'm a Texan. " I'm very excited about this trip, which still seems a bit surreal. I become distanced from the country while in the hotel, but as soon as I step outside, the culture surrounds me. Occasionally it just hits me: "Wow. I'm in India. " 
