"Shoes off"

   New York City is a place where everybody seems to like or do the same things. Some attend theaters, others go out to restaurants and some go to sporting events. It doesn't matter where your'e from or how you dress, we all seem to like the same activities. Even language doesn't seem to be a barrier for someone to have a good time, in the city that never sleeps.

   A few years ago, i had the opportunity to work at a residential building. My job was as a handyman, which means i had to go inside every apartment to fix things. One of the reasons why i enjoyed working there, is that i got the opportunity to see how people with different nationalities and different cultures lived. But the one encounter that stuck with me the most, was the one i had with a family from India, who always made me take off my shoes before entering their home.

   I didn't know exactly why they always required this from me, but i always did it without questioning. I have to admit that it was very uncomfortable every time i had to do a job inside their home wearing just socks, specially if i ended up with my feet all wet from unclogging a bathtub. One day i decided to ask them what was the reason behind it, and their answer was that it wasn't anything personal, but that shoes were considered impure in their culture. According to the Hindu way of life, In the Hindu culture you never wear shoes or sandals inside a temple, or inside your home, and even touching another person with your shoe is consider and insult. I was relieve to know that it had nothing to do with me, but only with my shoes in this case, and it also made me more curious about other cultures besides my own.


WORK CITED

"Hindu way of life"
 mailerindia.com
 8/31/2017