Expectations and Perceptions

It is always interesting to travel to a place that you have preconceptions about and figure out what you truly think about it after you experience it. I often thought of this before coming to India. My initial reactions are that this country is difficult to describe. Perhaps this is also how Indians feel about describing Americans and the United States in general. In our visits to various healthcare and public health facilities, and in our visit to a village outside Delhi, it has been fascinating to hear how different Indian’s perceive Americans.

At several visits, we heard the perception that Americans have mismanaged our healthcare system. Indian doctors and administrators were (rightfully) shocked to hear how much we spend on healthcare in contrast to our health outcomes. At another visit, it was interesting to hear a perception that Indians are good at all things related to math and science but that Americans are talented at management and problem-solving. In contrast, when we visited a rural village and clinics, it was as if we were royalty and some students reflected on the fact that perhaps this was the most anticipated event in this village in a long time. It seemed as though all their facilities had been cleaned for our visit, we were followed throughout the village by children, and we were even interviewed and videotaped to be on the evening news.

I am not sure what to attribute these various attitudes to but I would guess that it is a combination of perception based on history, current events in the media, and popular culture/movies depending on the audience. In talking with Professor Mark Allan who was here during the financial collapse in US markets during the fall of 2008, I learned that Indians used to consider the United States as a country that could do no wrong. Based on our visit thus-far, it seems as though this perception has changed. Maybe this isn’t only due to the financial crisis in the US but also India’s rise as a world player in many different arenas. Perhaps this is a good thing for a country learning to gain confidence as it grows, especially in the fields of healthcare, technology, and business. I will be eager to see where Indian’s perceptions of Americans go in the future.