Self absorption

Our last but one evening in Florence and we decide to walk around the city seeing its sights and watching the sights and sounds. After an afternoon spent resting we walk down the narrow streets to the duomo cathedral. Here we decide to take a break,sit on its marble steps and watch the world go by. After all the piazza is the place to do just that. The Bangladesh vendors are all out selling selfie sticks and paintings or even roses for the romantically inclined. We then spot two Indian groups and we sit up and take notice of our country men and women. This is a mixed bunch. One young man got down on his knees,kissed the ground and crossed himself.....Goan catholic we decide. His wife is I address so suspicion confirmed. The others are probably from Bombay. The young women are fashionably dressed by indian standards but the men are all talking Hindi and without exception,have pot bellies. This is the one distinguishing feature of most Indian men. Shirts tucked into jeans,they pose with arms around their significant other,the photos ,proof of having visited a foreign country. One young woman with a child in a stroller is determined to take selfies. I watch fascinated as she spends time tossing her hair this way and that,posing to the right angle,her selfie stick is working overtime and in a space of a few seconds she has taken atleast ten selfies. Never mind that not a single one of her photos are of the duomo cathedral. I am enthralled by such self absorption,not having seen it thus far though a few Japanese woman can put the Indian ones to shame on the selfie scale. Finished with her selfies she starts to work on her young daughter who must be a little over two perhaps three or even less. She is obviously well trained and poses dutifully to all instructions from the mother. The group in the meanwhile has moved on but nothing can come in the way of a selfie and time and tide can wait for all she cares. We marvel at the fact that we care so little for time and discipline. The tours we go on are all about being on time ,staying with the group etc and when will we indians ever learn such simp,e etiquette?. The tour guide looks at the end of her patience but a job has to be done. Now our attention moves to the other Indian group. This time a group of young men mainly from the north with a few women thrown in. The husband eavesdrop s on their conversation which is all in Hindi. Again the self absorption is evident. It's alla out the photos. There are two guides,one Indian and one Italian. The young men pay no attention to either and carry on with their own agenda. Soon the group is fragmented but we are indian and chaos is all part of our DNA .the husband and I have spent a delightful evening watching the people and understanding differences between cultures . A lesson learnt in a very interesting manner.