One of the first things I saw when I go to my husband’s families house for the first time were the stairs. All the neighbors and family decorated them so beautifully. I was beyond nervous. Each time I passed another level I was greeted with more decorations on the ground and it really eased my mind. 

Cue the Landscape Architect in me…In the USA, there is legal code that dictates the parameters in which you can design the rise (how high) and run (how deep) of stair design. The ratio of these two makes a difference in your walking experience. Stairs in the US are consistent and uniform. You walk up stairs without thinking twice.

In India, including these first steps I walked up when I arrived, there is no consistency or uniformity from different sets of stairs. The rise and run are usually all different from each other within the set of stairs and when comparing different buildings. Throughout my time there and every time I go back I always trip several times. Compared to the United States where you don’t think twice when you walk up a set up steps, here it was and still is always a moment to pause and readjust your steps to the moment you are in.