Reverse Culture Shock

As I prepare to return to the US, I find myself in a mix of emotions.  I feel sad saying goodbye to everyone here and excited to see my family and friends.  These emotions are expected by myself and everyone else, but I have more feelings than just these two.

Several months back, I made a list of things that I missed from America that I could not do or have here (in this part of India, not India as a whole).  I missed cheeses, hamburgers, and sushi.  I missed driving my car.  I missed sitting in coffee shops with friends and going to the movies.  I missed hot showers, AC, and washing machines.  But now I don't really mind not having those things.  (Although I suspect I will enjoy them once I am back).

When I think about having all those things again, it just seems strange.  I've made a lot of changes to adapt to living here; now I must change again.  Culture shock is widely discussed and expected.  Reverse culture shock seems to fly under the radar.  I think the best way I can sum it up is to say that I feel out of place, uneasy, and foreign.  I know this is a phase and I will adapt and change, but this is how I feel for now.

Here are a few of many articles that are helpful:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2012/09/06/home-sweet-home-dealing-with-reverse-culture-shock/
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/08/24/cultural.reentry/index.html

Monsoon Flooding in Uttarakhand

I was in Uttarkashi when the monsoon rains came a few weeks ago.  They came and came and came.  It rained for almost 2 days straight.  Around midnight an emergency vehicle drove by with a loud speaker on making announcements but my Hindi was not good enough to figure out what they said.  (Found out later that they were announcing that a huge landslide cut of access to the hydroelectric plant which supplies the town's electricity and water).  We lost power for 40 hours. We had no internet or phone service so I didn't realize how bad the situation really was.  I went for a walk after the rain and saw that one of the two bridges that span the Ganges River that flows through the middle of town had been swept away. (It may be hard to see in this picture but the bridge one extends half way across the river now).

I looked further down the river and saw that buildings had also been swept away. One example is here.

Tens of thousands of people were stranded because of huge landslides blocking roads(many of them domestic tourist visiting holy sites in the mountains).  Thousands were missing.  Hundreds dead.  Many people needed medical attention and food and water.  The entire village of Kedranath (a holy site) was completely destroyed.  I hear helicopters flying over head from sun up to sun down every day evacuating people higher in the mountains.

Getting accurate information and numbers is difficult, but wikipedia states, "As of 29 June 2013, more than 1,000 people have died with many more missing.^[1]  Damage to bridges and roads left over 70,000 pilgrims and tourists trapped in various places,^[3][4][5] of whom, many were rescued.^[6][7] As of 23 June 2013, about 22,000 people are said to be still stranded.^[8][7] The Indian Air Force, the Army and paramilitary troops have evacuated more than 1,00,000 people from the flood hit area.^[9] Although Utarakhand Assembly Speaker, based on various ground reports said that the death toll could cross 10,000,^[10] the official death toll in Uttarakhand (by 29 June 2013) was 842.^{[11]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_North_India_floods}
 

Vacation in Delhi

My family came to visit.  We stayed mostly in Delhi but also visited Jaipur and Agra.  It was very hot-some days over 100 degrees.  These places are very popular with tourists so we were a bit overwhelmed with people who try to profit from tourists.  They can be very insistent.  My favorite place to visit in Delhi was Lodhi Garden because it was beautiful and peaceful.  Jaipur was a beautiful city and I would definitely recommend spending time there.

Delhi

Jama Masjid Mosque

Red Fort

Lodi Garden

 Humayun's Tomb

 Qutub Minar

Jaipur

City Palace

Agra

Taj Mahal

Tomb of Akbar the Great

Celebrating Holi, The Festival of Colors

Holi is a festival celebrated at the beginning of spring (according to the Hindu lunar calendar).  The festival has roots in Hindu mythology and celebrates the triumph of good over evil.  Holi is a multi-day event including family gatherings, music, humorous poetry, throwing of colored powder and water, bonfires, and eating special foods.

On the main event day of Holi, around 9 or 10am, women and children walk together and gather in fields to put colored powder on each other and dance.  Men gather too to socialize and drink.  This continues until about 2pm when everyone cleans up and eats.

We had a lovely time and people were very friendly.  They were very happy to have us join them in the celebration.

Apartment

 We are slowly working on getting the apartment to an acceptable state.  It is VERY dirty.  It's going to take a few days to get really clean.  There are also some quirky things to work out such as not having any gas for the stove so we bought an electric burner only to find out the one electrical outlet in the kitchen does not work.
Also, we bought a water purifier that connects to the sink but ours isn't quite the right size so we will have to find the right adapter.
There are quite a few lizards in the apartment on the walls.
We are also trying to figure out the taxi system to go to the market (found out today that they stop running around 5/6pm. (We had to pay $2 to hire a private taxi vs. the $0.40 we paid to tag along with other people in a taxi).
There was running water when we first arrived today, but after we got back from the market, there was no running water in the bathroom (but there is running water in the kitchen).
We have no fridge, hot water, couch, tv, AC, or towel rack.

 Bathroom

 Water heater-put this in a bucket to heat water for bathing

 Shower with only cold water-works well for summer

 My favorite-balcony with garden view

 Living room

 Living room

 Kitchen

Bedroom with closet

Air Travel in India

We took our first domestic flight in India and learned that there are some differences flying in India vs. the U.S.

1. You need a ticket or receipt to even enter the airport. (Airlines have booths outside).
2. You take your checked bags through security before checking the bags in.
3. At smaller airports, you don't go through security until it's close to boarding time.
4. Women and men are screened separately (women have a private cubicle area).
5. Airports are much smaller than in the US.
6. When you get on the plane, an officer checks to make sure your carry-on has an airline tag that was stamped when it went through security.
7. Most importantly: the people arriving and departing never mix (in many airports).  If you have transfer, you have to go through security again.  This was a surprise when we made a connection in Delhi.

Kochi, Kerala

Jason and I went to Kochi for a Fulbright Conference.

We went on a sight-seeing tour of the city with the other Fulbrighters (almost 200 of them)!

First we went to St. Francis Church built built by the Portuguese in 1503.  It was a Catholic church but it has been converted to an Anglican church.

Vasco de Gama was buried here

Then we went to see the Chinese fishing nets

Then we went to "Jew Town" to the synagogue and the Dutch Palace (sorry couldn't take pictures inside either).

We also saw a store called the Spice Market and saw a woman making a sari on a loom.

Earlier, we went to the mall in a rickshaw.

The hotel we stayed at was beautiful.

 This was our view from our room.