With 800 rupees, we could buy all sorts of useful things like... love!

I am in England now and am going through some reverse culture shock alongside my jet lag. I think that reserve culture shock involves things you are surprised by and notice suddenly in a familiar culture that before you wouldn't have looked twice at. Also it can be missing things from the experience you just had, such as friends or food or cultural aspects, and wanting to tell people about it but getting the impression that they don't really want to know beyond "How was India?" "Good.." "Cool." So far what I am characterizing as reverse culture shock has been more surprising and interesting more than shocking, and indeed much of it has been rather pleasant surprises rather than things that have made me feel out of place or disturbed.

Reverse culture shock/observations:

-EVERYONE says "to be fair" - all my British friends, and often, more so than me!!! (Lily and Shlayma always made fun of how often I said that)

-You can drink tap water! You can cook with tap water! You can wash a tomato and eat it even if there is still water residue on it!

-I spent 10 pounds on my first meal here, which is $20, which is 800 rupees.

-My friend described another girl as "stark raving bonkers." gotta love it.

-Electric tea kettles! Tea quickly! Tea English style!

-Getting used to not being afraid of any kind of physical contact with the opposite sex - hugs, brushing, just in general not having taboos about accidental contact.

-Mini skirts! So much skin showing! People making out in clubs! These things have actually been the most shocking for me.

-Left hand usage - getting used to using my left hand.

-Feet - I'm afraid of offending people with my feet, and am feeling offended by other people's feet.

-There's toilet paper everywhere! I don't have to bring it in my purse! Amazing.

-Lettuce! Sweet beautiful lettuce! Not just in salads - as sides with other dishes! Wow!!!!

-And in England - sunset around 10:30pm! Holy shit! In India it gets dark around 6-7!

-I had a conversation with an Indian about culture and Indian food and we made each other food and I felt a strong identity with him, like we really understood where we were both coming from.

Last day

Yesterday was my last day at my NGO. I wore my purple saree for the occasion with gold sparkly bangles that got sparkles all over everything I went near, much to the amusement of my coworkers.

We had a meeting with all the staff and bosses in which I spoke about my time as a volunteer and my supervisor talked about my work. They thanked me graciously for my time spent there and presented me with a Hyderabad freshwater pearl necklace with earrings and a hardcover coffee table book of my favorite book that they publish, Womanscape. The mini ceremony was followed by a wonderful catered lunch. I said goodbye to all my coworkers at the end of the day and promised not to forget them.

Today Shlayma, Lily and I are cleaning our flat and packing our bags. It's amazing how much stuff I acquired when I came here with only a backpackers backpack and a bookbag.

Tomorrow we take a 26 hour train to Delhi, where we will have our final AJWS retreat. Then I go to Britain for two weeks, then Serbia for a week. I will do my best to post during this month of travel.

On white privilege

I never thought I had an identity as a white person before, or with other white people, but in India you smile at other white people on the street. Everyone stares at you because you are white, especially if you are white and blond, or wearing Western clothes (I get stared at so much more in Western clothes, and auto drivers try to rip me off much more, than when I'm wearing Indian clothes). I have never felt more like a "white person"... In India, it doesn't matter if you don't like to identify as white, or you identify as "Jewish"... here people look at you, and you are white. So people try and rip you off and beggars target you and follow you for kilometers and boys assume you are easy like the women in Hollywood movies (like, really easy)... I'm not complaining. I know this is just a specific context of white privilege, getting harassed by vendors and beggars and boys and getting stared at by everyone, a result of being rich, though I'm not rich by American standards, I'm rich by virtue of being able to have afforded coming to this country, or go to another country outside of my own. This is the 'price' I say for having white privilege, for being from a country with world class medical care, a high standard of living, being able to afford (or in my case, arrange for a fellowship to pay for me) to go abroad....

Signs

Hyderabad

Bangkok airport

Mmmm sharkfin.. Bangkok

Hostel in Bangkok, Thailand

Do not point your feet to the Buddha.... Bangkok

Does anyone think this building is a bit extravagant? Bangkok

Organic coffee, tea, body piercing, massage
Varanasi, India

At a mosque in Hyderabad


Ithaca, NY


Boston