Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore...

As would be expected, there are many, many differences I'm noticing between life in India and life at home. For those of you following along at home, here are a few in particular:

Power Outages - The power went out 5 times at work today. Each time it was only out for a minute or so, and it didn't really cause any problems - it happens quite frequently and people here aren't phased by it at all. I, however, have this fear that the power will go out at my apartment while I'm in the shower. Hopefully it doesn't!

House Staff - I'm definitely not used to being waited on. While it sounds nice in theory, it's actually a bit uncomfortable in practice. Whenever I come or go from my apartment, the security guard outside my door stands up and greets me. At dinner, the cook explains what each dish is to me, and looks on expectantly as I serve myself. I feel obliged to eat everything he cooks, as though I'm constantly a guest in someone else's house, and I don't want to offend by not eating what they've prepared. He asks me if I want my food heated up, if I'd like something to drink, if I need anything else, if I'd like fresh fruit for dessert, etc. Don't get me wrong - he's extremely sweet and well intentioned, I'm just not used to it. And all of the house staff use the word "ma'am" or "madam" after pretty much every question or sentence.

Office Staff - Similarly to at the apartment, there are so many staff members who work at the office here! Early in the morning and later in the evening, the service team cleans the office. And when I say clean the office, I mean down to the level of dusting each and every desk chair. As one of my expat co-workers pointed out, at least this provides a lot of jobs.

Head Bobbing - This is an extremely common gesture here. It's halfway between shaking your head and nodding. I haven't fully grasped the meaning of it yet, but so far I basically understand it to mean, "yes, I'm listening." It's a bit disconcerting though, because since it's half head shaking, you keep thinking that people are disagreeing with you. I've seen it so much though that I won't be surprised if I start bobbing my head soon!

And then there are little things that I'm supposed to remember to do, but don't. For instance, I keep trying in vain to open doors at the office, then finally remembering I have to push the little button first. I've gotten to the point where I remember to turn on the geyser (the hot water heater) before my shower, but I struggle to remember to turn it off afterwords. Perhaps these things will come in time.

And finally, there are things that just make me ask why. Why must all of the drivers honk their horns incessantly? Why is it still over 90 degrees when I am leaving work at 8:00PM and the sun has long set? You get the picture.

All in all though, I'm really enjoying my time here. Traveling is all about experiencing new places, meeting new people, and gaining an appreciation for other cultures. I can safely say I'm doing all three and more!

PS - A few pictures for good measure :)


The flowers the house staff left in my room :)



Some cool common space in the office