More on Culture Shock......

Namaskaram Friends and Fam! (another very lengthy one because A LOT has happened in a few days)

Wow, things have been a whirlwind since I've arrived. I swear I've been gone for at least a month and it's only been barely a week. I think hands down, this has been one of the hardest things I've done, both in terms of work and country. Before coming to India, I met a new friend, Jennifer, who is a cross cultural coach here in India and lives about 2 hours south of me. I met her online and we started emailing about a month or so before I left for India. I had the opportunity to meet her, her husband, and cousins on Sunday. They drove up to meet me and took me around town and to meet some of their family. It was a real treat and very comforting to know there is someone outside of my work I can share my experiences with. She's from the US and has a lot of experience living in India and being in Indian culture so she's been a real support for me before I left for India and while I've been here.

I don't have a place of my own yet. I am staying at a women's hostel with 5 other women, 3 of whom work for the same organization as me. They are all from Kerala so I'm slowly learning some cooking and Malayalam (the local language of Kerala). The hostel is the top floor of a house with 2 rooms (3 cot size beds in each), a dining room and a kitchen. I sleep in the middle bed in one of the rooms. The mattress is hard and the bed is small and narrow and the mosquitos, oh the mosquitos just love me! I'm an itchy mess. There is a big covered deck that overlooks the front yard and drive way. The back deck is where we hang clothes to dry on strings that are strung across the deck and down stairs (outside) is where we wash clothes using two buckets. The home owner lives on the first floor of the house. I haven't washed clothes yet, but probably will need to in the next couple of days. There are no carpets, thankfully! The floor would be a moldy mess if there were carpets because it's really hot and humid here.

My first night was Monday, Oct 31st which was also my first day at the office. You can imagine my ultimate discomfort after being in the comforts of my own clean hotel room with AC since my arrival in India coupled with a first day at work. It was like culture shock times 1000. My emotions were out the roof so by Tuesday morning when my roommates were asking if I missed Alex, I broke down into a watery mess. My room mates had no idea what was wrong with me and I did not know how to convey what I was feeling. I was most concerned that they thought it was them so I tried to make it very clear that I was missing family and friends and that I'm just adjusting to the culture. Between the broken bits of English and deep breaths, I think eventually they understood what was happening. They all know how to speak a little to some English, one of them can speak and understand English better than the others and everyone can read. I'm thankful to have such compassionate room mates. It has felt a million times better since I was able to breakdown. The office staff are helping me look for my own flat (renting the top floor of a house) so perhaps in about a month or so, I will have my own space. The owner would live downstairs so at least someone would be there. It's not common for women to live alone here. This type of living is called "Paying Guest". It can also come in different forms where you might be given a room in a house, instead of the top floor of a house, so it depends. For the time being, I'm going to try and take advantage of learning about living locally, cooking, customs, and Malayalam. It's really a day by day approach here, which is very good for me being the future tripper that I normally I am.

Independence here is not exactly praised like it is in America. Being without your family and friends is not common practice. From what I've experienced and observed, having a community of people to look out for you is an important part of the culture. When I tell people that Alex and I have only been married for almost 2 months now, they're surprised and feel sorry for me, which I completely understand because it is an usual move! Nonetheless, I make light of the situation when they ask and Alex and I talk a little every day. It's not easy to be apart though, not in the least bit.

In terms of work, WOW is this project complicated, challenging and intimidating. I really like the work and it's the kind of project I imagined I wanted to be a part of but living it is much much more challenging than reading or thinking about it. There's really no way to prepare for it either. In addition to trying to adjust to the culture, the work culture is a whole other ball game, figuring out the chain of commands, office culture, etc. Slowly but surely though, things are falling into place. This month is very full and busy: a local stakeholder consultation, management meeting, focus groups along with other market research, filling out an exhaustive application for Gold Standard certification for the carbon revenue and breathing in between. My brain is swimming in details and big picture. We are hoping to launch the clean energy program in all three zones where ESAF works: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Central India (comprises of 5 states). I will be traveling to Central India to Maharashtra for a week some time in the next couple of weeks to do market research there. Pretty exciting stuff! This is by far the most challenging project I have ever worked on. It's going to be cool to watch the project grow and take shape. Without the help of the office staff and their kindness and openness, I would be ridiculously lost. One thing to note is that since I work and live with some of the people from my office, my teary breakdown on Tuesday spread like wild fire among the office staff which was embarrassing but everyone has been very supportive and it feels good to let the emotions out regardless.

I try to use the few words I do know in Malayalam with most everyone I encounter! Every day I learn a new word or two and test them out in public. Always gets good laughs. Perhaps in a few months time, I'll be able to put together a few sentences! :) Learning numbers are next on my list.

Wow! I wrote a lot. I could write a lot more on other things that are happening, but I've exhausted this post. More later:) Shuba Rathri (good night)