Entry Seven: I'll be home for Christmas
- Lizzie Revay
- Jan 3, 2019
- 5 min read
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Yes indeedy I was home for the holidays! I spent about 10 days in the good old United States so that I could celebrate Christmas with my family.
We don't necessarily have that many "traditions" in my house except when it comes to Christmas so we were excited to celebrate our holiday in the only way we know how! (plus its a lot cheaper to fly one person home rather then 5 people to a hotel)
Going home
Going home for such a short time was honestly really strange.
For one, college left me feeling like a winter holiday should be a month long, or at least feel like it. 10 days is not a month (who knew). So in retrospect all the things that I thought I could do or have time for when I got home was a huge undertaking... especially for such a jet lagged tired human.
I did however get quite a bit done, went to Barnes and Noble (yes, thats the first thing I actually did when I went home), went for walks/runs, assisted with Christmas Eve dinner, saw family, got up to camp, saw friends (4 diners in 4 days... is it bad that, thats not the record?).
I was busy... ish, busy enough not to be bored, as I found it harder then I remember to sit in front of the TV for hours on end, my body needed to move, I had a similar restlessness after abroad, maybe its just a side affect of travel.
It was nice to get hugs from family and friends but even these interactions were little weird as it felt like we have been parted for a lot longer then 6 months. So much had happened in everyones lives (theirs and mine) that it was nice to sit and to talk about it over diner food.
Interacting with my home country was also a little weird because the US is different then India.
For one its really cold in the US right now. Yes yes all you New Englanders and New Yorkers are laughing at me because to them (us?), winter has been unseasonably warm and mild.
I am, however, very comfortable in tropical temperatures these days. Let's just say I had several people questioning my old claim to fame, that I never get cold.
FAQ: Culture Shock/Reverse Culture Shock
When coming and going to different countries or returning home after a long stint abroad it is usual to experience culture shock/reverse culture shock.
As I was seeing people back home, questions often were around these topics. How does it feel to be there? How does it feel to be back?
When arriving in India, I remember it being largely overwhelming to the senses. Everything was so loud, between the animals outside and the seemingly constant temple music. The colours outside seemed brighter and more present then they did at home.
When coming back to the US, I had a similarly overwhelmed by my senses particularly touch. The water pressure from my shower hurt my back and the water was either too hot or too cold.
In both cases the shock come from the small things.
FAQ: Cultural Differences
In addition, to my own adjustment people often asked about cultural differences between the two countries.
I found these questions the hardest to answer. As I knew that people often have their own opinions about other's cultural norms, in addition I was coming to the table with my own bias observations and opinions.
So, in short, heres what I have.
Yes. One of the biggest cultural differences that I have experienced in India has been about gender norms.
When you travel to India everyone tells you to expect to be treated differently because you are a women (as if women at home are not treated differently then men... but I digress).
It has been really curious to see how gender interacts with so many things here, most of which I would not have considered before this experience as it does touch so many aspects of daily life, from what you can wear and what you can't, where to sit on the bus, home responsibilities, comfort zones, marriage age, where you live post-marriage, who you play with as a kid/you hang out with as a teenager, games you play etc.
Perhaps the most interesting thing is that I can see how people here interact with me, a women, but also how they interact with Trey, a man.
For example, people on the street, who can speak English, love to come up a talk to us, once a car pulled over on the side of the road that we were walking on, curious to see who we are, where we were from, and why we were here. Most of these conversations usually play out the same way. First of all, they talk to Trey, I am occasionally talked about but rarely am I talked to. Secondly, we tend to need to clear up the confusion that no I am not his wife, as that is what is commonly assumed (don't I look a little young to be married?... but I guess that assumption also lays in culture differences), they typically then go to "so she's your girlfriend?"... Try again... "sister?" (yes this very tall human is related to this very short human)... Nope... we are typically the ones to bring into the conversation that we are friends and coworkers.
Though perhaps one of the most difficult parts of my experience at times, I am lucky in that most of these expectations aren't assumed on me, as I am very clearly not from here.
There are ALSO several things that I LOVE about Indian culture.
For example, there is a huge focus on family, community, and hospitality, which there is not in the US, at least not where I am from.
When in India you are always invited to tea. If you are going to India and you know someone who is from India but is living in the states, they will almost always say, my family is here, they would love if you would come to tea if you are in town.
That just doesn't happen back home.
There is stress on knowing multiple languages because you want to be able to talk to people, ideally, everyone, and everyone does not necessarily speak your mother tongue which is why you need to know more then one language.
Everyone speaks English back home, and if you don't it is assumed that the wrong is in the non-English speaker, which since we are such a diverse nation just doesn't make sense.
It is important to understand when you visit different countries that there are GOOD and BAD things about different cultures just as there are GOOD and BAD things about your own home culture, and that culture often taints what you decide as good and bad. So it is important to keep an open mind.
New Years Resolution
My New Years Resolution is really to just make the best out of the four months that I have left here. Being home was a stark reminder that my time in India is coming to a close and that there is still so much I could do to improve my experience.
It was also reassuring as I was able to apply a lot of what I learned here so far to my life at home, even in such a short span of time, so I hope to continue to do that when I go home permanently.
P.S. I might be running out of ideas for blog posts... if you have any... please let me know... what do you want to hear more about or what do you feel like I haven't touched? Please shoot me a message as I would love to hear from you



Picnics (Field Trips)
Class 10 - Goa
Class 5-9 - Magic Planet, Trivandrum
Class 1-4 - Alleppey
I probably should have taken more photos on these trips but I was simply having too much fun to remember my phone






















Christmas Celebration




















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