At times in India, I felt like a fish out of water. I loved getting to experience and appreciate India but I definitely felt like a foreigner at first, often unsure how to get from A to B. We were on the move a lot during our trip, visiting new and vastly different cities every…Continue Reading People and places in India
Readjustment When I search “reverse culture shock” google tells me it is a “common reaction to returning home from studying abroad. It is an emotional and psychological stage of re-adjustment, similar to your initial adjustment to living abroad.” I keep on toying with the word: readjustment There is something about it that acknowledges a changing…Continue Reading Readjustment
It’s the final week, and I feel like I have barely touched the surface of India whilst also having had so many adventures and opportunities that I cannot wait to share with friends, family, and anyone who will listen upon my return to New Zealand. I don’t have any words good enough to express my…Continue Reading Where did all the time go?
“Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua” “I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past. This whakataukī or ‘proverb’ speaks to Māori perspectives of time, where the past, the present and the future are viewed as intertwined, and life as a continuous cosmic process.” The final week is here! The time went…Continue Reading Times flies make the most of it!
“He aha te mea nui o te aoWhat is the most important thing in the world?He tangata, he tangata, he tangataIt is the people, it is the people, it is the people” Coming back home has undoubtedly been a reverse cultural shock and a new beginning in the sense that we have all changed so…Continue Reading Dhanyavād! (Thank you!)
This title was inspired by this week’s experiences of meeting women similar in age to me but with completely different life experiences. Again opening my eyes to all the privileges I have had throughout every year and stage of my life. Whether it be the privilege of the things I had, people around me, opportunities,…Continue Reading Same age. Different life.
Disaster strikes Man down this week (well, for 3 days)… During my first 4 weeks, I was very fortunate to maintain good health, even when my peers were becoming unwell. However, the start of week 5 was when disaster struck. Tuesday morning started off like any other morning, there was a touch of tummy cramps,…Continue Reading Disaster, Desserts, and the Desert
Last you heard from me, I had just completed my “Vietnam is 10-days” crash course Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) travels. Since then, I have really been able to settle in at my company and in my new home. Thus, realising that I will have to leave Vietnam has been a very rude awakening. Seven…Continue Reading Last Week: Too Soon to Say Goodbye
3 weeks in, and my experience (and stomach) are telling me that the universal love language of India must be food. Top food moments of the week This week I was very fortunate to have a colleague I work with buy me lunch. The meal was delicious dosa (with cheese on this occasion); a dosa…Continue Reading The LOVE language of FOOD
Reflecting on my trip to India, I can confidently say that my knowledge of the country was limited to traditional western views of India. This trip has been life-changing! I’ve met some amazing people and done some amazing things I thought I’d never get the opportunity to do. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to…Continue Reading Final Thoughts and Reflections