Today one of my very best friends, Mira ( Lady the Tramp) and I met in Manhattan for tea and sweets in Curry Hill. We plopped ourselves down at an Indian restaurant and requested Chai and Gulab Jamuns, an Indian delicacy and dessert (essentially they are fried dough balls soaked in honey. Sickeningly sweet). The Indian man mumbled something for a good minute with Mira and I merely catching some resentful mutterings about us only ordering dessert, and then he whisked off to give us tea (not Chai! What kind of Indian restaurant is this?) and stone cold gulab jamun (usually it is warm). While we laughed at the strangeness of it all and caught up on each other’s lives, I noticed a shop across the street- Om Saree Palace, a retail store for, what else, sarees, a typical dress worn in India. There was also a variety of shawls, men’s clothings, salwar kameez’s, and jewelry.
After paying the disgruntled employee for our cheap meal, I told Mira that I wanted to check out Om Saree Palace. We headed over and walked inside to see a kindly old Indian lady folding shawls.
“Namaste, Aap Kaise Hai?” (hello, how are you?), I asked in Hindi.
“Chik Hai, Aap Kaise Hai?” (fine, how are you?) The lady responded, positively beaming.
“Chick Hai,” I replied. “Torrah Hindi bolti hu.” (I speak a little Hindi).
The woman’s smile widened even further. “I am so excited that you are here in my shop and that you speak Hindi!” she proclaimed. “So many tourists come through here but they don’t speak Hindi. Were you in India?”
I recounted my story to her- three trips, six months, all over North and South India. And I loved every second of it.
Sarla, the old woman, was from New Delhi. When I told her that I had been to Paharganj and Majnukatilla in Delhi, she nearly jumped up and down with excitement.
While Mira and I chattered with her incessantly about India (Mira has spent time in India as well) and perused the clothes, an absolutely gorgeous salwar kameez caught my eye. It was orange, red, and black, spread into a pattern that looked almost tribal. I knew instantly that I had to try it on. It fit me absolutely perfectly. Sarla clapped her hands.
“I will give you a good price for this salwar,” she said. “I had very good business today and you made my day, so I will give you a special price.”
While my phone played Hanuman rapping in the background for Sarla’s utter delight, she slashed 10 dollars off of the salwar kameez (she sold it for only $45, which is cheap even by India standards considering the quality!), and gave me a pair of gorgeous black and glittery earrings to go with it for free, as ‘a birthday gift’ (I had told her my birthday was tomorrow).
Standing there, basking in the warmth and loveliness of the beautiful lady who was so giving and so happy that I knew and understood her culture, I felt so unbelievably happy to know people in the world that have gone out of their way for no reason at all other than kindness. There are rare occasions when I’ve come across this when traveling- that is, meeting a foreigner and the only thing that ties us together is a few words or a gesture- but this forms a bond and a kinship that are beyond words. It is the very power of humanity. And it says that even though we are very different people, from very different backgrounds, we can understand each other. We can love each other.
Thank you lovely Sarla, for making my day, maybe even my whole experience, in New York. We need more interconnectedness like this in the world.
It has been over a month and I have still not written yet about my experiences in Chile, Easter Island, and Peru. Why? some of you might ask. I am not an unproductive person, and I generally try to write every few days on this blog to share my travel experiences.
Generally, the biggest reason has been that I am still dealing with the nuances of being back in the United States, which includes being on vacation. For the first time in– pretty much a year and a half– I am not swamped and/or overwhelmed with new experiences, work to do for school, and/or schemes that will fit into the ‘big picture’ of my life. For now, I am content to spend some time lying lazily in my bed and doing absolutely nothing all day long. Today, I spent about two hours reading and analyzing the contents of Burt’s Bees ingredients to determine whether they’re actually a socially-conscious company (considering they were bought by Clorox back in 2007). They’ve passed the test so far. I also invented a method called ‘after shower goodness is baby oil + body lotion mixed together= glowing and sweet-smelling skin.’ It is a tried and true method.
It’s also nice to take a much-needed breather and focus on the kind of person that I want to be in the future, which includes being environmentally and consumer conscious, an advocate for non-processed food, a promoter of human rights awareness and self-sustainable solutions for developing communities, and… admittedly, an everything-Apple technology dork. Being in the United States gives me room to process everything that has happened within the past two years- what I have seen, how I’ve grown, and the ability to fully enjoy the amazing luxuries that my life affords me while not feeling guilty about it. These are challenging and complex things to grapple with. But I feel with even more certainty, that spending the next six months in the United States will ultimately be a good thing for me.
Here’s to 2010. May the next year be as eye-opening as the last.
Much love,
Brittany
Dear friends,
As I’m about a month behind on my South American stories (I have yet to talk about Chile, Peru, and post pictures of these places and Argentina), I thought now would be as good of a time as any to give a bit of a travel advice post on dealing with Reverse Culture Shock.
First off, some of you novel travelers out there might ask what ‘culture shock’ means, before even questioning ‘reverse culture shock.’ Culture shock, as I’ve aptly described in this post about Paraguay (where I experienced a bit of culture shock myself), is when a traveler first enters a foreign country that is very different from their own, and has sudden feelings of isolation, discomfort, depression, tiredness, nervousness, fear, and other such emotions. These can range from merely uncomfortable to very intense.
REVERSE culture shock is after you have BEEN in a foreign country (or more than one) for a period of time and have adjusted to the food, language, customs, and culture- and then you come BACK to your original country. When you come back to your home country and experience feelings of isolation, discomfort, depression, tiredness, nervousness, fear, etc.- this is reverse culture shock.
Some novel travelers may question why or how someone could feel reverse culture shock. Haven’t we lived in our home country our whole lives and are accustomed to our own culture, food, and customs? Yes. However, it is after being OUTSIDE of this home country and completely expanding our minds to fit in other cultures, languages, and customs, that we see our own country and culture in a different light. ‘Coming home’ can be challenging in many ways because a traveler may have grown accustomed to a different style of living, only to be up-ended yet again- even if our culture is the same as before. It is especially intense if a traveler comes from a developing country where they don’t have modern conveniences, to suddenly being back in the developed world.
I have experienced reverse culture shock four times now- (once from India, once from Thailand, once from Bangladesh, and once from South America). the first time I came home, from India in Spring of 2008, was the most intense. I had been living with a homestay family in India where I had lived in a two bedroom house with six people, using a squat toilet, taking bucket baths, eating completely different and varied food, and living out of a backpack. I remember coming home and absolutely freaking out over a shower, and I marveled at how much water I was wasting. I felt severely uncomfortable using a Western toilet, and I remember the first time I got back to the United States how strange I felt about using toilet paper. From eating rice and dahl back to heavy US food like pasta, was really difficult to handle on my stomach. I remember one night ordering pizza, eating about three slices, and then throwing it up all over the pavement outside of my apartment because I felt so overwhelmed with being back in the United States that I couldn’t even stomach it.
What’s more difficult are those who have NOT had the same experiences as you (such as family members, roommates, and/or friends), who don’t understand how difficult of a transition reverse culture shock is.
So, how to counter reverse culture shock? After my fourth experience with reverse culture shock in the past two years, I think I’ve gotten down a decent method. Here are five steps to counter reverse culture shock:
1) Jet lag. Don’t let it get to you. Whether you’ve been halfway around the world on a different time schedule, you MUST go to sleep on the same time schedule in your home country, even if you’re dead tired and have to wait all day to go to sleep. This is the first and most important step.
2) It is OKAY to take time to marvel at the luxurious things that you hadn’t had when you were traveling. When I used to come home, I would feel an immeasurable sense of guilt that I had a hot shower, soft toilet paper, and an air-conditioned house. I’ve realized that feeling guilt does nothing except exacerbate reverse culture shock. Also be patient with yourself, as these things take time to get used to, and don’t feel guilty when you become accustomed to them again.
3) When I used to come home, I would throw all of my bags and packages in one corner of my room and let it sit there for days, not bringing myself to unpack. Just as I posted before that a step to counter culture shock is to ’settle in,’ it is equally important to ’settle in’ when you have reverse culture shock. I’ve found that things become a lot easier when I’ve unpacked and put everything away within the first day or two of coming home.
4) Be upfront with those around you on how you’re feeling. My family and friends would get angry with me when I would come home and sulk- this made them feel like I didn’t want to be around them or be home. To just be honest and say that you’re going through a difficult time and that you need some space at least gives them the message that it’s nothing personal against them. Another good tip is to not push new things you have learned onto friends and/or family. For example, I couldn’t believe how much food my family and friends waste in the United States after being in India for three months. When I got back to the US, I started to always eat EVERYTHING on my plate in order to counter food wastefulness, and encouraged my family to do the same. This made them feel annoyed that I was suddenly judging them for something that I had once done the same. It’s hard to remember that others haven’t had the same experiences at you or seen the same things, but don’t push new ideas and/or expectations on people that aren’t receptive to them.
5) Whenever I come home, I suddenly find myself with oodles of time that I hadn’t had while traveling, and I’m not quite sure what to do with that time. I like to come home and do projects to keep myself busy. For example, I have been cleaning and simplifying my room for the past two years since I started traveling. Every time I’ve come home I’ve gotten rid of more and more things in my room, whether donating them to Good Will, giving things away to friends and family, or selling things. Right now I am in the process of scanning and uploading a ton of documents onto my computer to make more space in my room. Setting little goals for yourself is a good way to keep yourself busy.
All of these little things have made adjustment back to the United States much easier for me every time I come home. While reverse culture shock is difficult and it takes time to acclimate back to your old life, I hope that these tips are helpful.
Of course, the best tip I can give is when you get back home, start planning your next adventure!
Best of luck fellow travelers and until next time,
Brittany
I am leaving for Easter Island to go on a crazy adventure of seeing huge statues and writing the first draft of a research paper. See you December 2nd.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Brittany
Hi friends,
As I stated previously a few months ago, I have been in the process of applying to the Peace Corps.
Today I had my interview and I was accepted!! I will be serving in the Peace Corps from October 2010-January 2013. I don’t know yet where I’m stationed, though I will most likely be nominated for the Africa and South America regions.
I have been on Cloud 9 all day today from this news, as I have worked so hard and put so much energy into making this happen, and finally my dream has turned into a reality. I have everything that I could ever ask for. An amazing family, an amazing boyfriend and his family, amazing friends, amazing stories and travels, and now on top of it, an amazing job once I graduate. I am the luckiest person that I know. I don’t know how or why I have everything I could ever ask for and need in my life, but I have it all.
I hope you are all as lucky and blessed as I am.
Much love,
Brittany
Dearest friends,
As you may or may not have been able to tell, I have been neglecting this blog a little bit. Unfortunately, I have so much work to do these days that I don’t even have much time to do the exploring and adventuring that I wish I could.
I feel that traveling has given me so much in the past two years. It has been my nourishment, my well being, and it has taught me so many things about the world and about myself. And one thing it has taught me is to listen to myself and know what my limits are. And I have reached my limit. I just decided to go home two weeks earlier than planned. I’m skipping Ecuador and Peru (including Macchu Picchu) and going home on December 5th.
There are a lot of reasons for this. Most importantly, I miss my family. In the past year and a half, I have been in the United States for about 3 weeks. All three of those weeks has been about unpacking and repacking, rather than spending time with my family. If I go home on December 21st as planned, I will only be home for approximately two weeks, which will again, all be about packing for New York. So I decided if I came home 2 1/2 weeks earlier, I would be able to spend some more time with my brother, sisters, and parents.
Another thing is, I’m quite literally exhausted. 20 countries in 2 years. That’s quite a lot. And on top of that, while I’m traveling, I have a lot to do- a huge research paper, applications to 30 or so internships in New York, plus finding a place to live in Brooklyn– it’s very hard to do this AND travel. I feel as if I can’t fully experience or enjoy the places that I am in, which is unfortunate but true.
Moreover, I don’t feel completely satisfied with my South American adventures. I want to see MORE. I want to spend more time in Uruguay, I want to spend at least 6 weeks fully discovering Argentina, to see the Andes mountains, to explore Bolivia, different parts of Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, even Brazil- I don’t have that time or luxury to do so right now. I know that in the future, I will come back here. Maybe one day when I’ve saved up a nice sum of money, I will take a year to see all of South America that I want to. I feel that is better than getting merely these amazing glimpses that I don’t have the time to fully embrace and appreciate.
Part of me protests at all of these ideas, because my travels has always been defined as me deciding to do something random and spontaneous, which has always provided fruitful results. Whenever I’ve felt tired or exhausted (as I have really been feeling these past few months), I go to a new country, and instantly I feel energized. URUGUAY! PANAMA! COSTA RICA! Everything is always amazing and new and there always something to do and see. I know that I still have that little bit of reserve in me– I know that I could make it 2 or 3 more weeks to see Peru and Ecuador without collapsing.
But at what cost? I know that I will travel for the rest of my life. I know that next year, there is a very slim chance that I will even be home for Christmas at all. And I feel that I have the rest of my life in front of me to explore and see the world- but I should also appreciate and be thankful of the things that I have in my life right now, before one day all of my siblings are grown and with their own families.
So with all of these things together, I’ve decided that I’m going to go home early, and I am really happy with that decision. I am really happy to be able to fully enjoy all of Christmas with my family, and to relax at home. I’m happy to have some time before I go off to New York. I am 21 years old, and South America isn’t going anywhere.
The itinerary until December 5th is as follows:
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Santiago, Chile
Easter Island, Chile
Lima, Peru
Until then friends,
Brittany
Filed under: USA
Dear friends,
Last year I was in Thailand and with a group of U.S. students, and for Halloween we dressed up and went out in Bangkok, Thailand, which ended up being a nice replacement. For Thanksgiving we ordered Thanksgiving meals from a restaurant and all went over to an expat’s house in Chiang Mai for dinner.
This year I am alone in Paraguay, and there is no Halloween here. It’s hard on days like these to not miss the United States. I am reading friends status updates about what they are dressing up as- tomorrow I will see pictures of them all over facebook in their crazy get-ups at parties they’ve gone to- and it’s a bit hard to not feel slightly depressed about the fact that all I’m doing is studying tonight. I can love traveling all I want, but I am still American. I may be constantly surrounded by different ideas, I may have a Tibetan boyfriend and family who also have a very different culture than mine, and while I fully embrace all of these differences that bring a lot of joy to my life, I am still American. I still have American ideals, values, beliefs, an American family, and I am rooted in American culture. Today I miss the United States, and I know that I’ll miss it even more when instead of eating Turkey on Thanksgiving, I’ll be on an airplane. You could say that traveling doesn’t just teach you about other cultures, but it also teaches you about your own. While at times I feel frustrated with the United States because I have had the opportunity to step outside of it and see it from another perspective, at the end of the day, it is still my country. I feel that traveling has actually taught me nationalism, if more than anything.
Have fun trick-or-treating today fellow Americans,
Much love,
Brittany
This weekend I went to Pennsylvania to go to my great grandmother’s funeral. Dee-Dee was a truly wonderful and generous person, a pioneer in her time, and a completely sassy and classy lady who always stood up for herself. The lady was 99 years old and until the last week, she was walking around and talking as if she was in her 50’s, her mind still as sharp as kitchen knives. It was a beautiful service, and I’m very happy and lucky to have had the opportunity to pay my respects to her. It was such a tribute to how amazing my extended family is, and how her influence has shaped so much of who we are.
Dee-Dee (with my her daughter and my grandmother Muzzy) on her 94th birthday.
I am back in Costa Rica, back to Spanish, to tortillas, to a million varieties of fruits, to walking 15 blocks every day to school with a can of pepper spray, and to the ant infestation in my bedroom. I am back to being a pioneer in my own time and traveling all over the world. I think that’s how Dee-Dee would have liked it.
Much love,
Brittany
Filed under: USA
I am spontaneously taking a last-minute trip up to Philadelphia this weekend. Details to come upon my return.
Much love,
Brittany
Hi friends,
Well, I leave for Costa Rica in 5 days. To be honest, I am not prepared to start this semester. To me, it feels like I just ended a semester a few weeks ago. I finished a SIXTY-FOUR page paper about Grameen Bank and Grameen Solutions that I submitted to Global College only last week. Now, suddenly, next week I am starting another new, crazy experience, that will take up lots of time, reflection, writing… and learning to speak a language fluently (finally. I’ve been traveling for two years, you’d think I would have one down by now).
So just to give you the low-down/down-low on what I’ll be doing for the next four months, here it is: I am starting my second-to-last semester at Global College; the independent study semester (ISS). An ISS is required of all students at Global College. The premise is that the student can choose anywhere they want to study in the world (as long as it’s not on travel warning by the US government), in any subject (as long as it is approved by Global College administration). The student facilitates the programming, the contacts, the credit breakdown, the housing, travel, accommodation, etc. It is a very strenuous experience (especially since this is the first time Global College is doing this program, so they are pretty much making up rules as they go along, which is very frustrating for us students who have no idea how to navigate ourselves through an ISS)- however, it is very freeing because it gives you the opportunity to study WHATEVER you want in WHATEVER location you choose, and it teaches you a lot about responsibility and facilitating your own experience. The goal of the work you do in your ISS is to eventually elaborate on in your thesis (which you write your final senior semester, at the capstone in Brooklyn).
So, here is my independent study semester (and what I will be doing for the next four months): I will be going to Costa Rica for a month (where there is a Global College Center, which all of the freshmen are required to go to) to study intensive Spanish, get an introduction on Latin American culture and issues, and get a sort of ground base going for my Independent Study Semester (my advisor, who is there to coach and guide me through all of this, is at the Costa Rica Center).
Then, around mid-September, I fly to Paraguay to do a two month micro-finance internship with Fundación Paraguaya. The basis of my independent study semester is to study whether micro-finance is an effective means of poverty alleviation (and also gaining experience working with an NGO). So I will be spending a lot of my time traveling around the country with the director and taking interviews from borrowers (the people who take out loans).
But that’s not all, friends. My school semester is starting so early because I want it to end early. I plan to finish up my semester mid-November, so that I will have about five weeks of travel time. After I finish up my internship at Fundación Paraguaya, I plan to go right to Argentina (hitting up Buenos Aires and then WWOOFing it for a week), then heading over to Chile (Santiago, Easter Island), going straight up into Bolivia and onto Peru (doing the Macchu Picchu trek), and finally ending in Ecuador (Quito and the Galapagos Islands).
It should be a crazy, exhausting, stressful, fulfilling four months. Truthfully, I am very burned out from traveling for the past year, and I am not ready to leave home yet. Today I started getting myself mentally prepared for another 4 month trip- I restocked on supplies, got my camera ready, and ran a whole bunch of leaving-related errands- and it hit me even harder than before how reluctant I am to leave the US next Monday.
However, my tank is not completely on empty. Let’s see if the fuel left in my tank will last for another four months. I hope so. Well, I suppose I complain now, but I know it will. I am going back out into the world and having the amazing opportunity to TRAVEL and see the WORLD again! I will not spend my time whining about how tired I am.
Costa Rica, Paraguay, and all of you other lovely countries: get ready, here I come.
Much love,
Brittany
