Dual SIM Identity moves to Wordpress!

Hello Everyone - As much as I love blogger and have enjoyed blogging here, Dual SIM Identity is moving to Wordpress! Join me as I continue to indulge in an identity crisis at: dualsimidentity.wordpress.com Hope you're ready for Emotional Attaychar (Torture) Posts, constant updates and joining the conversation! See you there!

Celebrating Christmas on the Weekend - Holi Style

Today is Holi, the festival of colours, celebrated with water fights, balloons and lots of colour! Since I am in Canada, it got me thinking - What would Christmas be like if celebrated the way we celebrate Holi here? Let's see...


1. It would be celebrated on the weekend - Since nobody would have the day off on Christmas, Jesus would inevitably have to wait until the weekend to arrive.


2. The pie wouldn't taste the same - No matter how perfectly Indian sweets are made here, without local ingredients they just don't taste the same. I'm thinking the pie wouldn't have the same sweetness or temptation.


3. Mixing it up - Instead of celebrating Christmas with extended family you'd probably go to a church or have coffee with friends to mark the occasion.


4. Nobody would know its Christmas - Christmas cheer would be a foreign concept. With no snow flakes or Santa making appearances, the only people you'd be greeting would be your sparse Canadian friends. This also means that you could miss out entirely on festivals (like Thanksgiving) that change every year, since they wouldn't show up on your calendar and nobody else around you would know.


5. You'd never miss Canada more!

Wishing you all a very Happy Holi!

12 Signs to Know You're Canadianized

Moving to a new country comes with its set of customs and cultures. Whether its the accent or use of words we're all a little different.

Here are twelve signs to know if you've reached Canadianization:

1. You start using a fork to eat rice and desserts and don't question it

2. You consider anything over 0 degrees Celsius to be warm weather

3. You are offended when someone honks at you

4. You stop thinking it's sleazy for a guy to hit on a girl

5. You discover wing nights, beer and nachos and know what days you'll get cheap wings at your favourite pub

6. You stop calling US "America"

7. You have 2-3 year long cell-phone contracts (yes Indians I said YEARS.) 

8. Your wear shorts and flip flops in 10 degree weather
9. You start planning trips to India only in the winter

10. You drink water with ice in it

11. You start telling relatives the benefits of living in Canada

12. You know what okra means

If you've answered yes to six or more of these signs congratulations you're officially Canadianized! Have any to add to the list? Add in the comments below!

5 Things I Swore I Wouldn't Be Able to Live Without

When I was leaving India after a lifetime six months there were certain things I swore I wouldn't be able to live without. 

Photo by Harini Calamur

I recently found a packet of Fatafat (a tangy digestive goli like hajmola) in my drawer and realized I had forgotten of its existence. Yet, when I left India, the biggest question was, how will I live without fatafat? So I looked through my things and made a list of 5 things I swore I wouldn't be able to live without.

1. Rickshaws - Hey, when you can't drive in India, your conveyance is your local auto, and with rickshaws and taxis at every corner it really isn't that big a deal. Driving in Canada seemed like so much bigger of a hassle than stepping out to the rickshawala who knew where my gym was or telling a driver.

Photo by Khuroshvili Ilya

2. Great shopping - Ok maybe I can live without it, but who wants to? It adds so much to an upbeat lifestyle. How would I ever live without shopping amongst the coolest styles and updated fashion? And 100 Rs. chappals (shoes) from fashion street? Yes please!

3. Cheap, delicious, yummy food - Oh how I dearly miss 30 Rs Pav Bhaji that made my mouth burn or bhel puri on the streets of Mumbai. How I live without them I'm not sure but life is definitely better with them. The food is delicious, cheap and all encompassing, so whether I want pizza or chaane bhature on the go, it results in the same amount of effort, cost and tummy happiness. 

Photo by Yogesh Rao

4. The people - You don't realize how many people are involved in your life in India (for better or for worse) until you leave. From your shopkeeper to your aunt, everyone is looking out for you. Especially in smaller cities, living feels like a team effort.

5. The beat - All places and countries have a beat. A rhythm you fall into as soon as you land. Being in sync with India's heartbeat is indescribable. No one can deny the rush of energy you feel when you're walking on a foothpath there or the drain when you leave.

Photo by Khuroshvili Ilya

Now the question is, was deciding to live without Fatafat the best decision I ever made or one worth reconsidering? What are some things you swore you couldn't live without?

Overheard in India

Overhearing funny and sweet things in India are ideal examples of a dual-SIM identity. While they may be something normal for someone living there, they can evoke different emotions in someone else. Here are a few things I've heard in India:

Photo by Seema / Simi

The Outrageous
Person to employee: Woh pagalo ke doctor ko deaao. [Go give it to the crazy people's doctor.]
Me: Confused look
Another person in the room: Psychiatrist.


The Adorable:
The Canadian flag's description in India: "Red and white with the Mohabbatein wala patta." 
[Red and white with the leaf from the movie Mohabbatein.]


The Interesting
My driver's description of Gurgaon, "Haryana ka Singapore." [Haryana's Singapore] 


The Sweet yet Amusing:
From a Domino's salesman on the phone taking my order "Aap extra cheese lellejiye, apka pizza delicious ho jayega."
[This one is hard to explain...any suggestions?] 


There are countless such situations and I'm sure I'll be discussing them in many more posts to come. What are some interesting things you've overheard in India? 

An X-Ray Story

There are a lot of similarities between living in India and Canada but there are also some major differences. From the involvement of other people in your life, to the definition of what consists of a hassle, life is different to say the least.

These stories, tagged as India Stories, are a reflection of what life is like on the other side of the globe. Today I begin with one such experience during my last trip to India. I had to get an x-ray done, nothing serious, however I'm not one to advertise medical checkup's and was in for quiet a shock.

Photo from GarlicChop

Because you see, in Canada:

The doctor says, get an x-ray.

I go to an x-ray clinic and get one done.

But in India...

The concern is told to a doctor, while he is visiting my house. As a result a few of my family members, the doctor, his wife and daughter now know.

On the way to the x-ray clinic we tell the few people who work in our house. Of course, we don't say "We're going for some work," or even "We're going to get an x-ray done" we say, says "We're going to get an *insert specific type* x-ray done." Now two employees know.

At the clinic the staff knows, which is normal.

On the way back we run into my mom's friend from 20 years ago, who overhears my mom on the phone saying I am having an *insert specific type* x-ray done. Of course, the long lost friend now asks me about it.

While my mom calls home, an uncle is over, along with his son who is visiting from Mumbai. You guessed it...they now know.

Oh wait, it wasn't done here. The x-ray then goes to the doctor, who's driver is an old acquaintance, you know where this is going...

Seema feels violated and hopes no one offers her medication on the street. The x-ray of *insert specific type* is normal.

India Withdrawal - Stages 3 and 4

(Find Stage 1 of India Withdrawal here and Stage 2 here.)


For some people, a simple salary conversion is all it takes for a reality check. For others, slow acceptance is in the cards. Which leads us to stage 3.

Photo from smritithecopywriter.blogspot.com
An advertisement for Naukri.com (Jobs in India)

Stage 3: Annoyance but acceptance of reality

You know what, the fact is, you live in *insert name of country here* and not India. It's annoying, sometimes liberating (Canada is pretty amazing) and you're just going to have to deal with it. So once again, you accept big supermarkets where nobody knows where anything is and the solitary confinement, most of the time anyway. 

You make a plan

Does anyone know how long humans can hibernate for? 


Have a scheduled meeting with a human today. 

Observe

Note to self: Don't force people to eat in winter wonderland. Evokes unpleasant response.  

In winter wonderland if you greet a random man on the street you're being nice. In India, it means you love him. 

So much easier to ask a vendor if he has a vegetable than walk miles in a grocery store for an employee who doesn't know anyway. 

Notice the positives...

Ah, the land of public washrooms! 

Someone I didn't know said hi to me on the street today. Only in winter wonderland! 

Note: Occasional outbursts of withdrawal can happen at anytime. (We'll talk about triggers in a future post.) 

Missing Bhel Puri         


So why does anyone leave India again? 


Stage 4: Multiple pathways

Photo from Wallpaperstock.net

If you've made it to stage 3, chances are you'll be staying here for a while. Some promise themselves they'll visit India soon, others, most of us, get back to normal life. Either happily, loving all that the beautiful country has to offer, others grudgingly, numbing the disconnect.

And some like me, move back and forth between the two options...it's all about balance right?