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?

India Withdrawal - Stage 2

(Find Stage 1 of India Withdrawal here.)

Stage 2: Trying to fix it

Photo from Cadbury India

Ok humans are all about survival, and what do we do when Darwin's law is about to get the best of us? We try to survive. Hence, the hunt for a cure begins.

Tweets from stage 2

The lack of humans has resulted in unethical amounts of loud music. 

Now playing Sheilaaa, sheila ki jawaani

Note to self: If you're going to microwave chocolate to recreate chocolate melted goodness that results from warm weather, unwrap it first.

Photo from Most Viral Media

Koffee with Karan is a great cure for India withdrawal!

I *must* force somebody to eat today. 

In some extreme cases this might be the point where you start job hunting in India. (Or at least ponder the idea.) Some look at flight deals, maybe make a few calculations...and dream. A lot.

What happens next? Stay tuned for Stages 3 and 4


Find Stages 3 and 4 of India withdrawal here.

India Withdrawal - Stage 1

Leaving India can be hard, especially if you had a long stay there or went back after a long time. I went through major India withdrawal symptoms after a recent trip back, so like any rational 21st century individual, I tweeted about it. It's refreshing to read how I felt then and I'm tempted all over again. Clear stages are also apparent, so I created a guideline.

Photo from Smashing Magazine

Stage 1: Shock and Confusion

This is the stage where you feel like somebody sucked all the humans out of the universe and left you alone with unlimited WiFi internet. There is an eeriness about your surroundings, with no sabji wala's (vegetable vendors) or neighbours (that you talk to anyway) and the liveliness that is India . You are madly in touch with all things Indian, from music and hot cups of chai to friends and family. 

Tweets from stage 1
Back to winter wonderland. Only a 40 degree temperature drop. 

itana sannata kyu hai bhaii 

Where are the humans? 

Helloooo, anybody home? Echooo
  
Eating polo.

I have reached a new level of understanding for polar bears. #hibernation #winterwonderland #Indiawithdrawal

During this stage, you miss everything about India, from the traffic noises to the tempting aromas. This is also the stage of constant comparison. 


Do you stay forever in this stage? Of course not. You move on to stage 2, "Trying to fix it." Stay tuned.


Find Stage 2 of India Withdrawal here.

What is a Dual SIM Identity?

Do you ever wonder what a dual SIM card phone feels like? It carries the weight of two completely different identities with it, which are still oddly linked. Having to switch from one to the other, as the world desires and playing the balancing act. Dual SIM is the best way I can describe the constant struggle between wanting to be in India and being content in Canada.

Photo by Secondhack.com

You see, a dual SIM phone is never content with only one of the SIM's. Especially when they make up what it is.
Does it have to choose? Sometimes. 

Hence, the birth of Dual SIM Identity - a place where I indulge in the Dual SIM identity instead of fighting it. Most of the time anyway...

Note: Micromax Bling is our model today as it fondly reminds me of India.