When I decided to take this position (which fell into my lap pretty much, I def could not say no), I was excited and open to exploring a new city/place/university. I came in with no expectations, just open to adventure. I was a bit optimistic and romantic in my ideas about the situation, but I tried really hard not to have any expectations about my time in Calcutta. I knew I was going to a small university, but I didn't know how small the town actually is.
I didn't sign up for an introspective, spiritual, living in the boonies retreat, but at times it felt like it was being forced on me. Communicating frustrations in Hindi is difficult with my Kindergarten language level. I can express being happy or content and simple phrases, but trying to say something like, "I've told you x many times, this food is too spicy. I've lost weight and have been getting stomach problems b/c of this food" or "There shouldn't be rats in the AFM room, they will eat through the wires and can damage equipment. What's the point of me taking off my shoes before entering the lab if there's going to be rat feces on the floor?" is very challenging and emotionally draining.
That's how I would summarize it actually, emotionally draining. I've learned what drains me emotionally, and that's a good lesson I guess. I've learned that I realllllly want a gym, dance and my own kitchen to keep me healthy and happy on a daily basis. (I would say NEED, but that might be an exaggeration.) Luckily, the work I was doing here did not need me to bring my A-game, meaning my lethargy, sleeping habits, lack of motivation, emotional drainage and un-optimum health did not one bit alter the quality of the work I was doing (which is meant to say more about the work than about me). Although I had no serious illness to deal with, my loss of muscle and general weakness will take some time to heal, but hopefully it was just the heat my body was reacting too.
I am not ashamed to admit, I made 0 friends on my own. Sure, I tried, but I found it hard to find people my age with my interests that made an effort to show me around. I resorted to finding tourists to chat with when I was in Calcutta, but most of them were only here for a few days. I'm actually not really a people person, I am not the one to instigate a conversation but I was so desperate that I actually did a few times, coming up with lame reasons that hopefully did not come off as too desperate. Even social interactions are so culturally different here, it's hard for me to know exactly what is appropriate/normal and what isn't (but that could be a whole other posting). Part of me thinks even if I did make friends I would just get annoyed after hanging out 1 or 2 times.
The thing that saved me was being able to get out into Calcutta on the weekends. Once I figured out the bus and metro routes, I could get around on my own and explore. I actually loved riding the bus and metro and will definitely miss public transportation.
I am so over roti-sabji-daal-bhat. Definitely miss chaat food since I can't eat that here.
When can I start counting down hours? The next challenge is getting through the flight. ugh.
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