Cultureshock? No, I'm Fine Thanks

On the flight over (with Virgin Atlantic – excellent) I re-read a piece about dealing with culture shock. India supposedly has a high level of this for Westerners, so I was prepared for the worst. This mindset helped a lot, because it didn't hit me hard at all. I knew what to expect.

Our hostel was just off the main bazar in New Delhi. For those of you reading from Buttevant, it's like Cahirmee Fair times a hundred (and no horses), a long narrow street, mostly pedestrianized (because rubble and mounds of earth are strewn across it – rubble is left everywhere in Indian cities), with shops and merchants on both sides selling anything and everything (except swimming trunks – though I know now that shorts in general aren't worn around here).

From Dehli

“No, I'm fine, thanks” comes out of my mouth more often than carbon dioxide when wandering the bazar (and most other streets in Delhi too). We'll see how long I can keep up that level of politeness.

The hostel itself was adequate. A room with three beds and a toilet/shower – that's all we need. Dorm rooms aren't the norm over here. In fact the word hostel doesn't seem to exist at all, technically we'll be staying in hotels, but the cheapest ones.