Highs and Lows

I had a gentleman who works for my husband's company tell me during our expatriate orientation that all expats go through a typical emotional cycle when they move to a foreign country. Typically they are first excited at the prospect of moving to a new country. Then overwhelmed once they get there and reality sets in that living in a foreign country is not vacation all the time but actual work. Next is the rampant depression as they fight the desire to run for the next flight home so they can enjoy the comforts of familiarity. In the last phase, they either learn to accept the life they created or reject it and flee back to their native land.

As a counselor I was interested at how our emotional roller coast gets reduced to a few quick lines of explanation from someone who has never lived in a foreign country. A handy piece of paper with an emotional cycle charted out gets used to explain a very complex process of acceptance or rejection. While I understand why he uses this chart I have to say that EVERY day in India is a roller coaster for me full of highs and lows and sometimes with no rhyme or reason. And no I am not bi-polar! My day just unfolds before me.

For instance, yesterday....

In the morning, my house cleaner calls me into the guest bathroom so I can see the huge puddle of water resulting from a water leak under the toilet. Definitely a LOW. But that's India for you. Something is always breaking but you learn to not freak out about it. After a well placed phone call it was fixed within 2 hours. Water cleaned up. Life moving on.

Then I headed to my local coffee shop for a lovely early afternoon iced tea and chocolate cake. HIGH! Definitely a HIGH. I mean come on it is chocolate cake for goodness sake!!! :)

Then I frown staring into my glass as I start to worry that the ice in my tea is going to give me 'Delhi Belly' later....LOW. :(

Enjoying my new book and the cold air conditioning...HIGH.

Next a text message from the salon where I get my hair done. 'Are you still coming to your appointment at 1 pm?' it read. I state out loud "Crap!" for it was already 1:20 and I was all the way across town. One very fast drive over and I arrive a sparkling 30 minutes late. LOW.

My hairdresser is from France and we have a lovely conversation about the "Crazy Horse" show in Paris and Las Vegas (my old stomping grounds). Fun to swap stories with someone who has also been there and done that. A typical hour and 45 minute hair appointment became a 3 hour event but it was fun to chat! HIGH.

Getting home with a new hair cut and seeing that my dog has decided to drag the trash can and it's contents all over the floor out of her extreme boredom. LOW. After a quick cleanup, I took her out for a much needed evening walk.

Making a good Italian dinner for my husband and sharing a bottle of wine together. HIGH.

No, I am not fleeing back to the US anytime soon but every day is not a vacation here either. People really do live and work here. Normal everyday stuff happens. Tomorrow will bring more highs and lows. All you can do is ride the day out and see what funny things will happen to you in India.