It Has begun.

Culture shock has officially set in. It was hard to see at first. Only subtle hints to start, but now we are dealing with full blown culture shock.

There are many different manifestations and interpretations of culture-shock. I believe it to be a very individual experience. My first understanding of it was as a state of total disorientation and overwhelming emotion. It may be that for some people, but for me it looks more like a pain in my ass.
The director of my Canadian organization who spent fifteen years living in Africa explained it to me in highly accessible terms. He said that culture shock essentially feels like waking up pissed off at the world everyday, for no apparent reason. Let’s just say that we are going on day five of not knowing why I hate the world, but I do.

My inner monologue has turned into more of a rant that changes content depending on the context, but not the tune.
On my bike ride to work in the morning every second person feels the need to yell out to me. The women are sweet and sort of whisper hello. The men, on the other hand, prefer to use a limited vocabulary consisting of “Tsssssssssssssss youweh (which means ‘hey you – come over here and talk to me’) or “Hey woman/sistah/auntie/madame”. Irritating to say the least. I have developed a non-committal wave that I use in passing. I truly miss my Canadian home where no-one speaks to each other and everyone below the age of thirty is now a member of the Ipod generation, with headphones permanently attached to their ears – leaving little room for conversation on the subway.

At work, my thoughts consist largely of questions as to why the office is so small, hot, and why no-one will leave to door open for some much-needed airflow!
In terms of my project itself: My frustrations are expected. My interpretation of timeliness is a little different, as well as my own time-management.

I knew it would hit eventually, the first month went too smoothly…. Now all there is is to wait for the inevitable blowout. The director explained that culture shock cannot last forever, and that it usually culminates in a complete and total meltdown that usually occurs in a highly public space like the mini-bus or market. Wish me luck…….