Asia to Europe : Part 1 : Culture Shock

I come from India, one of the two major fastest developing countries of Asia. Somehow my personal network never made it possible to travel much of India, and outside of India. And the first time I took that flight to start my Masters in Paris was the first time I was not in India.

The Himalayas

I am from the Himalayas, the Northern part of India and since 2015 I have been living mostly in different European cities. However, my hometown is in the valleys of the Himalayas. My European school has many campuses in major European cities and hence I have travelled not only by travelling purposefully but also by studying in different campuses.

View outside of my train window in the middle of nowhere, en route to Delhi for my flight.

Airport to Abode

What was a lucky good start is that around 5 different people helped me with my luggage between the Airport and my home, and ultimately I did not have to carry it up until the gate of my residence! Notably, they offered the help themselves without me asking for it (I needed the help I was just not just sure whether or not to ask for it). Not bad at all, great start and lovely people. It really eased me down a bit.

Questions about India

Europe is definitely a lot different from my country. The food, the lifestyle, the way of thinking and even the definitions of intolerance.

Many people in Europe take pride and the fact that higher education can be completed fully in local language in many European countries has impressed me. So, the first change I saw in myself after coming here was not feeling like a mafia while stubbornly talking in my native Hindi language to other native Hindi speakers. That's right. Many non-Indians have asked me why two people from India who share the same native language talk to each other in English. And the honest person that I am- subconsciously it is our remnant inferiority complex as speaking English is being Elite.

Of course, I have been asked a lot about the caste system. The answer to which is yes- it definitely exists - but luckily I have never encountered any person being discriminated against due to her or his caste, ever in my life in India. But then there is also the reverse discrimination now in India. Wherein it is possible (and common) poor and talented upper caste people in India are being stripped off their worth by rich and not-so-talented (according to the evaluation standards) lower caste students.

India is a democracy with a very high population density. Statistically speaking, rendered with a mere 12% literacy rate just around 70 years ago when the colonial rule ended, India has exponentially geared up to stand today at 74%. Some states of India lag behind but some others like Kerala with a literacy rate of more than 93% sets an example for the rest of India as well as neighbouring Asian countries. Therefore, with so much going on in the country and so much left to be done, a lot more continues to happen in this really fast developing country.

The definition of liberals in India is very controversial these days. With growing literacy, a challenge in India just like the rest of the world is to grow in real education and values. This is not a platform to discuss Indian politics, but one thing I have personally noticed is that many people currently claim to be "liberals" and people (from India and around the world) readily believe them, but, my friends, the country is currently seeing a series of reforms, a spree of digitalization, diplomatic efforts and anti-corruption wins along with the much needed cleanliness, skill-upliftment and domestic production campaigns. When we look back at this time another 70 years later, it will come up as "the" turning point.

Reading all this, you can indeed guess that living in Europe brought a "Culture Shock" for me as India is extremely different from Europe, if not from every other country in this world.

Culture Shock

Empty Metro - A Culture Shock

A major part of this culture shock was how internet works in India and paperwork rules. My first destination- France. One of the leaders in IT, my country's banks showed transactions online minutes after withdrawal. But here I was, giving my papers by email for the second time, only to be asked for them a third time by a leading French bank to open an account. Even after my account was ready and I had my carte bancaire, taking out money on weekends was a risky affair, because the transactions remained "en traitement" (under treatment) and due to the withdrawal limit on student bank account, I could not process more transactions as long as the previous ones had been fully treated. I mean, do electrons not work on weekends? Haha.

French are indeed tolerant, again, tolerance in France does not mean the same as it does in India. In India, if you don't like to be talked to in English and you prefer to give your interview in Hindi, it is intolerance towards work culture and English. In France, tolerance is just "exhaling in disappointment" when the train is late or when the queue covers half of the road outside the CAF office or Prefecture.

On an ideological level also there were many shocks awaiting me. Indians not only idolize Western languages but they have some stereotypes about the West. Unlike the stereotypes about India, these stereotypes are positive ones. For example, believing that there is no gender inequality and that everyone in Europe is forward. On one of my first lectures, I came to know that quite a few European girls of my age would consider themselves a bad mother if they continue to work after having children. I also came to know that more often than not, a European woman is ok with being the only spouse to be suffixing or changing her surname after marriage- which, for me- for example- would be a huge insult to myself.

International Experience

Determined to understand not only the French culture, but cultures of different countries, I was extremely observant in my first few months in France. I was lucky to be a part of a highly international school whose new batch of all programs had students from over 90 countries.

This was just the beginning and I had to complete a lot of paperwork and formalities while absorbing the culture shock (which I felt I was feeling the most) and plan my program according to the new professional information and rules I was being told about.

Gaining international experience made me even more able to adapt to different situations than I previously was. I not only got to see Europe from a perspective other than how Indians see it, but I also got to see India from a different perspective than how Indians see it.

A significant part of my experience was how to survive in the best possible way when you are both a vegetarian and sober. On top of that, of course, I do not smoke either. And no, I am not any more religious than Richard Dawkins is. I am a full-on Atheist.

A picture was necessary before unpacking.

Gearing Up for my Erasmus Exchange in Maastricht

After one semester in Paris, I set off for Berlin. A very pleasant experience. It was amazing to see that despite being such a free travel zone, each country in the Schengen zone looks different, feels different and is different. Each country has preserved its essence. You can see it in the buildings, the people and the culture.

Once again after Berlin and an internship, I was in Paris for a semester and then for an internship in the Business District of the Paris region- La Defense. Not many people know, but it is Europe's biggest purposefully built business district. I worked at the international headquarters of an amazing firm there.

During this internship at La Defense, it was finalized that my last and final semester would be an Erasmus Exchange at Maastricht, Netherlands! I am totally looking forward to go to this amazing country, and eat lots of Beemster Cheese!

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