Friday, December 30, 2005
On the ground
Jay and I arrived back in the Home of the Brave on Dec. 19. Since then, Diane, Jay and I have:
- Moved into temporary housing, a two-bedroom apartment of recent vintage that Diane refers to as a "white box."
- Marked Christmas Eve with my mom with dinner at the Second Avenue Deli in New York City's Lower East Side. Pastrami heaven, but a large group that included a lot of rambunctious kids made for a not-so-relaxing meal.
- Visited my father-in-law in the hospital on Christmas Day, then went to my mother-in-law's house for a take-out dinner of Chinese food. Dinner was really good.
- Bought a car, a new Toyota Camry. We had originally planned to buy a Corolla but found the ride too bumpy for our middle-aged bodies. This car is a little bigger but it handles nicely and feels good.
- Helped my mom move out of the apartment she had lived in for 47 years. I grew up there. She was the last Oatis to move out of New York. She now lives in a two-bedroom apartment below my brother's place in Middle Island, N.Y., on Long Island.
- Acquired New Jersey drivers' licenses.
- Bought two beds. I spent more time yesterday lying down and trying to sleep than I have in a while.
Today, we will be getting cellphones (that's mobile phones if you are reading in Europe or Asia.
What fun! This is nowhere near as fascinating as my Bangalore blog.
Monday, December 19, 2005
A new blog ...
Hello and welcome to my third and newest blog: Shock Culture Reverse.
This blog is about the process a returning expat goes through on his return to his homeland after some time abroad. In my case, I am returning to the United States after about five years in London and India (chronicled in my earlier two blogs: This Is My London and Bangalore Torpedo.
In my case, the culture shock is not just from coming home. It's from moving from urban environments -- Brooklyn, London and Bangalore -- to a suburban one. We will be living in a small town near Summit, N.J. (Diane has already found us a place to live).
I have lived in cities nearly all my life, so this should be an interesting change: from subways to lawns, from busy city streets to busy shopping malls.
I will have a native guide. My wife, Diane, grew up in The Garden State, as New Jersey is known. That should help.
I am writing this in a British Airways lounge. We arrive in New Jersey later today. Stay tuned.
This blog is about the process a returning expat goes through on his return to his homeland after some time abroad. In my case, I am returning to the United States after about five years in London and India (chronicled in my earlier two blogs: This Is My London and Bangalore Torpedo.
In my case, the culture shock is not just from coming home. It's from moving from urban environments -- Brooklyn, London and Bangalore -- to a suburban one. We will be living in a small town near Summit, N.J. (Diane has already found us a place to live).
I have lived in cities nearly all my life, so this should be an interesting change: from subways to lawns, from busy city streets to busy shopping malls.
I will have a native guide. My wife, Diane, grew up in The Garden State, as New Jersey is known. That should help.
I am writing this in a British Airways lounge. We arrive in New Jersey later today. Stay tuned.
