Your experience of culture shock in India

Please check out my blog post about this topic:
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"..... First and foremost cultural shock challenge is to calm myself down from being called Bhabhi and Tai. Back home, we call the animal pigs as "Babi" (say: Buh-bee). Yeah yeah... the Indians would say that it doesn't sound the same. But since I come from Javanese community, we pronounce "Babi" as "Bha-Bhi" (read: Bhuh-Bhee). So yeah, it's the same for me. And for "Tai".... ohhh we write it the same, pronounce it the same. It means dirt that comes out of a living being, a.k.a. potty. I have, though, requested them not to call me "Bhabhi" or "Tai" in front of my family in Indonesia, my Indonesian friends, or in Facebook (or in any other social media in that case)..... "

Etta

Hi Christine,

India will present you with many funny moments when experiencing the culture there. My first tip is to respect the culture, even if you disagree with some of the customs and expectations of you. How you act, dress and talk will be very different to how you would if you were visiting the country as a tourist and it may turn out to be a lot more conservative than you would expect! Here are some tips from Mumbai.
Cover up - don't wear low cut tops of short skirts unless you want to attract constant male attention. You may see younger generation Indian girls flouting this rule but if you are a foreigner and have fair skin you are already a target of interest so don't give yourself a headache - it can get really annoying and at worst creepy and dangerous.
Pretend you are married even if you are not - this also avoids unwanted attention when out in public. Wear a fake wedding ring and red bangles.
Everyone elder to you address respectfully as aunty or uncle even if you are not related and don't be surprised if children address you the same.
Always travel in the ladies carriage of the local trains and in the ladies section on the local buses.
Don't brush your teeth in the tap water.
You don't need to tip constantly. The words 'thank you' and 'please' are rarely used so don't be offended but I am proud to keep up with my habit of using them myself despite the funny looks this can sometimes produce!
Never ask if they have any beef on the menu - it is banned!
Enjoy vada pav and all the delicious street food but avoid the pani puri if you do not have a strong stomach!
Avoid Indian bureaucracy at all times - it has a set of made-up rules and everything takes ages.
If you do something naughty and get stopped by the police they will 9/10 times accept backsheesh - this is a sort of on the spot fine that goes in their back pocket.
Go with the flow and keep an open mind! Enjoy the differences and embrace the wonderful, colourful, rich culture here.
Here are some links to a couple of articles I wrote about public transport and driving in Mumbai that you may find useful or at the very least funny - the roads in India have a very different set of rules to a lot of other places!
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Oh my!
My first shock was all the attention I got!! Being a foreigner here automatically puts you in the spotlight..  so everything you do is being watched..  literally... People stop and stare... A car once stopped in the middle of the road to stare at a friend and I.. where I stay, a family stopped what they were doing in the kitchen  to stare at us.. Lol..  that was the first thing I got used to..
Then the dressing for girls.. I've always dressed pretty modestly even back home.. or so I thought.. India redefines modesty.. some outfits I'd normally wear without a care at home aren't street worthy here... Yes, other Indian girls may be doing it but there's them and there's you.
Also the fact that wearing a saree leaves a whole belly out but me wearing a top with a slight V (not showing any cleavage btw) ..is a problem!! 
#2 Constant spitting..by men... even from those who (didnt look the part) was also a shocker..
#3 Bathing on the side of the road..(not everyone! The construction workers..squaters..) i live on the outskirts of Delhi.. so I guess I get to see a lot.
#4 Beef being off the menu... But I totally respect that.. 
#5 If one foreigner does something wrong in an area you live in.. chances are life is going to get tougher for all of you.. I know this to be true for the Darker skinned foreigners.. sadly..
My tips for expats:
- Don't try to fight the system...  Adapt.. try to understand things from the locals perspective.. 
- Be open to trying out new things you meet here.. you just might like them!

You are spot on about the on spot fines.

What happens 8f you don't have cash on ones self what happened than.I am 1 of those people that don't carry cash

I see you are travel lover .  I  am  about start one app which  every traveller  would love to have  as  its makes all travel  related issues  comfortable and at finger tip .  Travel Buddha team is running a pilot run of concept of "Local Home Chef" in Mumbai, India.......where in Locals can host Foreigners for home cooked meals. If you would like to participate or know friends who might, then reply in comment and tag people.

Hi

Are you writing a paper on cultural safety or have a seminar ?

Anyhow , depending on from where to where one is moving , the cultural differences may vary. Practically people just get used to the differences over a period of time , the only things they should develop for cohabitation is open mindedness and tolerance and respect the host country's people and their culture. Rest all falls in to place.

Thank you .

Ashok

Hello Ashok,

Welcome on board 

No, it is a topic launched by the Expat.com team so as to gather informations for the benefit of expats or future expats.

Thanks you for your contribution,
Bhavna

Culture shock is the same everywhere. You suddenly realise that you are nothing and your name is nobody and you have no clue how to live in this place. Tasks like paying bills or buying groceries become a challenging assignment, bureaucracy an impossible barrier, you don't have friends, you don't know the right people, you are language-impaired, and you don't know how the people "usually" cut the corners in this place.

It is very similar to what you felt the first year you were living alone as a young person, except then you probably had someone (family members, college authorities) to show you the way, and you were not ashamed of being ignorant, but now your family members are not helpful, and college time is long gone.

The older you get, the harder it gets (if you don't expect it), because it's hard to be thrown back to your teens when you are 30, but it's even harder to be thrown back to your teens when you are 60.
Many people start to have depressive thoughts like "I lived X years, and I am still nobody! It was all in vain!"
But it's not that, just culture shock.

It lasts on average from the 6th month of living in the country and up to 2-3 years period...