Julia Melim Coelho

Culture shock can lead to personal transformation. Last summer, I went to Chennai, in the South of India, and I had trouble adapting to a new culture, so I started questioning everything in my life.

I was supposed to be in a theater program, but that never happened because the theater group had a financial crisis. But what seemed like a disaster turned out to be an experience that changed my outlook on the world. Going through both positive and negative experiences helped me understand a reality I hardly knew existed.

My first three days in India were a nightmare. I was shocked by the poverty of most of the people. I did not stay in a five-star hotel, like many tourists, but lived in a shantytown. Also I was afraid I could become ill if I drank the water or ate food prepared in the village. I did not have treated water in my house, and it was surrounded by a trash site, so I was fearful of contracting malaria.

I learned that I should not leave the house unless somebody from the theater group accompanied me because I could be attacked for being white and for being a foreigner. I was shocked to know these were regular procedures for foreigners. Facing all these negative aspects of India and believing my life was in danger, I said I wanted to leave India immediately.

Then the director of the theater group said I should give India a chance, and he introduced me to the actors whom made me feel welcome. They would bring me food and take me around the city. Somebody would always accompany me to the house to make sure I was safe. I felt they cared about me even though I was a stranger.

There were some aspects of the culture that bothered me, such as oppression of women. One night I was having dinner at a restaurant and engaging in a conversation with some girls, but we were soon reprehended by one of the producers because only men could speak “loudly.” The men at the table told us women should not laugh in public. This led me to question how oppressed women still are in India and how much women have achieved in the West, which is what they called anybody who is from North, Central or South America and Europe.

Indian culture also deals with relationships differently. Romantic relationships are only allowed after marriage. I did not feel comfortable talking about dating, because this was taboo. But some young people break the social rules and have secret relationships without telling their parents. Even then, the relationships are based in friendship and respect, rather than physical contact.

My friends made me question the life I had led in the West. They showed me how empty my life was, because I focused on materialistic values. The actors taught me happiness is not necessarily associated with material achievements.

Even though the people had poor living conditions, they didn’t have any material ambitions. They were happy as they were. I don’t see the world in the same way since I went to India, and I don’t think I ever will. It was a very contradictory experience. I lived in poverty, but I have never been so happy.

Sometimes it takes culture shock to realize that materialism cannot truly make you happy. Being in a foreign place and letting yourself become vulnerable to your surroundings can help you understand other realities and be open to enriching life experiences. Challenge yourself. Step outside, and find out what it really is that makes you happy.

F Melim Coelho is a Rio De Janiero, Brazil, sophomore

in film and journalism.