Culture Shock

How to fight the blues: Write a (real) letter home

Kate Harding

26 Aug 2009

Nepal

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Everyone gets the blues after a while in a foreign country. This can be "culture shock" or just plain homesickness. When the feeling becomes unbearable and you just can't force yourself out the door to try something new, consider staying in and writing a letter -- a REAL PAPER LETTER -- about your life abroad. In an email, you can quickly vent all your immediate thoughts, which will mean dwelling on the negative. But letters remain for posterity, so you'll naturally find yourself trying to convey the positive sides of your experience so as not to come off as a total downer to your reader. If that doesn't work, write a simple list of 10 Amazing Things You Saw Today. The simple act of focusing on the positive will force you out of your hole

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Food

How to Eat Daal Bhaat Without Offending Your Host

Kate Harding

01 Apr 2009

Nepal

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If you are in Nepal for more than a few days, you will be invited to somebody's home for a delicious meal of daal bhaat (lentils and rice). Nepal is changing quickly, but some households might prefer you to follow a few rules of etiquette: 1) Bring a hostess gift and be sure to give it to the mother of the house: a kilo of fresh fruit and a bottle of juice is perfect. 2) Eat with your right hand only. 3) Don't share food that's on your plate and don't touch the main dishes with your own utensil. (This will make the meal "polluted" and then the family might have to do a purification ritual!) 4) Eat all of the food on your plate. 5) Ask for seconds, and you'll be the favorite guest.

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