Americans moving to Darjeeling (maybe)

machadinha

Yes... You could check out Nick-H's posts for instance, he's an expat living there, with all its ups and downs, and he has some insightful stories on it.

His latest (for the past year or so) have concerned the delights of getting an apartment fixed up there I think, and he's not in the habit of complaining about it, so what you'll find will be those very rare outbursts when he can't take it anymore. And that's not just about bureaucrats, but about the fun of dealing with construction workers and the likes for instance. I believe he's described it as the most stressful event in his life.

(I hope he doesn't mind me writing this down, it's all public though I believe. If not, it can be removed. And he has the benefit of being married to an Indian woman there. And, if I may say so, a mindset that is obviously intent to adapt and make his home there, not to seek out conflict as to what's not there. Although I'm sure he secretly experiences plenty of the latter.)

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navinkurian2002

About the location do look at other options like Kodaikanal
Temperature Summer - 19.80°C Winter - 17.30°C

An uncle of mine from St Johns canada lived there for 5 years . Teaching in one of the schools there.
http://www.kis.in/

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ashakasha

Navinkurian- we are in contact with Kodaikanal school. Exchanged some emails- they have a outdoor education position open that my husband will apply for.

Also talking with folks at Mt. Hermon school- sounds wonderful. The folks we are talking to are extraordinarily friendly and positive.

I wrote to Dr. Graham's orphanage, as well. We hope that something will open up so that we have some arrangements before going, but if not, we'll just check it out once there...that is if we don't die from shock and horror first

I would like to add that the Virgin Islands are NOT a suburb of Miami- maybe Machadinha was thinking of the Bahamas. The VI are sandwiched between Puerto Rico and the British VI. While it took some getting used to, we faired well and made quite a nice life for ourselves (and many wonderful friends..including west indians...VI is in the West Indies). Heehee...my w.indian friends loved to share the joke that "it is commonly known that west indian women can't lift anything heavier than a paycheck"-

Also, I am not sure where she went in South America, but we traveled to many states and they were all quite different...and many still had thriving cultures (Peru, Bolivia, etc.)- India certainly isn't without it's own western influences.

BTW- for those who have not gone to South America- it is a wonderful, wonderful place- everywhere we went. Not without it's own problems and difficulties, but wonderful.

ashakasha

OK- question: how cold is it in Darjeeling in the winter- and is it a wet cold or a dry cold?

Do people really not have a heat source in their homes? Like a wood burning stove or something?

I was born in Fairbanks Alaska (where temps can averaqe -60F) but it is a dry cold, so if you are bundled up appropriately, you can be quite comfortable outside. I spent my adult years in Anchorage (where it can be -20F) but it is a wet cold, so it actually feels colder than Fairbanks.

When my husband and I were dating, he lived in a little shack of a cabin in the mountains- no heat. Haha...I remember I would get undressed in the bed and get dressed in the morning while still in the bed (which meant 2 pairs socks, three shirts and a sweater or fleece, hat, gloves, etc.). We could see our breath inside! That sucked and I don't want to live that way...not for long, anyway.

So, any practical advice or info on this? It is currently my biggest concern about staying there long term.

dzibead

It's wet. See the following chart:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/c...ml?tt=TT002200

** jeanneleez **

I loved this response. :-)

I'm an American who moved to Calcutta last July, and I have to say it's not easy. I brought a teenage son, dog and cat, already had a job, a temporary place to stay and a good chunk of change to start over here in this country. I'm still don't have much furniture in my apartment, I pay an unacceptable amount of money for a car and driver, yet I have an amazing maid that cleans my house everyday, a cook that makes me two meals each day and this allows me to focus on work, and play - no more maintenance! YAY! (Things like laundry, shopping, car stuff, things I hated to do back in the States, are no longer my concerns. I've hired someone else to do those things for me.)

I think, personally for me, the toughest part here is just getting sh** done. Nothing is easy to do here and involves a lot more people than you expect. Quality is always an issue. Due to the colour of your skin, you'll feel like a walking wallet, particularly in areas where tourists can be found (Sorry, I am assuming you're white; if you're of African descent, race becomes a whole other issue).

I also think, personally for me, that I couldn't have made a better decision. The chaos that is India fits my personality - you have to be able to give way to India's way of life and release all Western expectations as to how things should be done. I say GO FOR IT. Your attitude of just making the attempt and accepting that if you fail, all that happens is you return home, is the best way to look at it. It's a great experience.

Sure, crap can happen, but then again, you could take a spill in your oversized shower back home or get hit by a bus crossing 5th Avenue, so why not?

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navinkurian2002

Just read this on google news

‘Don’t visit Darjeeling this summer'
Kolkata: Tourists should not visit Darjeeling - the popular hill station of West Bengal - this summer due to unrest, the state's Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Ashok Bhattacharya has said a recent meeting in the city.
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14665289

machadinha

No, they obviously aren't, I was being cynical. Never mind, forget about it, and I'm not about to address it any further.

For more weather overviews, try also this whole thread: India climate chart

Reports of tensions there as reported by Navinkurian now have been coming in steadily on this site over the past year or so yes; to my knowledge, with various local demands for (greater) autonomy (e.g., Gorkhaland, but that's not the only fight I believe) this has been flaring up at times since at least the 1980s if not longer. And to my best knowledge this had been pretty quiet for the past decade or so, but apparently it's far from over.

I'm not sure if this would seriously affect the prospect of living there/staying there long-term, other than having to deal with regular bandhs (strikes) and consequent logistic (e.g., shopping and other simple daily business) and transport hassles; I suspect not, really, especially not if you don't belong to one of the ethnic groups in question and don't take an active stance in those struggles. And even in its heydays the conflict was pretty low-intensity I believe, albeit intense enough to merit travel restrictions if I remember correctly and a strong and prolonged army presence. But it's certainly something to at least study up on a little, if only because it will give you a greater understanding of that region.

As even that minister apparently warned, the threat is less one of violence, but (emphasis mine):

ashakasha

Machadinha- you don't need to address it any further, but I just took it as an unnecessary jab- not just at me- but I imagine west indians would prefer not to be considered suburbanites if Miami- most have never left the island, except maybe to go to Puerto Rico (which is quite a distance from Miami or the Bahamas...way futher south). Whatevs...

Thanks for the helpful info on the current state of affairs in Darjeeling, though. We certainly experienced similar unrest specifically in Copacabana, Bolivia and Buenos Aires, Arg.- it was somewhat peaceful, however, as the whole town just shut down and so a tourist could not get a taxi or a bus out. Didn't mind as a tourist, but for longer term might be something we want to avoid. This is of particular interest to me, as I'm considering putting my son in school in Darjeeling- not sure how social unrest might impact that. Will keep an eye on how things are going...

Thanks again, folks!

machadinha

Er, if you'll allow me to quote you, then I'll leave it at that:

That's what inspired my reaction. I'm glad if you found some other comments of some help. (I am once again reminded of this story -- urban legend or otherwise -- of a Dutch minister in the 1950s or thereabouts who proposed helping out the poor "natives" by building a bridge from Curaçao to Suriname. Little did he realize it would have needed to span roughly the distance from Amsterdam to Rome.)

ashakasha

OK...I'm not sure why you need to beat this poor, dead horse, but...the caribbean is just south of the US- (SO IS CUBA, DOMINICAN REPULBIC, etc.)- I simply meant it isn't another continent on the other side of the world. It appears there is nothing I can say at this point or beyond that isn't gonna cause you to get your knickers in a twist- so be it.

As far as the comment about there being too many people in America- simply meant there are too many people everywhere these days- and this should not be used as away to discourage people from going to visit other countries. We were in Caracas, Venezuela and Lima, Peru- VERY CROWDED, FILTHY, and DANGEROUS. We won't be shocked and appalled to encounter extraordinary numbers of people...and animals...and various types of vehicles. Anyone else been to Caracas?

machadinha

Yup, and I'm quite sure many here have. (I hope you found it something more than filthy and dangerous alone.) Many have far more "international" experience than me for that matter.

Maybe this lies at the heart of the conflict here: Your wish to "just do it" because you "want to" isn't so unique. So just go and do it, I'm sure you'll manage, and maybe just take what you can from the advice you're given here, the warts and all. It's you who wants to find out, after all, isn't it. Meanwhile, I should hope you've gained some preliminary ideas or at least some keywords to search on regarding logistics involved, the climate, political conditions, the difficulties of settling there or even doing the "visa run," and so on.

As Edwardseco remarked earlier, have you looked into medical concerns yet, also with a view to your child?

federica

I am sorry, but according to my experience such a behaviour leads to an early heart attack but mostly to nothing else in India. Hope you won't act like suggested...

edwardseco

Just the reason why you should be careful about associating with expats, Nick excepted..

Nick-H

I'm glad your husband thought he was crazy: sounds like a bad attack of 100-yr-old colonial arrogance!

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