The word ‘CULTURE’ has been derived from the Latin word ‘CULTURA’ which means to cultivate, to grow.(1) Anthropologist Edward B Taylor, defines culture as “That complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits.” (2) This is the basic premise that beliefs, morals, and customs are all based on one’s culture. In the essay, “No Place Like Home” by Neil Bissoondath, the author describes how multiculturalism creates uneasiness on different levels to immigrants in Canada. The author points that Canada’s Multicultural Act, focuses on cultural uniqueness rather than cultural integration that has provided for stereotypes and other problems for ethnic minorities in the country. Bissoondath is describing people of different cultures are put into different genres regardless of where they come from. Any disorientation, uneasiness, and insecurity they feel when they encounter cultures radically different from their own such as religion, skin colour, language, lifestyle, is considered to be culture shock. Living in a new country can have its share of difficulties, but at the same time provide insights into a whole new culture. India is known as the melting point of different cultures, each one unique in its own respect from the art, food, religion, language, lifestyle and politics. When I was 15 years old, my father, who is an accountant by profession, accepted a job offer to work for KPMG India. The KPMG branch was located in Bangalore. My parents, originally from Bangalore, moved to Canada in the 1980’s. They were thrilled by the opportunity to visit India and my relatives after a very long time. However, the case of leaving all my high school friends, the food, entertainment and lifestyle behind and moving to country I had left behind when I was 2 years old, was almost too unbearable. Furthermore, the case of adjusting to a whole new system of values and customs was strange and overwhelming to digest. After a 15 hour flight, we arrived in Bangalore, India. I along with the family explored different places within the city of Bangalore and neighbouring states as well. While there were large shopping malls, monuments (palaces religious and spirituals sites, museums) and neighborhoods of varying cultures, they all had a couple of common traits. They all smelled, the road trips were a roller coaster ride, and they were all filled with poverty. Adjusting to the day to day activities took quite a while. As Bissoondath stated, “Within days I realized the extent of the change that had occurred not only to me, but to all I had left behind.” (Bissoondath 365) The dirt and smells I encountered not only shocked me but is was the worst thing about the country. The stench of garbage, which was collected every twelve days, occasional overflow of sewage, lack of sanitation, heavy pollution in the air were common everyday sights that became part of my life living in this country which I eventually got used too. In addition, one word perfectly describes the roads in India, ‘Mayhem.’ Smaller vehicles, motorcycles and cycles, usually give way to larger vehicles (trucks, buses, SUV) that command the roads. There are no separate lanes for cycles and drivers weave all across the road, in and out of traffic, and overtake from north and south directions. The roads within the city of Bangalore are full of pot holes, partially dug up, and do not contain a single speed bump. On the other hand, the highway road conditions have improved dramatically over the years with each containing smooth paved three lanes in each direction. The sounds I experienced in India were unique, unlike North America. The public like to use their horns while driving their vehicles. For instance, they will honk when turning corners, overtaking, or when there are vehicles that are moving too slow. This constant blaring of horns in traffic occurs for the most part of the day and is one of the most unbearable things about living in India, especially in the city. Living in Bangalore, the food culture that I was exposed too was something I had never quite experienced before. The combinations of highly aromatic seasonings and flavours along with a mixture of hot, sour, sweet and salty dishes from different parts of India, were all available within walking distance from my house. Every alternative day, I would have either breakfast, lunch, or dinner from the nearly dozen restaurants, cafes, and food stalls that had opened for business within three months since I arrived. This became sort of a hobby, sampling the variety of dishes available, and one that I cherished the most. The booming economy and burgeoning development has made India more accessible to the world in terms of tourism, business growth and quality of life for its citizens. Influences from North America and Europe and funding by the government has provided cities and towns all over the country with supermarkets, Walmart, that contain products from all over the world, mega shopping malls with the latest designer clothing such as Tommy Hilfiger, Louis Vuitton and many others, modern restaurants, bars, and clubs such as KFC, Subway, McDonald’s etc... In addition, people have more money to spend, especially the growing middle class as the economy has grow rapidly since the late 90’s. I was surprised to witness, people of every ethnicity purchasing automobiles, high end electronics (flat screen televisions, computers, other electronics) and travelling within and outside the country more often than before. During my five year stay in Bangalore, I witnessed six new airline companies that began operations in the country. Kingfisher Airlines, being the most popular company was founded in Bangalore. In addition, from 2004 everyone had access to cellphones from the barber, the butcher, the tailor to everyone in between. Cellphone and service companies began to spring up in numbers as a result, the cost of ownership decreased to around $20 a phone. Something that was impossible to own prior to 2002. “In 2010, India’s economy rebounded robustly from the global financial meltdown growing at 8% year on year.” (3) Despite being the second fastest growing economy after China, the contrast between the rich and poor is still obvious and continues to increasingly widen. On one side of the street were huge apartments, shopping malls and upscale stores, while on the other side people continued to live in houses made of sticks, few bricks and metal sheets. Some of them would sleep on the side of the roads covering themselves up with newspapers and plastic bags to keep warm. In addition, beggars would approach us at traffic lights and would tap the windows of the car to grab attention. While at the railway stations, they would approach us and tug on our clothing for 2-3 rupees, equivalent to $0.40 cents, just so that they could afford a proper meal for the day. This activity routinely took place and it was one of the hardest things I had to accept as reality living in this country. Recognition of the amount of people in the city really takes getting used to. There are so many of them and they come from different parts of the country everyday looking for jobs or better life. Some are dressed in vibrant colourful dresses with a variety of patterns engraved on their outfit while others are dressed in corporate attires, wearing suits and carrying briefcases. As I walked down Commercial Street, a popular shopping district in Bangalore, the smiley sales person would do the Indian bobble head thing while saying, “250 Rupees only Sir/Madam, which is approximately 6 dollars”, my dad used to smile and say, “Ok no thank you” imitating the head movement of the shop owner, it was one of the funny and unique moments witnessed. Living in India for five years has made me open up eyes to the world beyond the life that I have lived in Canada. In spite of the frustrations and uneasiness I encountered living in the city, the diversity of people, food, lifestyle and entertainment that I witnessed has really been able to help me gain a better understanding of life. It is the country that I moved to depressed and annoyed when I was 15 years old and experienced culture shock but had a cherished and spiritual connection when I left.