By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Friday, March 26, 2010

I am inspired to share a little about the 2010 USA Census from the Indian Abroad Website. Used with permission.

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Monday, November 23, 2009

Myths, misconceptions and misinformation about others often leads to misunderstandings and complications in relationships. Stereotypes and myths help us to make sense out of things we can not comprehend, things that are bigger than us. However, stereotypes and myths often lead to building of walls and ignorance of who the other person really is. I want to educate others about the myths, stereotypes and erronous beliefs people have about American culture and Indian culture. If you have any thoughts on these topics, please click in and fill in the form with your thoughts. It is confidential.

However, if you feel more comfortable to e-mail me, please do - jenkumar@gmail.com.

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Monday, November 02, 2009

My husband has been engulfed in work for more than 12 hours somedays. Despite this, he has managed to post over 100 shots to his flickr account this past month: Utah Road Trip (still more to come...), India trip 2009 (still more to come), Syracuse Nationals Car Show 2009, Navarathri Golu 2009 and shots of my own handmade soaps among other amazing shots.

Image, right: entry to Ekambareswara temple, Kanchipuram. Read more about Ekambareswara here.

Click in to see intriguing and impressive images.

  Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Travelling through 11 American states was a highlight of our family photo album in the last month. Peek inside to see a portion of the photos of this trip along with other adventures from our summer escapades to these 11 states and a few others on the other side of the earth, in India!

Thank you!

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Because Onam happened last week, I am combining the photo displays of Krishna and I into this one post!

Click in to see photos and videos of our escapades to Pennsylvania (Stargazing, Lyman Run State Park, Grand Canyon Park, Tioga Central Railroad, Wellsboro), celebrations of Ganesh Chathurthi at home, UK Car day in Rochester, NY and more!! Enjoy!!

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Enjoying the scenery of home and upstate New York's summer spendlor is the theme of these batch of photo, highlighting various towns and  settings as seen through the lens of my husband, Krishna! Enjoy.

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Stepping foot into India as a married woman with my husband, staying with his family for a few weeks was an exciting and memorable trip. In this two part travel diary, I share a few days excerpt of my experiences of travelling to and enjoying the new sights and sounds of Kerala, India.

In part one, I share our transit experience. What is it like to experience an Indian airport? What is it like to be greeted by the Indian climate, culture and people? I share a few thoughts from my experience.

Photo slideshow at end of post.

Thank you for reading.

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Friday, May 22, 2009

 

Looking for an economical vacation, usually a place that can be covered in one day (a daycation) and may even be a local retreat (staycation) for some. Some of these rendezvous may also be classified as ‘freecations’ because depending on where you live maybe no fees are required to attend at all!

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Friday, May 08, 2009

A few months back I recorded myself on YouTube talking about my thoughts and experiences integrating the cultures of India and America in my life here in America. The three videos total about 15 minutes. Listen at your leisure!

I would really be happy to hear your feedback on the videos. Log into this blog to leave your feedback or I have provided links under each video to the YouTube sites where you can leave your comments as well!!

I appreciate you spending your time and sharing your opinions with me!!

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Wednesday, May 06, 2009

 

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Friday, April 03, 2009

 

Before I went to India, I read hundreds of books on a variety of topics and even studied some languages. I learned about a lot of things, most specifically the differences between America and India. It was fun and exciting to learn about how people express life differently than me, and of course that was one reason I wanted to experience India for myself.

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Monday, December 22, 2008

They say diamonds are forever. On this tenth year anniversary of stepping into India, my memories of those days are as vivid as if they are happening today. These memories are like my diamonds, they will be with me forever, will shape who I am and remind me everyday my love and passion for India....

I visited India for the first time December 19, 1998- January 1, 1999. It was an amazing and unforgettable trip that changed my life forever!! Click in to see photos and review some posts of my memories of that life-changing trip!!

Thank you, India!!!

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Monday, December 15, 2008

A short inspirational story on my experience as a pioneering student in India. This essay was written for a scholarship I have been awarded called "Emerging Entrepreneurs."

Click inside to see a photo slide show of my studies in India.

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Friday, October 24, 2008

The tower of a Hindu temple is called a "gopuram".

I have always been curious what is the meaning of this word. Sudarshan shares his knowledge about the etmology of this intriguing word.

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Monday, April 07, 2008

Happy 1st Birthday, Alaivani! Let's see what are the accomplishments and milestones of the first year of life!

Thank you to all the readers out there for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you!

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Friday, March 28, 2008

In this 'Go Green Supplement' meme, I share some thoughts on how to reduce or eliminate chemicals from different daily tasks in the home. Enjoy!

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Wednesday, March 19, 2008

This month I talk with George Thaliath in Kochi, India about his international weekly newsletter entitled, Monday Mail.

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Monday, January 21, 2008

In celebration of my first trip to India, almost 10 years ago, I recount my feelings upon leaving a place in actual distance, far from home, but in emotional distance too close to imagine- Chennai, India. Enjoy.

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Monday, January 14, 2008

As offices go paperless, it seems households should too. How do you save paper? I will share some of my tips on going paperless.

Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Thursday, January 03, 2008

This article is written to answer the following questions -

How did I get from USA to India, to Chennai, to Madras Christian College?
How did my family and friends think about and help me to reach this goal?
What did I do in India, exactly?
Reprinted from tripod. Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Thursday, January 03, 2008

When I was at Madras Christian College, I was asked to write and article for a college publication about why I liked being in India. This is what I came up with! Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Monday, July 30, 2007

I don’t recommend this, unless, it is shut off to traffic! We went to walk on Rochester’s Inner Loop yesterday, July 29, 2007. The city shut it off for traffic from 8am -2pm. We got there about 10am. Not many people were there. We entered near the East Main entrance and walked toward the new Frederick Douglass-Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge. It was a nice walk. Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Wednesday, June 20, 2007

We all have natural rhythms of up and down, healthy and unwell. I always wondered about the natural rhythms of the earth and its environment. After all, humans did not contribute to the ice age. And, I always wondered how much of global warming is occurring based on the natural cycles of the earth and it’s environment, as I am sure warming and cooling of weather patterns have occurred throughout the lifetime of the earth since it’s been inhabited by human beings. Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Saturday, April 28, 2007

Additional topics to spark your interest in contributing to this section of the blog. Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Monday, April 09, 2007

I was reminded time is man made and that we are fooled by the concept of time. I think that a change in how we use our time comes from a change in how we think about time. Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Monday, April 02, 2007

I think one secret to an interesting life is to look at your life as though you’re observing it. What about your life is of interest? Maybe we see parts of ourselves in some TV characters we watch with bated breath, but do we watch our own life with that same sense of eager anticipation? Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Thursday, March 29, 2007

When you are faced with a crisis- a situation thrown at you when least expected, how can you resolve it and feel as though you’re not loosing ground? The thing that I found works well with a lot of people (and myself) - is to stay in the present- in the now. Read More »

By Jennifer Kumar, LMSW Cultural Adjustment Coach/Mentor on Sunday, March 25, 2007

In retrospect the word initiation was fitting for this week since at least two initiations I know of happened this week. March 19 was Ugadi, the New Year in some parts of India. A New Year is undoubtedly an initiation. And spring 2007 was initiated on March 21. Read More »