Random musings

AwayFromHome

Been here for almost 3 months, thought I'd share some experiences.

- Things, in general, don't work in India. This includes the government machinery, the infrastructure, day-to-day dealings in general. No surprise here, I guess.

- Things don't work even if you are willing to throw some moolah around. So, don't try to do so.


- For all the vaunted 'English-speaking' base, communication is a problem. On a day-to-day basis (not talking about tourists here). Maids, drivers, security guards come from myriad regions and are fluent in their own languages, but mostly not fluent in Hindi or English or Urdu or Punjabi (the only 4 I'm fluent in).

- The roads completely suck in Gurgaon

- Be prepared to WAIT for evrything - help, parties, guests, weddings. Nothing gets started even remotely on time.

- To be continued!

Ahhh, but wait - here's the good parts:

- Fantastic food, cooked in your own house by someone who really knows what they are doing.

- Fantastic people - almost everyone I know has gone out of their way to help. So friendly and cheerful, it's a delight.

- Fantastic restaurants - great variety and good quality food.

- Authentic Gol-Guppas and Chaat

- Great Schools (you may have to pay a little premium, but wee worth it in my opinion).

- Great conversations. Indians know how to start an animated and intelligent chit chat with strangers or friends.

In all, I think I made a great decision to move back here, and as i said....to be continued.

namaste_cat

Congrats, I think? on your move back. I hope I don't have you confused with someone else but aren't you married to an American? Reason I'm interested in your experience is because my spouse is American, and I often think of moving back. How is your spouse adjusting?

What you say above about the day-to-day frustrations is the biggest sticking point for hubby and myself. I can't stand the line/queue-jumping and some of the issues you brought up. I get really annoyed when I visit, so not sure I could tolerate it all the time. I know, pretty lame on my part:, I should just suck it up:<

I agree with all the positives in your message I'm hoping some day for me the +s will outweigh the minuses....

If you don't mind, would you continue to post how you like/don't like things and how they compare to the U.S.?

PeakXV

So true, so energizing, often so worldly. The only problem is that in order to get that same degree of random interaction upon returning home - you may find that you need an amped-up 100v battery and a pair of booster cables clamped on to the individual's behind.

__________________
What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

AwayFromHome

Hi, Namaste_Cat,

It's a definite 'congrats'! And thanks.

My wife, like you surmised, is American. But she is also very, very desi. She's visited here tons of times, and lived with my family alone, while we were adopting our son, for 6 plus months.

Another advantage i have is that my wife and my family get along extremely well - there is genuine love on both sides.

That said, as often on this forum, visiting is different than settling.

My wife has adjusted well, and so have the kids. But there's a ways to go and she does get frustrated.

I'll keep updating, and please PM if you have any specific questions.

Indojingai

If it helps any, the Dutch (of all shapes n sizes I should say) are experts at line jumping. Here the norm is to be rude to customers and make them feel unwelcome for buying from their shops. And they also do not like to give way to anyone coming exactly in the line of path to avoid collision. If you 'look' like Moroccan people then you're expected to give way... always.

So you're not alone buddy.

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namaste_cat

Great to hear this, AwayFromHome. I mean the adjusting well part Interestingly, Gurgaon and Noida are the 2 places I have been eyeing, but I was so disappointed to see the poor infrastructure. I dislike malls in the U.S, so last thing i wanna do is go to one in India. Would be nice to see effort being made to shore up the basics/infrastructure than focus on conspicuous consumption, know what I mean.

Unlike your American spouse, mine is not at all desi. He loves Indian history, clothing, food, and culture (w/ the exception of some customs), but current day India not so much esp the way many Indians behave

Oh well, I can still pretend to be back and have the best of both worlds by living vicariously through you and other Indians who have moved back!

Indojingai - been a long time -- 25 yrs to be exact-- since I visited the country of which you speak. I was physically assaulted by 6 young men in their late teens, while the local cops stood on and watched, so it brings back horrible painful memories for me Let's just say I get what you're talking about, and a whole lot more!

jituyadav

Awayfromhome, your random musings could not be any closer to truth. It made interesting reading and looking forward to the 'to be continued “part. And yes, WELOCOME!

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I started with nothing and I still have most of it!

Indojingai

There is general passive-aggressive attitude here but a bunch of people physically attacking a tourist doesn't sound very right. Were you near tourist trap areas with loads of coffee-shops etc? Chances are those attackers were touts, drug-peddlers and perhaps needless to say North African? They're known to be troublemakers around here.

Well, cops not doing anything for an assault happening in plain sight... now that's horrible.

OTOH, Dutch tourists in India face a lot more harassment than this from touts I guess.