Indiansmile

Mein Leben in Indien

3 Pros and Cons about living in India

17. Oktober 2022

Hallo and Namaste, 

today something new! 😊 This is the first article in English that I publish on my website!

I have actually written it for OURSCOLORFULLY. A wonderful Instagram page, where its owner Lora posts about intercultural couples, love stories as well as experiences about living abroad in general.

Have fun exploring her account! https://www.instagram.com/ourscolorfully/

Thank you, Lora, for publishing my text:

Pros about living in India

1. You meet new people from all over the world

Since I’ve been living in New Delhi, I have, obviously, met a lot of Indians. I experienced how they live their daily life, what they eat and how they celebrate their festivals.

But additionally, I also met a lot of expats from all over the world. The expat community in New Delhi includes people from Germany, Russia, France, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Belarus, Ukraine, Hungary and numerous other countries.

I got to know so many exciting people with different cultural backgrounds, which probably wouldn`t have happened so quickly in Germany. I learned about their traditions, their festivals and their view on life, which expanded my horizon enormously.

2. The traffic in India

This point might surprise some of you. But yes, I really like the traffic here in New Delhi. (on most of the days 😉 )

Of course there is a lot more going on the streets (cars, trucks, rickshaws, cows, dogs…) and it takes forever to get from point A to B. But overall everything is much more easygoing.

In India, there are fewer actual traffic rules, which means that many things are more flexible. Everyone has to take more care of each other to keep it smooth.

Another big plus point: The speeding is less, even on the highways, where you are allowed to drive a maximum of 120 km/h.

Driving behaviour in Germany, on the other hand, is much more aggressive. People drive very fast and bad accidents keep on happening.  And even if you’re driving at a speed of 180 km/h on the highway (German Autobahn), someone will definitely overtake you.

3. People are mostly positive and relaxed

From my perspective, I would describe the general mood in Indian everyday life as extremely positive. People smile a lot and are friendly. Every problem is approached calmly and in the end everything works out. Go with the flow is the motto.

This is in contrast to Germany, where many people have a rather negative view of the future and life in general. Certainly there are reasons for this! And bad weather is undoubtedly one of them. For months, the sky is gray and it rains a lot, which really gets on people’s mood.

Cons about living in India

1. Extreme weather

As a matter of fact, there is also badweather in New Delhi.

It is very, very hot for most times of the year. It feels like you’re living in a sauna. Every movement is exhausting and you would like to take a shower four times a day.

But the big surprise for me came during my first winter in India, when it got really cold. There is no heating installed in the houses, so I have had to get used to having breakfast in a winter jacket and a hat.

Besides the heat and cold, there is also a monsoon season in India. It pours for hours and the streets are completely underwater. After that, the mosquito season starts, which brings dangerous diseases like dengue. And I don`t even want to start complaining about the air pollution…

2. You rarely see friends and family anymore

A big con of living in India (and abroad in general) is that you rarely see your old friends and family.

You miss birthday parties, weddings and many festivals.

Luckily, there are video calls these days so that you can at least see each other regularly on the screen. And also, messages can be exchanged 24/7, so that you can still participate in each other’s lives as much as possible.

Unfortunately, all this will never be able to replace personal conversations or shared experiences.

3. You will follow less of your own traditions

If you live in India, you will experience many new festivals: You will play with colours on Holi, light diyas (clay candles) on Diwali and fly kites on Independence Day.

But what happens to your own festivals that you used to celebrate in your home country?

I can tell you: A lot will change in this regard.

Christmas, for example, is also celebrated in India, but in a very different way than in Europe. A Christmas tree and traditional decoration is not easy to get. And even the cookies will taste different due to the ingredients. No matter how hard you try, it will never be what you’re used to from home.

But life will always have its pros and cons for you. The most important thing is that you accept every challenge and find your own personal way of living happily in the new country.