How has living abroad changed you ?

[Crookbond]

2) Interacted very closely with people of different cultures. That changes you completely. You realize that people are the same where ever you go. All this notion of whites behaving in certain way, Indians in another, Chinese in another is nonsense. There would be some generalization of course but dating an Indian woman is not different to a British woman. Actually this is perhaps no different in India as well (these days) when dating a Bengali woman and a Marathi just makes you realize they are both woman and not different entity.

True that! :two_thumbs_up:

[Sarkar]

Born in uk lived in Andhra Pradesh for good 12 years then moving back to UK 13 years ago i still feel lost i still miss my good friends and relatives from India i still havent changed why should i change.

[veer]

how long did you stay in the US and where and why are you moving back to?

Been in US for 15 years.. Few reasons... 1) I dont think I can spend my senior year here in states... After certain point, you do feel loneliness... + Medical system 2) Others are too dependent on you for transportation etc.. In India, it is easy to move around.. 3) Grand Parents are in India and getting old so need to take care of them 4) Too much of 8-5 Monday to Friday life.. Years have passed by anything.. There you can spend quality time with friends and family regularly Then, there are few personal reasons...

[Laaloo]

Been in US for 15 years.. Few reasons... 1) I dont think I can spend my senior year here in states... After certain point, you do feel loneliness... + Medical system 2) Others are too dependent on you for transportation etc.. In India, it is easy to move around.. 3) Grand Parents are in India and getting old so need to take care of them 4) Too much of 8-5 Monday to Friday life.. Years have passed by anything.. There you can spend quality time with friends and family regularly Then, there are few personal reasons...

++ You can do a lot of stuff in India. I can wake up early. Living in NJ, I practically stay home during the winter. At least in India I can do a lot of stuff. I'm still in school so moving back to India is not an option as of now but surely in the future. Staying too far away from my family.

[veer]

++ You can do a lot of stuff in India. I can wake up early. Living in NJ, I practically stay home during the winter. At least in India I can do a lot of stuff. I'm still in school so moving back to India is not an option as of now but surely in the future. Staying too far away from my family.

Very good point about Winter.. Even though I am in Texas and we dont get snowed in but winter is just depressing... gets darker at 5:30-6:00... you get off work and its already dark.. you cant do much... i know it may sound like an excuse.. and it may well be but still it is depressing personally..

[Laaloo]

Very good point about Winter.. Even though I am in Texas and we dont get snowed in but winter is just depressing... gets darker at 5:30-6:00... you get off work and its already dark.. you cant do much... i know it may sound like an excuse.. and it may well be but still it is depressing personally..

Yup by the way where are you moving back to? The thing that holds me back from moving back to India is the work environment. It's all work work work and nothing else.

[punjabi_khota]

When in India, thought Burger king was the restaurant for the elite hip and happening. Now I know better.

[coffee_rules]

I became an atheist here.

[hhunaeh]

Has anybody here given up Indian citizenship?Is it just a formality after spending so much time outside the country, or is it a major decision?

[Laaloo]

Has anybody here given up Indian citizenship?Is it just a formality after spending so much time outside the country' date=' or is it a major decision?[/quote'] I've given up indian citizenship but it wasnt my choice.

[hhunaeh]

I've given up indian citizenship but it wasnt my choice.

Can you still vote in Indian elections? Can you stay in India for whatever period you wish for? What exactly did you give up when you gave up your citizenship?sorry for so many questions, i am really curious about this.

[Laaloo]

Can you still vote in Indian elections? Can you stay in India for whatever period you wish for? What exactly did you give up when you gave up your citizenship?sorry for so many questions' date=' i am really curious about this.[/quote'] No I cannot vote in Indian elections. I don't really know if I can stay in India for whatever period I wish for. If you have OCI( overseas citizen of India), I believe you can still own property in India.

[Muloghonto]

Can you still vote in Indian elections? Can you stay in India for whatever period you wish for? What exactly did you give up when you gave up your citizenship?sorry for so many questions' date=' i am really curious about this.[/quote'] I gave up my citizenship over ten years ago for Canadian citizenship (now, dual citizenship with the US because of my wife). The only effect it has on you, is that you cannot vote, cannot go to 'sensetive areas that are open to Indians only but no foreigners' - example: Kashmir, Nathu La pass, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, etc. and IIRC, how long your 'tax free PIO account' lasts. Beyond that, there is no big impact. What India does, is give you PIO card (Person of Indian origin), which entitles you and up to three generations after you(your direct blood descendants) to claim Indian citizenship at any point in your/their lives.

[maniac]

India for me used to be home and U.S.A a place where I can earn a decent living and have relatively easier access and also to a certain extent affordabilityto high-end/Brand name electronic and retail products but now India is a place I visit when I miss family,food or need handicrafts for my home-in that order of importance and U.S is my home.

[maniac]

Also Living abroad changes your perspective.... This may apply to most of us Let's weigh in the factors that favor India over U.S Self-DependanceIn India I never made chai for myself,leave alone cook food.I Never did any household chores,Never ironed my clothes...Hell even for a shave I used to go to the barber on most occassions....Despite not being a King/Prince(I wish I was :((),you almost feel like one when you reminice about your life in India with your Non-Indian friends/colleagues doesn't it...This is not just my story but most people who live abroad,who grew up in a middle-upper middle class family in India. India 1-U.S-0 Savings/MoneyThe savings I used to have when I worked in India are more or less propotional to the savings here,so there is no extra benefit for a middle-class income earner in the u.s like me despite getting paid in $$$ Tie India 1-U.S-0 Respect No one gives a **** about what I do for a living here(except for my fello FOB's) but in India when I talk about the corporation I work for and my job,I get some amount of respect which can be overwhelming at times though :giggle: India 2 U.S-0 FamilyMost of the self-proclaimed Sunny Deols here may not give up their life for the country but most of us would die for our family.Most of us have immediate or extended members of our family that we are close to, still living in India. India 3 U.S-0 Access to Branded Products Well if you have money in India everything is available there now but I guess some things that are still considered luxury there might be affordable here....not in terms of conversion but in terms of having access to them.So let's say India 3 U.S-1 So looks like if you already have a decent paying job and some amount of money saved up in the bank,India is the place to be doesn't it? So why do people go as far as giving up their citizenship of their birth place and also let go some of the comforts or benfits living in your motherland(India) The answer is the things that trump all the points in favor of your resident foregin country is- 1)In U.S(May be applicable to other Countries too)-They are Resident-centric society(lack of better word) -Everything is accessible and un-complicated that's what I was going for.Your rights are protected. 2)There is Freedom and Privacy-As long as you are not breaking the law,no one is going to bother you. You can do whatever the f*** you want. The best part is infact,you have the oppurtunities available in abundance to do whatever the f*** you want no matter how absurd it sounds and no one is going to care. And apparently the above 2 points seem to trump everything else. People just don't want to return to India once they see an opening abroad...You will keep seeing thousands if not millions migrating to other countries .I would agree with each and everyone of their sentiments despite having a more than a comfortable living waiting for me in India. disclaimer-I just typed whatever thoughts that came to my head....so please bear with me and I will keep editing it.

[Clarke]

The biggest difference I would say is I earned my first college degree in India and gained an education in the first couple of years in the United States. The university experience is something I shall cherish forever, not that the personal or professional life after that was any bad.

[Jersey #10]

I became ignorant but ya, dhobi ka kutta na ghar ka na ghat ka Living in the US, I feel peaceful and private but lonely sometimes (even when I'm with friends). When I visited India for about 15 days, 5 years ago I realized how everyone must know everything about you and it was quite annoying. I hated the dust and the unsanitary culture. What I miss the most are the festivals. I don't miss the people or the "land".

[Muloghonto]

Also Living abroad changes your perspective.... This may apply to most of us Let's weigh in the factors that favor India over U.S Self-DependanceIn India I never made chai for myself,leave alone cook food.I Never did any household chores,Never ironed my clothes...Hell even for a shave I used to go to the barber on most occassions....Despite not being a King/Prince(I wish I was :((),you almost feel like one when you reminice about your life in India with your Non-Indian friends/colleagues doesn't it...This is not just my story but most people who live abroad,who grew up in a middle-upper middle class family in India. India 1-U.S-0 Savings/MoneyThe savings I used to have when I worked in India are more or less propotional to the savings here,so there is no extra benefit for a middle-class income earner in the u.s like me despite getting paid in $$$ Tie India 1-U.S-0 Respect No one gives a **** about what I do for a living here(except for my fello FOB's) but in India when I talk about the corporation I work for and my job,I get some amount of respect which can be overwhelming at times though :giggle: India 2 U.S-0 FamilyMost of the self-proclaimed Sunny Deols here may not give up their life for the country but most of us would die for our family.Most of us have immediate or extended members of our family that we are close to, still living in India. India 3 U.S-0 Access to Branded Products Well if you have money in India everything is available there now but I guess some things that are still considered luxury there might be affordable here....not in terms of conversion but in terms of having access to them.So let's say India 3 U.S-1 So looks like if you already have a decent paying job and some amount of money saved up in the bank,India is the place to be doesn't it? So why do people go as far as giving up their citizenship of their birth place and also let go some of the comforts or benfits living in your motherland(India) The answer is the things that trump all the points in favor of your resident foregin country is- 1)In U.S(May be applicable to other Countries too)-They are Resident-centric society(lack of better word) -Everything is accessible and un-complicated that's what I was going for.Your rights are protected. 2)There is Freedom and Privacy-As long as you are not breaking the law,no one is going to bother you. You can do whatever the f*** you want. The best part is infact,you have the oppurtunities available in abundance to do whatever the f*** you want no matter how absurd it sounds and no one is going to care. And apparently the above 2 points seem to trump everything else. People just don't want to return to India once they see an opening abroad...You will keep seeing thousands if not millions migrating to other countries .I would agree with each and everyone of their sentiments despite having a more than a comfortable living waiting for me in India. disclaimer-I just typed whatever thoughts that came to my head....so please bear with me and I will keep editing it.

I disagree on the respect part, that is where the western society is so much more enlightened and ahead of India. We work to earn money. As such, i don't see why a successful trucker should be given 'less respect' than a scientist who makes half as much money. Indians, at heart, are still classist people, who like to make caste-like 'above me,beneath me, respectable, nonrespectable' type of bakwaas. Out here, i am not 'embarassed' about inviting my trucker friend, garbage disposal friend and my Yale educated business partner for my son's birthday. They will sit besides each other, joke around, have fun & go home. If this was India, there would be 'why should i sit besides a jamadar ? its beneath me!' kinda classist BS. As such, in the western world, we don't overglorify the 'tecchies/scholars' and completely ignore the working class in social standing, which makes for a much more balanced society. And lastly, don't begin to compare Indian middle class kids with western middle class kids. The former group are overpampered spoilt brats, who cannot even seperate their whites from their colored clothes. The latter group, when in university, are already way ahead of life skills than most desi kids are. They are much better at managing money (having worked summer jobs and having budgeting skills due to it, unlike desi kids who dont even know the concept of 'work' till 21/22 and graduating from college), they are much more well rounded individuals in their teens than the desis. All the desis kids are, are either bookworms with zero life skills at 19 or shaitaans who have spent their whole life barely passing, farting around and having zero life skills.

[Stuge]

Some settle abroad to stay away from inlaws !

rubbish !! ...so that you can post on ICF at high speeds :P

[Clarke]

The answer is the things that trump all the points in favor of your resident foregin country is- 1)In U.S(May be applicable to other Countries too)-They are Resident-centric society(lack of better word) -Everything is accessible and un-complicated that's what I was going for.Your rights are protected. 2)There is Freedom and Privacy-As long as you are not breaking the law,no one is going to bother you. You can do whatever the f*** you want. The best part is infact,you have the oppurtunities available in abundance to do whatever the f*** you want no matter how absurd it sounds and no one is going to care. disclaimer-I just typed whatever thoughts that came to my head....so please bear with me and I will keep editing it.

The biggest motivation which you don't seem to agree on is the standard of living. Its far easier to buy a comfy 4 bedroom temp controlled home with 2 cars in US than it is in India while working as a techie or a small business owner.