A young Indian woman who was born and raised in the United States has shared how her life changed after moving to India, a country she once feared and misunderstood.
The 22-year-old, in a Reddit post, said she cried when her mother first told her the family was moving. She had never been to India before and had only heard negative things about it.
“I’d only heard bad things, so yeah… I was scared,” the post adds.
Felt welcomed:
According to the post, when she arrived in India with her 16-year-old sister, the first days were difficult.
She felt awkward, out of place, and unsure how to behave, and believed she would never get used to the new environment. However, as time passed, her feelings slowly changed.
The woman said India began to feel strangely familiar. Both she and her sister felt welcomed by their relatives. Family members, including cousins they had only known through phone calls, treated them warmly and made them feel at home.
“Our relatives were way warmer than I expected. Even my mom’s cousins who we barely knew except through calls, treated us like we were already close,” she adds.
{{/usCountry}}“Our relatives were way warmer than I expected. Even my mom’s cousins who we barely knew except through calls, treated us like we were already close,” she adds.
{{/usCountry}}People regularly checked on them, invited them out, and made sure they were comfortable. “ It wasn’t over the top or dramatic, just constant little things that made us feel included,” the post adds.
The woman admitted that adjusting has not been easy. Culture shock is real, and there are moments when she feels overwhelmed and outside her comfort zone.
Despite this, her experience has been far better than she expected. “I genuinely don’t understand why people hate on India so much without ever being here,” she adds.
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Check out the post here:
Here's how people reacted to the post:
Reddit users reacted warmly to the post. Many praised her honesty and shared their own experiences of moving to a new country, while others expressed surprise at her positive view of India.
One of the users commented, “I was in your shoes when I first moved here, but once you start dealing with people outside your family, trust me, that feeling goes away.”
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A second user commented, “India feels great when you have the wealth and option to leave whenever you want.”
“Quite surprised to know you've matched with the vibe here. Shows how mature you are!” another user commented.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)