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‘You just run and hope for the best’: Foreign woman shares struggle with crossing roads in India
A foreign woman said crossing roads in India felt terrifying as she had to “run and hope for the best”.
A foreign woman living in India has shared two aspects of everyday life that she still finds difficult to understand: crossing busy roads and coping with the extreme summer heat. Her candid observations have resonated with social media users, several of whom offered explanations and practical advice.
(Also read: ‘You negotiate with destiny’: Foreign woman’s take on crossing roads in Bengaluru goes viral)
‘There is no system in crossing roads’
The woman, identified as Polina, shared a video on Instagram describing her experience of navigating traffic in India. She admitted that crossing roads remains a frightening task, even though she has been living in the country for some time.
“I've been living here for some time now and some things I still genuinely don't understand. First thing is how do you cross the road? You just cross it by god's chance. There is like no system in crossing the roads. You just run to the road and hope for the best. This is terrifying for me,” she said.
In the clip, Polina appeared puzzled by how people confidently make their way through moving traffic despite the apparent lack of an organised system at several crossings.
Struggle with India’s summer heat
Apart from road crossings, Polina also spoke about her difficulty in dealing with temperatures that rise above 45 degrees Celsius during summer.
“The second thing, how is everyone outside when it's like 45 plus degrees? I cannot be in this temperature. Even at night, if I am going somewhere, I am walking to my car, it is so hot,” she said.
She added, “If I go outside right now, it's 1:30 pm, and sit for half an hour in the sun, even in the shadow, but outside, I will get a heat stroke. I will go to hospital after that. I cannot take this temperature. I don't know how people are doing this.”
Polina shared the clip with a brief caption that read, “I love India.”
Social media users react
The video received several reactions, with users sharing their own views about crossing roads in India. One person agreed with her concerns and wrote, “Yeah true nobody cares about safety rules in India.”
Another user explained, “It's not easy for beginners because, in India, we don't have any fear of that sort. That's why crossing the road is not a big deal for us.”
A third person compared the process to solving a puzzle, writing, “Once you start crossing, it may look complicated, but it all comes together like a jigsaw puzzle, with every piece falling into place. This is valid only for two-lane roads. For wider roads, use the subway.”
(Also read: Russian woman shows friend the ‘desi’ way to cross busy road in Jaipur: ‘Mission complete’)
Offering a simple suggestion, another commented, “The easiest way to cross the road? Make eye contact with the driver.”
(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.)
