Moving abroad can change the way people look at everyday habits they once considered normal. An Indian woman, Dr Parinoor, has shared a list of five things she does not miss about India after moving abroad, including public staring, unannounced visits, personal space, honking and lane discipline.
In a video shared on Instagram, Dr Parinoor said the first thing she does not miss is "the staring". She said that after moving abroad, she can go to the beach in a bikini or relax in a park without repeatedly checking whether someone is watching her.
She said that people can literally just exist in public without being conscious about themselves. She added that she has become used to the freedom of being able to do so.
The second thing on her list was people turning up at someone's home without calling first. She contrasted this with her experience abroad, where people typically ask in advance if they are home or free for a quick meet-up.
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In India, she joked that people might instead say, "We were just passing by and thought we'd stop to say hello," only to follow it up with the familiar last-minute request to bring back some snacks.
Dr Parinoor also spoke about personal space and queues. According to her, people standing in queues in India can sometimes get so close that there is not enough space for air to pass between them.
Abroad, she said, people generally maintain a gap.
Her fourth point was honking. She recalled initially finding the quiet abroad strange. However, after returning to India, she began noticing the amount of honking more sharply.
She said, "There's a red light ahead. Blowing your horn won't make it turn green," while noting that honking is common during traffic jams, at red lights, and in other situations on the road.
The final thing she mentioned was lane driving. She said that in India, drivers can suddenly come from the left or right, whereas abroad, drivers generally use indicators before changing lanes.
Despite her observations, Dr Parinoor stressed that she continues to love India and sometimes misses being there.
In the post's caption, she further clarified that moving abroad was not about discovering a "better" life. Rather, she said it gave her "a different perspective" and made her notice cultural nuances she had not previously thought about.
She wrote that she does miss India, but does not miss everything about it. She added that moving away from home gives a certain clarity, making people notice the quirks, chaos and little cultural habits they once considered completely normal, while still being deeply fond of where they came from.
Social media reactions
The post prompted several users to relate to her observations.
One user commented, "India has changed quite a lot."
Another user noted, "Can't agree more."
"Experienced both worlds," added a third user.
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