- A 22-year-old US-born woman shared her initial fear of moving to India on Reddit
- She experienced culture shock but found warmth and belonging with her extended family
- The woman is still adjusting but appreciates her mother’s happiness after the move
A Reddit post by a 22-year-old US-born woman has gone viral after she shared her raw experiences of moving to India, a country she had only heard negative things about while growing up. In the post, she talked about her initial fear, revealing how she "literally cried" when her mother announced the move. Born and raised in the US, she was terrified by the negative stereotypes she had heard and initially refused to go.
Contrary to her fears, she found unexpected belonging through her extended family. Relatives she had only known through phone calls treated her and her sister with surprising warmth and frequent check-ins. She admitted that "culture shock is real," and she is still adjusting to sensory overload and personal questions from "aunties" that felt more like curiosity than judgment.
"Culture shock is real, and I'm not pretending everything is perfect. India isn't that perfect; I'm still adjusting, and there have been moments where I felt overwhelmed and out of my comfort zone. But I genuinely don't understand why people hate on India so much without ever being here. My experience has been nothing like what I expected," she wrote.
"Although my sister is still struggling with the move, which I get—she's younger, and it's a big change. But seeing my mom happy after such a long time honestly made everything feel worth it. She's been through a lot, and I haven't seen her this genuinely happy in years," she added.
See the post here:
Moving to India wasn't what I expected
by u/Successful-Okra6409 in india
The post sparked a diverse range of responses, with many users chiming in to share their own stories of adjusting to life in India.
One user wrote, "Quite surprised to know you've matched with the vibe here. Shows how mature you are! As you explore more, you'll eventually develop a love-hate relationship with the country. It's only natural to hate something you love. Cheers to you! Happy exploring and living."
Another commented, "I was born & raised in the US too, went to India to study MBBS & ended up falling in love with the country & making lifelong friends. Like you said, it was quite the culture shock, but you'd be surprised how much you like something once you open yourself up to new experiences. I was in South India, but I imagine it's similar; most people were warm & welcoming, especially in the villages when we'd work in primary health centers. Hope you enjoy your time in India."
A third added, "Really happy to hear this. Life in a developed country is better. But, you shouldn't add so many disclaimers and sound apologetic about liking your life back in India. A sixth of the world lives here—so, it can't be all that bad."
