Is life really so much fun in the US and so much bad in India ? It's been almost a year since I returned to India from the U.S. I would like to compare and contrast how I felt about living in both of these places.
Why life is so good in the U.S.:
- As far as travelling around and visiting new places is concerned, yes life is so much fun in the US. Less problems and more options and better solutions available ( car rental, cheap flights, budget hotels, restaurant, well maintained national parks, RV experience etc ).
- Also in terms of running everyday life, it is so much easy and pain-free. Take for example these items:
- Everyday shopping are within the 5-10 mile radius ( which is not a big distance in the US parlance )
- Paying electricity/Telephone/Internet Bills
- Paying property tax, buying property, selling property, getting gas connection etc all have clearly well laid out procedures.
- Also renting out is relatively easier because of the credit history etc.
- Pollution free neighbourhood with public parks and hiking spots.
What is so painful in the U.S. then:
- Commuting to office everyday from dublin/pleasanton/cupertino around the peak hours. Driving in the slow moving 680/880/101 traffic is not a pleasure, definitely. You can have fun driving your car only during the weekend or during holidays/vacations.
- Both husband and wife need to work to have a financial freedom. Then who will take care of your kids on a daily basis ? Daycares and nanny’s ? With single income it is so much painful to run the family, forget about the vacations.
- Managing contract workers to get some repairs/constructions done at your home while you are at your office.
- When you get sick, co-payments/medical bills are PIA (Pain in the A$$). If your family member gets sick or needs to be hospitalized you'll have to take off from your work to support them full-time.
Why life is so good in India ?
- The family support system we get in India is unbeatable. Can sacrifice even heavenly life for this one alone. Lots of relatives, extended families and lot of functions/get-togethers etc.
- Both husband/wife can go to work and grandparents can take care of your kids. Actually there is no real need for the wife to go to work for financial reasons, if you have a decent investments in India.
- Medical care and facilities are great and cost is manageable. Most importantly, when you or your family gets sick or hospitalized there is a plenty of support from relatives and well-wishers.
- Maids/servants/drivers to help on household stuff
Why life is so much bad in India ?
- Sometimes your relatives may poke into your personal life, offer unwarranted advice or suggestions, pass comments about you or your family in your absence. As long as you don’t have such problems or set expectations straight at the beginning itself, it shouldn’t be a big problem.
- Traffic/Pollution during the peak hours; unruly drivers on the highways/ speeding motorists on the streets. Daily commute to office is unimaginable without a driver.
- Buying selling a property in India is really painful. Plus visiting a government office to get any document work done, costs you money, time and drains energy. You’ll have to visit multiple times with so much patience.
- Renting out property, managing tenants and maintaining the property, repair works is so much painful
- Getting school admission for your kids - you need to stand in a long queue to get an application form, go thru a namesake interview process and still get admission only if you influence the management through some known contacts or express your intent to pay heavy donation symbolically.
- Career options are very much limited if your aspirations are to become the next CXO of a company or to work for a billion dollar silicon-valley style hot technology startup.
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