7 great things about India I realized after moving to the U.S

The things that India got right.

Close to two years ago, I moved to the U.S for my studies. As an Indian in a foreign country, I was away from everything I had known for my entire life. Getting a different taste of culture and mannerism was beyond wonderful. But there were always some things that I missed about India and the things that India got right. Here are some:

1. The food: Every Asian I know, missed their home country’s food. I cannot begin to explain how delicious and cheap the food in India is. For example, if you want buy lunch for one person in Mumbai, a set of vadapavs (spicy potato stuffing between two buns) will cost 35 rupees max. In the U.S, a two McChickens at McDonald’s would cost $2.60 . $2.60!? That is 195 rupees! That’s almost enough for an entire day’s meal in India.
2. Public transportation: If you exclude New York, New Jersey, and the northeastern states, the public transportation in the U.S is not well connected. While inner-city transport exists in the form of buses (in some places) or trams, there is little transport that connects cities apart from flights. That’s when I started to miss Indian auto rickshaw drivers and their ability to maneuver through peak traffic. Since motor bikes, mopeds, scootys, and Vespas are not common in the U.S, the only affordable way for long-distance travel is driving.
3. The U.S is big: This, again, ties in with the public transportation issue. Since the U.S is so spread out (most of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh could fit in Texas), it’s hard to get anywhere outside of a city without a car. Renting a car is not practical if you want to travel often. And buying a car means paying hefty car insurance on a student budget.
4. Cultural diversity: The U.S is one of the most diverse places in the world without a doubt. There’s even a saying that you can find at least one person from every country living in New York City. In my opinion, though, celebrating cultures is more vibrant in India. There are certainly more festivals being celebrated in India and these festivals belong to a plethora of religions and communities.
5. Social life: In India, friendships are pretty natural in colleges. You sit beside the same people everyday and see the same people in every classroom. In addition to that, there are college functions, cultural fests, parties, etc., where you can meet more friends. In the US, however, social life is something you have to actively seek by joining college organizations, attending socials, parties, gatherings, etc. I speak for every college student in the US when I say, no one talks in classrooms. The most you will talk to someone in a classroom is if they need a pen and you happen to have one.
6. Healthcare: This one is a pretty common complain that most Indians have when living in the US. Since Indians receive free healthcare in government hospitals and relatively cheap healthcare at private hospitals, navigating the US healthcare system is difficult. As non-American citizens, foreigners,— especially students — have to pay a high health insurance fees which takes away a big chunk of the monthly budget.
7. Weather predictability: Aside from parts of California and parts of Florida, the weather in the US can range from extreme heat to extreme cold. Not to mention the variety of summer and winter storms. In India, for instance, I never had to check the weather because there wasn’t much day to day variation. In the US and especially in Texas where I study, hurricanes and storms are common in every season and thunderstorms arrive within a day’s notice. In fact, the only time I started using the weather app is after coming to the US. All this to say that India’s predictable but sweltering weather is better than America’s unpredictable weather.