My Life in India vs Life in the US

I arrived here in the United States last year. There is a huge difference between a life in India and a life in the United States. The United States is more technologically advanced than India. So, one can see the reflection of this in life style. Both life styles differ in family, every day life, economy, etc.

The big difference I noticed was the family. In India, a person stays with family all the time. Generations live in one home and they stay together. Relations to other family members are kept close and social life if very necessary for survival. Where as in the states, many kids find their own way as soon as they are 18 years old. Many families lack the relationships that are needed to keep the family together. Family members rarely see each other.

Economy makes a huge difference in the way of life. Many families in India go through rough time just making enough money to survive. The social life is a required part of life and that takes up good amount of family time and money. Although kids inherit from their parents in India, it is hard to make living. The social life is a fun part if one has or makes good amount of money to socialize. Wedding and other functions are huge. For example, my wedding had two thousand people attending it.

I have noticed that the news channel here always shows the poor side of Indian life. Which is huge population, pollution in big cities, and illiteracy. There are more to Indian life than that. People are warm hearted and respectful to others. A typical Indian family now has a TV, a refrigerator, a transportation, etc. It is hard to drive in India but after while one can get used to driving like crazy. The huge population in India makes life difficult for everyone.

Indian family stays together and one of the advantages of that is in the later life, the elders are taken care by the family members. On the other hand, many elders here in the United States are left alone in the last phase of life. This does not conclude that the elders have good life in India and not in the United States. There are always exceptions on both sides. The medical, I think, is expensive in both countries.

One of the issues I faced a lot was “Corruption” in India. Everything is corrupted and getting one thing done requires lots of money. Life for the poor gets tougher when one is faced with corruption. Law and order is not so bad in India, but it depends on what part of India are we in. The US has a very good structure of law and order and it has set forth a good example. Even though there were questions regarding the election between George Bush and Al Gore, I like the elections in the US better. Elections in India are fun but very costly and very dangerous.

There is a huge difference in the educational system. Studying in the US is much easier and the financial aid provided is great. When the government of India does provide students with all the things needed but the things never reaches them. Cricket is the biggest sport in India and I love it, when I moved here, there is no sign of cricket anywhere except my computer screen. Americans love baseball, football, and basketball a lot. Movies are another aspect of Indian life. Just as we have Hollywood for American movies, there is Bollywood for Indian (Hindi) movies. The surprising fact is that Bollywood makes more movies than Hollywood and is the biggest movie industry in the whole wide world. It is hard to find even a one person that does not like Bollywood, since there are just so many varieties in the movies and soaps.

The one thing that separates both worlds is Food. As many people know, Indian food is filled with spices and herbs. We have Indian stores and restaurants here but that taste and smell of Indian food is never here. Since both countries are melting pots, almost each and every kind of food and people can be found in both countries. And the same is with religion; almost every religion is there in both countries. Religion is big part of life in India; there are so many festivals to celebrate and so many rituals to do. Unlike the US, in India there are so many nationals.