1. Shop, shop and shop and Pack, pack, pack – buy gifts/chocolates for the loved ones in India (even if we get almost everything in India :D). Then pack every single thing for kids (especially young ones) – medicines, shower gel, milk formulas, mosquito patches (again we get most of it in India)
2. Get stressed and lose several nights’ sleep over thinking about how to cope in Indian weather, cleanliness or lack of it and surviving without helper.
3. Simultaneously, get (over)excited by thinking about meeting relatives, eating all sorts of street and home food and shopping.
4. Then arrives the D-day to finally catch the flight and arrive in India. The moment I step out of the airport, I start complaining about the heat (as if SG is Swiss), dirty streets etc.
5. I keep using SINGlish laced with lah, alamak and ayyo with everyone and like to see their puzzled faces 😀
6. Get panic over kids activities and give them hand sanitizer and wet wipes at every moment. (They don’t even bother about it! and keep jumping, dancing and enjoying themselves)
7. Constantly do conversion from SGD to INR for every single product
8. Relish the taste of Pavbhaji, Pani Puri, Dhoklas and pst pst over how we don’t get this exact taste in SG.
9. Buy as many Indian goodies as possible (back-breaking and bag-breaking!!)..kurtis, junk jewels, dabeli masala, fry-n-eat pani puri packets, readymade meetha paan…anything and everything..
10. Talking very loudly and animatedly with family, relatives and catching up for all lost time..
11. Admire the changing face of India – swanky malls, awesome restaurants offering every food on earth, broad roads, construction of condo projects, metro..All look like Singapore..
12. At the same time, not-liking certain sites like garbage thrown carelessly, underprivileged kids and women selling items at traffic signals, pathetic condition of stray animals, high level of air pollution, eve-teasing 🙁
13. When time to return to Singapore, feel happy thinking of going back to the safe, clean Singapura and feel very sad thinking of leaving the love of family behind..
All the above feelings I go through every time I visit India..and yet what remains finally are the tears rolling down my cheeks while saying bye, bye, see you soon to my family, friends and country.
Shub
(for RainbowDiaries)
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely personal in nature and no intention to hurt any sentiments of anyone.
Totally agree with your 12 point. It’s really a shameful for Indians.
Hope you enjoy your stay and travel Evey time you visit India
This is so true..it’s a big big task to travel back and forth
That was a cool post. Good to know what you go through in India. Infact we go through a few points whenever we travel abroad too.
This is such a pleasant post. Loved the way you have described your emotions. I could feel the love for India in your post too.
This post is fun to read.
You have explained your though process about your visit so well by mentioning it in each point ?
I can totally relate to each and every point… Shopping is one thing that never gets over
Loved this write up..could vividly see your journey to India and the mix of emotions within..?
Haha. Such an insightful details about the life of an NRI. Loved reading it.
Home is where the heart is. Travelling to different places makes us realise that even more. Friends and family visiting India have almost the same things to share. 🙂
Its sounds great you loved India.. Enjoyment everywhere
Hahaha your post really cracked me up. Some valid points there but we’ll I also think people must be treating you like oh, miss ooh lala
I completely understand how you feel leaving your family and friends behind and then revisiting them by myself lived in Europe for one year and can relate to what you have mentioned
Good to read your experience about visit to india. Its actually hard to survive in india for foreign returns.
lol!!! i cannot relate but definitely it was fun to read!!!
I think this is the story of every NRI visiting India
Totally agreed. Love all Indian foods.. Pani puri is for sure… 🙂
Such a true post! We all love india so much
I can understand the excitement laced with tension .
Haha.. this is funny read indeed. Like the way you pointed in & out transition. I am sure of that, as when we visit our ancestral place within the same country the actions/reactions change. You are talking about diverse cultures and countries.
Great read.
I liked your post well Indian have a unique ways I would say. 🙂
Going away from the family is always tough
So So true… 😀