Difference Between The USA and India

It's been about 6 month since I left India. And the funny part is - I only realized it when my mom mentioned it when I called her up for something the other day.
Time does fly doesn't it - Especially when you're trying to adjust to a completely new city and culture 8000 miles far away from the place you called home for the last 25 years.

But, justice be done - I wouldn't say things are a lot different out here. Neither would I say - I've had to change my habits a lot to adapt to the new place!

But, yes - there are many a differences in the culture, the people, their habbits, etc. For example:

.1. People here are very self indulgent and fiercly independent. Initially, it might come off as them being selfish and spoilt, but in reality it isn't so. It's just the way everyone is in this part of the globe.
.2. Toilet paper !!! This is one thing that is a major culture shock to me. The initial couple of weeks - I ended up rubbing my arse so damn hard that every single time I ended up bleeding down there. Heck - It was so bad - I began to feel like a woman having periods. Now - thanks to many hours of Googling for the "right technique" and some "expert inputs" from my friend Ashish Soni - things are much better.
.3. Dressing !!! Let's just say - the babes here dress to kill. At least that's what any Indian guy would say! As for the guys - they're just poorly dressed and have really bad grooming and hygiene standards ... Period!!!
.4. People are a lot more friendly and honest and open to helping each other as compared to those back in India. To the extent that people you just met are ready to show you around town, take you along with their friends and families to parties, etc - and that too without expecting anything in return!
.5. Having a car is a mandatory thing in this part of the globe. Without a car - you have no life. Without a car - you're handicapped. Without a car - you're never getting a date. But, the good part is, car's are pretty cheap. Especially in this economy where people are loosing jobs and motor companies are going bankrupt by the hour. If buying a new car is going to be a strain on your wallet - the used car market is also equally attractive. With cars ranging from Ford Escorts all the way to Lexus, Mercedes and Porsche's available at mouth watering deals.
.6. Marriages don't last that long. But - whenever they end - the guy, inevitably, goes broke! And the girl - well - she just takes everything the guy owned!
.7. You don't need to be married to have kids. But, if you have kids - then you better get ready to pay child support. And trust me when I saw - it's not very cheap!
.8. Casual flings and no-strings-attached affairs are as common here as women gossiping in India. No one notices and even if they do they don't give a damn either!


I must also confess that there are "some" changes that "had" to be made to accommodate the new locale. For example:

.1. I used to sleep all the way till 10 am in the morning back in India. Here - we work from 8 am to 5 pm. And thanks to that - I am left with no other option but to wake up at 6 so that I can get to work on time.
.2. For the last 1 year odd - I never had to cook breakfast (and for that matter - neither did I cook lunch or dinner that much) was always at some hotel/restaurant en route to work. Now - I ended up making breakfast, lunch and dinner - simply because of the fact that it is too frigging expensive and exotic to order out everyday.
The only affordable (read as cheap) cuisine here is Chinese - and that can get boring after a couple of weeks!
.3. I have to rely on people for transportation. And this, trust me when I say this, is really really really distressing. Especially because, for the last 4.5 years that I've been working - I always had a transportation of my own - the love of my life - my bike. (Or should I call it my eX-Bike?)
.4. The last 5 years of my career, I've either been working in the offshore divisions of service companies or working in a product company. This afforded me the luxury of having a much more "relaxed" work environment. When I say relaxed - I don't mean I had any less work. But, I had a lot more flexibility when it came to what I could do at work - like - say taking extended coffee breaks, flexible work hours, chit chatting with friends during office hours, playing pranks on colleagues, etc. Having to work at onsite - is a completely different ball game in itself. Since you are sitting in front of the client - all these things are pretty much ruled out!


Anyways ... On the whole, it's a pretty okay move. At least - so far so good !!!
Only time will tell whether my opinion is going to change for the better or for the worse ...

Till then - I'm going to go with the flow and keep my fingers crossed while I am at it!
:)