Moving to a new country often comes with cultural surprises, and for American content creator Macy Gonsalvez, life in India has been full of them. In her June 23 Instagram video, Gonsalvez shared five things she finds “absolutely crazy” about living in India, ranging from late-night social plans to ultra-fast deliveries and household help.
“These are the things that I find absolutely crazy as an American living in India,” she said at the beginning of the video. (Also read: Content creator compares Australia’s health star rating system with Indian food marketing; reveals popular drink scores )
1. You can’t learn your baby’s gender before birth
The first thing that surprised Gonsalvez was India’s law prohibiting prenatal sex determination. “When you are pregnant, you are legally not able to find out the gender of your baby until it is born,” she said. India’s law aims to prevent sex-selective practices and protect gender equality.
2. Social plans start late
The content creator also highlighted India’s late-night social culture as one of her biggest adjustments. “If you want to hang out with somebody, it is not happening before 8:30 or 9 o’clock at night,” she said. “As somebody who likes to be in bed by 9:30 herself, this was a major adjustment for me when I first moved.”
3. Remembering to switch on the water heater
One everyday inconvenience that still catches her off guard is the need to manually switch on the water heater before showering. “When I flip this switch on, it tells the water tank to start heating up the water. So I have to remember about 10 to 15 minutes before my shower to go in there and flip it; otherwise, I won’t have hot water long enough to last me throughout my shower,” she explained.
4. Deliveries arrive in minutes
While some things took getting used to, India’s delivery ecosystem left her impressed. “It takes only about 10 to 15 minutes to get anything delivered to your door,” Gonsalvez said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s groceries or what restaurant you’re ordering from. It is amazing.”
Quick-commerce platforms and rapid food delivery services have become increasingly popular across many Indian cities, offering near-instant deliveries.
5. Affordable household help
According to Gonsalvez, one of the most talked-about advantages of living in India is the affordability of domestic help. “It is not uncommon at all to have a maid and a cook who come to your house every day and cook and clean for you,” she said. She added that some families even employ full-time staff who live in their homes.
“A lot of people we know even have full-time staff that lives with them in their homes, including nannies for the children, and it just honestly makes living here so much more convenient.”
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