r2i forum

I often hear this from those who are R2I ing - life in US is monotonous, its like living in a box here - blah blah. Its a box if you put a shell around you and your family and are afraid of trying anything new. Believe me, its a box anywhere you go if you think like that.

Why cant you create goals, challenges on your own rather than trying to face challenges put to you by the society and other people. Make new friends, new hobbies. Dont get into a routine. These are things you can do from any place in the world. Place you live doesnt make you. It should be the other way!

Btw, this is not against those who R2I. I am planning to r2i as well, but not because life here is a drag.

[QUOTE]http://www.r2iclubforums.com/forums/showthread.php/24526-5-most-difficult-adjustment-problems-of-moving-back-from-the-US-(West)?p=395077#post395077
http://www.r2iclubforums.com/forums/showthread.php/23988-R2I-Rage?highlight=r2i+rage
When R2I forum members imagine life to be monotonous, boring, repetitive, they take a dose of some thread like the one above, and feel better. That is all it takes.
However, for some, R2I can be the thing to overcome the monotony of a routine, of doing the same thing over and over....after all, as one member put it in another post, [QUOTE]....even whips and chains involve pleasure.

Damn right!

One thing is for sure, life in India can never be boring, you are so busy with chasing people, navigating traffic, people issues, so much that boredom would not be in your lexicon. You dont need to go to boring malls or potluck parties discussing fake issues with fake friends. Here family and nosy neighbors will fill that part + more.

I am one of those who in spite of working 12 plus years in the US felt the 'box like' feeling.
@VS007 - totally agree to the boring malls , endless potluck and birthday parties.. .. It got on to me for sure..

Just last week, me and my friends (4 of us) went to Fountain Plaza Egmore did some shopping at Pantheon road and just went into a Mithai center and had 'Dahi Poori chat'. We had so much fun talking about endless topics and the chat was superb with mango pieces in them.. I somehow did not have the same fun there in US. Not sure why, whether it was the friends circle or the Dahi chaat!!!

Whatever it was - it really makes a big difference to the 'contentment' feeling.

poofygoogle;395750I am one of those who in spite of working 12 plus years in the US felt the 'box like' feeling.
@VS007 - totally agree to the boring malls , endless potluck and birthday parties.. .. It got on to me for sure..

Just last week, me and my friends (4 of us) went to Fountain Plaza Egmore did some shopping at Pantheon road and just went into a Mithai center and had 'Dahi Poori chat'. We had so much fun talking about endless topics and the chat was superb with mango pieces in them.. I somehow did not have the same fun there in US. Not sure why, whether it was the friends circle or the Dahi chaat!!!

Whatever it was - it really makes a big difference to the 'contentment' feeling.

Quite nice !! Four friends, Chat, familiar surroundings and chat in the local language is a combination that you could only get where you are....
As we say over here....the Chat-less land, Live Long and Prosper !!

Jaggudada;395611I like to get some stimulating discussion going along this lines. Do you feel life starting to become repetitive here? Especially after living here for 10+ years, I feel initial few years go by without even thinking, every thing is very new to us, we go through Visa, GC and Citizenship so there is always something to look forward to, places to visit, kids are still small so you don't worry about teenager issues etc.

When I see people in India, they seem to be excited despite of enormous challenges they have to face everyday. Looking backwards, it seems all those festivals, family and friends visits, living among the people also has it's advantages and doesn't let boredom set in. There is always an element of surprise.

It seems to me, you always need something to look forward to, some challenges,goals uncertainties, little surprises to ward off monotonousness. More later...

I can see your agony and where you are coming from.

Just remember that, we ( US/UK ) are living in a frozen time.

“Waqt thum sa gayaa hai !”

Life is mechanical, cyclostyle and it is very difficult to distinguish one day of the calendar from the other, and hence monotonous, boring and tiresome.

Stores, Malls and Motels have lost its charm, which we had in initial days, as all being new.

In India, the people live, a living stream life, as per current trend of the society, fashion, a complete change of mentality and thought process of the people, which changes every 3-4 years almost abruptly, and hence it creates a new world out there, every 3-4 years.

Fashion comes, Fashion goes,
Dresses, ( from Hema’s Saree to Rani’s Bunty abd Bubbly’s Kurta ) and hair style ( Dhoni to Lalu cut ), Shoes styles, Belt and Glasses styles, Building styles, Malls/ Complexes, theaters, newly built temples,.. their construction changes and it brings its own trend in the society.

New things come and it brings a trend ( wind/mania) , and old things the people feds up and forgets.
Could it be VCR, DVD player, I-pod, I-pad, Flat screen TVs, Mobiles and such,.. but it brings its own wind and holds the society with him.

If you are visiting India 4-5 years later, then you should be prepared that you are entering a new nation, you never visited before. Time has changed and hence the people’s line of thinking too. Fashion, Clothes, Movie stars, Politicians, actors, cricketers, babas, and celebrity’s period also changes every 3-5 years. Everyday in the life, it has something new there, Sabha, Sarghas, Mela, Julus, aandolan, Toofaan, Scam, Scandals, Rath-Yatra, Hajj, Moharam, Election, Cricket season, Protest, riots, terrorism, acts of god, and another 50+ festivals in a year of period gives India a different day every day, and hence living a life of 5 years there, you feel the satisfaction like, you lived 300 years.

Here its polar opposite, extreme cold season has shorter days, and at 5.00 clock evening you feel like the day is over, you just come home, cook, clean, turn ON the TV and eyes closes its lid and a day is gone !

On the other hand, India has many colors and late night roaming, walking in the markets, roads and gardens and also weather fully accompanies you to utilize the fullest span of the day.

And, hence at a longer run, say,.. after 10+ years of living here, you start realizing what you have lost and life seems to be monotonous.
We have Holi, Diwali, Makar-sankranti, Rakhee, Bhai-Dooj, and other small and big 50+ festivals all round the year, for each religion’s people, average all most every 7 days a week. Plus, There is always some social “chahal-pahal” almost every week going on.
Be it a death of Hussain or saibaba, fast of Hazare and Ramdev, scandal of Nithya and Tiwari, or the marriage of Shilpa and Aishwarya or the Sallu and Sanjus court cases , Filmy actors' marriage, pregnancy and lafara-sadan. Something always going on, which keeps the society trend alive !

Here, the life is dull and there is no society, no family life or fashion trend, No movie or star craze, no changing trend in the society, no fever for movies, cinema, celebrities, politicians,.. etc. Hence, all we do is, go to work, come home and go to sleep for the next day’s same routine. Nothing else.

And, these are the reason the people R2I, since they want to live the life, tearing of the pages of the calendar for nothing, instead!


:(

Life in the west is boring. Western people somehow manage to keep it interesting by switching partners, trying drugs and by replying to Nigerian people.

Now, one could say --- Take up new hobbies! Find more interesting things to do. I am sure it works. For people who are adaptible and who can assimilate well. But then not everybody is as flexible as girls from Telicheri. I for one cannot take up fishing or skiing as a hobby...neither can I create goals for myself other than setting new personal record in drinking beer.

Basically for the people who aren't into assuming unnatural positions, life in the US can become boring. Boring doesn't necessarily mean terrible.

However, if you are looking for pleasant (and not so pleasant) surprises to happen to you even while you are just standing there picking your nose and inspecting the findings, you gotta come back to India.

If you can be pleasantly surprised by the old faithful geyser, then you know that you have adapted well.

Hi

I just came back from U.S. last week and the main reason for coming back was our parents. We want to spend time with them. And we don't regret at all because of the artificial life in U.S, boring birthday parties, so called friends, tasteless food, lack of love, lack of respect, no festivals

mn_op;395767Life in the west is boring.

For people who grew up in west this may not be a huge issue. They connect with everything in way we connect back home. Westerns wouldn't like the Indian lifestyle.