What was the biggest culture shock you experienced when moving to a new country?

Question came up because it’s Independence Day 🇮🇳 A lot of us have had the privilege to be able to go abroad, but ended up choosing not to. For me, it was just believing there’s enough growth here in the coming few decades + friends/family Looking to hear if the reduced brain drain is actually true, and what makes people stay.

I’m in the early stages of planning to move abroad, but I’m having a hard time deciding which country to move to. My top choices are UAE, Singapore and New Zealand. For those of you who have moved to a new country, how did you make your decision?

I'm curious about the salary structures that MNCs follow or Expat assignments given to employees hired in India that excel and get a chance to work in offices outside of India. There's very little clarity on how specifics are determined, at least that's the case in our company. If possible, try to cover these aspects in your answer: 1) Duration of these expat assignments: Is it few months/few years/permanent? 2) Salary of India office: If the expat assignment is temporary, is it the norm that over and above your expat salary, you'll continue receiving your India salary tax free? 3) Once the expat assignment is completed, are you expected to come back to India office and give KT to others, or you'll continue doing more expat assignments? 4) What perks/allowances do you generally get as a part of the expat assignment, which you did not get in the India office? Please mention any other relevant aspects or weird incidents that you might have encountered first hand or of someone else going on an Expat assignment.

I'm curious about the salary structures that MNCs follow or Expat assignments given to employees hired in India that excel and get a chance to work in offices outside of India. There's very little clarity on how specifics are determined, at least that's the case in our company. If possible, try to cover these aspects in your answer: 1) Duration of these expat assignments: Is it few months/few years/permanent? 2) Salary of India office: If the expat assignment is temporary, is it the norm that over and above your expat salary, you'll continue receiving your India salary tax free? 3) Once the expat assignment is completed, are you expected to come back to India office and give KT to others, or you'll continue doing more expat assignments? 4) What perks/allowances do you generally get as a part of the expat assignment, which you did not get in the India office? Please mention any other relevant aspects or weird incidents that you might have encountered first hand or of someone else going on an Expat assignment.

I'm curious about the salary structures that MNCs follow or Expat assignments given to employees hired in India that excel and get a chance to work in offices outside of India. There's very little clarity on how specifics are determined, at least that's the case in our company. If possible, try to cover these aspects in your answer: 1) Duration of these expat assignments: Is it few months/few years/permanent? 2) Salary of India office: If the expat assignment is temporary, is it the norm that over and above your expat salary, you'll continue receiving your India salary tax free? 3) Once the expat assignment is completed, are you expected to come back to India office and give KT to others, or you'll continue doing more expat assignments? 4) What perks/allowances do you generally get as a part of the expat assignment, which you did not get in the India office? Please mention any other relevant aspects or weird incidents that you might have encountered first hand or of someone else going on an Expat assignment.

I'm curious about the salary structures that MNCs follow or Expat assignments given to employees hired in India that excel and get a chance to work in offices outside of India. There's very little clarity on how specifics are determined, at least that's the case in our company. If possible, try to cover these aspects in your answer: 1) Duration of these expat assignments: Is it few months/few years/permanent? 2) Salary of India office: If the expat assignment is temporary, is it the norm that over and above your expat salary, you'll continue receiving your India salary tax free? 3) Once the expat assignment is completed, are you expected to come back to India office and give KT to others, or you'll continue doing more expat assignments? 4) What perks/allowances do you generally get as a part of the expat assignment, which you did not get in the India office? Please mention any other relevant aspects or weird incidents that you might have encountered first hand or of someone else going on an Expat assignment.

I’m currently regretting staying back in India, especially with the constant comparisons to my successful cousins who moved abroad. Despite having a good income and a comfortable lifestyle, I can’t shake the feeling that I might have had a better life – pollution-free, maybe tax-free, and less stressful, had I moved. On the flip side, I worry about whether moving abroad would actually work out for me. Would my children grow up without any culture? Without having a bond with their grandparents? Will I be okay with my parents growing old alone? I’m in a bit of a pickle and looking for stories from both sides.

I recently moved to Bangalore and almost immediately went into a zone of persistently feeling sad and hopeless. I refused to take antidepressants. I am doing slightly better after few sessions of therapy, but I want to know some other alternatives? Anybody experienced the same thing? What makes it better? Bangalore feels like a culture-less city tbh.