After 13 years in US, family tries Mumbai for 5 years and returns to America: ‘Reality started hitting us hard’

In a viral Reddit post, a US citizen of Indian origin shared a perspective for those planning a permanent return to India. Having spent five years trying to make Mumbai work, the individual claimed that it is important to have an ‘exit strategy’ or an option to return if the transition fails. The person shared that they decided to live in India for 5 years after spending 13 years in America, but then returned to the US again.A Reddit post about moving to Mumbai from the US and then again relocating to America has resonated with many expats. (Representative image). (Pexels)“Returned to India for 5 yrs, regretted it, came back to US – sharing my experience,” the Reddit user wrote, adding, “I have a US citizenship so had the option of returning to US – and I chose to come back.”Also Read: Bachelor claims saving around ₹75,000 per month after moving to Delhi from MumbaiThe individual continued, “I grew up in Mumbai, my parents are still there. Came to US for undergrad and studied / worked here for 13 years, got my citizenship through marriage. I kept wanting to return to India for a lot of the same reasons folks have shared here – missing family, food, culture, family support. I have a 3 YO so the family support was a big factor. So we took the leap and moved back to Mumbai, close to my family. The first 3-6 months felt amazing. But then reality started hitting us hard.”The Redditor led several reasons behind the decision, claiming the family had to face judgmental social attitudes regarding weight and parenting and a work culture that lagged behind the US in both ethics and innovation.“All in all, it felt like we had given up too much financially, professionally and quality of life-wise moving to India at the peak of the AI boom. So we moved back at the end of last year and are very happy with our decision. We are lucky we were able to try both sides so I wanted to share this in the hope that it gives everyone more information, especially if you don’t have an option to come back. Ultimately, it’s your personal decision based on what works for you and your family – I definitely romanticised moving back to India and hope everyone can choose more objectively than I did.”How did social media react?An individual asked, “I’ve been thinking about something, and I hope this comes across the right way. Do you think that knowing you had U.S. citizenship, and that moving back was always a relatively easy option, may have made it harder to fully commit to making India work? I sometimes wonder whether outcomes shift when there is no fallback plan, when you truly feel like you have burned the boats and have to make it succeed. Do you think things might have played out differently if going back had not been an option? Curious to hear your thoughts. Let me know if I am not framing that well.” The OP responded, “Yeah, it’s a good question… I’m sure we would have tried harder to ‘make it work’ if we didn’t have the option to return to the US. People adapt to hard situations all the time. But it’s like wearing shoes that are too small. You can keep walking and find a way to survive, but it will hurt and limit you. If you have an option to wear the right shoe, you don’t have to try to get used to a life of suffering – hope that makes sense.”Also Read: ‘Job in Kenya better than working in Bangalore, Mumbai’: Techie’s take on Indian IT culture sparks discussionAnother added, “Thanks for sharing, I’m basically in the same boat, 13 years in the US, but a big caveat is that I don’t have US citizenship, so it’ll be a one-way move back. The only reason is to be close to family, financially and culturally. I’m not seeing a huge fit for me, but I don’t want to regret not spending time with my parents later on. You hit all the spots I’ve been concerned about, so it’s good to see this.”A third commented, “Thanks for sharing. I have a strong urge to move back from Germany, especially after having a kid. But I think I am too scared to move back.” A fourth wrote, “Good that you had an option to try both sides. I was wondering about one part the problems you mentioned above, didn’t you expect them before moving? Were they blown out of proportion? (I, too, grew up in Mumbai, worked for 8 years, and now I am planning to return) I am expecting this reverse cultural shock, but maybe I am downplaying it.”(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)