An Indian woman’s reflections on her time in Europe have struck a chord online after she shared how the experience reshaped her everyday habits. Taking to Instagram, Visha Khandelwal spoke about the cultural differences she observed while living in European homes and how she has tried to incorporate those learnings into her routine back in India.
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In the video, she says, “As an Indian who spent the last few months inside European homes, things I learned and how I’m applying it in my daily life. Let’s go.” She begins by highlighting the importance of small social gestures. “First, greet people even if it’s small talk. Two months in Europe and I formed the habit of greeting everyone: cab drivers, waiters, even strangers passing by.”
She adds that while such behaviour may not always translate seamlessly in India, it has still influenced her interactions. “Now, I know this can’t always be translated in India and telling the OTP first to your auto driver is very practical. But after that, I’ve started having conversations and trust me sometimes the perspective you can get even in those twenty minutes of auto ride, mind opening.”
Punctuality and shifting priorities
Another key takeaway she shared was punctuality. Recalling an incident, she says, “Two of us Indian girls were traveling with a Swiss guy and if we wanted him to meet us at 8:30 in the morning, we would tell him 8:45 and he would still show up at 8:30.”
She notes how this consistency influenced her own behaviour. “Somehow, over the years, these habits have rubbed off and now I am the one waiting for the cab, the auto, and just showing up sometimes even before time. The stress and the guilt that goes away with not having to apologize for being late, so underrated.”
Living life on one’s own terms
Khandelwal also reflected on the idea of independence and self focus. “Finally, living for yourself. I’ve shared co-living spaces with women aged 35 to 40 traveling alone, writing a book, focusing on their fitness, absolutely unbothered.”
She contrasts this with societal expectations back home, adding, “Log kya kahenge doesn’t even register as a thought. They’ve moved out early, started making their own money, making their own mistakes without a committee of stakeholders, in our country also called relatives, voting on every decision of theirs.”
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The video was captioned, “What I learnt from Europeans as an Indian travelling abroad and learning to say no and drawing clearer boundaries is a big learning too.”
Watch the clip here:
Social media reactions
The clip has sparked a range of responses online. One user wrote, “This is so relatable, especially the punctuality part.” Another said, “Greeting strangers is such a simple thing but makes a huge difference.” A third commented, “India needs this mindset shift slowly but surely.” Another added, “Living for yourself is the hardest lesson here.” One user remarked, “The auto ride conversations point is so true.” Another said, “Boundaries are something we really struggle with in our culture.”
(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.)
