This Article was fact checked and last updated for accuracy on November 17, 2024 by Mani Karthik
Many Indians have a craze for USA and always dream about visiting it at least once in their lifetime. Nowadays visiting USA from India is so common. Especially people working in IT industry get plenty of opportunities to visit USA. Many people would love to settle in USA unless they have strict commitments in India as they can lead a very sophisticated life.
So if are going to USA for the first time , lot of questions come up in your mind like the ones below:
How much baggage are allowed?
What kind of food items can i take?
What medicines i should take?
What documents are needed?
What kind of clothes are needed?
How to adjust in that climate?…
And the list is infinite. Apart from these material things, there is a big difference between India and USA is their culture and style of living. So we have to prepare out mind to fit ourselves in that world and it may take initially a couple of months for us to get used to the lifestyle there.
1. Get Medical Insurance
In India we will buy medicines easily in a medical shop without consulting a doctor and prescription. Many times the person in the medical shop itself will provide free medical advice for smalls problems like fever, cold etc. But that is not possible in USA and you cannot get a small medicine without a prescription. Also you have to register yourself with the hospital before consulting a doctor.
Also medical expenses are very costly in USA and one not survive without a medical insurance. Mostly the employers provide the medical insurance. Otherwise you should get the medical insurance as soon as possible.
Get all the basic medicines for fever, cold, cough, stomach pain, headache etc from India. Also keep the pain reliever balms like moov, amrutanjan, vicks etc. If you have a kid,then get medicines for them as. Apart this if you under any medication, take that also along with the original prescriptions.
2. Keep right while driving
You should learn to drive a car as soon as possible after coming to USA. Public transportation is not great in USA expect a few places like New York. Even though metro buses and trains are there in some places, it is not enough. So you should learn to drive a car here and you will feel handicapped without it.
Try to get the international driving license so that you can learn and drive for some time before getting a license here. Generally driving a car here is much easier when compared with India because everybody will be following the traffic regulations correctly. In India,you will always keep left while driving and here it is just the opposite ‘Keep right’
3. Bring basic kitchen Appliances
Although most of the kitchen appliances are available in USA,it is better to bring some from India due to the difference in cost. Bring the mixer grinder that is compatible with US rating. Dedicated mixer grinders for US ratings are available in many brands like Preeti. In USA only blenders are available and that cannot be used for grinding hard materials.
4. ‘No’ gas cylinder
There is no concept of gas cylinder in USA. So you don’t have to struggle lifting that and replacing it every time. Also you don’t have the hassle of booking and waiting for the cylinder.
In USA all the houses will have the ovens preinstalled. It can be electric or gas. The gas oven is similar to the one in India having the knobs for controlling the fire except that you don’t have a cylinder. Electric oven will take some time to get heated and you cannot control the intensity of fire much when compared with gas stove.
5. Prayer to God
Neither you can see a temple at the end of your street nor you can hear devotional songs from the nearby temple like in India.That does not mean you cannot find any temple here.
Of course there are lot of temples all over USA but you may not be able to visit often as it may be located far from your house.You will surely miss the traditional prayers that were done in temples in India.
6. Forget Dhoties and Sarees
The dressing style here is more casual and liberal. In India you cannot see a women with sleeveless tops and shorts walking freely in the road.
Here that is quite natural. Men may forget to wear dhotis and women may forget to wear sarees and salwar kameez. Initially it will look odd to see all these things but later it will become a part of life.
7. Know friends or relatives
Before arriving to USA, get the contact numbers of friends and relatives living near by your area and start communicating with them even if you did not know them. It will help to understand the living here and also reduce the home sickness.
8. Longing for Indian Food
If you are a bachelor,then learn cooking instead of longing for Indian Food as you won’t find many Indian restaurants. Also it won’t be affordable to visit Indian restaurants as it will be costlier. You can get many frozen Indian food items like Naan,Roti etc but it will affect the health in long run.
9. Climate in USA
The climatic conditions in USA varies with each state and it has also many time zones. For example,if you are in California,you won’t have much winter and snow and the climate is same through out the year. In Washington, you may experience a severe winter followed by snow from September. It is better to buy the winter clothes here itself instead of taking that from India.
10. Communication facilities
Get a laptop and internet connection immediately so that you can communicate with your loved ones in India. You can get international India calling cards for making calls to India.
So, get ready for the flight to USA and enjoy your stay !!!
