(Image source from: Hollywood Reporter)

The moment an Indian woman says she is living in a foreign land, we tend to form a picture of her fancy life where the whole lot is abundance and life is a bed of roses. An NRI woman, in particular, is seen as something of an alien when she lands in India.

A hint of an accent, foreign clothes with a whiff of expensive perfume, paranoia about her children’s food and safety. Indeed, we all have a certain stereotype in mind.

But the life of an average NRI woman is far from your stereotypes or expectations. Here are some of the misconceptions people hold about NRI woman who is completely different from the one shown in Bollywood flicks.

NRI Women Lead Luxurious Life

As a matter of fact, Indians move to the United States, a rich country, to make money. Thus, having a large house and owning fancy gadgets is predictable.  

But, apart from a few countries like Singapore and the Middle East, most NRI women have to do their own housekeeping. There is no domestic helper to clean that large house. Whereas, in countries like the U.S. and Europe, labor is expensive and one just has to do everything without outside help. Though cleaning services are available, only the rich can afford it regularly.

In most cases, one has to do it all on one’s own even in times of poor health.

NRI Women Get Instant Visas

Getting married to an already NRI man is a sure way of flying overseas and settling there. But not all countries have easygoing laws. In the U.S., a woman wedded to a man with a green card had to wait years until she could move too.

Besides getting a visa to live, there is also the work visa that remains elusive for scores of women who move out of India. For a woman who used to have a outstanding career back in India, to be sitting at home in a foreign country without being able to work at what she was trained to do can be discouraging.

NRI Women Can Easily Make Career Abroad

For those women who got married to an NRI and relocated abroad, it can be the biggest eye-opener is that some basic degrees obtained in India are not recognized in many countries. Thus wives who moved outside India with their husbands, oftentimes have to start a career from scratch.

Several wives have to dumb down and take up a job well below their qualification level back in India.

NRI Women Doesn’t Hold Responsibilities   

In contrast to the notion of many, scores of women in India have to look after their aged relatives. However, living away from India and away from one’s family, NRI women feel tremendously guilty and pained for not having the chance to physically take care of their elderly.

In turn, they also miss out on the support system that parents and in-laws provide, especially during times of crisis.

NRI Women Get Easy Access to All the Goodies   

A suitcase full of goodies, when stepped in India, doesn’t mean it is easily bought. Almost a year will be spent on shopping. Nobody even knows what the credit card bill will be like when they get back home.

NRI Women Are Far from Indian Culture   

In order to fit with a new country, it is obligatory to adapt to the new culture. It is essential to change one’s dressing style due to different climate abroad. And, it doesn’t mean they overlook Indian culture. The effort put to make their children learn the Indian language and understand Indian culture is immense.

By Sowmya Sangam