Welcome back to This is India! I always have funny/weird stories about India to share with friends or family when I talk to them. This is just meant to be an honest portrayal about my life in India through short anecdotes. I also share here what I’ve been up to online outside Hippie in Heels.

What I was up to other than here:

  • I did an interview on Majestic Disorder Magazine about being an expat in Goa. I talk about how the “American Dream” just isn’t as attainable as it once was and as more Americans take gap years like many other Nationalities do, they’re opened up to another way of life – making the American dream not as ideal.
  • I saw a show at Natti’s Naturals ‘Kings of the Realms’ from Pondicherry dancing Bharata Natyam. It was very unique; nothing I’ve seen before. They perform tonight at Astoria in Assagao but I don’t have all those details unfortunately. I’m sure you can call up.

Now your story,

I wrote a previous “This is India” about how Indian men treat foreign girls. The comments on Facebook were all agreeable in that the man in that instance was out of line (read that linked post to catch up).

One comment from a reader really hit the nail on the head, which I’ll share here:

They usually say hi and that they want to be friends. Sometimes they want to meet for coffee, or ask when I’ll be visiting the town/city they live in. I don’t know how to reply. I hope that their requests are genuine interest in befriending a foreigner, but then I remember that in 4 months not a single Indian female, other than the ones I work with and know personally, has made the same request of me. Interestingly, not a single Indian man that I work with and know personally has asked me for coffee or to visit their hometown. I guess that is my answer…

If you don’t get it read it a couple times, because it makes total sense. If they are genuine, then why are only men curious to “be friends”?

Anyways, that kind of brings me to my story for the week. I have the cutest glitter business cards with my number and e-mail (for Hippie in Heels website only, not massage or my candle company); I hand them out when someone asks me what I do and seems interested in reading my blog or working with me.

I met one guy on a bus (he might be reading this for all I know) and about 5 weeks later I received a phone call from him:

Hi this is ____ , remember me from the bus ride to Mysore?

Me -Umm yea… Hi.

So yeah anyways, how are you?

Me- I’m ok…. Did you need something?

No. So, are you still traveling?

Me- I’m back home now.

Oh, how was the trip?

Me- Um, I have to go…

I’m sorry if you find this normal, but you just don’t call someone’s number on a business card to chat! It’s weird. I don’t imagine a girl in India would call me to chat and I wonder if he would have called an Indian girl just to chat. Is this another instance of Indian men treating a foreign girl differently? Thinking so, but what do you think?

This is India!

Did you enjoy this post? Let me know in the comments or by sharing it with the social media links! I’d love to keep giving you travel tricks & tips so feel free to subscribe by e-mail in the big purple box below. Don’t forget you can follow me on facebooktwitterinstagram & bloglovin‘.

feature image: source