Quality of Life is Better in India or France..........Decide

[somissac]

Hi,
After spending approximately 1.5 months in Montpellier and South of France.......I am relatively confused about the quality of life in France............No doubt its a great country with nice infrastructure and good people.......but life in India is much more vibrant and lively as compared to France. I have worked up with French Students in Assignments, I m astonished that there knowledge about International market system and Business Models are pretty less than Indians, Americans etc. Lets Face the facts, the dynamism of French people are pathetic(the single reason why their GDP is growing around 0.5% compared to India's 8% steep growth year after year). What they complain about that India is a poor country, but snip don't know that India can not only launch rockets to moon(yeah, the chandrayan story) but also it is the place of IT and Biotech. The only thing which I liked about being in France, I have seen lot of women are in the workforce(I want to see the same thing in India)............I think if a person has to earn money better to stay in India(there is nothing in France except Garlic, Cheese, Wine and Eiffel Tower). Also I have seen how management students spend year after year doing internships earning hardly 2000 Euros per months which is indeed pathetic.


Comments invited

Somjit Das
Montpellier
Sup de co(exchange student)
IIM Indore

[Sourav]

Friend

I understand. It's always difficult in a new country. Highs and lows will come, as it has come to me, and probably to a number of other Indian expats and students here.

Personally I have seen that life becomes easier when I don't try to compare the two cultures, and simply think they are different. We can probably be more comfortable if while coming to France we don't look for a "better" or "worse" but a "different" life.

For the number of women in workforce, the other side of the coin is that it breaks the family system. People have less and less time for the family (for children and for each other), and the result is the increasing divorce ratio. Two out of three marriages in Paris ends in a divorce today (national ratio is one of three marriage). That in turn increase the business of psychologists treating cases of depression and occasionally suicide rate.

If you have noticed number of divorce is increasing in India in cities like Mumbai and Dilli where more and more women are joining the work force. Not telling whether its bad or good, but problem is that getting a right balance between work and family is extremely difficult, and such social practice comes with a heavy price tag.

The other one, which many of us were accustomed to, the concept of "division of labor" and "specializing" probably holds a family better together.
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[Universal]

[somissac]

Hi Sourabh,

Once again u have given a cogent analysis .............no doubt............hats off to u.........(Aaamio bangla/assamese/oriya jani.......to be more precise)..........I m not throwing any dirt to France and its people..........but my point is simple..........if I have to build a career in next 25 years..........I will bet on India..........Yeah u were right............Adopting to French way of life is difficult for a south asian is not easy............I was really pissied off that day(LOL had a very hard day).....

[Indian]

there r much more things in france which i m sure u will realize as u entrench urself here gradually. there r plenty of things to take back from this country which still matters on this globe.
remember it is one of P5 countries and that means a lot.

[bollywood_44000]

what you guys think about food in France.
you don't think so even very poor people in India take better meal then medium or high profile French people?
irrespective to interests!!

[Indian]

not at all. u have not probably explored the french food that means. it may not b of 'good' taste to us bcoz our tasetes r different but that doesnt mean the food is lousy.

[Sourav]

He he ... again another discussion on food.

I know it keeps coming, even there was once a big article on the times of India on French food I remember (not very positive, of course). I think as "Indian" has told above, our food habits are highly different and it takes many years for an average Indian to start appreciating their food.

For me it's almost 6 years now and it's only now that I'm starting to like their food (I still don't take snails, raw meat and beaf) and I remember when my uncle came for my marriage here, he didn't even finish 1/10th of the plate that was offered to him.

It's really very different, but I know that even if when we are a new comer here, we will like the desserts and snacks that they make (before and after the main meal). In some time, you will probably start liking the wine and cheese as well.

The cakes that they make (not the chocolate cake type I'm speaking about, but the salty ones, made with salmon fish, prawn, vegetables, etc.) are pretty good as well. And their salad (when properly mixed with sauces like mayonnaise, etc. and finely cut) is also good, try you may like it as well.

And you know what, for we food loving Indians France is probably the best "white" country in the world, as among the white countries, their food is considered to be the best. The Americans accept it, the Brits accept it, I have seen that myself.

So, we have something to cheer about here.

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[somissac]

[Sourav]

[Indian]

because criticizing others is a very natural phenomenon.

[Sourav]

[vels]

Interesting to read this thread and just thought of sharing my personal opinion. I've been in france only for the past 4 months but I've been working with French for the last 2 years while I was in US. I've lived in different countries across continents and definitely france is different from my previous experience.
I personally like the way they give importance to their personal life, as someone mentioned the way they want to work for only 35 hours a week and take extended lunch breaks.
like the way they believe (even if thats not the case) any thing french is the best!!!
like they way they love their langauge and food (man I love french bread, wine and cheese). You never see two french guys chatting in another language as oppossed to us.

I've not encountered any racial discrimination so far, not a look nor a sigh!!! so its pretty cool.

I guess, while we are here if we try to enjoy the good stuff, we are bound to have a good time..

[Indian]

I remember a story in our textbooks in school.
one dog by mistake entered a big room full of mirrors. he considered his multiple reflections as a large number of dogs who were staring at him. scared, he started barking and naturally all started barking (his reflection) and kept on barking. finally he got tired and quietened. then he wagged his tail (equivalent of smiling for dogs). he found all other dogs also wagging his tail. then he 'played' with them for long time before leaving finally.
Moral of the story. U will find the same type of persons as u are and same behaviour that of urs.

i think this story is valid everywhere.

[sabine]

Nice story and very true; one usually gets an answer (reaction) in accordance to one's behaviour