Mumbai - Post Report Question and Answers
Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
Yes, but, two years was enough. - Jul 2023
Yes, definitely. Although I do wonder if I would make the same decision if the air quality significantly gets worse. - May 2023
Yes, and I really encourage people to consider it. Each day there is a surprise: learning about an event, trying a new food, seeing a new store. The economy is moving and there are stores from high level luxury to hand made local. I find people friendly and genuinely helpful. There are long, painful bureaucratic processes and you need help to do them. Once things start to work and you have all the apps for transport, food, theater, shows, shopping, expat events, sports, etc., you will find your place and be welcomed. - Feb 2023
Not if I can help it. - Aug 2021
Yes. India has been a good overall experience. Although I don't love Mumbai, I did get the chance to travel through India, which is an amazingly diverse country, geographically and ethnically. Mumbai is also conveniently located on the East side of the Arabian sea, so travel to the Gulf countries is quite cheap and quick. - Nov 2020
Yes, but only for a few years. The intensity of it is exhausting but the cultural experiences have been so rich. - Aug 2019
Yes! Bombay is a city like no other in the world, but many people would not come back. - Mar 2019
No. - Jan 2019
No, I would not. - May 2018
No. It was fine for two years, but I will not move back. - Jun 2017
Only if I were married, unless it were a shorter tour. - Aug 2015
Yes. I'm not sure we'd come back but we're very glad we were here. It's a great opportunity to live in one of the most interesting places in the world, somewhere a lot of Americans will never see. We're going to take away a lot of good memories. - Nov 2014
Not a chance in hell. - Mar 2014
Yes! - Feb 2014
Yes, it's a fascinating place that is, yes, difficult to live in, but there is a vibrancy here. You can find anything you need and often more. If you can handle the minor inconveniences every day, you will be able to appreciate the richness of life here. It is a place you will love/hate because it depends on your attitude. Focus on the pollution and dirtiness and inefficiency, or focus on the new experiences, the western comforts, and the great food. - Aug 2013
Yes. I am glad I did this once because it has taught me a lot about myself, made me more appreciative of what I have--including my security and safety as a woman--and helped me understand what I truly want in life. But would I do it again? No way! I love my job here, but it's not worth it. India forces you to become someone your're not in order to survive here. I came here thinking I could be open and friendly with everyone, regardless of gender or social class, but I quickly learned why Indians with money and education seem so cold and dismissive towards those who have less. If you smile at a man, he'll take it the wrong way and think you're flirting. If you make friends with the guards, it won't be long before they're sending you inappropriate texts. If you give money to a little girl on the street, you'll be mobbed by a gang of kids who won't hesitate to push you and try to knock money out of your hands. So you do the only thing you can do, what you vowed never to do, you roll up your windows, put on your sunglasses, stop smiling, and read your book in stony silence. I don't want to live like that! My quality of life means too much to me, which is why I'm moving on to a saner place even though I won't be making quite as much money as I do here. - May 2013
Yes. - Feb 2013
No, I wouldn't. I try to stay positive but I can't wait to leave. - Dec 2010
No. Never. Not now, not ever! - Nov 2008
Absolutely not. Think long and hard before spending two years here. It's so much worse on a daily basis even than other developing countries. For example, people with experience in Russia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Burma have all commented on how much harder and more unpleasant it is here. I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. - Aug 2008
Yes- A great experience, and unlike anywhere in the world- Mumbai is the most densely populated city in the world. - Jul 2008
