Chennai - Post Report Question and Answers
What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
Despite having an enormous population, Chennai feels like more of a small town. No skyscrapers, no high end restaurants. Customer service is pretty bad in general. Nothing really to do in Chennai as far as tourism. - Jan 2024
People who said they liked it probably lied. It's not really a great post and it was not really a great place to work. The work and heat were oppressive and the bad work environment made me want to quit. People understand that it's bad. - May 2023
The beaches are filthhhhhhhy do not be under any illusion that Marina beach is clean. Locals defecate at the waters edge every day. - Apr 2023
It could be so unfulfilling and uninspiring. - Apr 2023
Living in Chennai is NOT the same as living in New Delhi or Mumbai. The 25% differential is not enough for what you have to deal with. - Aug 2021
You figure things out as you go. India is not nearly as intimidating as I imagined it would be. - Apr 2021
Bring a sense of adventure and you won't be let down. - May 2019
Be sure to negotiate your expat package carefully. The taxes and bureaucracy are significant here. - Aug 2018
I wish I had known how difficult it would be to not have the autonomy to go where I want when I want. The combination of right-hand drive, stick shift (which most cars are), and Indian driving norms means that most expats do not drive themselves. A few brave ones do, but I am not in that category. It has been harder than I expected relying on someone else to drive me around. As mentioned previously, Uber and rickshaws are options too, but they aren't without their frustrations. I also wish I'd known about the quality of household help. - May 2018
How safe it really was. - May 2016
Whatever anyone tells you about India (comments in this post included) is both true and not true at the same time. India is full of contradictions. The people are so nice; the people are awful. The weather is unbearable; the weather can't be beat. The food is terrible; the food is amazing. You need a car; you definitely don't need a car. Plan your overseas travel ahead of time. You'll need those out-of-country trips to look forward to when things get rough. Nothing makes sense. Don't try to understand it. Locals don't know what's going on either. You can't change India. - May 2016
The beach is not a beach so don't come here thinking you'll get a beach resort. Also, when they say hot, they mean hot. But I also wish I'd understood that living in a place that is hard to live in makes for a very close knit community. - Oct 2014
I wish I had understood the health challenges a little more. - Jun 2014
How challenging it would be to get around on foot. - May 2014
