I miss my in laws place....
As a 27F from Navi Mumbai, I never expected to fall in love with village life.
I recently got married and moved into a family from the Jalgaon region. Before the wedding, I'll admit I had a lot of stereotypes. I kept thinking, "It's a backward region. How will I adjust? Won't I miss city life?"
But after spending 6 days there after my wedding, and another 6–7 days last month, every single stereotype I had completely disappeared.
What surprised me the most was the sense of community. People actually spend time together. They sit outside, chat for hours, laugh, visit each other's homes, and genuinely seem to care about one another. Coming from Navi Mumbai, where many people barely know or speak to their neighbours, it felt like a completely different world.
Another thing I loved was the food. So much of it is homegrown or locally produced... chillies, curry leaves (kadipatta), dal, shengdane (peanuts), vegetables, and so much more. Everything tasted fresh and full of flavour.
The pace of life also felt so peaceful. I didn't realize how mentally exhausting city life had become until I experienced that calm.
The funniest part? I actually gained 2 kg in just 7 days because I couldn't stop eating... Dal batti, phunke, basundi puri, dashmi, khichdi, khandeshi chicken/mutton and so much more..
I'm not saying village life is perfect. I'm sure it has its own challenges, but this experience really made me question many of the assumptions I had.
Has anyone else from a big city experienced something similar after moving to a village or marrying into a rural family? I'd love to hear your stories.