Polish woman lists 15 things she’d only do in India: ‘India has a different rulebook’

She begins the video, saying, “I’ll happily eat street food in India from a stall with no visible hygiene standards… but suddenly become a food safety expert abroad”. She then adds, “In India, I’ll get into an auto with a driver I’ve known for 12 seconds and trust him with my life.”

The list continues with more relatable observations. “I’ll cross a road in India through complete chaos, not paying attention to pedestrian crossings like in other countries,” she says, before adding, “I’ll drink chai from a tiny roadside glass like it’s a five-star experience.” Patalas-Kalra also jokes that “I’ll ask a completely random uncle for directions and trust his confidence more than Google Maps,” and that she’ll “walk into someone’s house in India without thinking twice because ‘arre, come inside!'”

She goes on to say that in India, she’ll happily let “a random auntie comment on my life, career, marriage, weight, and future… and just smile.” She also pokes fun at her growing tolerance for Indian food, saying, “I’ll eat something unbearably spicy and still say, ‘No no, it’s not that spicy.'”

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A post shared by Dominika Patalas-Kalra (@domipatalas)

Her list doesn’t stop there. Patalas-Kalra says she’ll “squeeze into an auto/bus/train with absolutely no concept of personal space,” have “dinner at midnight and call it completely normal,” and attend “a wedding where I barely know the people and still behave like I’m part of the family.” She also says she’ll gladly accept food from a neighbour because refusing would basically be a personal insult.

Another observation that resonated with many viewers was her saying that in India she’ll happily call strangers “bhaiya,” “didi,” “uncle,” or “aunty” without knowing their real names. She also mentions spending hours on a plastic chair outside a roadside shop and somehow having the best evening, before ending with perhaps the most relatable line of all: “I’ll say ‘5 minutes away’ while still being very much at home.”

Wrapping up the video, she sums up her experience in one sentence: ‘India just has a different rulebook’.

The video has since gone viral, with social media users flooding the comments section with amused reactions. “The last one is so true,” one user wrote. Another commented, “I’m so glad you have experienced the warmth of India and Indians.” A third person added, “You’re brave because I am very careful about where I consume food and I still have gotten food poisoning multiple times.”