An Expat (Foreign) American's Perspective of Life in India with Reference to Bangalore

chillibreeze writer — Lalitha Easwaran

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Bangalore is ‘no longer a village in the city”, says Catherine, my Swiss friend, very dramatically. Twenty-five years ago, when she and her husband Andre arrived here, it was so, and the only foreigners here from the west were a few academics, members of the Peace Corps, and some compulsive tourists. But today, Bangalore is a bustling metropolis, exuding an infectious air of dynamism, zest and growth everywhere. The city boasts a large Western population, including Americans, who have come with the idea of making the city their home for a few years.

One is curious to know what their India Experience is like. To have a glimpse of it, we have to ask only an expat family.

So meet Beverly and Dr.Vaidya, an American couple, who have been in the city for nine years now. Beverly, an American from the state of Indiana, is married to Dr Vaidya, a Maharashtrian but now an American citizen. Beverly has a post graduate degree in Spanish, and she is a writer, a Spanish interpreter, homemaker and the proud mother of three young adults, Vivek, Anand and Anju. Dr Vaidya is a Professor at the well-known National Institute of Advanced Studies in the city.

Meet Beverly: a post graduate degree in Spanish, a writer, a Spanish interpreter, homemaker and the proud mother of three young adults, Vivek, Anand and Anju. Dr Vaidya, her husband, is a Professor at the well-known National Institute of Advanced Studies in the city.

Why they made their move and how they coped with it

In 1997, Dr.Vaidya expressed to his family his desire to move to Bangalore from Pullman, USA.

Beverly wanted to support him but the children first resisted and they were ridden with the worst fantasies and anxieties. Beverly felt that adolescence is a tough deal for children to cope with and if you also add the twin burdens of relocation and a new school environment to it, their difficulties will only snowball and she was not sure how her teenage children were going to settle down. For a whole year before the transition, she spoke to friends to get a concrete picture of all it meant to make a home in India.

On arriving in Bangalore, sure enough, Beverly discovered every step of the settling down process uphill. Getting a phone connection, fuel for cooking, a decent car for mobility were Herculean in terms of the time, energy and the patience that were required. Surprisingly, the children took every hardship in their stride, over the years adjusted well in their schools and made close friendships too.

Reflections

Looking back at these nine years, these are Beverly’s comments:

• Bangalore is easily the most livable city in the country. The climate is salubrious, people are pleasant, educated and have a very cosmopolitan outlook. Over the years, it has become quite a comfortable place to stay, with basic conveniences easily available.
• Yet Beverly strongly maintained that it is not possible for all Americans to live in this country including Bangalore. Only those who have the instinct and a willingness to adapt, who have the attitude to take things in the right perspective can consider a sojourn here. Again, she felt that many of her fellowmen were not encouraged to interact with the common man for their companies were providing their expat families with everything from home. So the need to integrate is not felt and therefore their India experience becomes quite a superficial one. That she feels is very regrettable.
• According to her, there are so many strengths about the country that a stay here will be a truly enriching one. This India experience has helped her children to reflect on their multiple identities and discover their true identity. They are proud to say that they are Indian Americans who are confident and have options to choose where to stay. Vivek, her eldest son, is an engineer working for General Electric in the city. He chose to come back home after his studies in the US for the opportunities are better here now. Anju, her daughter, and Anand, her second son, are in Swarthmore USA for their undergrad studies. Anju’s dream project is to explore her father’s Maharashtrian culture.
• Now India is an exciting place to be at, for there is a phenomenal growth of ideas here. America is going through a difficult phase and American confidence has been shaken in recent times. Here it is a more stimulating climate for there are a lot of heated discussions on world issues. Her worldview has become broad based for she also has now an Indian perspective on world affairs, history, art, literature, materialism and human relationships.
• The biggest vote she gives Indians is, that in America and here, if she were ever in a crisis she would seek first the help of an Indian only. She feels we are very generous in extending support in a moment of need. We are Good Samaritans.
• Culturally, she avers Bangalore is inundated with music, theatre and art activities, both Western and Indian. One can have a very rich cultural experience here.
• The poor fascinate her. Watching them is a window to village life in India; they are microcosms of country life. Seeing them live with so little, observing the adults caring for their young, and their dignity in their poverty, their zest for life, and tradition have all been great learning experiences. This is absent amongst the poor in her country.
• As a person, she has become more patient, accepting and appreciative of everything.

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Beverly believes that there are many misconceptions here about American society. Very often she feels compelled to give a correct perspective of her country.

• Difficulties of everyday life even today
• Housing here is still a tough thing, renting is far cheaper than buying.
• Petrol is prohibitively expensive
• The roads, traffic and pollution are a nightmare to live with, and
• Conveniences that Americans expect while traveling and the kind of attractions they are used to enjoying in most places in the States are not widely and easily available here. That is a disadvantage for those who come here with unrealistic expectations.

Conclusion

On a rating scale of 1 to 10, she gives Bangalore 3 for the first year, but if you stay longer, the rating increases. Now Beverly is ready to give the city a rating of 7.

Prof. Vaidya summed it all pithily thus, ‘when you arrive in America, it takes you only five minutes to know that it is a good country to live and it takes five years to know what is wrong with it. When you arrive in India, it takes five minutes to know what is wrong with it and five years to recognize what is good about it. And at the end of it all, you wonder what took you so long to comeback.

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—About our writer: Lalitha says, "I am from Kerala, but Bangalore has been home from 1972. Right now, I am immersed in completing the instructional design course offered by Symbiosis, Pune, writing articles and spending quality time with my children and two grandchildren in the US. Taking care of my family, teaching, travelling, meeting people and reading have been the story of my life so far. Interests that are on the anvil are painting, playing tennis and learning to swim.

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