Some suprising changes

*One of the oldest and classic newspaper,Times of India has turned into a trashy tabloid.

*It is impossible to watch TV together as a family.Absolute nonsense.

*People from East India,Bihar,Rajasthan,Nepal,Assam have taken over Bangalore.

*Innumerable malls have sprung up in every corner of Bengaluru.

*All automobile showrooms (Honda,Maruti,Hyundai,etc)have their own in-house priest who will conduct the pooja for the car before you drive it out of the showroom!

*All new cars come with a Ganesha idol stuck on dashboard.

*Autorickshaw drivers have turned into arrogant,demanding,almost mafia.

*Well stocked grocery stores in every street corner.

*Shocking cost of living in Bengaluru.I was stunned by some of the prices I saw on everything from vegetables,to domestic help.

*Kannada is visibly(audibly?)missing from Bengaluru.

*People are crazy for material,brand crazy.Packed malls on weekends.Consumerism is taking over youngsters.

*Well maintained gardens all over the city,although not that many left.

*Good security personnel in all apartment complexes.

*Sheer number of youngsters in the city.I feel really old in this city!

*U.S.used to be known to have spoiled,indisciplined,demanding and bratty kids.Bengaluru has taken over that title.

*Sidewalks distinctly missing from all roads!

*Bengaluru turns into a mush pit when it rains!

*Excellent,quick, health service.Very friendly doctors,and of course reasonable costs of medical care.

*Garden city has morphed into Garbage city.

*Companies selling luxury products inside housing complexes,everything from exotic carpets,furniture,designer clothes,very expensive diamond jewelry to even BMW who had
cars on display and for test drive along with a sign up stall.

Two months later...

Its been two months since we moved to Bengaluru.
So many things have happened in the past one month,so many new experiences,that its hard to write everything.
Overall,its been quiet a smooth transition.
And I atribute that to family support and help.
They always come forward and help out with whatever they can,be it babysitting kids,finding a maid/driver,finding a rental apartment or just giving tips on where to shop for groceries and daily requirements.
Setting up some things were very easy,like buying a car,washer/dryer,cell phone,etc.
But some things have been a pain.Bengaluru is the silicon valley of India,but its been a nightmare to get an internet connection.We applied for a connection a week after we landed, and we never heard from the providers for a week.Then they did the usual"I am on my way"
"I will definitely connect tomorrow"talk and delayed for another week.Finally a guy showed up and connected but it is so unreliable.It never works when we need it.
Thats the white collar workers.
Then the blue collar workers.We are renovating our existing house in whitefield,and getting labourers and contractors to do the job has been a terrible experience.Again,Blore is a popular place to invest in real estate,and homes and apartments are being built all over the place,but we are not able to find a few guys who will paint our walls and change tiles.
And don't even bother to look for somebody creative in this overly populated city for someone who can design your interiors and do a neat job.
The most efficient set of people among all I have seen are the folks at my children's school.
They have been very prompt in sending emails,confirmation letters,giving all the information at the right time,and providing uniforms,lunch menus,shoes,bus facilities,etc on time without causing any confusion.
I am very impressed with their professionalism.
Just like in U.K. people always talk about weather,people here have only two topics;rising prices and traffic.
Everyone's life revolves around the terrible traffic.
Pretty much the only subject we are discussing about while driving is about the lack of any sort of sense in the people who are on the streets.
The ones driving and the ones walking.
My husband and I as a couple,can see a slow change in our own behaviour as well.
It is a must that we park our courtesy outside the door while dealing with anybody.Being nice does not help here if you want to get work done.If we behave well,be patient and talk nice,people take us to be idiots.We tried to incorporate our politeness cultivated in U.S. by avoiding honking,being punctual,saying hello before talking to somebody,talking softly and slowly,etc.SORRY!!None of that works.
Very quickly we have learned to be loud,assertive,to the point,showing a bit of road rage while driving,take people to task by calling and yelling,and guess what??
Its working!!:)

Domestic help

Having lived in US for 11 years and being used to multi-tasking,using domestic help is surely an interesting experience and definitely takes getting used to.
We all imagine we'll come back to India and the biggest perk is we don't have to run around for the mundane chores.It is true to a large extent.I am really loving not having to do the dishes and the dreaded laundry.
The sink is always free of vessels and clothes are washed,and even ironed by the end of the day.Every morning,the car is washed and cleaned.
I have been so used to quietly going about doing all the housework and the outside chores,that it's a bit difficult to tell somebody to do it.
I tend to get up and keep doing everything myself.I hesitate to order the maid around.
And I am very uncomfortable when they are hanging around the house all day.
Similarly, I get worked up when I go out that the poor driver is waiting for me outside.
My family rightly says that I don't know how to get maximum work out of servants and drivers for the money I am paying them.
But I am also realizing that it's very easy to get spoiled.So,I just maintain my habit of doing as much as possible myself.Or at least put the time I get now to better use.
The key in all this is to find a good maid,which is the hardest thing is to get these days.
But once you do,life is definitely much easier,provided you get a good maid.
And I am one of those lucky ones:)