Indian Samurai इंडियन सामुराई

The website Excite.fr contacted me and asked me to answer some questions about being an expat in India! Here is what I prepared… Thank you Camille for your interest in my blog! 

Who are you and how was your life before leaving France? 

I am a French girl in my thirties, living in India since December 2006, and blogger from the very first day of expatriation!

I started working abroad (in India) right after I graduated from my business school. So I spent my last years in France as a student (at Reims and Spain with Erasmus), then as an intern, then as a traveler (4 months in South America to meet women working for fair trade)... Very rich years! 

What do you currently do? 

I'm manager in a company that sells food for dogs and cats. 

Why did you leave France? 

My escapades in Spain and South America had opened my appetite! I wanted to explore further by working a few years in Chile or Argentina. I found myself in India – me, Columbus of the modern times ;) (It was the only place where I had found a job quickly.) 

Why did you choose India to live? 

As told above, I believe that this is India that chose me rather than the other way around ;)

But I chose not to leave. At the beginning because I had too many things to discover. Then because I had interesting professional opportunities. And finally because I had been here too long and didn’t know better but to stay…

 Would you go back to live in France? 

Why not? At least for a few years. But I am not the only one deciding now, my (Indian) husband needs to agree ;) 

What do you miss the most about France? 

The serenity of the French countryside: the calm, fresh air, good food...

And of course my family and friends! 

And what do you miss the least? 

Difficult to answer... These winter days when you don't see the sun? These Sundays where everything is closed, no way to run errands or get a massage? These situations where no one is there to help you (with your plumbing, your laundry, your errands etc.)? 

Tell us quickly about your experience in India 

I've landed at night in Delhi, in the November cold. At the time I didn't even know it could get cold in India, you see how aware I was of the country! At the end of the exhibition I was attending in the capital I went to join my base in Pune (a student city and automotive hub 3 hours away of Mumbai), where I spent two great years, mostly partying and traveling.

Then came the time to move to Mumbai with a new job in the pocket. I spent the three following years mostly working (and still traveling around the country).

I was then transferred to Delhi for one year. I faced incredible professional challenges out there. And also personal ones since I broke up with my Indian companion of the last five years. But it was also a great year full of learning and fun (and traveling, always)!

 

I then returned ‘home’, in Mumbai. And less than two years later I was married and with a baby. This is where I am today, at the beginning of 2015!

In December 2013, I was interviewed by Sara for her site Aux cinq coins du monde,  which gathers experiences and interviews of French people living in the four corners of the world, on five continents. And we did it again in January 2015, the ' interview one year after '!

The interview in PDF. 

 

A year ago, you shared with us your impressions about your life in India (interview 2013). Do you still live there? (tell us if you have changed of city, country, if you are returned (e) in your country of origin, etc). 

Yes I did not move! Same city, same job, same flat! I have now started my 9th year in India ;)

If in 2014 there was no major change in my professional life (despite a lot of turmoil and learning!), I can't say the same about my private life: I got married in June with my favorite Indian and our little boy was born in December. 

What are you doing today? 

Over the years, I have had various positions within the same company. Today I manage the sales team in the South of the India, to the sheer delight of the Indian dogs and cats (we are in pet food!)… 

Today, what do you like in your life abroad, and what do you least like? Did you get used to the things you didn’t like one year ago? 

Despite a routine similar to what I could have in France, each day in India is spicy: every day something incongruous is sure to happen; I love it!

What bothers me the most is noise pollution, or even just pollution, and the lack of activities in Mumbai. And this situation is unfortunately not ready to change... 

Have you found other things that you like in this country? And that you don’t like? 

I discovered a rather efficient medical system and a network of women who share the same type of experience than me (married to Indians and living in Mumbai) – a good support when you start a family 7 000 kilometers away from home!

And I didn’t ‘discover’ anything unpleasant... 

Does one more year give you the feeling of being more integrated? 

Starting a family is a big step! Having a French-Indian family, I do not know if it has anything to do with my integration, but it definitely makes me more open to ‘other’ customs and get me anchored in this country... 

What is your general assessment of this past year? 

2014, a year vintage like I won’t have many! 

A journalist of 20 Minute (French free magazine) contacted me for an interview! I would like to thank her for her interest in my experience in India!! Poor thing, instead of just answering her questions, I wrote a full article ;)

Here is what she could extract for her interview… In PDFand the link. And below my programme to visit Mumbai in 3-4 days!

Namaste Bombay! Welcome in this chaotic megacity… to say the least! Crossing Mumbai from the airport to the heart of the city already gives a good overview: you feel like moving from one neighbourhood to another without distinction. And everywhere : people, life, activity, even at night!

Diving in the chaos, past the hotel door, can be somewhat of a shock: it's hot, the streets are badly indicated (Mumbai has been able to ignore the concept of urban planning), where to start? A walk in Colaba is a good stretch for the legs: the Gateway of India and a detour to the mythical Taj hotel (ideal for a pee break). Then take a stroll around Oval Maidan, a huge lawn surrounded by buildings dating back to the British era, before pushing to Victoria Station. Eventually stop to watch the sunset on Marine Drive, or walk along the Indian ocean, maybe up to Chowpatti Beach to experience what a good bath is (but for locals only!). To help digest this first day, treat yourself with a beer at Leopold Café, a meeting place for backpackers and locals.

Malabar Hill is also worth a visit, with its hanging gardens, Jain temple, Banganga Tank and its beautiful mansions. Then take a taxi for the rest of the day to go see the Haji Ali mosque perched on a peninsula and Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghats, an open-air laundry. A drink at Aer, the terrace of the Four Season, will then be welcome, providing with stunning views of the city and a good change of scenery (from the poorest to the richest…).

 

Bargain-hunting for the rare pearl in the markets (an antique at Chor Bazaar, a jewel at Zaveri Bazaar, everything and anything at Crawford Market) is a unique experience... More relaxing and less touristy: getting lost in Khotachiwadi, a neighborhood standing from the Portuguese era. A boat trip to Elephanta caves is also worth it if you don’t have the time to go to Ellora... Others will prefer a tour of Dharavi, the legendary slum and its industries, rather well organized and not voyeuristic.

A visit to Mumbai is not complete without a 'train' trip (the local metro), if possible at peak hours! Or without testing the street food (it's a little risky for the intestines but you don’t get nothing with nothing!): bhel puri, pani-puri, vada pao, Bademiya’s goat brains etc. The motivated (or just lucky) tourist who hangs around Regal theater may be rewarded with a figuration in a Bollywood movie... At worst, watching a movie is generally worth its weight of popcorn! And well prepared tourists can experience Holi festival and Indians throwing colour powders at each other, or the throwing of Ganesh (the elephant-headed God) statues for Ganapati...

One of my articles on the "Mumbai Incontournables": http://www.indiansamourai.com/archive/2014/03/06/intervie...

Other of my articles on Mumbai: http://www.indiansamourai.com/apps/search/?s=Mumbai