Everyone has his or her set or reasons to R2I or not to R2I. But what I have learnt from our experience is-
Do Not-
1) Move back for Patriotism. The patriotism vanishes in 3 months after you face the real India. Unless you want to become a full time social worker or start an NGO or something, I don't think you can manage patriotism after a 9-9 job, work life balance, traffic, and everything else.
2) Move back because everyone in your circle of friends is doing it. Do not succumb to peer pressure.
3) Move for the heck of it. Make a informed choice. If possible, spend 3 months in a city like Bangalore, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, etc. to experience the "Metro Mania" before making the final move.
Dos-
1) For Family/ Self
2) Finances- Some people can financially do a lot better in India then they are doing in US. Do not stay in misery in a foreign land and Drop India for prestige.
3) Belongingness- This may be a very valid reason for most and it is fully fair also.
4) Better Career prospects
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Do we want to go back?
There hasn't been a single day that the thought of going back or comparison hasn't crossed our minds. It is natural. Also, we must give it at the least 1 year before calling it quits.
So to answer the question....yes and no.
Yes, for all practical reasons listed here. we do strongly feel running back sometimes. Sometimes the feeling is very strong and sometimes it is not so strong.
And No because we are not giving up so soon. We have made a conscious and informed choice. Nothing that has happened in the last few months was a surprise. We knew about it. But still we came back. Also, we were born here. I know it wasn't this mad when we were growing up and also we had no bench mark then.
Plus, India has more people living here then in the US. They are surviving here and so can we.
Kabhi Haan Kabhi naa! :)
So to answer the question....yes and no.
Yes, for all practical reasons listed here. we do strongly feel running back sometimes. Sometimes the feeling is very strong and sometimes it is not so strong.
And No because we are not giving up so soon. We have made a conscious and informed choice. Nothing that has happened in the last few months was a surprise. We knew about it. But still we came back. Also, we were born here. I know it wasn't this mad when we were growing up and also we had no bench mark then.
Plus, India has more people living here then in the US. They are surviving here and so can we.
Kabhi Haan Kabhi naa! :)
What do I miss?
I used to think I will miss a lot of things, but it isn't too bad actually.
Here are the things that I miss-
1)Roads- I cannot imagine having those roads and that organized traffic in India even 50 years from now. Roads and traffic really kills the entire fun and planning here. And many a times, kills people and animals too.
2) Cleanliness at home/ outside- I am a bathroom cleanliness freak. Even if my entire house is dirty, my toilets used to be sparkling clean. However hard I am trying, I am still thousands of miles away from THAT feeling of cleanliness. I don't still fell fress after taking a shower. We have made our bathroom as close to our US bathroom as possible. Shower curtain with liner, shower caddy, cleaning supplies, everything is there. But it still looks and feels not so clean.
Also, you cannot walk on the roads or footpaths without worrying about stepping into something really nasty. and I forgot to mention.....there are no footpaths at all. They are either dumping beds, broken or dug. else, the dogs and cows have occupied the space to sleep.
3)Public toilets- Actually, this is the chart topper. Going to the loo outside of your home is unthinkable. Only premium restaurants have clean toilets but you have no option to go to the toilet on highways or if you are out for sight seeing. So, better option is to stay hungry and thirsty.
4) Taco bell- It might be just me but I do miss Chicken chalupa, 7-layer burritos so very much.:(
5) Shopping- Shopping or going to the mall is US is fun, and entertaining. I sometimes found shopping therapeutic also. (you can think of me as a shopaholic....its ok)
But going to a mall in India means mob, annoyance, spoilt mood, etc. Because Mall in india is definitely not a place to shop here. People come to entertain their guests, date, or just pass time over the weekends.
"Honey I am bored....lets go to the mall"......i think every house speaks this over the weekends.
6)People- I do miss those well behaved, courteous people, those un-staring people, those not rude people, honest people, On-time people. I miss all these kinds of people.
7) Order- By order I mean just the order of things. Like cars are parked in parking lots, not in the middle of the roads.
People walk in parks or on curbs. Out here, people start taking a stroll on the main road while you apply sudden breaks to your car. But they won't pick up speed....they will still stroll at their own pace....on the road.
The stores open and close on a fixed time. Not whenever they wake up.
I think, thats all I am missing.
Here are the things that I miss-
1)Roads- I cannot imagine having those roads and that organized traffic in India even 50 years from now. Roads and traffic really kills the entire fun and planning here. And many a times, kills people and animals too.
2) Cleanliness at home/ outside- I am a bathroom cleanliness freak. Even if my entire house is dirty, my toilets used to be sparkling clean. However hard I am trying, I am still thousands of miles away from THAT feeling of cleanliness. I don't still fell fress after taking a shower. We have made our bathroom as close to our US bathroom as possible. Shower curtain with liner, shower caddy, cleaning supplies, everything is there. But it still looks and feels not so clean.
Also, you cannot walk on the roads or footpaths without worrying about stepping into something really nasty. and I forgot to mention.....there are no footpaths at all. They are either dumping beds, broken or dug. else, the dogs and cows have occupied the space to sleep.
3)Public toilets- Actually, this is the chart topper. Going to the loo outside of your home is unthinkable. Only premium restaurants have clean toilets but you have no option to go to the toilet on highways or if you are out for sight seeing. So, better option is to stay hungry and thirsty.
4) Taco bell- It might be just me but I do miss Chicken chalupa, 7-layer burritos so very much.:(
5) Shopping- Shopping or going to the mall is US is fun, and entertaining. I sometimes found shopping therapeutic also. (you can think of me as a shopaholic....its ok)
But going to a mall in India means mob, annoyance, spoilt mood, etc. Because Mall in india is definitely not a place to shop here. People come to entertain their guests, date, or just pass time over the weekends.
"Honey I am bored....lets go to the mall"......i think every house speaks this over the weekends.
6)People- I do miss those well behaved, courteous people, those un-staring people, those not rude people, honest people, On-time people. I miss all these kinds of people.
7) Order- By order I mean just the order of things. Like cars are parked in parking lots, not in the middle of the roads.
People walk in parks or on curbs. Out here, people start taking a stroll on the main road while you apply sudden breaks to your car. But they won't pick up speed....they will still stroll at their own pace....on the road.
The stores open and close on a fixed time. Not whenever they wake up.
I think, thats all I am missing.
The Positives
I must be sounding like one frustrated woman. So to get you a little encouraged, let me tell you the good things now.
1. Proximity to parents- See, I am contradicting myself now. I told you na....there is a twist in the tale.:)
It is definitely easier to reach to family while you are in India. You dont have to make a year long planning, booking, shopping, etc. You can just plan today and leave 2 weeks from now to get good flight deals. And you don't even have to worry about food for husband because maids come in handy. (Yes, there are Shiney Ahujas in this world but c'mon, your honey is not like that).
2. MAIDS- Even after all the woes, they are there. I was sick of loading and unloading the dishwasher and the buzzing sound it used to make. I had a permanent back pain caused by bending into the kitchen sink to wash dishes, chop vegetables, etc.
But I would like to add- dishwasher chutti nahi karta.(dishwasher doesn't take vacations). And it does what it is supposed to- Cleaning!
3. Help in case of sickness- In US or any other western country, you don't have any help if the woman falls sick. I have experienced this. My wellness was utmost priority for me so that I could take care of others. I have had my series of sicknesses in US also, but I had to get up and do the chores and take care of the child, cook, etc.
4. The Rain smells awesome here- Rain doesn't smell better anywhere in the world.
5. The Bhutta wala, availability of chai on the highways, nariyal pani on roadside- you don't get all this in US. I used to miss chai so much while traveling in the US.
6. Availability of all US grocery items- Atleast in Bangalore, you get all grocery items we are used to. Also, ingredients for other cuisines are easily available. I used to have difficulty finding good Lemon grass for thai food in California. But, It is so easily available her. That too double the volume for only Rs.7!!
7. Mother tongue for the child- Our daughter has definitely picked up a lot on hindi front. Special thanks to Dadi!:) We have had 2 visits to our hometowns ever since we have moved back and my MIL came to stay with us for about a month. And her stay helped our little one pick up on hindi. She speaks amazing hindi. Her american accent is almost gone. I do feel a bit sad about this but it had to happen and we cannot help that. She is yet to pick up kannada.
8. Iron Man- Finally, you can say bye bye to the afternoons apent ironing clothes. Iron man is there to your rescue. You can utilize that time to do things you always wanted to do but never did....like blogging.
9. Fruits and vegetables- Not that there was any problem in getting indian food in Cali. But here you get some fruits what were not there in the US. Guavas - 5 for 25 Cents. Jealous??
Sharifa/ custard apple, Faalse, ber, Jaamun, jackfruit,...list is endless. Something is burning!!;0
These advantages are not in any hierarchial order. All are equally important.
1. Proximity to parents- See, I am contradicting myself now. I told you na....there is a twist in the tale.:)
It is definitely easier to reach to family while you are in India. You dont have to make a year long planning, booking, shopping, etc. You can just plan today and leave 2 weeks from now to get good flight deals. And you don't even have to worry about food for husband because maids come in handy. (Yes, there are Shiney Ahujas in this world but c'mon, your honey is not like that).
2. MAIDS- Even after all the woes, they are there. I was sick of loading and unloading the dishwasher and the buzzing sound it used to make. I had a permanent back pain caused by bending into the kitchen sink to wash dishes, chop vegetables, etc.
But I would like to add- dishwasher chutti nahi karta.(dishwasher doesn't take vacations). And it does what it is supposed to- Cleaning!
3. Help in case of sickness- In US or any other western country, you don't have any help if the woman falls sick. I have experienced this. My wellness was utmost priority for me so that I could take care of others. I have had my series of sicknesses in US also, but I had to get up and do the chores and take care of the child, cook, etc.
4. The Rain smells awesome here- Rain doesn't smell better anywhere in the world.
5. The Bhutta wala, availability of chai on the highways, nariyal pani on roadside- you don't get all this in US. I used to miss chai so much while traveling in the US.
6. Availability of all US grocery items- Atleast in Bangalore, you get all grocery items we are used to. Also, ingredients for other cuisines are easily available. I used to have difficulty finding good Lemon grass for thai food in California. But, It is so easily available her. That too double the volume for only Rs.7!!
7. Mother tongue for the child- Our daughter has definitely picked up a lot on hindi front. Special thanks to Dadi!:) We have had 2 visits to our hometowns ever since we have moved back and my MIL came to stay with us for about a month. And her stay helped our little one pick up on hindi. She speaks amazing hindi. Her american accent is almost gone. I do feel a bit sad about this but it had to happen and we cannot help that. She is yet to pick up kannada.
8. Iron Man- Finally, you can say bye bye to the afternoons apent ironing clothes. Iron man is there to your rescue. You can utilize that time to do things you always wanted to do but never did....like blogging.
9. Fruits and vegetables- Not that there was any problem in getting indian food in Cali. But here you get some fruits what were not there in the US. Guavas - 5 for 25 Cents. Jealous??
Sharifa/ custard apple, Faalse, ber, Jaamun, jackfruit,...list is endless. Something is burning!!;0
These advantages are not in any hierarchial order. All are equally important.
Getting a Cell Phone Connection
I hate to write about this one. This was the thing that had me out of my wits for the first time. And it is not the only thing to stress me out. I have screamed at several people-on phone and in person. I never thought I can ever behave or scream like that.
The list of few targets of my woes are-
1) Big Bazaar
2) Courier- Prakash, Safex
3) Odyssey- Indira Nagar
4) Shoppers Stop
5) Airtel Service Center
6) Maids
7) Everyone else who comes in the way of my screaming ride
Apologies to anyone I have missed out on mentioning in my 'wall of claim'.
And my husband and daughter are the most frequent and ever available victims of my wrath. I feel really sorry for them.
Since we had moved back to a new city, we had no address proof immediately. Later on my husband for a address certificate from his office. But we needed SIM cards immediately. So our dear friend took a SIM on his name for us. Later on, my hubby went to airtel to transfer it in his name. And also to get 1 new SIM for me. They said it was not a problem and did it the same day.
about 4 days later I got an SMS saying that our SIM is going to get deactivated with immediate effect because the address cannot be verified.
What had happened was,after 23 days of our arrival and also after we had transferred the SIM, they went to verify our friend's address and he and his family were out of town. So, they cancelled our connection. Unfortunately, my mom and brother were flying from Delhi to visit us and now we had no way to communicate with them. It was such a mess. I really wanted to go back. Believe me, I had never wanted to be in US more before this incident. And of course, my unwillingness to R2I does not count here.
We rushed to the nearest airtel outlet to get a new connection. Thanks to traffic, the guard refused to let us in as the store was about to close. We pleaded and fought and got in somehow. and there was a looooong queue. It is queue in India for making a queue sake. you actually have to either barge in or even more simple- scream at the top of your voice to get attended to.
So we did a mix of both and told the story. They said that they came to verify our new address as well but there was no one at home. The problem is that these guys lie like anything. they deserve hell to lie so much. I did not step out of house before 8 pm any of these days to make sure that all couriers, verifications are attended to.
Finally we got 2 new connections. Again I stayed at home to get verified. The guy came after a few days and since then we have been using that number. This is the status as of now, can't say about the next minute.
The list of few targets of my woes are-
1) Big Bazaar
2) Courier- Prakash, Safex
3) Odyssey- Indira Nagar
4) Shoppers Stop
5) Airtel Service Center
6) Maids
7) Everyone else who comes in the way of my screaming ride
Apologies to anyone I have missed out on mentioning in my 'wall of claim'.
And my husband and daughter are the most frequent and ever available victims of my wrath. I feel really sorry for them.
Since we had moved back to a new city, we had no address proof immediately. Later on my husband for a address certificate from his office. But we needed SIM cards immediately. So our dear friend took a SIM on his name for us. Later on, my hubby went to airtel to transfer it in his name. And also to get 1 new SIM for me. They said it was not a problem and did it the same day.
about 4 days later I got an SMS saying that our SIM is going to get deactivated with immediate effect because the address cannot be verified.
What had happened was,after 23 days of our arrival and also after we had transferred the SIM, they went to verify our friend's address and he and his family were out of town. So, they cancelled our connection. Unfortunately, my mom and brother were flying from Delhi to visit us and now we had no way to communicate with them. It was such a mess. I really wanted to go back. Believe me, I had never wanted to be in US more before this incident. And of course, my unwillingness to R2I does not count here.
We rushed to the nearest airtel outlet to get a new connection. Thanks to traffic, the guard refused to let us in as the store was about to close. We pleaded and fought and got in somehow. and there was a looooong queue. It is queue in India for making a queue sake. you actually have to either barge in or even more simple- scream at the top of your voice to get attended to.
So we did a mix of both and told the story. They said that they came to verify our new address as well but there was no one at home. The problem is that these guys lie like anything. they deserve hell to lie so much. I did not step out of house before 8 pm any of these days to make sure that all couriers, verifications are attended to.
Finally we got 2 new connections. Again I stayed at home to get verified. The guy came after a few days and since then we have been using that number. This is the status as of now, can't say about the next minute.
Bank Account and Lockers
We needed to open a bank account and a locker is a must have in India.
We went by word of mouth as well as the market research results and decided to have an account with HDFC bank.
So far, we are quite satisfied with the bank. Do not compare your experience with banks in India to your banks in US. You will be very disappointed and will never be satisfied but still, they are doing a good job.
The funny or ridiculous part about opening an account was that they wanted us to give them a local check to open a bank account. If we had a local bank check or a local bank account why would we be here asking for a new account anyways???
We offered them an out station check from my hubby's account in his home town and they were not too glad and needed a few more documents to complete the process. Fortunately, my FIL has a business and thus a fax machine and he runs his business from home. So he was able to fax the documents to the bank within minutes. But what if he did not have a fax machine at home?! I will leave that for you to imagine.
Now, there was a 6 months waiting list for the locker. This was really annoying. Actually annoying is a very mild term for that experience we were going through.(and again, i would like to remind you, we had a toddler with us......I ran to a nearby grocery store to get some chips, water, juice, etc. also in between).
We decided to go to the B'lore branch of my Hubby's hometown bank. Luckily it was a minute walk from the HDFC branch we were being harassed at.
It was an IOB branch at CMH Road....now they have a new one but the one we went to was the old one. It was like a run down, dark, stinky, damp, depressing, untidy, dirty hall with partitions. I know they are a lot of adjectives, but each and everyone of these have their own importance in this context.
We asked the manager for a locker and he also told us that there is a 6 months waiting time. Then he gave us a very lucrative offer- "Transfer a minimum of Rs. 5 lakhs to your account in my branch and you can have the locker right away". WHAT The.....!!!!
This meant that he had a locker but wanted to sell it to us. Looking at the branch we decided to pass on the once in a lifetime offer and went back home.
My brother was working with Kotak Mahindra Bank in delhi at that time. I narrated him the story and he told me that Kotak branch in Indira Nagar had many lockers available and he can get me one. I was over joyed. I was so proud of my brother at that moment.
He fixed an appointment for us and we were there dot in time.
The person we were supposed to meet was out of office. I called him up and was told that he will be there in 15 minutes. Whenever anyone tells you 15 minutes in India.....translate it as anywhere from 1-6 hours. Why am I saying this? you will know in my future posts and also by experience once you R2I.
Again....we had a tired toddler with us and Mr. Kotak took 1 hour to be back. He also asked us for a local check.
Arrey paagal(a lighter version of what I actually thought).....agar local check hota to yahan sad rahe hote kya....woh bhi tere liye 1 ghante se???(stupid fellow...if we had a local check....would we be sitting here that too waiting for you for the last 1 hour)
Beggars cannot be choosers, so we smiled and completed the formalities. Once our out station check was cleared, we got a SMS and went back to get the locker.
One thing about India is that SMS is kind of lifeline here. For every darn thing, you get a SMS.
We went by word of mouth as well as the market research results and decided to have an account with HDFC bank.
So far, we are quite satisfied with the bank. Do not compare your experience with banks in India to your banks in US. You will be very disappointed and will never be satisfied but still, they are doing a good job.
The funny or ridiculous part about opening an account was that they wanted us to give them a local check to open a bank account. If we had a local bank check or a local bank account why would we be here asking for a new account anyways???
We offered them an out station check from my hubby's account in his home town and they were not too glad and needed a few more documents to complete the process. Fortunately, my FIL has a business and thus a fax machine and he runs his business from home. So he was able to fax the documents to the bank within minutes. But what if he did not have a fax machine at home?! I will leave that for you to imagine.
Now, there was a 6 months waiting list for the locker. This was really annoying. Actually annoying is a very mild term for that experience we were going through.(and again, i would like to remind you, we had a toddler with us......I ran to a nearby grocery store to get some chips, water, juice, etc. also in between).
We decided to go to the B'lore branch of my Hubby's hometown bank. Luckily it was a minute walk from the HDFC branch we were being harassed at.
It was an IOB branch at CMH Road....now they have a new one but the one we went to was the old one. It was like a run down, dark, stinky, damp, depressing, untidy, dirty hall with partitions. I know they are a lot of adjectives, but each and everyone of these have their own importance in this context.
We asked the manager for a locker and he also told us that there is a 6 months waiting time. Then he gave us a very lucrative offer- "Transfer a minimum of Rs. 5 lakhs to your account in my branch and you can have the locker right away". WHAT The.....!!!!
This meant that he had a locker but wanted to sell it to us. Looking at the branch we decided to pass on the once in a lifetime offer and went back home.
My brother was working with Kotak Mahindra Bank in delhi at that time. I narrated him the story and he told me that Kotak branch in Indira Nagar had many lockers available and he can get me one. I was over joyed. I was so proud of my brother at that moment.
He fixed an appointment for us and we were there dot in time.
The person we were supposed to meet was out of office. I called him up and was told that he will be there in 15 minutes. Whenever anyone tells you 15 minutes in India.....translate it as anywhere from 1-6 hours. Why am I saying this? you will know in my future posts and also by experience once you R2I.
Again....we had a tired toddler with us and Mr. Kotak took 1 hour to be back. He also asked us for a local check.
Arrey paagal(a lighter version of what I actually thought).....agar local check hota to yahan sad rahe hote kya....woh bhi tere liye 1 ghante se???(stupid fellow...if we had a local check....would we be sitting here that too waiting for you for the last 1 hour)
Beggars cannot be choosers, so we smiled and completed the formalities. Once our out station check was cleared, we got a SMS and went back to get the locker.
One thing about India is that SMS is kind of lifeline here. For every darn thing, you get a SMS.
Domestic Help- Part 2
It is not all gloomy about the domestic help. There is a silver lining too.
Our driver is an excellent person.
When we moved back and looked at the traffic conditions of B'lore, I gave up the idea of driving completely. Plus, we both were new to Bangalore so routes and language was also a problem to get through.
As I have said earlier, we had decided not to act miserly and have as much convenience as possible to make ourselves comfy. So, we interviewed about 6 drivers by the same process of telling guards, etc.
Touch wood, but I feel so lucky to have our driver. I can completely rely on him. This trust developed over a period of 8 months. Trusting someone outright is not my style. I am like a highly suspicious woman out of any ekta kapoor soaps.
8 months is also not a long time but still, this man is a gem!
It does cost a lot of money. we pay him as much as my first job paid me about 8 years back. :) But he is every penny worth it.
Our driver is an excellent person.
When we moved back and looked at the traffic conditions of B'lore, I gave up the idea of driving completely. Plus, we both were new to Bangalore so routes and language was also a problem to get through.
As I have said earlier, we had decided not to act miserly and have as much convenience as possible to make ourselves comfy. So, we interviewed about 6 drivers by the same process of telling guards, etc.
Touch wood, but I feel so lucky to have our driver. I can completely rely on him. This trust developed over a period of 8 months. Trusting someone outright is not my style. I am like a highly suspicious woman out of any ekta kapoor soaps.
8 months is also not a long time but still, this man is a gem!
It does cost a lot of money. we pay him as much as my first job paid me about 8 years back. :) But he is every penny worth it.
Domestic Help-Part 1
I am pretty sure if you have read my earlier posts, you must be eagerly looking out for this one.
So here I go.
If you live in an apartment complex, it is quite easy to have a number of maids as options. And options are always good. But this one is an exception. Being North Indians, we needed a maid who spoke fluent english if not hindi.
We asked the guards and the apartment office to send us hindi/ english speaking maids.
And we had about 8 choices. The worst part was that they all came with different quotes for the same amount of work. Range Rs.1000-2200. Now that was very confusing and over whelming as this was the first time in my life that I was hiring a maid.
I liked one. She looked like a newly wed. Nice saree, 1 gold set and a heavy mangalsutra, big earrings, long nails with different shades for every finger(I noticed this one later), about 3 rings in each hand, bun with flowers and some local but strong deo fragrance.
"At least she looks clean and pleasant and has a cell phone too", I told myself. She had asked for Rs.1200 for Scrubbing utensils, Cleaning of a duplex apartment and 3 bathrooms. Bangalore is pricey!
So she started working. As soon as she used to enter the house, her cell phone would start ringing and she attended to every call. She spoke non-stop over the phone and the quality work kept deteriorating by the day. So after 26 days, I had to bid adieu to her as she wanted to go for a 7 days vacation for her niece's wedding. And she gave me no substitutes also. Also, she used to show up for work and then disappear without saying anything and not to be seen till the next day. She also took Rs.700 advance from me telling me that she has an autistic child. I know that was stupid of me. But Hello! I had just R2I-ed and had very high morals and the urge to help the needy because in US, needy is usually really needy.
The bad part was that our stuff had come before I fired her and I gave her a lot of stuff which we did not need then.
Believe me, this woman gave me a horrible time during the 26 days she worked for us. She even used to come to other houses to work and skip mine. She might have done the same to others also.
However, This time I decided to have 2 maids so that all the work doesn't fall on me in worst case scenario.
Life is comfortable since then as I have learnt to zip my mouth, ignore, tolerate, and do things my way over the weekends.
The problem with maids are:
1) Advance- Asking for it all the time and the amount may range from Rs. 50 - Rs. 10,000.
2) They cannot do what they are supposed to do- which is cleaning. Utensils are not clean, house is not clean. So you pay them to wash your utensils with water(and still the soap and scotch brites keep disappearing like tigers) and the brooming is like playing hockey match. Mopping the floor is comparable to spreading butter on your toast while you are trying to lose weight.
3) They need 4 holidays every month. It could be every sunday or 4 together.
4) Attitude- There is no dearth of work for them in apartment complexes, so they don't care
5) It is extremely difficult to find a reliable/honest person
Now, one of my maids is reliable but she has to go to Chennai every month for 4 days to her children. If I start working, I cannot take 4 days off every month from work.
Even if I leave my daughter to a daycare, I need someone to be at home in case I get late or to feed her if need arises.
I am not saying that women don't work here, but if children are your utmost priority and career taking backseat is an option for you then be prepared.
Going back to work is not easy unless you are too determined or unless you have family to fall back on.
Also, the better the apartment complex, the higher the charges.
So here I go.
If you live in an apartment complex, it is quite easy to have a number of maids as options. And options are always good. But this one is an exception. Being North Indians, we needed a maid who spoke fluent english if not hindi.
We asked the guards and the apartment office to send us hindi/ english speaking maids.
And we had about 8 choices. The worst part was that they all came with different quotes for the same amount of work. Range Rs.1000-2200. Now that was very confusing and over whelming as this was the first time in my life that I was hiring a maid.
I liked one. She looked like a newly wed. Nice saree, 1 gold set and a heavy mangalsutra, big earrings, long nails with different shades for every finger(I noticed this one later), about 3 rings in each hand, bun with flowers and some local but strong deo fragrance.
"At least she looks clean and pleasant and has a cell phone too", I told myself. She had asked for Rs.1200 for Scrubbing utensils, Cleaning of a duplex apartment and 3 bathrooms. Bangalore is pricey!
So she started working. As soon as she used to enter the house, her cell phone would start ringing and she attended to every call. She spoke non-stop over the phone and the quality work kept deteriorating by the day. So after 26 days, I had to bid adieu to her as she wanted to go for a 7 days vacation for her niece's wedding. And she gave me no substitutes also. Also, she used to show up for work and then disappear without saying anything and not to be seen till the next day. She also took Rs.700 advance from me telling me that she has an autistic child. I know that was stupid of me. But Hello! I had just R2I-ed and had very high morals and the urge to help the needy because in US, needy is usually really needy.
The bad part was that our stuff had come before I fired her and I gave her a lot of stuff which we did not need then.
Believe me, this woman gave me a horrible time during the 26 days she worked for us. She even used to come to other houses to work and skip mine. She might have done the same to others also.
However, This time I decided to have 2 maids so that all the work doesn't fall on me in worst case scenario.
Life is comfortable since then as I have learnt to zip my mouth, ignore, tolerate, and do things my way over the weekends.
The problem with maids are:
1) Advance- Asking for it all the time and the amount may range from Rs. 50 - Rs. 10,000.
2) They cannot do what they are supposed to do- which is cleaning. Utensils are not clean, house is not clean. So you pay them to wash your utensils with water(and still the soap and scotch brites keep disappearing like tigers) and the brooming is like playing hockey match. Mopping the floor is comparable to spreading butter on your toast while you are trying to lose weight.
3) They need 4 holidays every month. It could be every sunday or 4 together.
4) Attitude- There is no dearth of work for them in apartment complexes, so they don't care
5) It is extremely difficult to find a reliable/honest person
Now, one of my maids is reliable but she has to go to Chennai every month for 4 days to her children. If I start working, I cannot take 4 days off every month from work.
Even if I leave my daughter to a daycare, I need someone to be at home in case I get late or to feed her if need arises.
I am not saying that women don't work here, but if children are your utmost priority and career taking backseat is an option for you then be prepared.
Going back to work is not easy unless you are too determined or unless you have family to fall back on.
Also, the better the apartment complex, the higher the charges.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Cable Connection
We opted for Tata Sky and we are pretty happy with the service and the reception.
They were very convenient to reach, interact, install. And yes- they were on time for installation.
So, no grudges against them.
They were very convenient to reach, interact, install. And yes- they were on time for installation.
So, no grudges against them.
Rental funiture
Remember I told you about our shipment from US??
We were informed that we will be getting our stuff about 15 days earlier and this was a big mood lifter for us. However, there was still about 1 month to go without furniture.
We decided on renting some basic furniture. This is one good thing about the Post-2000 India. You can rent furniture and appliances very easily.
But, if you are even the slightest cost conscious, then please be ready to compromise big time.
The furniture was not great but bearable. And we told ourselves- this is india and c'mon, we have to manage for just 1 month.
The rented furniture arrived and the porters damaged a few edges of out newly painted house.
This was not pleasant for sure.
The couch had all its jute peeping out from the cloth. The dining table had chipped edged and topped which gave us a few bruises also.
We covered up the table with a table linen and the couch with bed sheets.
The sheets didn't help much and we decided to be Indian in India and to sit on the floor or plastic chairs.
We were informed that we will be getting our stuff about 15 days earlier and this was a big mood lifter for us. However, there was still about 1 month to go without furniture.
We decided on renting some basic furniture. This is one good thing about the Post-2000 India. You can rent furniture and appliances very easily.
But, if you are even the slightest cost conscious, then please be ready to compromise big time.
The furniture was not great but bearable. And we told ourselves- this is india and c'mon, we have to manage for just 1 month.
The rented furniture arrived and the porters damaged a few edges of out newly painted house.
This was not pleasant for sure.
The couch had all its jute peeping out from the cloth. The dining table had chipped edged and topped which gave us a few bruises also.
We covered up the table with a table linen and the couch with bed sheets.
The sheets didn't help much and we decided to be Indian in India and to sit on the floor or plastic chairs.
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