Home’s eternal displacement for women world over as no culture is exempt from relocating them from natal to marital homes. Yet it comes as a surprise when the women expats of the City whose ranks are swelling by the day, assert that they have at last found their home.

Food, warmth of locals, fast life, fantastic shops, bars and restaurants,  parks and green areas, you name it and these expat women love everything about the City.

Though they confess that initially it was a challenge to live here not knowing the language or the people, but they blended into the culture of the City pretty soon.

“Life here is good, the people are very friendly making it easier to adapt. Keeping your options open and becoming involved in life here helps. Learning some South Indian languages is a must,” says Kathleen Maclean, Deputy Head, Science and Innovation (India).

She says travelling by an auto can be quite a challenge by itself and the traffic and pollution are the worst aspects of life here. It’s also very difficult to come to terms with the gap between the rich and the poor here.
Lesley Jackson, Director and CFO of United Breweries, has already spent three years in the City and likes its fast paced life. But she finds the idea of changing the name of the City rather ridiculous. “I find the change of the name of the City to be very insular and short-sighted. The City should be proud of what it is has achieved, and its international standing rather than try to reinvent itself, without any defined purpose,” says Lesley and adds that for a growing City the roads, connections to the new airport, and poor transport facilities is rather terrible.

Beverly Vaidya moved into the City twelve years ago for her kids who were still at school. She began teaching Spanish, went to writing classes and thoroughly enjoyed going to concerts and also singing in different choirs. She soon found her circle of friends.

“I still don't understand or speak Kannada, and that is a problem sometimes. My very rudimentary Hindi gets me through some of the rough spots in life,” says Beverly and adds, “the City is a perfect place for young people who want working and living opportunities here, with a touch of the West mixed in.”

Despite the mismanaged traffic, noise, pollution, stray dogs and the poor transport facilities, expat women who have made Bangalore their home call it their own and detest being called as an expat or even being mistaken for a tourist.