JOIN USNo matter where you go and how much you travel, there is no place like home. Even though she belongs to Germany, Friederike Fokuhl kept coming back to Bengaluru and she calls the city her second home.
She first came to India when she was 18 years old to do voluntary service. “I came to work in a children’s village in Thalayolaparambu in Kerala for six months. During my stay there, I went backpacking to other places like Goa, Hampi, Kolkata, Darjeeling, Varanasi and Rajasthan,” she says. She was back in 2010 to complete her practical studies at an NGO in Bengaluru. In 2013, she came once again for a job and has been living in the city since.
Sharing her experience from the first time here, Friederike says, “Before my stay in Kerala, I did my research about how living in India would be. I prepared accordingly but still got a culture shock. Even when I wore jeans and T-shirt, I would still stand out in a crowd. I eventually started wearing ‘salwar’ and using a ‘bindi’ to fit in.”
During her first trip when she visited Bengaluru, she noticed a completely different culture. “Coming to the city was the second culture shock. It was so different from Kerala. But I could relate to things more easily here. When I officially moved to Bengaluru, I realised people are open and friendly here. Within a few weeks, this city felt like my second home,” she says with a smile.
Being a social butterfly in Germany, Friederike always dreamt of working abroad. She says, “My parents and friends found it difficult to understand that people have a progressive lifestyle here. During my internship, they came to visit and realised that things were different from what they imagined.”
Friederike presently works at Mercedes-Benz as a German teacher. She says, “There’s a huge demand for learning languages here and I decided to use German to my advantage and help those who want to learn. All my students know that learning the language can be advantageous for their careers and help open more doors for them. When everyone’s on the same page, teaching becomes fun!”
When she’s not busy travelling from her house in Banaswadi to Whitefield for work, she likes exploring the city or doing social work. “There’s a park in Vasanthanagar called ‘Namma Park’ that my friend and I decided to help revamp. We’ve been working on that project for a couple of years now; the Vasanthanagar Resident Association has also joined hands with us to improve the infrastructure. We now have a playground and walking space. It’s lovely to see the residents come to enjoy nature and relax,” she shares.
She also voices her thoughts on the steel flyover issue. She says, “I was a part of the recent human chain protest. I think the beauty of Bengaluru lies in its old trees and heritage buildings. Having lived here for a while, I have noticed the change in weather. I think it’s important to preserve green spaces. Cutting down trees would make the city lose its charm.”
She likes visiting pubs like ‘The Humming Tree’, ‘Take 5’, ‘Pecos’ and ‘Watsons’. When it comes to food, she also likes to indulge in the South Indian fare that the city offers.
She likes to contribute to the environment through her love for cycling. She says, “I cycle a lot during the weekends. I enjoy riding to Cubbon Park. Sometimes, I even take a book along and spend some time there. I also ride towards Airport Road and to some nearby villages.”
And where did her love for cycling and volunteering for social work come from? She says, “My hometown, Mölln, close to Hamburg, is a small town with about 19,000 residents. It has a lot of greenery and I loved cycling there. I grew up being involved in sports and social work.”
Though she continues that here, she misses her clean town. “Cleanliness and traffic are problems here. I think a lot of other problems would be solved if these were taken care of,” she expresses.
On where she sees herself in the next few years, she says, “I never planned to live here this long but there’s always something new that inspires me to extend my stay. Till I’m here, I want to travel and learn as much as possible. This city has been good to me and I am happy to be a part of this growing culture,” says Friederike.