Impressed by Indian families

Expat zone

The minute they came to Bangalore, they fell in love with the City. The lovely weather and the friendly people here made them feel at home. David Scott and Claudia Philips, hailing from the United Kingdom, have been leading a happy life over here for nearly three years.

David works in Cisco while Claudia works for a British monthly magazine from home. Their daughter Matilda and son Calum Scott are studying at The International School Bangalore in fourth and fifth standards respectively.

“Due to recession, we were facing a tough time in England. Some people lost their jobs too. When my company allowed me to work in India, I accepted the offer happily. We had many Indian friends in London and had heard many tales about the colourful life here. So we were excited and all prepared to explore a new country,” says David. He says he used to think that poverty exists everywhere in India. “Once I came here, I realised that my perception was totally wrong. The City is more cosmopolitan in nature and life here is more sophisticated,” he adds.

The couple agree that they faced difficulties during their initial days here. “Getting domestic gas and BSNL connections were quite problematic. There were no shops near the house. But David’s colleagues helped us overcome all the problems. We were lucky enough to get a fantastic maid and a driver,” says Claudia.

Though they have been cheated by the autowallahs many a time, the kids love to travel in autos as they don’t find them in London. “Earlier, we didn’t own any vehicle. So we had to depend on the autos and had a bad experience every time. Whenever we approached an auto fellow, he would say ‘the meter is broken’ and charge more,” reveals Claudia.

They say they are yet to explore Indian culture. “Majority of the people here are from different parts of the country and each one’s trait is different. So it is difficult to understand their tradition. Moreover, we have many foreign friends here and rarely get an opportunity to interact with Indian families,” says David.

For the couple, the most fascinating thing about India is the family bonding. “I liked the family structure in India. The bond between parents and children, brothers and sisters is really unique. I like the concept of parents looking after their kids till they start earning and children looking after their aged parents,” remarks David.

With globetrotting being their hobby, the family has visited Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Mysore, Hampi and other places. “More than anything, we would like to explore the wildlife and forests as we can’t see such thick forests in our homeland. We had been to the Kabini Jungle recently where the kids had a great time watching tigers, monkeys and other animals,” reasons David. They like hanging out at Caperberry, UB City, Forum Mall, Forum Value Mall among other places in the City.

The family has appointed a Hindi tutor to teach Hindi to all of them. The kids are more acquainted with the regional languages and know a few regional songs too. Watching movies is their favourite pastime and Claudia is a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan. Though David doesn’t watch Bollywood movies much, he likes some of the film songs.

The couple has no issues with Indian food. “We are okay with the food as we have tasted it before in the restaurants of London. But the dishes over there are spicier. We have tasted ‘Butter Chicken’, Paratha and other dishes. In fact, our maid prepares Indian food for us,” say David and Claudia.

Though the couple has fallen in love with the City, they dislike the litter spread all over and the maddening traffic. The things they miss the most are their friends and English chocolates. The couple wants to live in the City as long as David’s job will permit them to.