JOIN USExpatriates love Bangalore for its cosmopolitan lifestyle, salubrious environment, food and people. Fatehullah Mohammadi, an expat from Afghanistan, shares his experiences here
Fatehullah Mohammadi, who has travelled all the way from Afghanistan to pursue his studies in the City, admits that he feels at home here. A student at Indian Academy, he has been in Bangalore for a couple of years now.
“I am very happy here in Bangalore. The kind of facilities we get in the City is wonderful and my experiences here have been very enriching. I have got a scholarship and the support I’ve received from the governments of India and Afghanistan has been very encouraging. I have a very active social life and many friends, who belong to various nationalities,” says the young student.
A resident of Kammanahalli, he feels quite safe in the City. “The police officials in my area are very helpful and ever ready to assist and advice whenever required. I am glad I made the choice to come to Bangalore,” he adds.
Fatehullah feels that in Bangalore, he has a lot of freedom. “I roam about at night and there is nobody to tell me to return home.
Bangalore is a safe City, hence, students like us get acclimatised to it very soon.
I am an executive member of the ICCR students’ body and I get to interact with a lot of Indians as well as students from other nationalities. We try to keep in touch and be there for each other in difficult situations,” he notes.
He goes on to say that the festival season has been very special for him as he has celebrated each of the occasions with equal gusto and energy. “During the month of Ramadan, we invited our Indian friends along with others — like friends from Iran and Mongolia — and cooked a lavish spread. It was a lot of fun. We also tried to make them understand the importance of the festival,” he explains.
“During the crisis involving North-Eastern people in the City, we talked to a lot of our Indian friends and urged them to stay calm and pacified their fears,” he explains.
The amiable youngster says that conversing with autorickshaw drivers has been a real challenge for him. “They don’t understand what I say and I don’t agree with their policy of extorting money from foreigners. When they see that we belong to a different nationality, they try to fool us. Initially, I fell prey to their tactics but I have learnt to tackle them over the years. It has been difficult — but I am learning,” he notes.
He admits that getting used to the food here was a problem — until he discovered popular burger joints. “I was used to very little spice and when I came here, there was so much spice in the food. Now, I am used to it and enjoy the South Indian fare. I also cook at home and try and experiment with Indian spices as well,” he states.
The City is known for its pleasant weather and he completely agrees, saying, “The weather here is amazing — it is spring here all the time. This is a very vibrant and young City, a melting pot of cultures. I have formed memories here and will
always remember the friends I have made in Bangalore,” he sums up.