Location search: Adapting foreigners

Expats living in Bangalore have learnt to adjust to its unique ways, and that extends to its location challenges too. The case of Elisa from France is typical. In Bangalore for the past four years as a professional in a consulting firm, she has to regularly commute to meet clients.

“I remember when I first came here I got lost in Whitefield for hours trying to find a client. Now, however I make it a point to take down the phone numbers, whether it be of clients or a new restaurant that I am going to. It makes it much more easier to find the place”, she says.  Of course, commuting is much more convenient back home in France, but Elisa ‘finds a way and adapts to the conditions’.

“At home, there are various facilities such as maps on almost every street and signs that direct to your location without having to rely on anyone most of the time. Here, however, the fact that you need to always take the help of people to find your way is something unique.”

For Natalia Kapylova from Belarus, the people here make it easier for expats like her to travel and move around. “I stayed in Delhi for four years and when I came here, I was pleasantly surprised to see people much more friendlier, making commuting that much more easier.”

Despite this, she prefers to rely on her friends to locate a place. “No doubt the public transport system back home is well organised and more comfortable. Here, despite using it you might end up walking a lot to reach your destination. There are certain adjustments you have to make”, she says.

Strangely, tourists such as Andrea and Thomas have found travel guides adequate for sightseeing within the City. But then, they were in the city just for two days and had not ventured out in the periphery. That would be a different story !