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'India is my second home'

Expat zone
Last Updated 24 January 2016, 18:38 IST

Her voice is coloured with excitement and pride when she says, “India is my second home; a home away from home.”

And you know she isn’t just throwing words around when she stumbles on her sentences while describing her stay here. Her discerning eyes have noticed the minute details that make the country, the order within the chaos. Her mind has understood that it cannot articulate this love in just a few words or lines.

Explaining how she landed up here, Anna Jimenez Morera, a Spaniard, adds, “I don’t know how it happened! There was something inside me that said I have to be in India.”
    It was 2009 when she first visited the country, she was doing some social work in Kolkata at the time. That was a one-month visit but her next one lasted for six months.

   “I came back to India a few years later, this time, to Bhubaneswar as part of a foreign exchange programme from college. I studied at Xavier Institute of Management, doing a Bachelors of Business Administration and Management. During these six months, I had the opportunity (yet again) to understand the culture, and I loved it again.”

And when she understood how large the Indian business market is and what potential it has, she didn’t want to miss the chance to be a part of the growth.

    “So, I decided to come back, a little later, as a professional. I strongly believed that the Indian market is an up-and-coming one and I wanted to be a part of it,” says the VP, Sales and Marketing, of Würfel Küche.

Now, it has been three years since she moved to Bengaluru and she treats it like home. “I do make it a point to visit home at least twice a year.” Home being Sant Sadurni D’Anoia, a small municipality in Catalan Spain, close to Barcelona. Known for its sparkling Catalan wine (Cava), it’s a modest and beautiful region.

Talking about her childhood and growing up, Anna says, "I grew up in a very modest family. My family has a business background so that gave me the idea of wanting to work for a better future. They helped me understand situations rather than giving me simple
solutions."

She also mentions that she had no problems adapting to India when she first came in. "I don't see much of a difference between India and Spain. I'm comfortable here, and I live the way I would in any other city around the world - Bengaluru has everything. Even if there's something wrong in your personal life, you find ways to feel better here."

    It helped that she came here in progressions - first for a month, then six and now, it has been three years.

Anna can't help but boast when she says, "I love Indian food and there's not much I can't eat. I don't like coriander but other than that, I'm good. I can take the spices and eat with my hands!"

   She adds that while Europe has three-course meals, Indians stop at one course. "Our food is mainly Mediterranean and there are a lot of fresh vegetables and meats in the dishes." And if she knows the context of the conversation, she can even understand Hindi. "I have no complaints here, except probably the sound contamination. There are loud sounds everywhere, at all times. I grew up in the countryside listening to birds sing in the morning. But without these sounds, it wouldn't be India."

Though she has travelled many Indian cities and small towns, some of her best memories are related to work.

     "I know it sounds weird but we have worked hard to get to where we are now. And I've been involved in each and every step. Launching the company was my biggest achievement."

Her other interests include skiing, playing basketball, riding horses, travelling and philosophy. "I'm also a dog lover!"

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(Published 24 January 2016, 15:41 IST)

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