'People here have a heart of gold'

Bob Myers from the United States of America came to the City around three years ago with wife Sakiko Kimura, who is from Japan.

They are happy staying here and term the experience as warm and exciting. The two work with Gondavana Services Pvt Ltd, a consultancy for new businesses, and say that working here has been a learning experience.

“It has been an interesting adventure. The first three days were exciting with a lot of colours and noise.

The three months that followed were a little difficult as we had to arrange things in the house. We were often frustrated because of the bad service here which we were not aware of,” says Sakiko.

She goes on to add that after three months, the couple realised that they had to change their mindset and slowly, things got better. “We still share a love-hate relationship with the City but we have been enjoying every bit of our stay here,” she adds.

Having worked in Brno, Czech Republic before coming to Bangalore, the couple say that their experiences are varied. “As Bob is American, he understands what it’s like to work in Japan and I, as a Japanese, have had the experience of working in the US. We consider ourselves global citizens,” says Sakiko.

Talking about the work

dynamics here, Bob says that the people here are closer to each other when compared to the US. Ask them what they thought of the City before coming here and Sakiko says, “I used to do have a lot of conference calls with the Bangalore team when I was working in the US. I often used to hear loud honking in the background and now I know that it’s a reality here.

I had imagined Bangalore to be less urban but was delighted to discover how urban it was. The only problem is the infrastructure that supports it,” says Sakiko.

According to Sakiko, religion is a part of life here. “Whether they deeply believe in it or not, it is a part of everyone’s life,” she details. Though she has worked with Indians in her previous job, she finds Bangaloreans different.

   “People here are dynamic but it looks like they value the time spent on a particular effort more than the innovation involved,” she says.

Bob feels that the business culture here is less structured. “One could call it disorganised or flexible.

There is less emphasis on plans, deadlines or frameworks. This does work sometimes but not always,” he notes. He adds that the people in the City are more oriented toward hierarchy and expect their bosses to have strong leadership skills. “I’ve traditionally had a more collaborative and team-oriented approach towards management but here that can come across as a weak-kneed lack of leadership,” he says.

About the cultural delights here, Sakiko says that Indian outfits are pretty. “Sari is both beautiful to look at and comfortable to wear. I believe that it’s a very practical dress,” says Sakiko.

The two agree that Bangaloreans are warm-hearted. “People here have a heart of gold,” says Bob.

The couple have been o Pondicherry, Chennai, Kochi and Hampi. During the weekends or whenever they have some time to spare, they hang out with their expatriate friends.

“I like the fact that everything here is vibrant including people, dogs, and cows. There are problems with infrastructure, garbage collection, water supply and constant power outages, which I don’t like. But I am hoping those will get fixed soon,” says Sakiko.

Comparing the City to other places, Bob says that the weather in Bangalore is the best. “I've travelled to Chennai on work and a bit around North and South of India. I’d rather live in Bangalore where the weather is as beautiful like that of Los Angeles.

Spoilt Americans here can eat, drink and be merry,” he says.