<p class="title">The opportunity to work in India and understand the culture is what prompted Elena Gil from Malaga, Spain to move to Bengaluru four years ago. She first came to Anantapur in 2013 and worked with an NGO which does Spanish translation of Telugu literature. Her stint in Anantapur gave her a chance to travel and explore the Southern part of the country. The moment she reached Bengaluru, she fell in love with the place.</p>.<div>Soon after she returned to Malaga, she applied for a job here. Fortunately, she managed to find what she was looking for at the Centre for Global Languages at Bangalore University. </div>.<div>Looking back now, Elena feels that she couldn't have made a better decision. Her work involves teaching Spanish to students and working professionals here.</div>.<p class="bodytext">"There are a lot of IT companies which prefer to hire people who are fluent in foreign languages. Many youngsters come to learn to speak foreign languages. Spanish is one of them," she says. "The students here are very eager to learn. I don't find this kind of openness and warmth with the students back in Spain," adds Elena.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She says that she adjusted to the city sooner than she thought she would. "Settling down here was not difficult at all because I had stayed here many times before I decided to make this my home. Also, thanks to the large circle of friends, I managed to make myself at home very soon," she says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She also found the perfect partner in Upal Basu, an architect by profession. "Upal and I were introduced to each other through common friends. We began as friends but we were so comfortable in each other's company that we decided to add more meaning to our friendship," she says. Elena and Upal hope to tie the knot soon.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The two families have met and our parents are happy for us. We haven't fixed a wedding date as of now," she says. Elena is also impressed with the city's gourmet culture. "I have tasted every possible cuisine here. Be it the local dishes, Bengali or Kerala cuisine, I love them all and I have my favourites. I have also learnt how to make 'palak paneer' and 'rotis'. I want to first learn how to make the smaller and less complicated Indian items and later learn the tougher ones," she laughs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She also says that she has adjusted to the spicy food here. "After eating Indian food, I wonder why the food back home is so bland. I have experimented a great deal with Indian dishes and love cooking it as well although my 'rotis' take longer than usual," she says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Travelling is another favourite pastime of hers. She travels alone and with a large group of friends. "I have visited Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Uttarakhand. I also visited Uttarkashi where I underwent training to become a yoga teacher. I used to practise yoga back home and I wanted to get a deeper understanding of it here," she says.</p>.<div>"Every corner of the country has a different ethos and character. I enjoyed my stay in</div>.<div>Kerala and relished the local dishes there. The fish fry and the red fish curry being my favourites," she adds.</div>.<div>Her other hobbies include reading and gardening. "I am not a party person. I would rather </div>.<div>settle down with a book or do a bit of gardening whenever I am free. I also have a large collection of books based on Indian mythology," adds Elena. </div>.<p class="bodytext">She also recently developed an interest in Bharatanatyam and has been learning from one of them. "I have always wanted to learn an Indian classical dance form. I found an opportunity when I discovered that one of my students is a trained classical dancer. I teach her Spanish and she, in turn, teaches me Bharatanatyam. I find it a very beautiful and sophisticated dance form," she says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As far as travelling in the city is concerned she says, "I travel by auto and refuse to pay a rupee more than what is shown on the meter. I don't give in to the auto driver's demand to pay excess fare," she signs off.</p>
<p class="title">The opportunity to work in India and understand the culture is what prompted Elena Gil from Malaga, Spain to move to Bengaluru four years ago. She first came to Anantapur in 2013 and worked with an NGO which does Spanish translation of Telugu literature. Her stint in Anantapur gave her a chance to travel and explore the Southern part of the country. The moment she reached Bengaluru, she fell in love with the place.</p>.<div>Soon after she returned to Malaga, she applied for a job here. Fortunately, she managed to find what she was looking for at the Centre for Global Languages at Bangalore University. </div>.<div>Looking back now, Elena feels that she couldn't have made a better decision. Her work involves teaching Spanish to students and working professionals here.</div>.<p class="bodytext">"There are a lot of IT companies which prefer to hire people who are fluent in foreign languages. Many youngsters come to learn to speak foreign languages. Spanish is one of them," she says. "The students here are very eager to learn. I don't find this kind of openness and warmth with the students back in Spain," adds Elena.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She says that she adjusted to the city sooner than she thought she would. "Settling down here was not difficult at all because I had stayed here many times before I decided to make this my home. Also, thanks to the large circle of friends, I managed to make myself at home very soon," she says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She also found the perfect partner in Upal Basu, an architect by profession. "Upal and I were introduced to each other through common friends. We began as friends but we were so comfortable in each other's company that we decided to add more meaning to our friendship," she says. Elena and Upal hope to tie the knot soon.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The two families have met and our parents are happy for us. We haven't fixed a wedding date as of now," she says. Elena is also impressed with the city's gourmet culture. "I have tasted every possible cuisine here. Be it the local dishes, Bengali or Kerala cuisine, I love them all and I have my favourites. I have also learnt how to make 'palak paneer' and 'rotis'. I want to first learn how to make the smaller and less complicated Indian items and later learn the tougher ones," she laughs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She also says that she has adjusted to the spicy food here. "After eating Indian food, I wonder why the food back home is so bland. I have experimented a great deal with Indian dishes and love cooking it as well although my 'rotis' take longer than usual," she says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Travelling is another favourite pastime of hers. She travels alone and with a large group of friends. "I have visited Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Uttarakhand. I also visited Uttarkashi where I underwent training to become a yoga teacher. I used to practise yoga back home and I wanted to get a deeper understanding of it here," she says.</p>.<div>"Every corner of the country has a different ethos and character. I enjoyed my stay in</div>.<div>Kerala and relished the local dishes there. The fish fry and the red fish curry being my favourites," she adds.</div>.<div>Her other hobbies include reading and gardening. "I am not a party person. I would rather </div>.<div>settle down with a book or do a bit of gardening whenever I am free. I also have a large collection of books based on Indian mythology," adds Elena. </div>.<p class="bodytext">She also recently developed an interest in Bharatanatyam and has been learning from one of them. "I have always wanted to learn an Indian classical dance form. I found an opportunity when I discovered that one of my students is a trained classical dancer. I teach her Spanish and she, in turn, teaches me Bharatanatyam. I find it a very beautiful and sophisticated dance form," she says.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As far as travelling in the city is concerned she says, "I travel by auto and refuse to pay a rupee more than what is shown on the meter. I don't give in to the auto driver's demand to pay excess fare," she signs off.</p>