<p>She started working at the age of 19. She built her way up the ladder in her career and by graduating to a new level. Travelling around the world became a part of her job. However, after many years of playing the corporate role, she wanted to take up a different career path. <br /><br /></p>.<p>And as fate had it, when Kiki Petriti from Athens, Greece, met Ashok Prabhu in London, they fell in love. After dating for a few years, they decided to get married and make India their home. “We never considered settling anywhere else as Ashok runs an interior designer company here. I wanted a change from my stressful work life and build a new life here,” shares Kiki. <br /><br />About her life in Athens, she says, “Life in Greece changed a lot because of the economic crisis. A lot of people left the country is search of better opportunities. Luckily, my family wasn’t affected by it. But the country is back on its feet and a lot of people are coming to visit or for destination weddings.”<br /><br />“I’m glad that I grew up there. I had a great childhood in a small neighbourhood where the children were out on the streets playing football or riding bikes. Our mothers would run behind us to come back in for food. The sea is also very close to my house, so whenever I needed a break, I’d go there.”<br /><br />Baking and cooking have always been a part of Kiki’s life. She grew up sitting at the kitchen table and doing her homework, while her mother, a professional chef, was busy in the kitchen. She says, “When I moved to the city in 2015, I cooked or baked something to keep myself busy. Ashok suggested that we turn this into a career and that’s how we started ‘Marzipan Cafe & Bakery’. Just so that I don’t have to miss much of my Greek food, I’ve also added a few recipes to the menu we serve.”<br /><br />During her stay here, Kiki has started to learn the local language as well. “It’s a good thing that almost everyone here speaks English but when I have to commute via cabs and auto, I prefer to speak to them in the local language. I have an English-Kannada translator on my phone and I use it whenever I need help,” she says. Since Ashok’s mother tongue is Konkani, she’s also learning that. “Kiki’s actually adjusting to everything that’s been presenting to her and I’m quite surprised. You wouldn’t expect everyone to take in certain things with a smile, but she does it. Her Konkani is getting better too,” says Ashok. <br /><br />One of the things that put a smile on her face about her life in Bengaluru is the nice people. She exclaims, “I find the people here very nice and caring. They are always available to help you out and I find that kind of attitude very similar to my life in Greece. Being united with family is one of the common factors.” However, this wasn’t the attitude she expected before she moved here. “I think everyone abroad has a certain kind of stereotypical notion about India. I realised it’s nothing like that when I moved here. The cities and people are very modern here. The younger generation is very well-educated and ambitions. While there is a traditional aura everywhere, there’s still the IT industry working parallelly,” says Kiki. <br />And when one would think that traffic is a problem here, Kiki says it’s not a big deal. “I’ve worked in California for 2 years and compared to that, traffic over here is nothing. Whenever I have to travel to any part of the city, I make sure that my phone is fully charged so that I can browse the internet and play games. I will eventually reach my destination, so there’s no reason to get stressed out,” she shares, joyfully. <br /><br /> During their free time, the couple like to explore the city and its new restaurants. Spending time at Cubbon Park and at the Golf Club are some of their favourite activities. As Kiki loves spicy food, she loves going to ‘Tibbs Frankie’, ‘Empire’, ‘Queens’ and ‘Bheema's’. They also like to visit ‘Shiro’ and ‘Sanchos’. And whenever she’s not out trying new dishes, she’s experimenting with Indian dishes at home. She claims that with help from the internet and her mother-in-law, she’s becoming a mini-expert in Indian cuisines as well. They’ve also travelled to places like Mumbai, Delhi, Goa and Pondicherry. Kiki says, “I’ve heard a lot about Mysuru and Coorg; hope to go there soon.”<br /><br />Though she misses her family back home, she has already visited them twice in a year. “I keep going back home every 6 months to visit my friends and family. I make sure that I indulge in everything that I don’t get here. I’ll bring back feta cheese and spices that aren’t available too,” she smiles.<br /><br />Even with all the life changes, Kiki is happy to say that she’s made herself at home in this city. She says, “Everyone judges Bengaluru for its traffic and chaos, but I believe it's much more than that. I’m proud to say that this is my ‘ooru’ and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”<br /><br /></p>
<p>She started working at the age of 19. She built her way up the ladder in her career and by graduating to a new level. Travelling around the world became a part of her job. However, after many years of playing the corporate role, she wanted to take up a different career path. <br /><br /></p>.<p>And as fate had it, when Kiki Petriti from Athens, Greece, met Ashok Prabhu in London, they fell in love. After dating for a few years, they decided to get married and make India their home. “We never considered settling anywhere else as Ashok runs an interior designer company here. I wanted a change from my stressful work life and build a new life here,” shares Kiki. <br /><br />About her life in Athens, she says, “Life in Greece changed a lot because of the economic crisis. A lot of people left the country is search of better opportunities. Luckily, my family wasn’t affected by it. But the country is back on its feet and a lot of people are coming to visit or for destination weddings.”<br /><br />“I’m glad that I grew up there. I had a great childhood in a small neighbourhood where the children were out on the streets playing football or riding bikes. Our mothers would run behind us to come back in for food. The sea is also very close to my house, so whenever I needed a break, I’d go there.”<br /><br />Baking and cooking have always been a part of Kiki’s life. She grew up sitting at the kitchen table and doing her homework, while her mother, a professional chef, was busy in the kitchen. She says, “When I moved to the city in 2015, I cooked or baked something to keep myself busy. Ashok suggested that we turn this into a career and that’s how we started ‘Marzipan Cafe & Bakery’. Just so that I don’t have to miss much of my Greek food, I’ve also added a few recipes to the menu we serve.”<br /><br />During her stay here, Kiki has started to learn the local language as well. “It’s a good thing that almost everyone here speaks English but when I have to commute via cabs and auto, I prefer to speak to them in the local language. I have an English-Kannada translator on my phone and I use it whenever I need help,” she says. Since Ashok’s mother tongue is Konkani, she’s also learning that. “Kiki’s actually adjusting to everything that’s been presenting to her and I’m quite surprised. You wouldn’t expect everyone to take in certain things with a smile, but she does it. Her Konkani is getting better too,” says Ashok. <br /><br />One of the things that put a smile on her face about her life in Bengaluru is the nice people. She exclaims, “I find the people here very nice and caring. They are always available to help you out and I find that kind of attitude very similar to my life in Greece. Being united with family is one of the common factors.” However, this wasn’t the attitude she expected before she moved here. “I think everyone abroad has a certain kind of stereotypical notion about India. I realised it’s nothing like that when I moved here. The cities and people are very modern here. The younger generation is very well-educated and ambitions. While there is a traditional aura everywhere, there’s still the IT industry working parallelly,” says Kiki. <br />And when one would think that traffic is a problem here, Kiki says it’s not a big deal. “I’ve worked in California for 2 years and compared to that, traffic over here is nothing. Whenever I have to travel to any part of the city, I make sure that my phone is fully charged so that I can browse the internet and play games. I will eventually reach my destination, so there’s no reason to get stressed out,” she shares, joyfully. <br /><br /> During their free time, the couple like to explore the city and its new restaurants. Spending time at Cubbon Park and at the Golf Club are some of their favourite activities. As Kiki loves spicy food, she loves going to ‘Tibbs Frankie’, ‘Empire’, ‘Queens’ and ‘Bheema's’. They also like to visit ‘Shiro’ and ‘Sanchos’. And whenever she’s not out trying new dishes, she’s experimenting with Indian dishes at home. She claims that with help from the internet and her mother-in-law, she’s becoming a mini-expert in Indian cuisines as well. They’ve also travelled to places like Mumbai, Delhi, Goa and Pondicherry. Kiki says, “I’ve heard a lot about Mysuru and Coorg; hope to go there soon.”<br /><br />Though she misses her family back home, she has already visited them twice in a year. “I keep going back home every 6 months to visit my friends and family. I make sure that I indulge in everything that I don’t get here. I’ll bring back feta cheese and spices that aren’t available too,” she smiles.<br /><br />Even with all the life changes, Kiki is happy to say that she’s made herself at home in this city. She says, “Everyone judges Bengaluru for its traffic and chaos, but I believe it's much more than that. I’m proud to say that this is my ‘ooru’ and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”<br /><br /></p>