International Bloggers - Who Are You?

Guha Rajan
from Chennai
14 years ago

Well. I might be nowhere connected here in this topic, since I stay in India.

Though having lived in Singapore, US, Japan & South Africa due to work, but never even had a thought of settling down there. Well, India does has challenges, but some how I also had a feeling I belong to this place and wanted to return at the first opportunity :-)

StickyFeet
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
14 years ago

Hi there Glad to meet all and make some connections... I am a POI NRI as our embassy would classify me for visa purposes, now a Canadian citizen, but born in Julundhur, Punjab (Civil Hospital, as I like to point out to anyone who questions my desiness!). But grew up in Canada, since age three, on the west coast, way up in the frozen mosquito bitten northern boreal forest that is Fort. St. James, on Stuart Lake, an old fur trading post, now a dying lumber town, and first capital of New Caledonia (or, as Dad tells, first capital of British Columbia); population 2,000. I'm blogging for myself, as a creative outlet, but also on behalf of our firm, Trivandrum Capital, where we have a focus on Energy, India and alternatives. We launched Trivandrum India Equity Fund Jan 2, 2009. You could say our timing was, err, a bit off, being at the peak of the financial crisis...and I just didn't have the heart to ask President Obama, AIG's new Chairman, with all his troubles, for the money AIG had allocated us just a few short months before. C'est la vie. We're adjusting with new projects...and meanwhile propagandizing about Peak Oil, the real (and dormant) cause of financial pandemic. I have been based in Vancouver for the last five years, and previously NY for five and Vancouver again before that.

Maria
from Singapore
14 years ago

Hey hi..so glad I chanced upon thisblog.I am a Mallu and came to Singapore 3 yrs ago.One of the millions of girls who get their whole lives uprooted in India and relocate after marriage :) I schooled in both Dubai and India.And I must admit, that I still miss Dubai.Why?Prob bcos ders so many of our ppl der.So its like a developed India with clean roads n gr8 food.

Singapore is a whole new experience.M not sure I enjoy it that much though. I mean super clean, squeaky clean.Things work like clock-work.People are polite and dolled-up.And sometimes, I miss the Indian unpredictability..u know the puddles, the hawkers..etc

I did write a post ages ago about my nightmarish job-hunt in Singapore.I think a lot of you can probably relate with this one : http://wannabauthor.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/the-eternal-job-seeker/ . FYI, m gratefully employed now ..phew!!!

Naveen
from Bengaluru
14 years ago

I am an Indian presently an engineering student in China since 2007. My blog is A Journey to the Unknown Spaces . As on my experience, China is totally different from India, be it the people, their ethnicity, the language we speak, the food we eat, the life we live and all the tiniest things. But just 3 years into this life, it hasn't influenced me much and i am still pretty much an Indian, but adjust impressively well to all these, so as i have no complaints!

Abhinav
from Osaka city/Japan
14 years ago

Ok .

I am lazy to write too much here.

I am living in Japan.

Staying here, I have never made any comparisons to India, as before it, I was in Hongkong for 4 years.

At that time, I would often think how things would be done back in India, in all situtations.

But no more. I am totally into Japanese food, and love the people and culture here. It is full of mutual respect for each other. May be some part of it is showoff, but they are really pollite people.

Build Muscle Burn Fat

Sasha
from Kuala Lumpur
14 years ago

Hi,

I am Sasha. I've been living and working in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the last 6 years. I don't consider myself an NRI by any means - since I know that I will spend my retired life in India only.  Meanwhile, till I can afford it, I am travelling the world.

There is a huge Indian community here in KL - but I am ashamed to say that I am not an active member. All the gatherings I have attended - I have found the men drinking and then getting drunk and discussing Indian politics and their good old days in India (though none of them would like to go back to India, if given a chance), while the women huddling together talking about their maids and kids and the sarees that they bought from their last trip to India. Since I have neither a maid nor a kid and I don't have much to contribute to the saree tales either, I am always the odd-woman out. So, I'd rather spend my time with my new non-Indian friends - who come from all over the world - expats like me - but definitely a much more interesting and diverse bunch.

I go back to India (Bombay and Calcutta) atleast once a year - so I don't miss India.

As for 'Indian-ness' - I don't really know what that means. I cook Indian food at home, watch every Bollywood movie that gets released here and give advice to my firang friends whenever they plan to travel to India on work or holiday. I also host people from India (mostly friends and relatives and friends of relatives and vice versa) whenever they visit Malaysia. That's all the Indian-ness that I possess, I guess.

I have grown to love Malaysia - the food scene here rocks. The people are nice and life is easy (definitely a piece of cake after you have lived and worked in Bombay). Also I get to travel - and so no, I don't think I am planning to go back to India in a hurry.

My blog is http://sashainwonderland.blogspot.com/  where I write about my travels, that I am so passionate about, to different parts of the world. I am new to the blog world - yet to pick up the threads. Hope you guys will read my blog and give me some tips.

Ta

 

mOINKy
from Los Angeles
14 years ago

Hi Indi people

I been living in LA for past 4 years. Trying to make it in the business.

I'm having a great time. I have intentionally pursued to have a more international mix of friends from day 1, instead of getting stuck around 4 desi boys for the next decade(again). 

I don't consider myself NRI. I'm just the I. I started blogging on Blogspot (http://www.silverlakedesi.blogspot.com/) in January 2009 with the intention of blogging about 5 songs I discovered every week. After a year of looking at google's inability to design anything cool, I finally moved to Tumblr. 

I was quite disciplined about doing the 5 songs thing last year, so there are almost more than 200 great songs there. I would recommend you guys check it out. 

My new blog on Tumblr(http://moinky.tumblr.com/) is more of a curating blog. I have not been listening to too much new music since i discovered Podcasts. But I'm still trying to manage one or two music posts every month. 

I am toying with the idea of writing a book for all the Desis like me in America titled - "Smile & Tip Please".  lol

The NRI
from London
14 years ago

Nice to know you all.

Amar

(On behalf of several authors)

Vasu
from Basel, Switzerland
14 years ago

haha so true journomuse..we have finally cracked the puzzle :) Nice to know u Amar!

Journomuse
from Brighton-Mumbai-Kochi
14 years ago

haha an innocent swiss question has the NRI spilling beans...interesting...Vasu..I did visit your blog the other day..wrote a long comment and it just disappeared on me..was too lazy to retype it...shall visit soon again...keep the e-tea kettle on..;)

The NRI
from London
14 years ago

Oh Vasu, you make such a significant request! You want me to come out from behind my protective veil and reveal my real identity??

What the hell, my name is Amar, and I am not even one of the authors, just the site owner.

My secret is out!

Vasu
from Basel, Switzerland
14 years ago

@The NRI: I wish I had enough money laundered to write about it :) The NRI has many authors, so if you have no objections revealing your name, please do so..makes it more personal!

@Journomuse: You guys can show your gratitude by visiting my blog. Buaahhaaaha. I have read your blogs and liked them, but just wondering what to comment :)

Journomuse
from Brighton-Mumbai-Kochi
14 years ago

Hmm...I'd forgotten about this thread...Thanks Vasu for bringing it alive once again... :)

The NRI
from London
14 years ago

I was referring to the dodgy politicians parking their money in Swiss bank accounts:)

Perhaps you could draft a helpful little guide - Money laundering for Dummies!

The NRI
from London
14 years ago

Hi Vasu,

Welcome!

Why don't you focus on some posts that link the two countries. I vaguely recollect an interesting story about a positive connection between the Indian and Switzerland but it now escapes me...

Oh yeah, something about politicians and the banking industry, er....ummm

....no, it's gone again

Vasu
from Basel, Switzerland
14 years ago

Well there is not too much scope for divergence if you ask me. I mean these are as different as two countries can be in terms of size, culture, economy, etc

There is a lot for us to appreciate in terms of political neutrality, direct democracy etc, but would be a pipe dream to expect we can adopt anything. As for them, they are pretty happy with who, what, and where they are, so apart from a few skilled immigrant workers, we dont have much to offer to them!

What I do write about is the expat angle or life of an Indian expat in Europe. You would see quite a few such posts on my blog.

Cheers!

Vasu

Vasu
from Basel, Switzerland
14 years ago

Hi folks,

This is a nice thread indeed.

I live in Basel, Switzerland. I have been here for just over a year, but being a consultant, have had my fair share of international travel and stays.

I am some sort of a rolling stone that way!

Technically, I am not a NRI and I guess I will never be, so I am pretty closely connected to life in India.

What I tend to do, is to enjoy whatever is good about the country i am living in, as you never know when life will take you back there!

So yes, while I do embrace the local customs, my identity is predominantly Indian.

My blogs tend to reflect that duality...one blog talks about a weekend in Switzerland, the other moves to IPL, the other moves to Indian politics, then another one about a local issue in Europe!

Please read further at: http://vasusworld.wordpress.com

Cheers!

Vasu

Farida Rizwan
from Bangalore
14 years ago

Hi I am Farida Rizwan..

Thanks NRI for this thread. Hope more will participate and introduce themselves here.

I was born, brought up and at present living in India. I have visited few countries but not stayed there long...

I came over to indiblogger few days ago and I love this site. I have come across amazing blogs and have received tremondous support from fellow bloggers here. Thank you everyone ...

My blog is http://chaptersfrommylife.blogspot.com/ which as it suggests .. just chapters taken from my life.  I believe that life came to me in form of chapters. Every chapter linked to the other but different in its own way. I take out time to sit down and study the chapters and learn my lessons from them. Every simple small chapter has something to tell me, some secret to reveal, some message to be told.

Journomuse
from Brighton-Mumbai-Kochi
14 years ago

hmmm...sorry NRI, my responses are as scatterbrained as my brains...still to get the hang of indiblogger totally...

well...unlike u and lazy pineapple, i never chose my exotic blogger name as the name to be seen on the blog by...which i kind of miss now..i liked that more..maybe i should change it now..coz i feel like this avataar is like a 'flattened out souffle'!!

anyways, tripe and drivel aside...unlike you guys dont know how long ill be in UK...all i know is will be here till end of Sept..thats when im supposed to finish with my masters in Brighton...

My blog started out as my chance to editorialise while i was working as a journalist in india..but then due to lack of time it was erratic...now its more like a personal diary...little whims, small fancies and observations find its way into the posts..and then some other stuff too...

 

Lazy Pineapple
from Pune
14 years ago

Hi, I am Lazy Pineapple. I am quintessentially Indian. I am in UK since past 2.5 years. I blog about both UK and India. My blog is primarily a humor blog. I write about the quirks of Indians and also what makes me tick .

 

Thanks, The NRI for starting this topic.