Expat Student in Bangalore

I already done a small blog about my erasmus in Maastricht => Maastriperasmus

So I will start with the same message:

Hello I did a semester to Bangalore (2014) and I will try to explain you everything about this experience ;)

But before... small introduction about me.

So I'm from Marseille (France), I'm studying design in Toulon on Kedge Design School (better known as Kedge Business School in Marseille and Bordeaux). I came in Bangalore to do an exchange program for 4 months (July-October) and studying Design at Srishti, School of Art, Design and Technologies. I was living close to the school, in the district of Yelahanka New Town, in the north of Bangalore.

I wanted to do this blog to give you some advices, to tell a story and also to practice my English. I'll try to write everything, you can understand it is not a literary blog, it's more my mind so you will have a lot of "..." in the middle of sentences because I'm thinking to something else I should say to you... ;)

I think I will upload a lot of photos and you can already find in my flickr account some photos of India:

Flickr Cedmars - India

PS: If you check the date you can understand I'm still in Bangalore but I think this blog is in the past because when you'll see this blog I would probably already left.

Hello,

Are you still in your country ? Okay good it's probably better to read this before to leave ;)

PS: I'm French, from Marseille, so it's maybe not the same in your country.

What do you need to go in India ?

A lot of papers !

Okay start again, first you need a visa.

For your Visa:

-you need a Valid Passport (minimum 6 months available after your trip, If I remember)

-To register online: indianvisaonline.gov ( French pdf help for the link / number of entrance=multiple)

-2 identity photos (Indian Format, it's a a square format so you need to go on a special place)

-An official letter from your school in India (that mean they need to send it, no scan, so don't be too late)

-A proof, from your bank, that you have enough money to live in India. You need 2000€ on your bank account and your bank have to follow an established format of letter.

-And you need to pay something like 45€. And I think that's all.

=> Last think, the paper you will receive is available only 20 days so, you need to go to your ambassy maximum 2O days before you departure. (eg: you are leaving the 20th May, you can't give all your papers before the 1st May). It would be 1 week to receive it or 2days for an urgence (available only in Paris).

For India

You will need to find an accomodation, maybe rent furnitures and have an internet connection, to have a sim card, to do some paper for school, for the country (the FRRO), ...(I maybe forgot some things)

So before to leave you should print one A4 with only ID photos of you (not bad paper, like min 90gr to looks like a real ID photo, and not square format, it was just for the passport) so you will have something like 36 photos... it "should be" enough ;)

After you will need printed in one A4 your passport and your visa (with the stamp)... so 6-7 of this one.

So with this you should have:

- your accomodation, maybe with a letter of the school also, and they should give you back an Address Proof (do a copy of this paper).

- you should be able to do some papers for the registration on the school, your ID card and the Bonificade certificate (you will do it with the school).

- rent furniture and have wifi if you need it.

- have a sim card (vodafone btw),or you will have to wait to have your FRRO.

After a small period you would have to go to the city center to do your FRRO. This paper is your registration in India, you would have to give a lot of papers (You can see the list on the photo at the end). That means, for after, if you give your FRRO to someone he doesn't need to check your passport, your address proof and all these documents because you already showed these documents to the government. So as soon you have this paper, easier will be your life in India

This paper will become more important than your visa that means if on the FRRO it's writen you have to leave the country before than on your visa it's this date which would be more important. (also working for number of entry).

To give you an exemple, a Visa is just a paper which give you acces to the country, you're student so they give you a basic "6 months with 2 entrances on the country" (which mean you can travel abroad and come back inside the country 2 times) BUT the FRRO know you're here only for 4 months so it will probably be writen "have to leave in 4 months" and it's a short period so you will probably have 0 entrance, that mean you can't travel abroad. Anyway India is a large and beautiful country, you don't need to go abroad ;) (There is still an issue to extend the leaving date, check with the school but it's tough)

After you will probably see by yourself but be prepared to have a lot of papers, it looks long because it's mentaly exhausting but it's actually quite fast just the administration is really complicated... like you will often have to sign in to enter in buldings (the school, the gym, and even the metro).

Anyway that's just for the beginning (around 3weeks).

Today I will speak about Yelahanka, if you think the school is in Bangalore we can say you're wrong, actually we don't really go to the city.

So some famous places:

Whitefield: you will heard a lot about whitefield when you will search a house so... just forget it's really far.

Indiranagar: All the restaurants, it's the night district.

Yelahanka New Town and Satellite Town: Two different places. New Town: where is the school and where you will probably live.

RT Nagar: is a district on the road, there are some houses to stay maybe.

MG Road: The Fifth Avenue of Bangalore we could say. From Yealahanka you can take the bus G9, there is also the metro.

Majestic: You want to travel ? Departure of Bus and train will be generally here.

Airport: It's in the north, you can't see it here, the price to go to Yelahanka New Town should be 650Rs + 70rs (toll).

Yelahanka New Town

So you can see on the map the bustop (in the middle) is known as "Dairy Cross", it's the landmark. 16th B Cross road is a shopping street.

To go from Purva Venezia to the school you can walk, buy a bicycle (you could sell it back to the shop) or take a Rickshaw (5min).

________________

So to be clear about rickshaw, it's working with a meter (which is never used in Yelahanka so just keep it in mind):

25Rs minimum and after 2km it's 12Rs/Km. (in 2014)

Between Purva and the school there are 2.5km so it should be around 30Rs but, at the gate, they will ask you 50Rs so you ask for 40Rs and it would be okay... if they say no, you just leave and they will say okay ;) 
Yes you have to be clear with the price and don't feel like hesitating, I will write an article about this. (see: 7/7 - Being Occidental in India)

________________

About the airport

As I said it should be 650Rs + 70rs (toll) with a taxi (=cab) to go to Yelahanka New Town.

I can understand it's difficult because when you arrive you don't have internet or anything (maybe you can have the wifi at the subway fast food). So you can try, before to leave, to download the app "Ola Cab" and to book a cab 10-20 minuts after your flight arrives in Bangalore from the airport to the school or you can ask to Srishti people to help you and book a cab for you this time I'm sure they can help you.

First thing to know, drivers (cab or rickshaw) don't obviously know the place you are going so if they see you don't know too they will (probably) take a longer longer road.

Second thing to know, the app "Ola cab" is the cheapest and the most secure way to travel (as a cab company, because you can check everything on your phone). But if you can't get a cab when you arrive, just an advice: don't listen people who are trying to get you a cab as soon as you put a feet outside the airport, it will be more expensive, just walk a little and find a taxi by yourself. Anyway if you don't find a cab, just remember the Olacab's price:

650RS+70Rs toll and don't pay more than 1000Rs.

_____________

House

You can find a list on  Srishti's Website , it's the first thing you should do because there are not a lot of places and if you don't find you would have to stay at the hotel waiting to find something else (and it's almost "European Prices"): http://srishti.ac.in/content/housingaccommodation /

http://srishti.ac.in/sites/default/files/PG_accmd-14-15_Apr-1.pdf

Generally it would be 1 or 3 BHK (Bathroom, Hall, Kitchen) 1 or 3 is the number of bedroom. It's generally difficult to find on internet if you are not in India because most of them use the phone to contact you.

SFS Colony is The place to be, a lot of students from Srishti are there. In one house you have generally 4 students. If you are a woman you will have a better house than a man. Almost everything is included (food, laundry, electricity). The dinner is at the "Mess" which is the main house so you will meet all the students and the lunch is given at the school.

 But the house is not really good compared to Purva Venezia. You dont often have hot water, maybe not have shower (just bucket), maybe no windows (just a "square hole"), kitchen are not really clean, electricity can turn off... but that depends of the house and anyway the others students would be really helpful.

Purva Venezia is The place to live, some students from Srishti are there but you don't know them (only if they are on your class). It's a private community with a big gate at the entrance, there are 14 buildings. Houses are cleans (European standards I could say), and there is no noise, which is also important.

More info about SFS Colony and Purva Venezia to do your choice :

Purva: You can find a landlord on internet who would rent a house to you. It's generally a 3BHK around 25000Rs so you could be 3 or 4 students. Houses are like in Europe but you will not be with Srishti students, probably with other expat students and you will have to pay for everything (food, laundry, electricity, gaz, internet,...). Landlords generally rent house for 1 year, you can maybe find 6 months but not less.

Indeed the main problem, if you are contacting a landlord and not a PG is that you would have to pay the rent AND to give a deposit which is ten times the rent. So if your rent is 25000Rs, you will have to give around 250.000Rs (divided per 4 persons). So they will give you this money back, if there is no problem, but it's still a lot even divided between students. And more than this you would have to rent furnitures, pay the wifi (1500Rs/month for 8mbps, 160Go of use + router), pay the electricity (1000Rs), the laundry (25Rs/clothes in Purva or 10Rs if you go in SFS), the food... but finally (exept the deposit) it's not so expensive if you divide everything between 4 peoples. And you will have a real kitchen, bathroom with hot water, electricity (with a generator when there is no electricity). 

It's a personnal choice between SFS: having friends from Srishti and have maybe a house not really good, which is an important fact in India. And Purva Venezia: staying apart from students but having a good house. Maybe find a PG in Purva Venezia could be the best because you will be with other students, in a good house and you will not pay extra (deposit, laundry,...), so if you are still in your country, try to check the list I gave you and see with the school they will contact them directly by phone (mail is ramdom, you will maybe not have answers).

My personnal experience was different, I went to SFS Colony in Sandhya PG for almost one month so I met all students from Srishti and I've been integrated like this and then I moved to Purva Venezia but was still in touch with SFS people.

I think it's better to have a good house, if you don't feel home, if you don't feel good where you live after when you will go out you will be tired, not motivated, starving or just sick. Think you can have dengue (the mosquito disease) which is quite problematic. It's totally random and depends on period, when I'm arrived we told me we had nothing to worrying about because it should happen only on "dirty places" and then 2 months after we got 5-6 sick students (2 expats), which mean you have to stay at the hospital for a week, and normally, have to rest for a month because a second bite could be more dramatic.

Purva Venezia:

Hello, today I will try to speak about the school how it's working: buildings, courses,... To don't do bad choices and waste time.

You have Four buildings: Old Campus, N2, N3 and N4 building.

Old Campus: 5 minuts by rickshaw from the other part of the school (N2,N3,N4). This campus is shared with another school, you will find a library, a football field (you can play at 5PM with other Srishti students ;) ), workshops (wood and steel), a printing workshop and the secretary. It's a really nice place.

N2 campus: The common building, where you will have the first presentation, there was only one floor for the school but I'm already speaking in the past because they will change soon. The new place should be nice too. So if you have a "general course" I mean where you have to sit and listen the teacher it should be in this building, you also have the international secretary with Ksenia who will help you during all your stay. On the rooftop there was a canteen.

N3 campus: I went there only for a graphic course, you can also find the "Nantes Atlantique - école de design"'s classes. If you are leaving in a PG they will give you your lunch in this place.

N4 campus: I never went because it's basically the Animation and filming place, we said me it's a nice place to study in peace.

So if you want to use the workshop try to choose courses which are in Old campus !

 Courses

So when you will arrive you will have a presentation and then, depending of your school level, they will give you a list of courses and you will have to do your choices.

If you are in Fourth year (M1) you will have to choose one project on a list, you will work on this during your all semester. These projects are real and full, with the list there is a description which explain what kind of design they want (communication, branding, web,...I don't really know)

If you are in Third year (L3) you will have to choose different courses on a list (I give just after):

- 1 course of general studies  -  I chose "Tracing Art Histories": Basically Story of Art and Architecture in India

- 2 courses for cycle 1 and then 2 for cycle 2 - I chose "Inspired by Insects" which was Experimental Art (I didn't know), "Layout" which was Graphic design, "Navigating Choice" which was knowledge on interior materials and "Light and Space" which was knowledge on light.

- 1 course for the workshop (2 weeks working on one project/ where you can get new knowledge) - I chose "Thinking with material" which was doing a maquette of a product (you can choose: car, airplane, chair,...)

- 1 course for the charette (1week working on one project/where you have to apply your personnal knowledge).- I was forced to do "Inspired by Insects", I didn't know it but I basically finished my project of the cycle 1 Inspired by Insects.

So basically you have to choose 7 different courses.

There are lists of these courses and I personally think being in third year is better, firstly, because in fourth year, these projects could be the same as in your school so you will work in group and alone on a real project, which is nice, but what is the goal to go abroad to have the same kind of projects?

And secondly because you come to learn a new culture and to have some new knowledges... and courses of third year will give you this opportunity.
So you will maybe not progress as much but you can take this like an opportunity of creativity: choose courses about Indian culture, about different kind of design or try to improve where you think you are bad. The amount of work is not really hard but it will be interesting to develop yourself, they will generally provide documents to read, videos,....

PS: if you are in fourth year like me, you can ask to go in third, no problem for this.

Courses details:

Cycle 1 and 2

Charette courses

General Courses

One more advice courses will be interesting depending of the faculty and the building where you're working so try to ask to Srishti students before, they will say you which "teacher" is boring or interesting (I'm sorry to say this but it's also a part of it). You can also check the level on the list, try to choose level 2 or it's going to be really basic, or as I said enjoy a new thing (printing, filming, photography, textile design,...). And you also have to check days if you choose a course which is on "Monday, Tuesday", after you must choose a course on "Thursday, Friday" and not "Monday, Tuesday" again, there are also courses which are all the week.

If you choose something you finally don't like, as an expat student, you will have a possibility to change but say it fast, insist and explain why (when I say insist, I insist on the word insist :p).

Blackboard

It's a website where you will have to do everything, choose your courses (if it's not done when you arrive), give and receive your homework, see teachers messages, download ressources,... you can also see works of the other students (sometimes).... it's quite interesting but also boring because they will often give you homework for the weekend and you will have to upload your paper before 5pm on sunday... So you have to check everytime because they can give you some work and if you don't check it will be your fault.

As an expat student you will probably don't have any problem, for exemple, if you have internet problem, if you're late or if you want to give handwriting papers... just speak with your faculty, everything will depend of your faculty but they are generally nice (more strict with Indian students).

 Some projects I've done during this semester:

Mimicry of the future (Inspired by Insects):

One homework of Light And Space course:

One homework of Layout course:

Thinking with material: Doing a cheap maquette with wire, paper and then resine. (Panton Chair)

One photo of the workshop in the Old Campus:

PS: This school is moving a lot, I studied in 2014/2015 and apparently every year is different (I guess in a better way) so courses, buildings, way of studying will probably change for you... I know the N2 building already moved to another place.

Hello, today it's the internet and app part.

I can advice you to download these apps when you're still in your country, as I said on the 3rd articles, for exemple, try to book a cab, with ola cab, from your country, for when you will arrive at the airport

Ola Cab You want to book a cab (taxi) just download this application, choose "mini" and book a cab for now or later, it would be really cheaper and there is no night prices and no cheating prices. You can also try "Merou cab" I think, but Ola cab is working well. You can maybe, just before to leave, book one from the airport when you will arrive ?

Redbus You can book your ticket for a bus with redbus (website and application).

Zomato You want to eat, you go on Zomato and will find everything around you or in the city (pub, restaurant, trendy, bakery, delivery,....), there are a wabsite and an application.

Cleartrip.com: You want to book tickets for your trip you can go on this website for train, bus and hotel. If you want to book a train ticket you must have an indian account, except for this website where you can use any bank card, it would be a little more expensive (nothing, like 100Rs) but it would be working well. For hotel you will not find a lot of cheap places (like guesthouses) so maybe try another website like makemytrip or tripadvisor.

Bangalore Expat Club facebook page: You are new in the city and you want to go on party or meet some other expats of Bangalore, you can go on this facebook page (there is also a website). These parties are generally on 4stars rooftop hotel. Srishti students go sometimes, not often, it's not really considered as "Indian places" we could say.

You will know quite fast that 1euro=80rupees but you can download some app like "euro to indian rupee" to check fast, in both way, the amount.

Google maps application, you probably have it, it's always nice to know where we are, or how far is it :p After you could check the distance... 4km ? So 4*12=48Rupees... 50rupees by rickshaw to go there.

"Flat without broker" You want to find a place to stay, you can maybe try "flat without broker" keyword, you will find some websites and facebook pages.

You want to move ?

I've not checked but I'm sure you can find some "calculating fare for rickshaw", if you put where you go they will say you how much you have to pay.

(If this application doesn't exist I put a copyright on it haha :p )

Voila, Voila, I think that's all.

Hello, today a good subject... Travel in India !

First if you want to go abroad you have to be sure that in your FRRO (not your visa) it's writen "double entry" or "multi entry" if it's "single entry" you can't go abroad.

Holiday: In India there are a lot of holidays, cool! you can travel. I got 1 week off and 1 month holiday in October.

Travel: You can choose where you want to go, the north, the south ? I think there are some places where you can do a trip and some places where you can just stay a week or 3-4 days. Goa, Pondichery, Ooty, Hampi,... are for exemple some places you can just go during a large weeking, or a week. It's quite close to Bangalore

If you want to do a real trip, you can do the south like this:

-Bangalore/Chennai/Puducherry/Madurai/Kanyakumari/Varkala/Periyar Lake/Tekkady/Alapuzzha/Kochi/Munnar/Mysore/Bangalore

(For sure not all of them, you have to choose depending on what you like or what you can do. For exemple you can do a night on the backwaters from Alappuzha to Kochi by boat or choose to go on plantations tea and visit around, or you can do South west one time and then South East an other time).

Or you can do the North, like Rajasthan (North West) or North East like Calcutta, actually you can find some ideas on this website:

goindia.about.com

Personally, I went to Hampi for three days and to Ooty for 3 days. And then I went to Rajasthan for 17 days, I uploaded (just next) my calendar of the Rajasthan trip to give you an idea, it was in this way: Jaipur - Jodhpur - Jaisalmer - Udaipur - Agra - Delhi - Jaipur.

I went with three other people: one expat and two Indians.

The calendar: Link

(If you can't read, download the image, it should more readable)

Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur were really nice you can stay longer on these places, Agra is "needed" for the Taj but was really bad except Jama Masjid. Delhi was not bad but it's the city's life so it's different from Rajasthan.

Maybe if you do the opposit and finish with Rajasthan it would be better (Delhi - Agra - Udaipur - Jaisalmer - Jodhpur - Jaipur...). Try to check if there are some festivals in cities, it's always nice... for exemple we directly went to Jodhpur to see the Riff festival which was a nice folkloric music festival. If you travel with Indian students from Shristi they will also define what you will see, for exemple a lot of them are from Delhi so a night, or a day, at the family house will be planned to see the family and also to don't pay an hotel.

If you have some time you can go to Goa. You can follow the calendar and then go from Jaipur to Goa to enjoy the beach for 3-4 days and then Goa-Bangalore.

I give you an advice... book only guesthouses and not Hotels it would be more convivial and I could even say better.

The flight ticket was 9000Rs to go and come back, rooms are generally 400Rs/night (double bed) and trains/bus are between 100 and 1000Rs.

Hello, this topic is a hard one... I will try to explain how people see you here. Not the other students, I am speaking about seller and rickshaws.

So to resume we could actually say that 80% of Occidental people (to don't say white) are tourists so the fact to be Occidental, even living in the country, you will be considered as a tourist. But actually the problem isn't to be white or not, I think the problem is to be local or not.

Indeed when I was traveling, with my friends (2 Indians and 2 occidentals) we generally let my Indian friends to find a rickshaw for a good price and then, when the price was fixed, went out of our hiden place... like you know these movies when they do hitchhiking, they put the hot girl along the road and friends are hiden somewhere and when a car stop they all run inside the car... this kind of thing.

But after some time I saw that when my Indians friends were categorized as tourists too, the price was as expensive as us.

So it's not your skin color who define the price as some people could say, it's just where do you come from. For exemple, if you are in Jaipur and the rickshaw know you are not from Jaipur, he will ask more. The rickshaw guy can easily understand that white people are not from Jaipur but it's more difficult to guess if the person is Indian.

If you say "I want to go to Taj Mahal, is it far from here ? I don't really know where I am, how much is it ?" he will take you, you will never arrive to the Taj and you will pay 200rs even if it was close at the beginning.

So the main idea is to show you know the place, before to leave your guesthouse try to check different distances between places so you will know the price, when a rickshaw will ask you 100Rs for 2km just say something like "Are you kidding? I'm living here and I pay 25Rs everyday to go there" or just move and he will change the price.What I want to say is: be sure of you and the price you should pay.

For sure if you ask for some touristic places they will know you're not from the city so maybe you can try to check before to leave some restaurants or places around that touristic place like "I need to go to the restaurant Ambrai, it's close to Agra fort, it should be 40rs from here"... actually I've never tried, but you can understand what I mean, just be sure of you and you will pay the same price as Indian maybe not the real local people but still cheaper than "lost tourists".

Try also to ask to different local people the price of rickshaw. bus is also a really cheap alternative actually (don't be afraid about the girl in front of the bus and men behind, it can be tough if the bus is full so it's just to don't have any troubles... but if you're in group you can stay together, it's not a must do and take care about pickpocket on the bus, a lot).

For long distance think about Ola cab. For exemple local people said us, in Jaipur, to don't take rickshaw but only Olacab, indeed rickshaw are really expensive and quite rude and the fare of Olacab is different depending on cities (you can check on the app=>settings).

If you find a good rickshaw guy, you can ask his number and call him when you need.

For items in shop, you can find in ALL the products a price on it, this price is the MAXIMUM price, if you see 25Rs and the guy ask you 45Rs you say NO and you just give 25Rs (if it's inside a restaurant or a museum they maybe have taxes or a little extra, just don't buy it there :p). Just be used to check prices on products even if you don't buy so maybe next time you will know it. If the product is scanned like in big market or brand (Royalmart, Mcdo, Nike,..) you will not have problem, otherwise keep this part on your mind.

If you are traveling don't forget your Student Id and your FRRO. You should pay "Indian student" prices for museum and monuments (if they have student prices). But unfortunately, sometimes they will not accept because you're not Indian, even if you are really "Indian student". I can just say insist a lot and you can show your FRRO and insist on the fact you're living (with an address proof on your FRRO) in India so you are not a tourist. If you are with indian friends just let them taking tickets, they will ask like 4 tickets for indian students and just give all your student Id cards together. :p

As a student you will see beggars with a different eye than as a tourist. Indian students will say you to never give money, you don't know who will keep the money after, but you can give food if you have... sometimes that creates some weird moment when beggars don't want food but just money, you understand the hidden part. For sure it's not for all the people but you never really know who they are unfortunately.

The non-filtered water: don't worry about this, before to come all the people say you to don't drink this water, only bottle... but actually it's the same for Indians, they can't drink this water so a lot of places have filtered water (house in SFS Colony, a lot of restaurants, the school,...) so just check if there is a machine which is filtering the water. You can actually fill a bottle at the school everyday to don't pay everyday a new bottle.