oatcake12

Hi everyone,

I am completely new to the Indian forums. I am looking for some general advise. My husbands company have asked him to go and work in Pune for two to three years. I have not yet agreed to it as I am unsure what I am letting myself in for, having never visited India before in my life. We have previously expatted in China for a year, which was a big culture shock but a great experience, however it was a very easy place to live. Nice house, supermarkets, restaurants and better healthcare than UK (private of course through his company). So I am just after some advice about Pune, can i expect to live in a house or an apartment?.... Is there supermarkets or is it just local markets?... Good restaurants?....healthcare?.... Is English wifey spoken?... Could I learn Hindi by private tutor?. Would it be safe for me to go out alone without my husband?... Is it easy to hire some home help?, what are the chances of me getting someone who speaks English. Any advise, help it tips woulf be great. Is there an expat community there? Do they have meetings etc ( in China tbere was a two weekly get together or expat women and we would do events etc).

Any advise or help would be very much appreciated , thanks

bakedbean

Hi oatcake .....just to say Welcome to the forum

I'm not based in India so am no help,to,you whatsoever but, hopefully, some India residents will be along to help you out shortly. Sounds like a good adventure.

oatcake12

@ bakedbean, thankyou. I hope so too, watch this space :-)

Bipat

Am British but many Indian relatives living in Pune. It is a very easy place to live (apart from the heavy road traffic, but thats the same everywhere in India, in Pune two-wheelers a very common means of transport.)

You will probably live in an apartment if in the city itself. Depending on budget, these will have parking slots and janitor.

There are supermarkets, Brilliant restaurants, good private healthcare. It would be perfectly safe for you to go out alone (within reason! as with any country).

Home help is easy to get, not sure about language, they will vary. Most help nowadays prefers to live out, and come in once or twice a day etc.

What is "English Wifey" ?????

Good airport, and train service to connect all areas.
Local transport not that good usually rickshaw, taxis need to be booked.

There will be Hindi tutors but Marathi more the language of the area. English is spoken by all educated people.

Can't help regarding expat community as am more of an 'inpat'.

Which area would you be living?

oatcake12

Thanks for replying Bipat,
Its sounds pretty much as I expected. Apart from an apartment, I was thinking along the the lines of a villa type property. I think we would get a driver so transport no probkem anyway. Iam not sure which area we would be living, I think his company is based in an area called adurki, so ideally not too far drive away. I have read that pune is a malaria risk area, I do know that each time my husband has gone there to visit he has had to take malaria tablets, I am hoping this is not the case whilst living there. Also as far as help is concerned live out would suit me better too. In China it was common practice that you had one maid and she did a number of jobs, ie : cleaning and also the cooking. But I have heard that generally in india you would separately a maid and a cook, I dont know how true this is? Are they agencies that can help witj this? ( sorry i have a million questions)

Bipat

Oatcake,
adurki, I think the name may be mistaken?
Malaria, you will be a newcomer so risks are the same.
Yes there are agencies for 'helpers' but 'word of mouth' is usual, neighbours when you get there could suggest or the company may have a list?
Yes those who cook, usually do just that, it will be local cuisine (unless again the company have a list of people who know UK dishes). Sophisticated microwaves which also bake are available but ovens as you know in UK are unusual.
The other helpers usually wash dishes and iron clothes, or clean floors etc.
B.

scot47

You can have servants ! One of the curses of life in Modern Britain is the srrvant problem ! So hard to get them !

Bipat

The question was about Pune particularly. Those who work there to give household help are not "servile", they work on their own terms, there are standards of pay etc.
There are no unemployment or other benefits in India many such household workers need their jobs to support a family.
Household work in India also can be more difficult for one person to manage if there is a large household, dust, dirt, monsoon, less appliances etc.

oatcake12

Thanks Bipat,

You have been very helpful ( unlike some others). I have spoken to my husband and I am told the area of work is Talegon ( no idea where I got adurki from ).

I did specifically say a helper not a servant, people have help in all countries.

I am sure I will have many more questions to come, thankyou for your time. :-)

Bipat

Thank you Oatcake but if you are staying at Talegaon the above info. will not apply as it is 40km north of Pune city. A separate town within Pune district and being newly developed.

poipleshadow

Hi, India is pretty much love it or hate it, there's rarely middle ground as it is quite intense, especially when you first arrive, but if you relax and sit back you'll be able to see through the complete madness and enjoy it.

Pune is quite a nice place to live as it is quite westernized, there are several 'malls', cinemas, restaurants and the like, although I am not sure about 'supermarkets', although you do get used to the smaller 'corner' shops.

English is widely spoken and you can start trying to learn hindi, there are a couple of sets you can buy online,

http://www.pimsleur.com/learn-hindi

Seems quite expensive, but maybe you can find it on ebay etc.

Generally it safe to go out on your own, many Indians are very western in the larger cities and I found lots of Indians/Foreigners going around by themselves and in western style outfits.

I am sure you can employ someone to be your help, it would be good to have a laid out schedule so they know what to do when etc. One mistake is to be too generous to start with, it might be better to give a better salary than to continue to 'treat' them every now and again.

You could try looking on Couch Surfing (which is a great site anyway), then if there are people traveling that way you could possible offer a couch or meet up for a drink / bite to eat etc.

I would suggest getting to know the locals rather than expats as I think it will be a more rewarding experience. I have been living in India for 10 years now and I love it (although occasionally drives me insane too), I stay in Goa which is a good place to 'get away from things' and not too far from Pune (well a few hours drive (5/6 i think)).

Hope this helps

Thanks

Gem999

Hi Oatcake12,

Noticed below you said that you are going to be living in Talegon. I havent actually been to there before, but thought I would give you some general Pune advice anyways :-)

I lived in Pune for around 8 months last year and absolutely loved it! It is probably my favourite city in India, wonderful place and I think you should definitely take the opportunity to live there!

There is quite a large expat community in Pune as many western companies have offices there. So you will definitely meet alot of other people and make many friends! Im not sure about expat meetings specifically, however I am sure there must be. Really large expat population, we met alot of other people when living there.

Pune is a very modern city with a large student population. Very vibrant, alot of shops, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs etc. A brilliant mix of Indian and western culture. You wont have to go very far to find anything that you miss from the UK!

Marathi (the regional language) and Hindi are both spoken, and it is pretty easy to find tutors in either of these who could teach you. However I got by with only English as English is widely spoken in Pune. So you won't have any problems if you dont speak the language.

You will more than likely be living in an apartment rather than a house, there are some lovely apartments in Pune. All very safe and secure with brilliant amenities. Im sure your husbands company will be find a great one for you. Plenty of supermarkets that stock almost every item you will ever need, so you wont be stuck for grocery shopping. There are also quite a few international shops which stock food items from the UK so this is quite nice when you miss something from back home :-)

Regarding the healthcare - I took sick during my time in Pune (nothing serious) but was incredibly impressed with the healthcare I received. There are plenty of local doctors and private hospitals. My treatment was brilliant, no worries with that at all!

I would often go out by myself around Pune, I always felt very safe. However, common sense really - dont go out late at night alone and stick to areas with lots of people. And dont get rikshaws late at night by yourself (probably so you dont get ripped off in price more than anything!)

We didnt have any help when we lived there, but I know plenty of people that did and it was very easy to find and very cheap.

Regarding the malaria tablets - as far as I know, Pune is not actually in the malaria zone, and so i didnt take any tablets while i was there. However, when we travelled to Goa (and other places that are in the zone) then obviously I took them. I got all other injections before I left the UK (rabies etc) and also the pharmacies in Pune are everywhere, and are brilliant! They stock everything, so dont worry about bringing too much medication with you!

If theres any other questions I can help with then feel free to give me a shout :-)

Jem89

bakedbean

and welcome to the forum

oatcake12

Thank you to all of you, all your comments are very useful and are helping to build a picture of Pune for me, and making my decision easier.

I am starting to feel a little excited x