Moving to Delhi, help please
 

Hello:

It looks as though we may be moving from Boston to Delhi. Are there any websites/forums (expat or otherwise) where I can read posts about things such as neighborhoods, schools, doctors, etc? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, designwright!

Have you discovered www.indiamike.com? There you can be advised by people who have done just what you're doing. I'm sure you'll find all the advice you could possibly need. Good luck!

Forgot to mention that the PERSON on indiamike that you'd most like to speak to is Bonita, who uses the nickname 'DreamingofIndia'. She is an American (New York, I think) who lives half the year in the USA and half in Delhi. I haven't seen a post from her in a few months now (she used to post every day!), so maybe she's in New York right now. Anyway, there is a search option on indiamike, so you should be able to turn up some of her most-recent posts, which (if I recall) have her email address on them. I recall writing to her at her email address when I needed some advice, and she was so helpful and so friendly! I bet she'd be thrilled to know of your plans!

Good luck!

That's a great suggestion. Thanks.

Why are you moving and how long will you be there?

First, congratulations! I have been an expatriate for 15 years and overall it is a great experience. I have not lived in India, but have done a lot of work there, and it is a fascinating place, you will either love it or hate it.

I can’t tell from this post or you other posts whether you have been to India or to Asia generally. If not, I would definitely ask your employer for a trip there for reconnaissance ASAP; as I would consider India to be a hardship posting in many ways, and you need to understand what you are letting yourself i for if you agree to move there.

You should probably first take a look at the website for the US embassy in Delhi at http://usembassy.state.gov/delhi.htm. Look especially at “American Citizens Services” in the left-hand menu. If you are not a US citizen, go to the website of your country’s embassy or consulate in Delhi.. I would also suggest you take a look at the website for the American Women’s Club of Bombay at http://www.awcbombay.com/ . There is no Delhi branch of the club, but the Bombay website has info and links to Indian sources and you can post questions. I belong to similar organizations in Hong Kong, Singapore and now Zurich and find them invaluable in getting a realistic view of what it is like to live in a country. Below are some boards on expat life in general which might be helpful

www.expatexchange.com
www.expat-essentials.com
www.expatforum.com
www.expatnetwork.com
www.escapeartist.com/expatriate1/expatriate1.htm
www.outpostexpat.nl
ebusinessnomads
http://www.expat-moms.com

Finally, I highly recommend the book "Culture Shock! India" which gives a fairly comprehensive and in my view accurate picture of culture and customs in India. The books are part of the Culture Shock series of books published by Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company. You can buy them on line from Amazon or your local bookstore can order it for you.

As someone who lived there for 15 years,here is what I can offer you in terms of advice:

Stick to South Delhi : Vasant Vihar, GK1, GK2, Jor Bagh, Defence Colony, Freinds Colony

Schools: Not sure what your budget is, but I went to the American School, theres also the British School, and quite a few convent schools and private schools..
Doctors: Plenty...remember it is India!! If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Terrific! Thanks all.
My husband has the option of focusing his efforts in Gurgaon, instead of his now usual commute from Boston. He really enjoys his time in India and is anxious for us to go as well.
My sons (15, 16 and 18) and I will join him this summer to meet the people with whom he works, look at housing and high schools and get out of Delhi to do some much anticipated sightseeing.
My husband has the option of setting his base of operations here in Boston or in Delhi. He is leaving it up to us to make the choice.
I've never spent time in Asia, expect for a short visit to the other side of the Bosphorus in Istanbul; but, I'm always game for adventure. As much as possible, I try to research an area online (thank you Fodor's forums and virtualtourist.com) before we arrive so that I'm ready when we get there.
This is all very exciting!

These are pictures taken by Professor Michael Cross of Caltech who spent some months in India with his family. Perhaps you can write to him and get some perspective.

http://www.cmp.caltech.edu/~mcc/Indi...how/index.html

If you go to Delhi in the summer, just remember that you are seeing it at its absolutest hottest (over 110 F easily) and possibly wettest if you are there when the monsoon breakd. They have a very pleasant and mild winter which makes up for a lot, IMO, so don't let the summer weather put you off.

My advice is to try it out first. Delhi in the summer is brutal and I think 3 teenagers raised in the US will experience a tremendous culture shock as you will as well. My wife is Indian and we just returned from Delhi Feb. 11th. This was my 5th trip there. Nothing you have seen in Boston will prepare you at any level for what you will see in Delhi. See how it goes for everyone and good luck. Also tcheck the CDC for travelers precautions.

Yes I agree you defintely want to try it out first. I have seen adults make a not so easy adjustment to Delhi, far less for teenage boys. Congratulations to your husband. Delhi is a great place. I am an indian dancer and spent as much time as possible in Delhi, and I hail from NY. Also to agree with another poster, definitely stick to South Delhi. I stay in Defence colony when I am around and it is a good place to enjoy "everyday" indian life.

The American Embassy School in Delhi (Chanakyapuri) is probably your best fit for a local school, but it would be a very long commute from Gurgaon, so you're probably better off living in Delhi.

If your boys are up for an adventure, have a look at Woodstock School in Mussoorie. It's an international boarding school with a very diverse student body (much more so than AES) and for alumni like myself was and is a major part of our lives. The school is highly regarded for university admissions worldwide.

It would likely be in some ways a harder adjustment than Delhi, but in other ways easier, and they'd learn a lot more about India and the world than they would at AES.

For more, see http://www.woodstock.ac.in/ (there's also lots of material on my site, URL below).

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

www.straughan.com (personal)
www.tvblob.com (work)