Its now a year and 1 month and counting since I moved to Kolkata. It has been a rollar coaster experience I must say. I had my fair share of medical concerns like contracting something as unpronounceable as amebiosis and streptococcus, etc. True, you can live life here royally with a strong currency to your advantage, there are many more things out there which have made me realise Singapore's worth, which have made me realise how we in Singapore have taken so many things for granted. We only know what we are missing when we get the exact opposite elsewhere.
I am not saying i hate or even dislike India. In fact, in all honesty, India is a beautiful country, with lovely food, history and culture. I love being in India each time I visit. Even in Kolkata, food is awesome, the city has a colonial look left behind by the British legacy, shopping is cheap and great. More importantly, have managed to forge friendship with many here (though they are colleagues, both V's and mine). But I guess after all, I am still the spoilt Singaporean. No wait..I take back what I said. I am not spoilt. Its basic human right to expect top quality standards of living. My experience in Kolkata has opened my eyes to various issues. To issues that will stop me from taking the things we have in Singapore for granted.
Education
Being in the education industry here in Kolkata, I have been fortunate enough to visit schools in Kolkata as part of my work. Whether I have been fortunate in other aspects of my work deserves a posting of its own and I wont even begin to whine. So, ya at these schools, you instantly get an idea of the studying environment of the students. The majority of these schools are far from what you get back home in Singapore. I wish I had a picture to explain it all. Anywhere between 40-60 students squeeze in one classroom which inevitably has either broken, dusty wooden benches or rusty metal ones. The power goes off at times. Lessons continue in the sweltering heat, yet students always have a smile on their faces, and never fail to greet anyone who passes. Even if you are not a teacher in that sch! Yet. the children as well as parents seem contented with the environment they are in. In Singapore, each student is entitled to his own table and chair, clean classrooms, whiteboards, a huge field to play in, and technology to make education a high tech process. How blessed we were or our school kids are to have the best of facilities. But are we thankful for all that we have? No! Parents are constantly complaining and students using that to their advantage to gripe at the slightest discomfort. All having said, nothing beats the experience of having visited non-English medium schools like Bengali/Hindi medium schools. The kids in such schools learn English from Class 5 which is equivalent to our Primary 5 and continue learning it till Class 12. How the kids struggle to learn, speak and write English is a painful sight. English is taught in Bengali and kids literally struggle to speak the language. So much for education!
Getting things done
Well, for months together, I had a problem with my landline. Try as I might, I was not able to make outgoing call and receive incoming calls. Tried various avenues to make a complaint till I got through a guy who said "pleese come down to office with problem". I cursed and swore about the sheer inefficiency especially since I was so used to getting my problems solved over the phone or internet. To begin with, I don't recall having any problems at all with my landline, internet or even mobile phone connection. One fine day, the phone works. God knows how! Then, we were both having network/connection problems with our mobile phones. Wen on a call, we had to literally walk around the entire house just to find a spot with good connectivity. We lived with the problem for a year till I decided enough was enough. Called up the mobile phone service provider to complain abt the problem. After a few days of waiting and visits by engineers, the problem was rectified. So now we have a connectivity that allows us to speak even a remote corner of the house. We constantly have problems of toilet bowl leaks, light fuse, hard water, cable TV box breakdowns (due to lightning according to cable guys). Things do happen here but they just take time. This is probably how people get by. By waiting endlessly for people to look into your problems. Back home, there is hardly reason to complain. Things hardly go awry and even if they do, repair or rectification is almost immediate.
Despite coming back home often, there are still many things that I miss back in Singapore. FRIENDS. Despite chat technology, there is nothing like having friends around to meet during weekends or even for a quick dinner after work. I miss the food so much that Prima mixes seem heavenly. Chilli padis, hokkien mee, mee goreng, carrot cake, chicken cutlet, fish n chips, and many more. I have resorted to freeze packing some of these- tried with hokkien mee and fried rice. And I make sure I have my constant supply of chilli padis and POST cereals. I missed the National Day Parade for the 1st time in my life. I had always taken the parade for granted, and this time I saw to it I wore my Singapore tshirt, albeit a little late. Wore it on India's independence day! I miss the peace and quiet on the roads, where there is no noise, where people dont jostle when all you intend to take is a leisurely stroll. Traffic is systematic, roads top quality, although some major highways in India are as good.
Nonetheless, I am enjoying India. I love the warmth and solidarity that people have despite clashes, riots, blasts and strikes. I love the food which is as authentic as it gets. I love the shopping, especially the Indian wear which is comparatively cheap! I love the street food! I love the home i am in. These and much more..I am pretty sure I will miss this experience once we get transferred out. Whenever that would be....
So long......
I am not saying i hate or even dislike India. In fact, in all honesty, India is a beautiful country, with lovely food, history and culture. I love being in India each time I visit. Even in Kolkata, food is awesome, the city has a colonial look left behind by the British legacy, shopping is cheap and great. More importantly, have managed to forge friendship with many here (though they are colleagues, both V's and mine). But I guess after all, I am still the spoilt Singaporean. No wait..I take back what I said. I am not spoilt. Its basic human right to expect top quality standards of living. My experience in Kolkata has opened my eyes to various issues. To issues that will stop me from taking the things we have in Singapore for granted.
Education
Being in the education industry here in Kolkata, I have been fortunate enough to visit schools in Kolkata as part of my work. Whether I have been fortunate in other aspects of my work deserves a posting of its own and I wont even begin to whine. So, ya at these schools, you instantly get an idea of the studying environment of the students. The majority of these schools are far from what you get back home in Singapore. I wish I had a picture to explain it all. Anywhere between 40-60 students squeeze in one classroom which inevitably has either broken, dusty wooden benches or rusty metal ones. The power goes off at times. Lessons continue in the sweltering heat, yet students always have a smile on their faces, and never fail to greet anyone who passes. Even if you are not a teacher in that sch! Yet. the children as well as parents seem contented with the environment they are in. In Singapore, each student is entitled to his own table and chair, clean classrooms, whiteboards, a huge field to play in, and technology to make education a high tech process. How blessed we were or our school kids are to have the best of facilities. But are we thankful for all that we have? No! Parents are constantly complaining and students using that to their advantage to gripe at the slightest discomfort. All having said, nothing beats the experience of having visited non-English medium schools like Bengali/Hindi medium schools. The kids in such schools learn English from Class 5 which is equivalent to our Primary 5 and continue learning it till Class 12. How the kids struggle to learn, speak and write English is a painful sight. English is taught in Bengali and kids literally struggle to speak the language. So much for education!
Getting things done
Well, for months together, I had a problem with my landline. Try as I might, I was not able to make outgoing call and receive incoming calls. Tried various avenues to make a complaint till I got through a guy who said "pleese come down to office with problem". I cursed and swore about the sheer inefficiency especially since I was so used to getting my problems solved over the phone or internet. To begin with, I don't recall having any problems at all with my landline, internet or even mobile phone connection. One fine day, the phone works. God knows how! Then, we were both having network/connection problems with our mobile phones. Wen on a call, we had to literally walk around the entire house just to find a spot with good connectivity. We lived with the problem for a year till I decided enough was enough. Called up the mobile phone service provider to complain abt the problem. After a few days of waiting and visits by engineers, the problem was rectified. So now we have a connectivity that allows us to speak even a remote corner of the house. We constantly have problems of toilet bowl leaks, light fuse, hard water, cable TV box breakdowns (due to lightning according to cable guys). Things do happen here but they just take time. This is probably how people get by. By waiting endlessly for people to look into your problems. Back home, there is hardly reason to complain. Things hardly go awry and even if they do, repair or rectification is almost immediate.
Despite coming back home often, there are still many things that I miss back in Singapore. FRIENDS. Despite chat technology, there is nothing like having friends around to meet during weekends or even for a quick dinner after work. I miss the food so much that Prima mixes seem heavenly. Chilli padis, hokkien mee, mee goreng, carrot cake, chicken cutlet, fish n chips, and many more. I have resorted to freeze packing some of these- tried with hokkien mee and fried rice. And I make sure I have my constant supply of chilli padis and POST cereals. I missed the National Day Parade for the 1st time in my life. I had always taken the parade for granted, and this time I saw to it I wore my Singapore tshirt, albeit a little late. Wore it on India's independence day! I miss the peace and quiet on the roads, where there is no noise, where people dont jostle when all you intend to take is a leisurely stroll. Traffic is systematic, roads top quality, although some major highways in India are as good.
Nonetheless, I am enjoying India. I love the warmth and solidarity that people have despite clashes, riots, blasts and strikes. I love the food which is as authentic as it gets. I love the shopping, especially the Indian wear which is comparatively cheap! I love the street food! I love the home i am in. These and much more..I am pretty sure I will miss this experience once we get transferred out. Whenever that would be....
So long......
1 comment:
how come nobody comment one? i think everyone gave up visiting your blog la. i enjoyed reading this post in particular sheela coz i can relate to whatever was mentioned. i have been in kolkatta. i must say u are managing very well. am very proud of you. transplant me anywhere without the comfort i am used to, i'll get real ugly. cookily finish ur posting in kolkat! we miss u too!
Post a Comment