Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

City of Destiny makes expatriates feel at home

VISAKHAPATNAM: The expatriates find the people of the City of Destiny friendly and very helpful. Most of them feel at home in the alien place irrespective of which ever country they are from and whether they have come with their family or alone. Most of the expatriates treasure this opportunity.

Tawee Jittibopitch, a Thai by birth and a manager of a sea food company, who was posted here two months ago, considers himself lucky.

He says with a glee in his eyes, “Locals are very helpful and friendly.

There is a new trend in Thailand. Students are coming for IT education to India. Most of them have strong communication skills in English. My wife along with my son is learning English. This will keep all of us in good stead any where in the world. In Thailand, however, people are scared to talk to foreigners.”

IT education is much superior in India compared to Thailand and many other countries. And with the English language learning becoming a vital tool for success in multinational work environment and the big companies setting up their pads here, getting an Indian experience is becoming increasingly significant for expatriates.

Juneunhyun Yeoneungseop, a Korean woman and wife of a coordinator in a well-known company and her cousin’s daughter Hansol Kim, 14, also find the locals welcoming and their English good.

Kim finds Indian children similar to Korean children and she likes the school here as there are many holidays in Indian school compared to Korean schools.

Though as foreigners they do face some problems too, such as difficulty in getting their native food. Nowhere in the city is the genuine foreign (Thai or Korean cuisine in particular is available), is the common refrain.

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