r2i forum

Smart Cruiser4,
Bangalore is pretty bad for people with allergies. The pollution, garbage noise, filth, ditches, open sewers choking with plastic, with cows munching the plastic ..dead dogs left to decay on the roads .... even people without allergies will fall sick ... take a chill pill, enjoy a vacation in India and be happy wherever you are ... not worth it my friend.

I have been staying in Bangalore for 5+ years since our R2I and here are some random thoughts -

Our younger kid used to have skin allergies back in CT and used to be really bad during the winters. Very surprisingly when we came back to Bangalore, the skin allergy just disappeared ! One of the positives that we observed. They get to spend great quality time with grand parents and their cousins some of whom have become very close to them. This wouldn't have been the case if we were still in U.S.

Air pollution is pretty bad. Old people are the worst affected. Water is definitely becoming a big issue in some parts of Bangalore. In some of the apartment complex around the city, it has become a norm that water gets supplied to the tanks by water tankers on a daily basis. The ground water level has depleted in some areas. My colleague at work who stays in the Hosur Road area had a 300 foot borewell which supplied water to their home for almost 5 years, recently it dried up and he had to go and get it re-bored and they had to go to 1000 ft before they got water.

Reliable domestic help is an oxymoron, you just have to learn through working your way around. If you live in an apartment complex it would be fairly simple to find a pool of willing domestic help and drivers, though reliability and trust would be a question mark.

Garbage was a recent problem due to strike by the BBPM contract workers who are supposed to clean up the garbage. In general cleanliness on the road and curbside is lacking.

There was a family from CA who had R2I'ed about 5 years ago to our apartment complex in Bangalore. One of their kids fell seriously ill about a year ago, for a few months and was eventually cured. After this they felt that it was not hygienic since immunity was low for the kid. Places like rest rooms in school, public places which can potentially cause health issues and they felt it was not worth to continue in Bangalore. They sold their house and relocated back to CA recently.

I am not trying to paint a bleak picture and put you off your R2I plans but I would reconsider seriously unless you have a very compelling reason to R2I.

What I have realized is that vacations taken when R2I was not an option being actively considered can make you blind to certain obvious problems :-) That said, you should do the groundwork and collect other people's experiences and you are on the right track in this forum.

There are many types of milk allergies, one of them is lactose intolerance. I once asked for lactose free milk powder in a few big and famous pharmacies in Bangalore and in many places, I was asked if I wanted Lactogen :)) So, understanding of allergies is not great in many areas of Bangalore, especially places predominantly lower- and middle-class areas. Soy milk is widely available...but you just cannot expect lactose free products available everywhere that your kids will go. That is the bad news. Good news is that my friend who is lactose intolerant in the US somehow is less intolerant in Bangalore...whatever be the reasons. So, it may work out for the good. And, we may get lactose free milk some day...

My son had allergies when he went to Bangalore...his face would swell up and hands and legs would swell up...it was scary actually. But, we took him to a doctor recommended by my cousin and that doctor said: "Is this an NRI kid? Don't worry...this is a common problem among NRI kids. Take this tonic for 3 days and it will go away". He was right on the dot...the allergies went away within a day and a half. So, advantage of Bangalore is that doctors have exposure to NRI kids...but, better to find a doctor who has exposure to NRI kids....usually, doctors living near areas where expats are prevalent might be a good idea. Good news again is that the second time around, my son has the same allergies, but beat that off within a day, without medication :)

The other important thing to keep in mind is to carry the notion of SELF-RELIANCE from the US of A to India. Self reliance is one of the greatest lessons in life that I learnt from the US and I am sure I am not alone. What do I mean by this in the R2I context? I have used Washing machines vs maid, Iron clothes myself vs Ironing shop, use vacuum cleaner vs housemaid, drive on your own vs driver,...... It is a must to assume self reliance....if something better comes up, so be it. But, do not create dependencies and life will be good.

As Gator92 says, have a compelling reason and give it a shot. Remember it will take atleast a year for the body to physically adjust. But mental adjustment probably never happens, especially when there is a serious illness OR a problem with the govt office, etc etc. Note that if R2I does not work out, be *strongly* prepared to come back. R2I planning should also include an exit plan.

Best of luck!

SmartCruiser,

Please take a look at this thread where I had posted my experience till now

http://www.r2iclubforums.com/forums/showthread.php/7891-Kid-with-Food-allergies-will-Indian-schools-cooperate

Other thread where you can get more details

http://www.r2iclubforums.com/forums/showthread.php/5572-R2i-for-Toddler-with-food-allergies

I am all set for R2I but posts like these made me just think once again. I don't have any compelling reason other than that my parents are getting old and soon my son will be a teenager. I appreciate Gator92, even though in India for more than 5 years, he/she never complained about pollution, traffic etc.. Are these going to be big issues down the road say in another 5 years?

A Big thank you to all of you for taking the time to address my concerns and for providing such valuable information. You have indeed given us a lot to think about! :-) Will get back to you again once we process all this information and arrive at a conclusion. Thanks again!

farfromhome;475786SmartCruiser,

Please take a look at this thread where I had posted my experience till now

http://www.r2iclubforums.com/forums/showthread.php/7891-Kid-with-Food-allergies-will-Indian-schools-cooperate

Other thread where you can get more details

http://www.r2iclubforums.com/forums/showthread.php/5572-R2i-for-Toddler-with-food-allergies

I too have shared my experiences with allergic child in the above links posted by FFH. Since your child is too young, its better to keep the child at home as food allergy awareness is so less in India. Better to stick to home cooked food. Avoid eating out and take extreme precaution while eating at any friends/relatives place. If you have a cook, then you need to instruct him/her to instrictly avoid the allergic ingredients and watch him/her to make sure cross-contamination doesn't occur as a result of using the same utensil in multiple food products.