J Ramdas from Sanmar relocated to Erla, Germany, as CFO, Eisenwerk Erla GmbH. His wife Bhuvana recounts their experiences during the first fortnight.
Bhuvana, Akash and Ramdas
In a nutshell- We relocated from a stable, hot and hotter climate of Chennai to an erratic one that is, the cold, chilly, rainy, snowy weather of Dresden, Germany. We are settled in our new home, son Akash is settled in school, we obtained a three-year resident permit in Germany- all this even before our shipment from India came in.
The flight from Chennai to Frankfurt to Dresden, was comfortable. Ms Anke Beckert, Ramdas’ executive assistant received us at the Dresden airport with a warm smile. We checked into Hotel SMETANA (named after a Czechoslovakian music composer). At the hotel, we had a meal and the beverages came in pots. So, each of us had a pot of something to drink. Once rested, Ms Beckert showed us our new home. Her thoughtfulness and efficiency were very impressive. She spoke excellent English as she had been taking English speaking lessons to be able to work with Ramdas without a hitch. At the new house, there was a car ready for our use. Ms Beckert had the dimensions of the house handy. All we had to do was make a quick assessment of the furniture that we needed. She drove us to Elbe Park to buy furniture and we settled for IKEA, the Scandinavian furniture store. The furniture came in knocked-down pieces that we had to assemble ourselves. As we were not too confident of assembling the furniture, Ms Beckert promised to send help from Erla. By the end of the day, I had a Vodafone mobile connection, a car, furniture for my new house, city map, tram/bus numbers and timings and details of Indian restaurants in Dresden, thanks to the efficiency of
Ms Beckert! The weekend over, it was time to begin the new week with Akash’s schooling.
A walk on the wild side – The Ramdas’ in the heathlands.
Flowing with the tides of the Elbe – Bhuvana and Akash.
The school is just three kms away from the hotel. I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a ‘Namaste’ from an Indian lady from Bangalore whose children went to the same school. Akash’s class teacher is Ms Sharpe, an Australian. She teaches all the subjects except German, music and physical training. The best thing is that children didn’t carry a huge load of books to school. Every student has a home bag in which the child brings the homework for the day.
Akash was asked to fill a questionnaire that assessed his levels of listening, work levels, reading, writing and love for math. Akash had enrolled at a good time when the first half year was over and student-led conferences were held. The child and the parent meet the class teacher and the child sets his/her own goal for the half year. During the course of the year, every child maintains a portfolio of the things he/she did during the half year. The portfolio is a collection of their work that the child thinks is very important. Then, during the student led conferences, the child presents the portfolio and tells if the goal setting has been met and shares the learning for the half year. On the first day Akash came home with math homework and a student reference manual which can be used to assist in the homework. Things are very different here for Akash.
Friends from the office helped to fix the furniture and fittings in our new home. We got our work permit formalities completed. My belongings that I had left behind during my last stay at Ingolstadt were also brought to my new house. So I was able to cook the evening meal in my new home.
Friday was a holiday for Akash. We settled in our new home. Nick Naderi from the neighbourhood came over to play with Akash. On Saturday, we showed off our new found skills to Ramdas. We knew tram routes and we went around the city hopping in and out of trams and buses. It was snowing gently and it was nice to be in the tram and watch the city getting snowed. Sunday was a rainy day and we went walking in the woods. The nature and scenery cannot be described in words. The cool air, silent unpolluted atmosphere, beautiful snow-clad rooftops and needle trees are a pleasure to be enjoyed. The children running in winter clothing with their parents, elderly couples walking hand in hand, serious joggers, walkers with dogs – you get to see all kinds of people during the walk. Sunday lunch was typical Bangalorean fare at our new friend’s house.
I rise early, pack lunches for Akash and Ramdas, drop Akash at school, walk to Schillerplatz to buy the essentials, pick him up from school, etc. Akash has joined the chess club in school which he attends twice a week. My Indian friend took me to the Indian store where I got most of the things I needed. Akash has picked up quite a lot of German. One of his school assignments is at least 10 minutes of compulsory reading (English) to his parents. Thanks to him, I have read a few nice kiddy books! There is a good library at the school and I have something to read in the afternoons. Without internet (as yet) and no newspapers in English, the library is a blessing for me.
Our Japanese neighbours, Mizuno have children going to Dresden International School. They speak more German than English. We befriended them and spoke to them in German. Once the residential formalities were complete, we opened an account at a local bank. We were told that, the account will be operational in 4 weeks time. The company has organised for German tuition for Ramdas and me at home for three days a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6.30 to 8 p.m. So, more action starts from next week.
We still have some shopping to do in the weeks to follow and our consignment of personal goods is yet to come. Now, the house is settled and things in place, I have managed to key in the story for you all. A new way of life has begun and I will keep you posted with updates.
Dresden – the Saxon capital is laden with culture and history.