"I miss the Indian food."

Mr. Mahadeva and his wife Prabhavathi Mahadeva have a daughter Spoorthi. They live together with Ms Mahadeva's mother Gauramma. They are from Bangalore and now live in Augsburg.

What was the reason for you to come to germany?
The reason was that is to see another world and to learn a lot of new things from germany.

How long are you in Germany?
He is in Germany for the past 5 years.

What was your first impression when you landed here?
The weather was cold, the people were all friendly but he said that it was a different world in terms of weather, culture and so on. His first experience in Germany was when he went to Hamburg and was there for 7 months. He has also been to France and Italy.

What are your food preferences and what indian food do you miss the most?
He has only chicken and lamb and also says that 80 percent of the German food is cold. Only once a meal is hot. He misses the dahi vada the most from India.

What preparations you had to make for your stay here in Germany?

The Mahadeva familie live in Augsburg.

He had to get the suitable clothes, a map of the new place, the contact person and address. Food for about 3 to 4 days was a little difficult to adopt. It took two years for him to learn German fluently. For this he went to the "Volkshochschule", a community college, after office everyday and learnt german by conversing with the office notes.

What does he miss the most about India?
He says that he misses the festivals, the environment, friends and his family and also visits India twice a year.

What is your most exciting experience?
The most exciting experience is that when they went to Switzerland and did ice-skating. They also walked on a frozen river. His wife says that she can understand German but cant speak because she finds it difficult.

How do you practice your religion here in Germany?
He says that religion is the way you lead your life and also added that there are temples which they visit.

What are your views and impression of the Germans?
He says that in India many people live as joint families and tells that in Germany it is hard to find two generations. He also says living together provides moral support. People in Germany are very reserved, but in India it is not the same. However he says that the German children are more independent and during summer vacations they utilise the time by doing part time jobs.