We’re Dave and Jenny, two ex-New Yorkers who felt that the Big Apple just wasn’t big enough. And so it was off to India…!
We left in November, 2007, for Dave’s job: he worked for an advertising agency, and they needed some help in the Delhi office.
What challenges did you face during the move?
All of them, I think.How did you find somewhere to live?
We got lucky: at the time, there was one and only one real estate broker who had discovered Delhi’s Craigslist. He found a terrific place in Hauz Khas Market at a ridiculous price, but then he negotiated the rent down on our behalf. It took us a few months before we realized that the landlord and the broker had clearly established the target price ahead of time. But we were quite happy, so we chalked it up to our naivete.
Are there many other expats in your area?
No, hardly any. We intentionally chose to live outside of the main expat haunts. What’s the point of moving to India to live in Tucson?
What is your relationship like with the locals?
Indians are the friendliest people on the planet.
What do you like about life where you are?
We loved everything about living in India, from the street vendors to the local market.
What do you dislike about your expat life?
One word: traffic.
What advice would you give to anyone following in your footsteps?
No matter what anyone asks you to do, say yes. That’s the only way for interesting things to happen.
What are your plans for the future?
Well…we’re back in the US now. So hopefully our plans involve going abroad again as soon as possible. We’re looking forward to February, when Harper Collins India will publish our book “Delirious Delhi: Inside India’s Incredible Capitol”. We plan to go back to India and make the most of it.
"Delirious Delhi: Inside India's Incredible Capitol", coming out in February, published by Harper Collins India, is a Bill Bryson-esque look at the experiences my wife and I had while living and working in this kinetic city. It ranges from the alleys of Old Delhi ("Every corner we turned revealed something we never imagined we'd see: a monkey fight, say, or metal trunk full of severed goat legs") to the gleaming skyscrapers of Delhi's tech hubs ("Gurgaon is a cloud of construction dust punctuated by dust-covered construction sites.")