25, female and moving to Mumbai?

sara.smith

Hi,

I have recently been offered a job in Mumbai (Andheri West, to start 2nd week Jan 09)which I really want to take. I just have a few questions as I will be moving over there alone, I am 25 and a woman - which raises various specific questions as well as the more pressing one: should I still go after the tragic events this week?

So first - should I still go. My gut feeling says definitely. I live in London and I suppose I think it is just as likely to happen here too? And a bit of solidarity with Mumbai might be needed? And I don't want fear to win. But am I being foolish as a Western woman?

I have travelled in India several times, including Mumbai, and twice on my own. However, I have never actually lived in India alone and would love to get a heads up about things that might be good to be aware of:

Clothing: I have akways dressed realtively conservatively in India, even in Mumbai, and found this to minimise 'eve-teasing' (how euphemistic is that phrase) - how chilled out are various places - eg/ what can I swim in, jog in, etc

What about bars and things in Mumbai - if I wanted to go to have a quiet drink alone on a regular basis- can I? What about clubs?

Can I jog alone around mumbai early morning?

Are there any good clubs that I can join to make friends? I'm usually pretty good at meeting people - but a push in the right direction would be great.

Where can I get a wax/ manicure/ haircut - not too expensive (sometimes its nice to have!)

Any other tips, women-specific or not - would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks

Sara

AprilFlower

I think you should definitely come. Nothing can be compared to living in a foreign country particularly one as wild and crazy as India . Plus, it will look great on a resume. I'm not sure how long you will be here but I find that I can tolerate almost anything for a year or two.

As for clothing check out this thread:
What to Wear in India..Helpful Hints for Women

Mumbai is probably the most western place you could chose to live so you will probably feel fairly comfortable wearing most wester work clothes here.

As for running, check out this website: http://www.runningandliving.com/Women_on_the_Run.html
There are links for groups in Mumbai if you go to Running in India on the right side menu. You can email questions in and one of the people is a lady living in Delhi. Very friendly. In general, I would not wear shorts but you shouldn't have much problem wearing capri length leggings. There is even a marathon (and half) in Mumbai every year but be sure to sign up early as the spots get filled up fast. Bring a new pair of your favorite brand of running shoes and socks with you. Brands are limited here. I love Ascics but they aren't in India yet. In general, you may end up having to by a man's shoe as women's feet here are very small. I know there are Nike and Addidas stores in Mumbai though. I think there should be a Reebok store too.

There are plenty of bars and clubs in Mumbai but we will have to wait for a true Mumbaiker to answer the safety of going by oneself.

As for meeting people, IndiaMike has meetups for many of the larger cities so go in the Mumbai forum and see if they have a meetup planned. Otherwise you can probably get a few people together just by posting.

Almost any place will do waxing and haircutting. Keep in mind this will be for legs/arms only they do not do waxing on the face. They use tread for eyebrows.

Best wishes and welcome to IM.

sara.smith

Thank you so much for this - very very useful. off to treat myself to a new pair of runners, especially for mumbai, right now! Now I'm getting excited. Sx

AprilFlower

Any occassion is a good occassion for new running shoes!!

rahulcal

Hi

Well security etc are very valid concerns in the times that we are living in - but well as you said they can happen anywhere and everywhere.

Mumbai is going to be a bit of a challenge in other things apart from the clothes etc bit - commuting being the most important one . Andheri West is a nice area to live in so if you can get a place there that should be helpful.

Plenty of salons etc around - B:Blunt to Shehnaaz - across price point so you can have your pick. There are places like Zenzi and H2O which are fairly decent watering holes / clubs in Bandra and a lot more.

It may be of use if you could look at a PG / shared accomodation with another girl - costs wise its easier and a lot safer. And if the girl is from here probably she would be able to give you a lot more tips in terms of living in Mumbai as a single female. Papers like mid-day .com have a classifieds section or you can check online sites like magicbricks.com

The climate in Mumbai varies from Hot to not so hot .. its winters here now and the temperature is around 22-23 degrees - will go down a bit later but nothing you have not known earlier.

Most of the things here would be a lot cheaper than in UK - apart from some brands which may not be available - most of the very big ones are.

If you have a gsm phone that should work here fine with an Indian sim card of course.

Hope this helps

Cheers

navinkurian2002

Depends on the location/park and time all these make a huge difference.
Yes depends on your budget.

the lokhandwala area.

__________________
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sara.smith

Thanks Guys

This is really helpful stuff - much much appreciated.

In terms of budget, I will be on around 25000 INR a month (my accom, transport, maid and elec/ gas etc bills are paid for by my company) - so whatever clubs might fit into that budget would be great to know.

Also if you could recommend where IS safe to jog in the morning - say between 530am and 700 am? - that would be really helpful. Thanks to all - this is a real help.

s

navinkurian2002

A yearly membership of the goregaon sports club is about 10k and other private clubs are higher. Most people join the talwalkars fitness center or golds gym and work out on a threadmill(not sure about how much the cost of membership). There are a few parks in the west with an oval track where you can jog around track. After 7 am is fine again this is all relative to which park we are talking about.

sara.smith

Thanks so much for this.
One more question: Just got off the phone with my company and they want me to work in their Vashi offices instead. Does anyone have any info on this? How safe is it for me to get a cab back, alone from Mumbai after the cinema, or a meal, to a flat in Vashi? Or is it better to commute from Mumbai to Vashi, daily, for work? Or use Vashi as a base? I finish work at 1600 every day so want to spend my free afternoons doing 'city-things'....

arijitchaki

Staying at Andheri and working at Vashi will mean a daily commute of 1 1/2 hrs everyday. That's one way! I'd suggest that you stay at Vashi, because if there is one thing that takes a lot of time in Bombay, it's commuting.

Of course, there aren't that many pubs etc in Vashi as compared to Andheri or Bandra.

rahulcal

Vashi is the New Mumbai area - across the creek from Bombay proper . You would be better off staying there if your office is going to be there -though must say that it may not be as happening as Western Suburbs are.

The cost of living would also be a lot cheaper than Andheri.

ronsaik

Not at all. London has had one major terror strike. India has two or more a year. And there is every reason to think that things will get worse.

Solidarity...well, it's like this: there have been terror attacks before, there will continue to be terror attacks after. Nothing looks likely to change at the moment. After that, it's your call.
Fear won't win in India. Apathy shall triumph fright.

Jog: track pants. Lots of joggers parks in Bombay. Swim? Where?

Sitting ducks for the Lashkar E Toiba. I wouldn't even think along those lines anymore.

Completely. And it's safe to boot.

If you run, then you could join a Runners group in Bombay. That's a good way to start. What are your interests?

:-) This is a very cute query. I'll leave this answer to the Mumbaikars.

Keep away from the natives. Just kidding.

ronsaik

I was re-reading your post:

The Solidarity bit might sound silly and idealistic to some, but I respect your sentiment. I doff my cricket hat.

bips

in my opinion i think you will not like vashi that much but you can try it out you might like it and if you dont like it you can move to a mumbai based office in andheri.

navinkurian2002

Thanks so much for this.
Does this mean they will give you accommodation in vashi and the andheri plan is scrapped?

Vashi is pretty safe again it all depends on the location to location (over all safe). There are dial a cabs .
My friends husband travels from vashi to borivali every day by the company bus. Traveling sucks the life out of a person unless you have an ac chauffeured car.

use Vashi as a base
16.00 is 4 pm so that is evening here sunset usually by 6.30 -7
depends on the season.

You could take a cab from vashi to bandra (but again there are times when you will get caught in nasty traffic snarls)