Looking back: Schools in Bangalore ....

Thoughts about the schools before R2I are jotted down here:
http://r2idiaries.blogspot.com/2011/09/todos-schools.html

Since this is an important factor for lots of folks, want to share the current experience with the schools in Bangalore. I am pretty sure this would be the status in other metros as well. 


Some of the international schools to consider, in the Bangalore South area(i.e, Marathhalli, Sarjapur Road, HSR layout, Koramangala, Whitefield and vicinity):


Greenwood High International: Accessible from Sarjapur road/HSR Layout/Varthur/Marathhalli/Whitefield area. School pickup starts around 7:15am in the morning. Don't consider if you are going to stay in BTM Layout, Electronics city or KR Puram area. School bus may still be there but you are looking at long commute for kids. Offers ICSC and IGSC(after 8th grade) syllabus. Very good facilities and clean campus. In fact, my kid felt the school facilities are much better than the public school he went to in Bay area.

[Update on GW High (05/02/2014): At this time, would like to add a note of caution for R2I parents seeking admission to GWH - since the post above might seem like a green signal for R2I parents to pursue GWH. With the year to year fee increases, I personally think this school is at a stage where paying the level of fees is questionable. They do have good facilities etc but at a certain point, level of fees outweighs the advantages and I think they have reached that point. I would strongly recommend R2I parents to consider other school options as well. Recently, the focus seems to be shifting more towards the new IGSC campus that is being built and various ways of funding that seem to be the priority. Unfortunately, this is the trend with most of the schools here - fees increases are steep, especially as the school gets more and more established.]

Inventure academy: Access is same as Greenwood high. Don't have first hand or second hand feedback on the school quality.

TISB: Access is same as Greenwood high but much more expensive. Don't have first or second hand feedback on the school quality.

Primus/Prakriya: Accessible from HSR layout, Sarjapur Road areas. Much farther from Whitefield, Varthur areas. Much smaller schools even though cost is much lower. If your kids are already exposed to US school system, might be a good idea to not consider these for transition.

Delhi Public School(DPS East): Access is pretty much same as Greenwood but bit far from Whitefield area. Bit on the lower side for cost(in the range of Rs. 70K/year). May not be that easy to get in at first shot since they have entrance tests etc. Rated as the second best school in Bangalore with CBSE syllabus.

Oakridge International School: In the GWH, TISB belt, newer setup - got fully operational last year. Should be bit easier to get in now.

National Public School(NPS): NPS has openened a branch in HSR layout. Access is good from Bellandur, HSR layout, Electronics city, BTM layout etc but far from Whitefield, Marathhalli, Varthur areas. Cost is in the range of DPS but difficult to get in. Rated as the best school in Bangalore with CBSE syllabus.

Deans Acacdemy: Accessible from whitefield, Varthur, Marathhalli area. One of my friend's kid goes there and has good feedback on the school.

Ebenezer: Accessible from HSR layout, BTM Layout, Electronics city areas. Bit on the expensive side but have gotten good feedback about the school from a friend, whose kid goes there for LKG.

Bethany: Located in the Koramangala area.

If you are in Bannerghatta, Banashankari, JP Nagar area, you can consider BGS international, DPS South etc.


To give an idea on the school setup, here are some of the pics from DPS East:

Looking back: Items brought back versus left behind ...

After 5 months of R2I, seems like a good time to do a bit of analysis on what we brought with us from US versus what we could have brought and what we could have left behind. Hope this helps some of you who are doing R2I and trying to decide on shipping ....

Worth bringing

Kids bicycles, Razor scotter etc: Have heard that you don't get good geared ones here + the quality of bikes you get in US is very good. Apartment complexes provide space where kids can bike around. So, definitely bring.


Kids books: yes, bring them over. Access to libraries is not very good. Haven't explored private libraries yet.


Reflective clothes: This is something we should have brought. Since cars and kids share the walkways next to apartment complexes, would really help to have cloths that reflect head light.


Shoes: You get all brands like Reebok etc here now but at US prices. Schools dictate their own shoes, starting from Bata to Reebok. If you are buying at a outlet, you get good prices on Reebok in US. So, worth getting few pairs.


Sports equipment: Tennis rackets, Baseball gloves/bats, Caps, Tennis balls, Shuttle rackets etc.


iPhone/iPAD/iPODs, Wii/XBox, Cameras: These cost much more here and worth bringing. iPhone can be unlocked for Rs. 500-800.


Large TVs, Music systems, DVD players, Piano/Keyboard, Toolsets: Make sure to bring a good one but one each- customs is hefty for second sets, even if they are older models.


Laptops, Computer accessories like routers, printers etc: Laptops and camera chargers etc handle 220Volts. However, routers etc don't. Hence, you need to bring along a step-up transformer. You can buy 1000Watts model for Rs. 2500-3000 in Bangalore but if you are shipping a 110V TV, you need to ship a good 1500Watts one along with TV as well. But, remember these are heavy!


Cordless phones, Alarm clock with battery back-up: Cordless phones work just fine. We brought the Panasonic cordless and works fine. We didn't bring a alarm clock with LED type of display and battery back-up. The ones we had work on power and are useless now since time resets whenever there is a power switch-over(which is at least once a day). Tired of resetting it each day and it is sitting back in the box now! Imagine your wake-up alarm getting reset during mid-night and school bus is already there when you wake up!


Hypoallergenic bed sheet, pillow covers, moisturizers like cetaphil: Haven't found these yet here. If you are allergic to dust etc(which you get plenty here!), bring these along.


Clothing: Worth bringing good Shorts, Jeans etc, including for kids. I am sure you get these here. But, your mobility might be restricted during first few months and better to have a stack of these so that you are not running around to get the brands that you are already used to. Shirts etc are available plenty and no point buying those over there.

May be/May be not

Spring Mattress: If your kids have outgrown these, not worth bringing over - I personally feel the coir ones we get in India are much better. However, kids can't do jumping over on these. If the kids are smaller, they like the mattress ones and can be used until they outgrow those. 


Furniture: Leather Sofas, Dining table etc: Chairs are a hassle and take good amount of shipping space, especially if they can't be folded. Good dining table (with 6 chairs) is available in India for Rs. 14,000-Rs.20,000. So, if the dining table you have already given you the ROI, sell or dump it and a get new one here. Also, worth selling if it can't be dismantled. Leather sofas might be worth shipping if in good condition. Sofas with recliners are also available now (for a price, of course). Leather quality may not be as good as the ones you get in US. So, if you have shipping space, would be worth bringing over. However, note that the large sectional sofas take up good amount of space and your decision needs to take the space you will have once you move as well.


Kids Toys: Good opportunity to sell, donate, dump some of these and bring only the ones kids need. We shipped a bunch and they are still sitting neatly in boxes and unlikely will see the light of the day again!


Backpacks, school supplies: You get good backpacks these days, for Rs. 1000-Rs.3000 range. Same for school supplies - good  quality materials are available now, including the same brands as in US. 


Clothing: Kids warm cloths, Heavy jackets, Hangers: The heavy jackets you used in US might not be that useful in places like Bangalore. Also, lots of full armed shirts etc are not that useful since most months are warmer and kids roam around in T-shirts and shorts most of the time.


Step stools, carpets, trash cans, trash bags: All of these are available and unless you have excess, not worth buying and shipping. You will have to get used to what is available here sooner or later.

Not worth, IMHO

Soaps, Shampoo, Shaving Gel: Better to get used to the ones available here and you get pretty much every brand now here.


Paper towels, Cloth towels, cleaning supplies: Even though quality is not that good, you can't live on supplies of these items from US forever! Ship few of these so that you can wean off gradually :-)


Bed sheets, Mattress Covers: Not worth buying new ones and shipping. You get much better colors here and quality is good as well.


Kitchen appliances:
Blender, Hair dryer, Washer, Dryer, Refrigerator, Microwave, Treadmill, Water filters, Ceramic items, Lamps etc: Most of these are high-wattage appliance and you will need a good sized transformer. If you can sell these items, sell those and you can buy new ones here. Also, if any of the US items stop working, you are in tough luck. So, not worth bringing over.
For ex, a decent LG brand washer and refrigerator cost Rs. 30,000 each for us and work nicely. Bit expensive compared to the US rates but if you add up the cost of transformer, shipping etc, cost would be close to what you pay here.

Feedback on US calls from India options (read Vonage versus others!) ...

Back to blogging after few days of break, hope you are finding the blog useful. Would really appreciate if you can leave a word or two in comments, even if it is anonymous - I would find spending time here worthwhile ...


If you are in US, most likely you have switched to Vonage, to get their $25/month India calls, including full access in US/Canada. We tried that for few months before we left (of course, when you are doing R2I, the India call volume goes up drastically and worth having Vonage). We had the definite idea of taking it to India with us and wanted to give it a try before we actually take it. From our experience, it worked very well in US.


Then, we came across Ooma (http://www.ooma.com/)- company which provides free US calls - you need just buy the device and only pay monthly taxes. Was bit difficult to believe but we decided to take the device with us anyway. It was available at Costco for $175 or so. Anyway, when you are in India, calling within India from a US number is not that attractive since most folks won't call back on that number (which would be an international number for them). 


While Vonage was working very well in India, got some time to give Ooma a try. I would say we are are pretty satisfied so far after few days of use. It was very easy to connect the device and register and we got a new number in few minutes. Ooma also gave the choice to select a number, which unfortunately didn't have the choice of selecting the area code I wanted. But, since we do most of the outgoing calls, that wasn't a big deal. There is a possibility of doing number transfer but that is a hassle - we need to disconnect Vonage first (which means returning the device). Being in India, didn't want to take the risk of returning the working device, without knowing how Ooma would work. 


It has been a good experience with Ooma so far. Going to wait a bit more before deciding to call off Vonage. Also, internet from Airtel gives 1-2MBPS speed consistently, which could be a reason for Ooma quality as well. But, I guess Vonage would need the same bandwidth for good quality as well.

What is available in India - @Home ...

Below are some of the items that are available @Home store in Bangalore ....

Here is a link to the FutureBazzar website, which has the catalogs listed as well. FutureBazzar runs stores like BizBazzar and HomeTown in Bangalore ...


http://www.futurebazaar.com/


This one is from a online retailer ...
http://www.homeshop18.com/

What is available in India - @ HomeTown ...

One of the key issue for us during R2I was to decide what to ship and what to sell/drop. Input to this was what is available in India. Once you get used to the items that you are already using, it is hard to drop everything and start over, especially with kids. We did check with friends/family in India before we decide to sell the items and I should say most of our decisions on what to keep versus what to sell were correct. Everything is available in India but for a price (and sometimes for a steep price!).


For example, we decided to keep our leather sofa and ship it (for the added cost of shipping these). As you can see below, a leather sofa set can cost a good amount in India.


To give an idea on what items are available, I have attached some pics from the shopping catalogs of HomeTown (similar to HomeDepot in US) ...


Note that prices in these large stores are usually much higher than the normal stores like Star Bazaar or Total. In this case, HomeTown is the high-end arm of Star Bazaar. However, these pics should give a good idea on what is available in India these days.

HomeTown products:
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