BENGALURU: When Ariel Seidman moved to India in 2018, his only point of reference was Bollywood movies which are how he assumed his experience would be. But three years on as Israel’s Deputy Consul General to South India packs his bags to move countries – to Thailand – for his next posting, Seidman looks back, amused, at what he had imagined and the contrasting reality.
Standing in a queue at CTR for over 30 minutes for ‘bisi bisi dosae’, spending evenings at Bengaluru’s microbreweries, going to Nandi Hills or Cubbon Park...Seidman has come to enjoy the sights and sounds he once found overwhelming.
“It was way off from the Bollywood impression. Everything’s overwhelming---sights, sounds, food, or experiences. Too sweet, too sour, too loud...but I’ve come to enjoy that. In fact, when I used to go back home, I found everything too quiet or too dull. I even found our food too bland,” says Seidman, who is relocating for the post of Deputy Ambassador in Bangkok.
Having joined the ministry in 2018, the posting in Bengaluru was his first, an exposure he and his family savour. “My kids would never have gotten this opportunity. I was considering extending the stay here but with schools being shut, that discussion was taken off the table,” Seidman, who has been learning to speak Thai over the last few months.
He admits that he adjusted much faster in Bengaluru than he expected. “Of course there are times when things are frustrating. But the relaxed atmosphere and not doing everything under pressure is something you learn to accept which helps you just enjoy life a lot more,” he says.
There were some stressful times especially after the pandemic. During the first wave, Sideman found himself on his own in the city for 4.5 months with his family stuck in Israel. “It wasn’t possible for me to visit either. When I went back home in April this year, it had been more than two years since I visited my parents and other family members,” says Seidman, who kept himself busy with numerous activities, including gymming and running.
A new role and a new place awaits Seidman and he is preparing for the change.“It’s going to be a different role where I’ll have to learn a lot of new things. Here, it was a consulate with a lot of work in the political, economic, and cultural sphere being done in Delhi,” he says.
So used to the local culture is his family and he that he knows he will continue to make dosaes for his daughters. “They only eat dosaes for breakfast. So, we’ll have to continue making them in Bangkok,” he says. As he prepares to leave a place that he and his family love so much, Seidman says, “That’s the life of a diplomat.”