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People from many different countries live, study and work in Eindhoven. Every week, E52 has a talk\u00a0with an international about what brought them here and what life is like in Eindhoven.<\/p>\n
Name: Sukanya Krishnamurthy
\nCountry of origin: India
\nWork: Assistant Professor at Department of the Built Environment at Eindhoven Technical University<\/p>\n
It is a grey and rainy day when we meet Sukanya. She is standing in front of Vertigo, the building on the university campus where she works. She greets us with a warm smile and asks where we want to go for the interview. We choose the Metaforum. It\u2019s almost time for lunch, so more and more students and staff are heading towards the restaurant in the building. \u201cIt still isn\u2019t cold, so let\u2019s enjoy some fresh air,\u201d Sukanya says and we find a nice spot outside, where it is dry and quiet.<\/p>\n
Sukanya has, as she puts it, \u2018a nice global history\u2019. \u201cI did my in Bachelors in India followed by my Masters and PhD in Germany. After which I had a research job in Canada and then moved to Eindhoven to take up an academic position. I really wanted to experience the world and this has also shaped my work.\u201d Sukanya\u2019s work focuses on how cities can use their resources and values for better sustainable development. \u201cI always liked teaching and here I can do both research and teaching. It keeps you on your feet!\u201d, she says talking about the profile of her job, \u201cWhen I applied I had in mind that the Netherlands would be comfortable move, mainly because of the English language. Most people speak English here and you can manage quiet easily.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have come into my own here. But I had to get used to the mentality: people can be quite direct. In the beginning, I had a difficult time with it. For instance in work discussions, people would just say to me \u2018No, I can\u2019t do it\u2019 or \u2018I don\u00b4t have time\u2019. I wasn\u2019t used to people being that frank right to my face. In other countries, your colleagues would beat around the bush more and then maybe say a polite no in a later moment. But I\u2019m adapting. The other day we were in a meeting and I said we should get to the point. I shocked the rest of the group,\u201d Sukanya laughs out loud. \u201cIt was quite confrontational to hear myself say something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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