Indian business woman Vandana Singh has opened up on what it was like moving to Northern Ireland over a decade ago.
The woman behind Netra Brow Studio in Belfast, Vandana or Vandy as she is known by her clients, is a well-known face in the beauty industry.
Vandana, 40, first came to Northern Ireland in 2009 to join her husband Praveen Kumar, 41, who had already moved to Belfast.
Read more: Cookstown Chinese takeaway owner on almost 50 years serving the town
"I'm originally from Lucknow, a city around eight hours by train from Delhi, where my husband and his family are from," Vandana told Belfast Live.
"Growing up in India, my dad was in the army so it was a very disciplined childhood and he would be posted to different places every three years. It meant that my schooling was a bit different as we were moving from place to place.
"There are also 28 different languages in India and every state has their own so at each stage of our moves, I had to learn that new language too, which was very difficult. So every three years it would be a new school, new language and new kids and teachers to get to know," she added.
Prior to her move here, Vandana was teaching English literature in her native India at an army public school but when she came to Northern Ireland, she decided to go down a completely different route.
"My husband and I had an arranged marriage and we have been married now for 13 years. I came to Northern Ireland in 2009 to join Praveen, who had been there for six years already by that time.
"It was always my dream to move somewhere like the UK or US so when I got my plane ticket to come here, I couldn't believe it. Since childhood, I had always said to people that I would move abroad so that wish came true and maybe it was always my destiny."
Reflecting on her initial impressions of life here, Vandana said her main issue was the accent and of course, the weather.
"It was pretty easy to adjust to life in Northern Ireland. The only issue I had was the accent and the way people can sometimes talk very fast but I've got used to that down the years," she recalled.
"When I first arrived it was August so the weather was very pleasant and everything was so nice and colourful.
"But once the winter came and temperatures dropped, that was a bit of a shock for me and it can still make me feel a bit depressed sometimes!"
Once she had settled into her new married life and in a new country, Vandana turned her attention to a new career path in the beauty industry.
"I joined House of Fraser at the start of my beauty journey and had to be sent to London for training in eyebrow threading. I worked there for two years before moving on to open my own business," she said.
That new business, Netra Brow Studio, opened at Connswat er Shopping Centre in 2012, providing eyebrow threading and tinting, eyelash treatments, henna tattoos and massages.
Another outlet followed a year later in the Park Centre.
After suffering a number of miscarriages in her quest to start a family, Vandana returned to India for IVF and remained there for over a year throughout her treatment and subsequent pregnancy.
The couple are now living in Carryduff as proud parents to four-year-old Aditya.
"My husband had to stay in Northern Ireland all that time to look after the businesses so I went through it all myself. I didn't mind that though as I was just so happy to finally have my baby son," she said.
Despite a brief move to England in recent years, Vandana says Northern Ireland is home for her and her family now.
"People here have always been so lovely and welcoming. I have built up great relationships both personally and professionally with my clients over the past 13 years," she said.
"The Indian community has also grown in that time and I was one of the founders of the Belfast Asian Women's Academy (BAWA), a group of women from across Asia who have made the made the city their home.
"I really love my new home in Northern Ireland and I'm looking forward to many more years in business here too."
Read more: Belfast Asian Women's Academy membership going from strength to strength three years on
Read more: Temporary travel scheme to offer free public transport for Ukrainian refugees
To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
