Holy Freezing, Batman! It's cold! -2 degrees fahrenheit and -18 degrees celsius and that's not including the wind chill.... Brrr!
Alas, this is home. I'm home and I'm glad to be back.
I left the hotel at midnight on Saturday night, my flight left at 3am. And just as people warned me, the Delhi airport was chaos. It went like this: I stood in a 'line' to get into the airport that mirrored the way people drive. You grab a cart and where ever you can fit is free game. There's no rhyme or reason, everyone just makes their way toward the door by moving in the same direction. I waited in line for a half hour just to get inside the airport. Once inside, to the baggage security check then to the Luftansia counter. Both of these were pretty easy and while in line at Luftansia, I started chatting with a hottie from Napal, Mani. He was on his way to Barcelona for a large telecommunications conference. Mani speaks English, Napalese, Hindi, Chinese- all fluently- and Japanese and French only a little bit. He lived in China for 6 years, he's in Delhi for 2 and then he plans to move to Canada- with his wife and son. For the next 2 hours, Mani and I would become best friends.
After the Luftansia line, I headed to the immigration line which just kept growing and growing. Mani saw me and I let him budge in line instead of standing about 20 people behind me. We went through different lines after we waited/chatted for about an hour together to show our passports. Mani got ahead of me and found his way to the security line, I found him this time and he let me budge in line with him instead of waiting 20 people behind him. We waited/chatted in this line for about an hour and a half. It seriously took 2.5 hours of waiting in lines to get to the terminal. Mani was in economy and I was in business class, so we had different lines this time. With a quick wave, I walked right in thinking Mani would have to walk past business class on his way to his seat. I never saw Mani again, but he gave me his business card so that I could let him know the next time I'm in India so he can take me around to see the sites. Hospitable and friendly, that Mani, but obviously not the mani for me.
The first flight went by quick. 7 - 7.5 hours or 2 movies later and we were in Frankfurt. As soon as I was off the plane in Frankfurt, I took a deep breath by instinct. It was nice. I walked about a mile to the United gate and hardly had time for a pit stop before it was time to board the 2nd plane. The second flight was long. I slept pretty hard at some point during the first 4 hours and when I woke up, I felt like I had been asleep for 6. I was hoping I only had 2 or 3 hours left, but nope- 5 more hours to go. So, I found another movie to watch and snooze through.
Once we landed I was the first person off the plane and #1 in a line of 0 to get through immigration. My bags were 2nd off the conveyer belt and I was 3rd to get through customs. I was asked about 4 times if I needed connecting flight information and my answer to everyone was, "Nope, I'm home," with a big smile on my face. I had to wait for about 10 minutes for the limo to pick me up and I actually stood outside in the freezing cold and took those lung filling inhales and yogic exhales I was longing for. And I've done that about 8 times in the 9 hours I've been in Chicago.
As much as I would have been ok had my trip been longer, I'm obviously happy to be home. Now, I look forward to a vacation. I know, you're all saying, "But you just got back...." I was not on vacation, my friends. I was working long hours and I worked hard.
California to visit Heather and Amy? Des Moines to visit Mandy and meet baby Audry? Indy to see Ali? Or to Florida to relax at the condo on the beach... maybe all of the above.
A few final pics
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.9q4sksyp&x=0&y=x4rh1d
And that's All She's Writing, folks. Thanks for the emails and sharing the trip with me. See you soon!
Namaste.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Homeward Bound
My 29 day journey is coming to an end. And as cliche as it sounds, in some ways I feel like I just got here. A lot of people are asking me if I'm ready to come home, and it's all a state of mind. I could take it or I could leave it. If I knew I had a few more weeks here, I'd be fine. I never got lonely. Maybe I don't get lonely- just bored.
Truthfully, knowing I'm coming home has me a little anxious. :) I have babies to see and hold and love- Connor, Dakota, Jack, Alison, Simon, Ben, Caleb....and the list goes on.
I leave here on Sunday morning around 330 am - provided everything goes as planned I arrive in Chicago around 1030am CST, still on Sunday. I know I'm coming home to cold weather, but I'm ready for it. The first thing I want to do is take a deep breath of fresh air, fill my lungs and hold it, take in a little more and hold it, and take in a little more until my lungs are as full as they can be and let it out with a yoga style 'ssshhhhhhh.' The quality of air difference is what I've noticed the most.
I've had a good time being here and I'm so thankful for the opportunity. I'm ready to take off the facilitator hat and resume responsibilities of my actual role. (I say that even knowing there's a lot of work that lies ahead!) It's always good to be in these shoes to remember the challenges trainers face.
On Wednesday, my training class gave me an oil burner. I bought some new oils here, so I'm anxious to fire it up. They are so sweet- they were a really great class. Today, one of the strongest performer said he appreciated how frank I was with them. (Everyone tells me how blunt I am all the time, so I got a good laugh out of that.) They weren't too sure what to expect when they heard I was coming, but I think they were pleasantly surprised. I'm a toughie but I like to have fun, too and I think we maintained a good balance. They kept asking me when I'm coming back.
The group had their 2nd round of practice calls today and they did a good job. I leave them to ramp up through the certification process before they are turned loose to take actual live calls. I have very little worry. They sound like new hires, which is expected. With time, they will begin to recognize routine calls and handle them like champs. Before I left I assigned them each pieces of the payroll process and challenged them to gain ultimate ownership over these pieces. One of the managers has said that they would add those items into their performance conversations, so I'm anxious to hear how that irons out. They are so smart, dedicated to learn and hard on themselves when they get something wrong. No sooner than they would hang up the phone, they would march over to my desk, "Erin, I didn't do well on that call, I told them this when I should have told them that." And these were small things.
Bhanti dropped me off for the last time tonight. Along with a tip I gave him a key chain that had a picture of the Chicago city sky line and under it said 'windy city.' Appropriate, too. When I got in the car and he said, "So cold. Fast air."
"Very cold and windy," I said. "Fast air is windy."
"Windy. Win-dee" he said, with emphasis on both sylables.
"Mam, what also? (Good grief, how do you explain also??)
"Ummm, You're cold? I'm cold, too. I'm cold, also. You're tired? I'm tired, too. I'm tired, also."
"Also. Too. Tk."
Tk means Ok in Hindi. Actually spelled Tikh Hai (or something close to that).
Tomorrow I'll get everything packed up and head down the club room for some relaxing (read: adult beverages) before I leave for the airport. (And I've heard that leaving the airport is an experience on it's own.) I've made friends with Juttin and Vijay (hotel employees who make my coffee every day), and they have taken good care of me so we'll hang out for a little while tomorrow evening. Today I gave them each a picture frame as a 'thank you.' Juttin said, 'How did you know to get us a gift?' I said, 'You've become my friends!' They keep asking me when I'm coming back.
And to my friends at home- I'll be there for Bowl-a-rama next week. I'm fiening for a trip to 'The Bistro,' and I kinda want some nachos. Who's in?
Some randon tid bits:
- Dogs. There are stray dogs everywhere. Like squirills! I even saw a cute little puppy wandering around one night at work. I turned down the rabies shot when I got my immunizations. Had I known the abundance of stray dogs and the fact that Mr. Monkey Man scared me so much, I might have opted to get it. I told you he got aggressive- he tried to open up my (thankfully) locked car door. I guess it's a tactic so when the monkey gets into the car, with all the chaos, it's prime opportunity for them to snatch your purse or wallet.
- Crouching. At home, we sit on the side of a curb or lean up against a fence or whatever while we're waiting for ..whatever. People crouch here, in a trifold. Feet on the ground, bent knees, butt down (not touching the ground). Smoking, working, chatting, waiting. Always in a trifold.
- Everyday on the way to work, I'd notice the men laying tile on the sidewalks and digging on the side of the road-in a trifold, of course. Yesterday, I noticed that they had manually dug out a whole trench on both sides of the road. Probably 4 feet deep or so, but all by hand with hammers that are long and pointed on both sides...I don't know what hey are called. They got the work done pretty fast, considering, but at home, we'd have horrible loud machines doing all the work. I think to make the chaotic roads wider.
I think that's all I have for now, but I'm not sure I'm done with the blog yet. We'll have to see.
See you on the home front! Until then, Namaste.
Truthfully, knowing I'm coming home has me a little anxious. :) I have babies to see and hold and love- Connor, Dakota, Jack, Alison, Simon, Ben, Caleb....and the list goes on.
I leave here on Sunday morning around 330 am - provided everything goes as planned I arrive in Chicago around 1030am CST, still on Sunday. I know I'm coming home to cold weather, but I'm ready for it. The first thing I want to do is take a deep breath of fresh air, fill my lungs and hold it, take in a little more and hold it, and take in a little more until my lungs are as full as they can be and let it out with a yoga style 'ssshhhhhhh.' The quality of air difference is what I've noticed the most.
I've had a good time being here and I'm so thankful for the opportunity. I'm ready to take off the facilitator hat and resume responsibilities of my actual role. (I say that even knowing there's a lot of work that lies ahead!) It's always good to be in these shoes to remember the challenges trainers face.
On Wednesday, my training class gave me an oil burner. I bought some new oils here, so I'm anxious to fire it up. They are so sweet- they were a really great class. Today, one of the strongest performer said he appreciated how frank I was with them. (Everyone tells me how blunt I am all the time, so I got a good laugh out of that.) They weren't too sure what to expect when they heard I was coming, but I think they were pleasantly surprised. I'm a toughie but I like to have fun, too and I think we maintained a good balance. They kept asking me when I'm coming back.
The group had their 2nd round of practice calls today and they did a good job. I leave them to ramp up through the certification process before they are turned loose to take actual live calls. I have very little worry. They sound like new hires, which is expected. With time, they will begin to recognize routine calls and handle them like champs. Before I left I assigned them each pieces of the payroll process and challenged them to gain ultimate ownership over these pieces. One of the managers has said that they would add those items into their performance conversations, so I'm anxious to hear how that irons out. They are so smart, dedicated to learn and hard on themselves when they get something wrong. No sooner than they would hang up the phone, they would march over to my desk, "Erin, I didn't do well on that call, I told them this when I should have told them that." And these were small things.
Bhanti dropped me off for the last time tonight. Along with a tip I gave him a key chain that had a picture of the Chicago city sky line and under it said 'windy city.' Appropriate, too. When I got in the car and he said, "So cold. Fast air."
"Very cold and windy," I said. "Fast air is windy."
"Windy. Win-dee" he said, with emphasis on both sylables.
"Mam, what also? (Good grief, how do you explain also??)
"Ummm, You're cold? I'm cold, too. I'm cold, also. You're tired? I'm tired, too. I'm tired, also."
"Also. Too. Tk."
Tk means Ok in Hindi. Actually spelled Tikh Hai (or something close to that).
Tomorrow I'll get everything packed up and head down the club room for some relaxing (read: adult beverages) before I leave for the airport. (And I've heard that leaving the airport is an experience on it's own.) I've made friends with Juttin and Vijay (hotel employees who make my coffee every day), and they have taken good care of me so we'll hang out for a little while tomorrow evening. Today I gave them each a picture frame as a 'thank you.' Juttin said, 'How did you know to get us a gift?' I said, 'You've become my friends!' They keep asking me when I'm coming back.
And to my friends at home- I'll be there for Bowl-a-rama next week. I'm fiening for a trip to 'The Bistro,' and I kinda want some nachos. Who's in?
Some randon tid bits:
- Dogs. There are stray dogs everywhere. Like squirills! I even saw a cute little puppy wandering around one night at work. I turned down the rabies shot when I got my immunizations. Had I known the abundance of stray dogs and the fact that Mr. Monkey Man scared me so much, I might have opted to get it. I told you he got aggressive- he tried to open up my (thankfully) locked car door. I guess it's a tactic so when the monkey gets into the car, with all the chaos, it's prime opportunity for them to snatch your purse or wallet.
- Crouching. At home, we sit on the side of a curb or lean up against a fence or whatever while we're waiting for ..whatever. People crouch here, in a trifold. Feet on the ground, bent knees, butt down (not touching the ground). Smoking, working, chatting, waiting. Always in a trifold.
- Everyday on the way to work, I'd notice the men laying tile on the sidewalks and digging on the side of the road-in a trifold, of course. Yesterday, I noticed that they had manually dug out a whole trench on both sides of the road. Probably 4 feet deep or so, but all by hand with hammers that are long and pointed on both sides...I don't know what hey are called. They got the work done pretty fast, considering, but at home, we'd have horrible loud machines doing all the work. I think to make the chaotic roads wider.
I think that's all I have for now, but I'm not sure I'm done with the blog yet. We'll have to see.
See you on the home front! Until then, Namaste.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
My Driver
Since I've been here I've had the same driver the entire time. Well, actually when I went to the Taj Mahal and my first shopping trip into Delhi I had different drivers, but other than those 2 occasions, Bhanti has been my personal chauffer since my first trip into Hewitt. He's the sweetest thing.
Drivers, I'm told are lower in the caste system.
At first, he wouldn't speak too much. He'd stay quiet and mind his own business and just drive. Which was ok- there was way too much around me to watch anyway. I would try to ask him questions and he would respond with uncertainty. His spoken English isn't that great and I think he was self- conscious thinking that I might not understand. Finally, mid way into the 2nd week I was here he said, "Mam, my English, not dat good." "That's Ok," I said with a shrug of the shoulders and just kept talking to him. (I swear, I could make friends with a light pole if only they would talk back to me.)
One day we were driving to work- the day I saw a family of pigs on the side of the road- I was a little shocked when I saw them. And excited to point out a whole family of pigs to him. When he looked over, he said, "Oh yes, little pigs." "Babies!" I said. "Babies." he repeated back to me, unenthused.
He told me that he's trying to learn to speak English better and he does what he can by reading the news paper. "Best way to learn. Reading." He has signed up for courses but his driving job doesn't allow him the time to take the classes. And I can see that to be true- he's on call to drive at all hours of the night, and of course his schedule is unpredictable. Over time he would start to talk to me a bit more.
Last weekend, after we dropped Emma off he started to ask me some questions. This was the most he had ever talked to me.
While Emma was in the car earlier in the day, we were talking about the different kinds of cars we'd seen; I saw my first Mercedes in India that day. As we were listing through the cars that we'd see in both US and India, Honda Accords and CRVs, Suzukis and some Fords (both with different models than we have in the US). Then we came to the Toyota Corolla.
Emma said that the Corolla is the newest form of a luxury car here. I asked her what she thought when she saw mine while she was in the US and she she said she thought I was a high roller. (Which, of course made me double over and laugh.... lol).
So, on the ride home after a day of taking Emma and me to and fro in Delhi, Bhanti was asking me if we had drivers like him in the US and I told him that it was more common for everyone to own cars and drive themselves, which really surprised him. He asked if we had cabs, and I told him in larger cities it was common to have cabs that were cars, that they were almost as available as they are here. He then asked me if I drove or took cabs and I told him I normally drive. He asked me what kind of car I had. When I told him it was a Corolla his eyes widened and he was taken by surprise. Sort of a wow-you have it made look. I told him cars were different in the US and it was an economical car, that I'm in just normal, middle class. He turned around and said "I'm poor. You know poor?" I said, "Yes, everyone feels poor a lot of the time." He said "1, 2, 3 class, I'm 1. Low."
Here is when I changed the topic and asked him about his family. He told me he's married and has 2 kids, a boy and a girl. His little boy is his oldest and he's been married for "5 anniversary." I asked him if his marriage was arranged. He said yes, and it's a love marriage now. "I'm happy life," he said with a smile. Through the course of our conversation, I'd have to have him repeat things and he would try really hard to come up with the words he wanted to use and at some points would want to give up. But I didn't let him. I kept saying, try again, and he would. He said, "My English good, mam?" I said, "We can have a conversation....." "Tank you, you don't mind I practice." I told him with practice he'd only get better.
Bhanti will get a good tip from me at the end of this week. I hear from other Americans that they have tipped their driver well at the end, also. (The concept of tipping isn't common here. You don't tip your servers, drivers, bell boys, etc...) He's always here on time and calls me with one ring and a hang up to let me know he's arrived. After work, he's always waiting for me in the same spot. The first few days he was awake and then he started to sleep in the car. (It's common for drivers to wait for you the entire day at the office if they don't have other runs to make. Or if you hire a driver to take you on an overnighte trip, it's understood that you pay for their meals, I think, but that they will sleep in their car.) After work (at 430am) I just go knock on the door and he unlocks. Every day he says, "Sorry, mam." Today I said, you always say you're sorry, how come. "Not allowed duty hours sleeping." Like I care. For heavens sake, it's the middle of the night! I tell him I don't care and we drive home in silence. He's quiet at night, and has bed head and sleepy eyes. Which sort of grosses me out, but it's ok. He's kept me safe and I've felt like I've been in good hands with him. To Bhanti....
Until Later, Namaste.
Drivers, I'm told are lower in the caste system.
At first, he wouldn't speak too much. He'd stay quiet and mind his own business and just drive. Which was ok- there was way too much around me to watch anyway. I would try to ask him questions and he would respond with uncertainty. His spoken English isn't that great and I think he was self- conscious thinking that I might not understand. Finally, mid way into the 2nd week I was here he said, "Mam, my English, not dat good." "That's Ok," I said with a shrug of the shoulders and just kept talking to him. (I swear, I could make friends with a light pole if only they would talk back to me.)
One day we were driving to work- the day I saw a family of pigs on the side of the road- I was a little shocked when I saw them. And excited to point out a whole family of pigs to him. When he looked over, he said, "Oh yes, little pigs." "Babies!" I said. "Babies." he repeated back to me, unenthused.
He told me that he's trying to learn to speak English better and he does what he can by reading the news paper. "Best way to learn. Reading." He has signed up for courses but his driving job doesn't allow him the time to take the classes. And I can see that to be true- he's on call to drive at all hours of the night, and of course his schedule is unpredictable. Over time he would start to talk to me a bit more.
Last weekend, after we dropped Emma off he started to ask me some questions. This was the most he had ever talked to me.
While Emma was in the car earlier in the day, we were talking about the different kinds of cars we'd seen; I saw my first Mercedes in India that day. As we were listing through the cars that we'd see in both US and India, Honda Accords and CRVs, Suzukis and some Fords (both with different models than we have in the US). Then we came to the Toyota Corolla.
Emma said that the Corolla is the newest form of a luxury car here. I asked her what she thought when she saw mine while she was in the US and she she said she thought I was a high roller. (Which, of course made me double over and laugh.... lol).
So, on the ride home after a day of taking Emma and me to and fro in Delhi, Bhanti was asking me if we had drivers like him in the US and I told him that it was more common for everyone to own cars and drive themselves, which really surprised him. He asked if we had cabs, and I told him in larger cities it was common to have cabs that were cars, that they were almost as available as they are here. He then asked me if I drove or took cabs and I told him I normally drive. He asked me what kind of car I had. When I told him it was a Corolla his eyes widened and he was taken by surprise. Sort of a wow-you have it made look. I told him cars were different in the US and it was an economical car, that I'm in just normal, middle class. He turned around and said "I'm poor. You know poor?" I said, "Yes, everyone feels poor a lot of the time." He said "1, 2, 3 class, I'm 1. Low."
Here is when I changed the topic and asked him about his family. He told me he's married and has 2 kids, a boy and a girl. His little boy is his oldest and he's been married for "5 anniversary." I asked him if his marriage was arranged. He said yes, and it's a love marriage now. "I'm happy life," he said with a smile. Through the course of our conversation, I'd have to have him repeat things and he would try really hard to come up with the words he wanted to use and at some points would want to give up. But I didn't let him. I kept saying, try again, and he would. He said, "My English good, mam?" I said, "We can have a conversation....." "Tank you, you don't mind I practice." I told him with practice he'd only get better.
Bhanti will get a good tip from me at the end of this week. I hear from other Americans that they have tipped their driver well at the end, also. (The concept of tipping isn't common here. You don't tip your servers, drivers, bell boys, etc...) He's always here on time and calls me with one ring and a hang up to let me know he's arrived. After work, he's always waiting for me in the same spot. The first few days he was awake and then he started to sleep in the car. (It's common for drivers to wait for you the entire day at the office if they don't have other runs to make. Or if you hire a driver to take you on an overnighte trip, it's understood that you pay for their meals, I think, but that they will sleep in their car.) After work (at 430am) I just go knock on the door and he unlocks. Every day he says, "Sorry, mam." Today I said, you always say you're sorry, how come. "Not allowed duty hours sleeping." Like I care. For heavens sake, it's the middle of the night! I tell him I don't care and we drive home in silence. He's quiet at night, and has bed head and sleepy eyes. Which sort of grosses me out, but it's ok. He's kept me safe and I've felt like I've been in good hands with him. To Bhanti....
Until Later, Namaste.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Week 3
I finally got the time to upload some photos. I'll post the link for you below.
This weekend, Emma took me to the Lotus Temple, another place I had wanted to visit. It was really cool. Huge, peaceful and proud. It's a temple open to all faiths so I said a few Hail Marys. Here and also at the Taj Mahal, you have to remove your shoes before you enter. A testimony to how clean these places are kept- I wore white socks at the Taj Mahel and when I ended my tour, they were still white. It's when I'm at these world known places that I feel far away from home. I imagine my wherabouts on the google map, on the other side of the globe, in a country further away than Africa and in that far away country in a state, and in that state in a town and in that town at a world known site. And it's me who's there. Sites I can't imagine ever having the opportunity to see before this project and probably never again.
Link to Lotus Temple Info: http://www.tourtravelworld.com/hot_spots/delhi/lotus_temple/
After the temple, Emma and I did some shopping. No good deals this time, but saw some authentic Indian clothes shops. The hand sewn detail is phenomenal. As far as western atire, the prices stores are the same as in the US. Nike, Puma, The Body Shop and ESPRIT (long live the days of 6th and 7th grade)...
The weekends feel like they last for 3 or 4 days and it's all because of this non-schedule issue I'm having. And when we venture out on Saturdays, it feels like an extension of Friday. Again, this weekend I followed the sleep for 4 hours and awake for 4 hours pattern. When you do that a few times in a day, you can see how one can get messed up. And I was really off track last week. I could have sworn Thursday was Wednesday a million times over, but the group assured me it was actually already Thursday. On Friday, our training class was cut short. My group was called back to take phone calls due to the snow storm in the midwest as people had trouble getting in. I'm a million miles away and still affected by snow storms in Chicago.
I'm not usually one who has trouble sleeping or falling asleep. Usually, I hit the pillow and I'm out within 2 minutes. Lucky, I know...I was that way growing up and I've held on to it. Not here... I'm resolving myself to taking ambien when I get home with hopes to resume my normal patterns.
With only one week left, it's hard to imagine the time has passed by so quickly.
I hope everyone has fun watching the Super Bowl, filled with humorous commercials worth the millions. Too bad the Packers aren't in game.
Here's a link to my most recent pics. Enjoy!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.cjn77p8x&x=0&y=-c4upe5
Until later, Namaste.
This weekend, Emma took me to the Lotus Temple, another place I had wanted to visit. It was really cool. Huge, peaceful and proud. It's a temple open to all faiths so I said a few Hail Marys. Here and also at the Taj Mahal, you have to remove your shoes before you enter. A testimony to how clean these places are kept- I wore white socks at the Taj Mahel and when I ended my tour, they were still white. It's when I'm at these world known places that I feel far away from home. I imagine my wherabouts on the google map, on the other side of the globe, in a country further away than Africa and in that far away country in a state, and in that state in a town and in that town at a world known site. And it's me who's there. Sites I can't imagine ever having the opportunity to see before this project and probably never again.
Link to Lotus Temple Info: http://www.tourtravelworld.com/hot_spots/delhi/lotus_temple/
After the temple, Emma and I did some shopping. No good deals this time, but saw some authentic Indian clothes shops. The hand sewn detail is phenomenal. As far as western atire, the prices stores are the same as in the US. Nike, Puma, The Body Shop and ESPRIT (long live the days of 6th and 7th grade)...
The weekends feel like they last for 3 or 4 days and it's all because of this non-schedule issue I'm having. And when we venture out on Saturdays, it feels like an extension of Friday. Again, this weekend I followed the sleep for 4 hours and awake for 4 hours pattern. When you do that a few times in a day, you can see how one can get messed up. And I was really off track last week. I could have sworn Thursday was Wednesday a million times over, but the group assured me it was actually already Thursday. On Friday, our training class was cut short. My group was called back to take phone calls due to the snow storm in the midwest as people had trouble getting in. I'm a million miles away and still affected by snow storms in Chicago.
I'm not usually one who has trouble sleeping or falling asleep. Usually, I hit the pillow and I'm out within 2 minutes. Lucky, I know...I was that way growing up and I've held on to it. Not here... I'm resolving myself to taking ambien when I get home with hopes to resume my normal patterns.
With only one week left, it's hard to imagine the time has passed by so quickly.
I hope everyone has fun watching the Super Bowl, filled with humorous commercials worth the millions. Too bad the Packers aren't in game.
Here's a link to my most recent pics. Enjoy!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.cjn77p8x&x=0&y=-c4upe5
Until later, Namaste.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Dear Diary
This week on the way to work I've seen many men peeing openly on the side of the roads and a whole family of pigs walking along the side of the road. Baby pigs, too. Yesterday, I saw a group of people carrying bowls of what looked like twigs on the top of their head. Between the bowl and their head a cushion to help level and reduce pressure atop one' head.
I really want to get some pictures of poor living conditions I keep seeing. I'll try to do that on the way to work. It seems, although I'm not certain, that with all of the construction going on, people move their homes with the job sites. You'll see families and kids outide new buildings and home made tents, which I'm assuming is home. And you alway know when they have hand washed their clothes. Laundry will be hung from trees and fences for a day or 2 while drying. Along with the tents, it's common to see men with carts making their living selling food of sorts to workers or people near by. Chicken Dumplings are typical, I think.
I know I promised you pictures from the day shopping last week. I promise I'll get those posted soon. I'm fighting a cold. It started in the chest and has now moved to the head. Actually, I tried to fight, but lost the battle. It's here and it's fierce. Stupid thing. And I'm pretty sure I know how I got it, too. The A/C vent in my room blows and hits me directly when I'm sitting at the desk working on my computer. I even thought to myself, this could make a person sick. I should have listened to my innerself earlier on. Dummy.
My training group still rocks. After every break, I make them use some anti-bacterial gel that I brought. It's not easily found here. I walk around with the tube and put some on their hands telling them that they can't get sick and they have to make sure to come to work everyday. We had a few people call out while training the first round and it just made for long days to get them caught up. And all of that falls on me and Emma.
The test I told you about a few posts ago- the average score was 92%. Yesterday, they took some simulated calls where we have folks in the US in caller character place calls to them for practice. I think everyone did well, but I haven't seen all of the evaluation results. Today, we start on the 2nd team specific materials.
I'm off to work, to train with a 30% working voice... I heart NyQuil.
Until later, Namaste.
I really want to get some pictures of poor living conditions I keep seeing. I'll try to do that on the way to work. It seems, although I'm not certain, that with all of the construction going on, people move their homes with the job sites. You'll see families and kids outide new buildings and home made tents, which I'm assuming is home. And you alway know when they have hand washed their clothes. Laundry will be hung from trees and fences for a day or 2 while drying. Along with the tents, it's common to see men with carts making their living selling food of sorts to workers or people near by. Chicken Dumplings are typical, I think.
I know I promised you pictures from the day shopping last week. I promise I'll get those posted soon. I'm fighting a cold. It started in the chest and has now moved to the head. Actually, I tried to fight, but lost the battle. It's here and it's fierce. Stupid thing. And I'm pretty sure I know how I got it, too. The A/C vent in my room blows and hits me directly when I'm sitting at the desk working on my computer. I even thought to myself, this could make a person sick. I should have listened to my innerself earlier on. Dummy.
My training group still rocks. After every break, I make them use some anti-bacterial gel that I brought. It's not easily found here. I walk around with the tube and put some on their hands telling them that they can't get sick and they have to make sure to come to work everyday. We had a few people call out while training the first round and it just made for long days to get them caught up. And all of that falls on me and Emma.
The test I told you about a few posts ago- the average score was 92%. Yesterday, they took some simulated calls where we have folks in the US in caller character place calls to them for practice. I think everyone did well, but I haven't seen all of the evaluation results. Today, we start on the 2nd team specific materials.
I'm off to work, to train with a 30% working voice... I heart NyQuil.
Until later, Namaste.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Market Shopping
I had a great weekend. Yesterday was a little odd tho. Awake for 4 hours, sleep for 4 hours. I've finally succumbed to the fact that I'm never going to get on a schedule here. That's Ok. I'll sleep when I get home.
Just 2 of us went shopping today. We went to a few markets and I have a few pictures. I'll get those loaded sometime this week. I found some great bargains on earrings and really cool pashminas, just like I had wanted.
The scene was like sidewalk sale days on crack. The amount of people was overwhelming and of course many people shouting at you to come look at their things. It didn't phase me tho- I was on a mission.
Afterwards, I went to the spa and treated myself to a manicure (where they used Revlon nail polish) and a facial.
Not much else to report.....
Until later, Namaste.
Just 2 of us went shopping today. We went to a few markets and I have a few pictures. I'll get those loaded sometime this week. I found some great bargains on earrings and really cool pashminas, just like I had wanted.
The scene was like sidewalk sale days on crack. The amount of people was overwhelming and of course many people shouting at you to come look at their things. It didn't phase me tho- I was on a mission.
Afterwards, I went to the spa and treated myself to a manicure (where they used Revlon nail polish) and a facial.
Not much else to report.....
Until later, Namaste.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Weekend Plans
I'm super excited! The plan is to head to Delhi and hit some markets. Pashminas, Purses, Jewelry.......
This week has been so uneventful. Monotonous. Work, home, work, home... I'm over the culture shock, although I did see a wandering pig just out and about on the way to work today.
This is why I'm so looking forward to going to Delhi on Sunday! I'm looking for a new experience and a reminder that I'm in a different country with a different culture and a different way of living, as a minority.
Most of my general work contacts had plans this weekend. It's Republic Day here, the day India celebrates it's independence for only about 60 years now. So, I asked my class if anyone wanted to hang out with me. Right now, I think we have a group of 3-5 going.
Security has been tight because of the holiday. Every night on the way home from work, my drivers car is checked for bombs strapped to the under-carriage. Last night they even looked in the trunk. To check the underside of the car, they have a mirror on a dolly at an angle with a flash light strapped to it so they can see at night. I'm not too concerned about this tho. After 9/11, my car was searched the same way when dropping family off at O'Hare.
More to come after the weekend. I'll also have more pics to share then, too.
Until later, Namaste.
This week has been so uneventful. Monotonous. Work, home, work, home... I'm over the culture shock, although I did see a wandering pig just out and about on the way to work today.
This is why I'm so looking forward to going to Delhi on Sunday! I'm looking for a new experience and a reminder that I'm in a different country with a different culture and a different way of living, as a minority.
Most of my general work contacts had plans this weekend. It's Republic Day here, the day India celebrates it's independence for only about 60 years now. So, I asked my class if anyone wanted to hang out with me. Right now, I think we have a group of 3-5 going.
Security has been tight because of the holiday. Every night on the way home from work, my drivers car is checked for bombs strapped to the under-carriage. Last night they even looked in the trunk. To check the underside of the car, they have a mirror on a dolly at an angle with a flash light strapped to it so they can see at night. I'm not too concerned about this tho. After 9/11, my car was searched the same way when dropping family off at O'Hare.
More to come after the weekend. I'll also have more pics to share then, too.
Until later, Namaste.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
About Work
Alright, I've been here for about 2 weeks now, for work I might add, and I have yet to write about it. Here we go...
As you know, I'm here facilitating training. The group is small, about 9 people. I was supposed to have 10 but one person "fell ill" with Typhoid. It's a pretty serious illness- I actually had to be vaccinated for it. He'll be out of the office for a while, I'm not too sure how long.
Specifically, I'm training the group to take payroll calls. Payroll calls are difficult. Payroll calls are not: I need to enroll into my direct deposit or I need to change my tax elections. I mean, we do that once and we never touch it again, right? Ok, maybe you do something if you get married or have a kid or something....You never call your payroll department to say, "Hey, thanks for my paycheck this week. Well done. Pats on the back." Payroll calls happen when things go wrong- someone doesn't get their check, someone was underpaid, someones dog ate their check. Payroll is the end result of everything that can happen within the entire workforce. Pay Changes, Position Changes, Moving, Time Entry, Bad Commission or Bonus Data. You name it...what ever it is, it can have an impact to pay. So troubleshooting is huge part of this training. Luckily for the group, they have a kick ass trainer. One who has a passion for people to understand things as well as she does. :)
I've been working on this project (among others) since September. The project included opening up a brand new service center with existing tools and infrastructure. This group is part of the first multi process team in India.
Things are going awesome so far. Before they came to me, they were trained to take US benefits calls. That training included linguistics, where they learn to soften their 'mother tongue.' So much of their spoken English has a British influence so, I try to help them sound a little more Americanized. I said, "It's no secret that calls are being taken in India, but do you want me to point out a few things where you can give an American twist?" Of course, they were totally open to it, so I have an open door to help them with any pronunciation and phrasing flow. We're having fun with it- When I pronounce one of their names wrong, they call me out on it.
We spent the first week going over some basic HR and Payroll Fundamentals and this week we started to get into team specific pieces. Tomorrow, they will have their first knowledge check- a 60 question test. I reviewed the questions once, about 3 weeks ago. I just reviewed them again today to verify what they are being quizzed on was actually included in the training. They're going to knock it out of the ball park!
I'm lucky to have such a great group. They are so eager to learn and very competitive, yet helpful with each other. I've had to change how I manage a classroom a bit since in the US, when training adult learners (Do we call 21-25 year olds adult learners?!?) they aren't so eager to raise their hand. In the US it's like pulling teeth and here, I have to tell them to wait their turn. (For the record, a trainer would always prefer to have to tell the group to wait their turn. ) The entire BPO and Customer Service industry is booming here and they know they are with a good company. Their lunch time conversation today (without me present) was about the upcoming elections in the US as they have some elements of concern that moving work will stop. I told them not to fret.
I hope everyone is staying warm and healthy. I haven't worn a coat since I've been here but, it's too chili to get a tan.
Keep your fingers crossed for me that they do well on this test! After the test - in a few days - is real application on calls. The true measure of success.
Until later, Namaste.
As you know, I'm here facilitating training. The group is small, about 9 people. I was supposed to have 10 but one person "fell ill" with Typhoid. It's a pretty serious illness- I actually had to be vaccinated for it. He'll be out of the office for a while, I'm not too sure how long.
Specifically, I'm training the group to take payroll calls. Payroll calls are difficult. Payroll calls are not: I need to enroll into my direct deposit or I need to change my tax elections. I mean, we do that once and we never touch it again, right? Ok, maybe you do something if you get married or have a kid or something....You never call your payroll department to say, "Hey, thanks for my paycheck this week. Well done. Pats on the back." Payroll calls happen when things go wrong- someone doesn't get their check, someone was underpaid, someones dog ate their check. Payroll is the end result of everything that can happen within the entire workforce. Pay Changes, Position Changes, Moving, Time Entry, Bad Commission or Bonus Data. You name it...what ever it is, it can have an impact to pay. So troubleshooting is huge part of this training. Luckily for the group, they have a kick ass trainer. One who has a passion for people to understand things as well as she does. :)
I've been working on this project (among others) since September. The project included opening up a brand new service center with existing tools and infrastructure. This group is part of the first multi process team in India.
Things are going awesome so far. Before they came to me, they were trained to take US benefits calls. That training included linguistics, where they learn to soften their 'mother tongue.' So much of their spoken English has a British influence so, I try to help them sound a little more Americanized. I said, "It's no secret that calls are being taken in India, but do you want me to point out a few things where you can give an American twist?" Of course, they were totally open to it, so I have an open door to help them with any pronunciation and phrasing flow. We're having fun with it- When I pronounce one of their names wrong, they call me out on it.
We spent the first week going over some basic HR and Payroll Fundamentals and this week we started to get into team specific pieces. Tomorrow, they will have their first knowledge check- a 60 question test. I reviewed the questions once, about 3 weeks ago. I just reviewed them again today to verify what they are being quizzed on was actually included in the training. They're going to knock it out of the ball park!
I'm lucky to have such a great group. They are so eager to learn and very competitive, yet helpful with each other. I've had to change how I manage a classroom a bit since in the US, when training adult learners (Do we call 21-25 year olds adult learners?!?) they aren't so eager to raise their hand. In the US it's like pulling teeth and here, I have to tell them to wait their turn. (For the record, a trainer would always prefer to have to tell the group to wait their turn. ) The entire BPO and Customer Service industry is booming here and they know they are with a good company. Their lunch time conversation today (without me present) was about the upcoming elections in the US as they have some elements of concern that moving work will stop. I told them not to fret.
I hope everyone is staying warm and healthy. I haven't worn a coat since I've been here but, it's too chili to get a tan.
Keep your fingers crossed for me that they do well on this test! After the test - in a few days - is real application on calls. The true measure of success.
Until later, Namaste.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
It's a Wonder...
After a full week of work, trying to establish a schedule and being in a new surrounding it was time to do some tourist sight seeing.
After working an 11 hour day on Friday, Upama (aka Emma) and I leave on a day trip to the Taj Mahal. Emma and I have been working on the same project since September or October now and she came to the US in December for a month, so I was her guide around Chicago for a few weekends.
The car came to get us around 6am and we were off. We figured we could sleep in the car during the 4-5 hour drive but for me, there was too much to see. For Emma, too much to explain. We
started the trip by driving through the thickest fog I've ever seen. As a result, we drove by about 45 little accidents. Some looked more serious than others, and out of all of the cars, there wasn't a single cab involved. Our driver said that he was just fine driving but wondered who would be behind him. We pulled over for about a half hour at a hotel along the road to let the fog lift.
Sights seen while driving to Agra, city of the Taj Mahal, were beyond words- it's something you really have to see. Villages, mustard and rice fields, homes of different classes, colleges, slums. Dhabas - little resteraunts on the side of the road. We didn't stop there tho because you never know how fresh or sanitary these places are- but they're all over. Fruit stands, out door barber shops the masses of people. Camels, Ox, Boar and elephants carrying or pulling loads, sheep hearders in fields, all kinds of manual labor. Beggers and the homeless. While we drove through Agra, there were a million piles of blankets on the sidewalks - and under them, people. People washing their clothes or bathing them selves out of bins. Men peeing on the side of the road in public and way too many farmer blows to even think about.
Before we went to the Taj Mahal, we sent to Akbar's Tomb.
Akbar's Tomb: http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2257
Taj Mahal: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/photogalleries/seven-wonders/photo7.html
Again, I have pictures.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.6unm2nn5&x=0&y=6c98kz
>After I snapped some pictures of the monkeys, the man wanted money- and he was agressive so it was a bit scary. We were in the car with the doors locked and after we ignored him long enough he went away. The snake guy didn't bother us at all.
>I'm a minority. I knew that coming in but I get stared at all the time! And fair skin is a turn on. I got some nasty gestures from the men and long looks from women and children. One time while at work someone did a double take as she entered into the bathroom and saw someone who looked different.
After a really long day I was glad to be back at the hotel.
Until later, Namaste.
PS- I have videos to show, but every time I try to load them to You Tube they fail. Do I need to save them as a certain file type??
After working an 11 hour day on Friday, Upama (aka Emma) and I leave on a day trip to the Taj Mahal. Emma and I have been working on the same project since September or October now and she came to the US in December for a month, so I was her guide around Chicago for a few weekends.
The car came to get us around 6am and we were off. We figured we could sleep in the car during the 4-5 hour drive but for me, there was too much to see. For Emma, too much to explain. We
started the trip by driving through the thickest fog I've ever seen. As a result, we drove by about 45 little accidents. Some looked more serious than others, and out of all of the cars, there wasn't a single cab involved. Our driver said that he was just fine driving but wondered who would be behind him. We pulled over for about a half hour at a hotel along the road to let the fog lift.
Sights seen while driving to Agra, city of the Taj Mahal, were beyond words- it's something you really have to see. Villages, mustard and rice fields, homes of different classes, colleges, slums. Dhabas - little resteraunts on the side of the road. We didn't stop there tho because you never know how fresh or sanitary these places are- but they're all over. Fruit stands, out door barber shops the masses of people. Camels, Ox, Boar and elephants carrying or pulling loads, sheep hearders in fields, all kinds of manual labor. Beggers and the homeless. While we drove through Agra, there were a million piles of blankets on the sidewalks - and under them, people. People washing their clothes or bathing them selves out of bins. Men peeing on the side of the road in public and way too many farmer blows to even think about.
Before we went to the Taj Mahal, we sent to Akbar's Tomb.
Akbar's Tomb: http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2257
Taj Mahal: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/photogalleries/seven-wonders/photo7.html
Again, I have pictures.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.6unm2nn5&x=0&y=6c98kz
>After I snapped some pictures of the monkeys, the man wanted money- and he was agressive so it was a bit scary. We were in the car with the doors locked and after we ignored him long enough he went away. The snake guy didn't bother us at all.
>I'm a minority. I knew that coming in but I get stared at all the time! And fair skin is a turn on. I got some nasty gestures from the men and long looks from women and children. One time while at work someone did a double take as she entered into the bathroom and saw someone who looked different.
After a really long day I was glad to be back at the hotel.
Until later, Namaste.
PS- I have videos to show, but every time I try to load them to You Tube they fail. Do I need to save them as a certain file type??
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Economic Shock!
I went to the little store at work. He (man who doesn't speak English) sells sodas and water, munchies of sorts... I went to buy a bottle of water. The bottle cost me 12 rupees.
Please allow me to put this into perspective for you in case you aren't familiar with the rupee to dollar conversion.
$1.00 = 40 INR
This liter bottle of water was what, .30 cents??? For a LITER! My first experience relating to the economy. The only other thing I've dealt with as far as money exchange for are dinners here at the hotel which are equal to what we'd pay in the US. Except for my dinner tonight. Broccoli, Asparagus, Red Pepper and Zucchini on the grill with a red wine sauce on the side. And a banana, coffee and a diet coke. That came out to be about $20, which was eye widening on the other spectrum. Probably because it was made to order. I just couldn't have chicken again.
A few tid bits...
>The drains in the bathroom aren't as interesting as I thought. They're just drains. Don't worry- I'll get a picture of a real squatter.
>On the way to work today I saw a police man salute a minister. The car with the minister drove past me with the siren on, and about 4 of the cops on the road stoped what they were doing, stood at attention and saluted. Didn't see any cows tho.
>Fog sets in at night, and the quality of air changes. It's smokey sort of. Or dusty- I'm not sure. But it smells either like a bonfire or sawdust. I think it might be an effect of all of the construction around here.
>The hotel is hosting a conference and it's huge! Someone said it's about how the industries are booming here and a discussion for what they can do to continue the growth. There are police all over the place and security is pretty tight. My driver couldn't pick me up in front like he normally does, he had to wait outside the gate for me.
I have plans to go to the Taj Mahal this weekend, so I'm pretty excited about that. We'll leave right after work (around 430am). The drive is about 250 kilometers (150 miles) but I'm told takes about 4-5 hours to get there. Sounds like rush hour in Chicago!
Until Later, Nameste.
Please allow me to put this into perspective for you in case you aren't familiar with the rupee to dollar conversion.
$1.00 = 40 INR
This liter bottle of water was what, .30 cents??? For a LITER! My first experience relating to the economy. The only other thing I've dealt with as far as money exchange for are dinners here at the hotel which are equal to what we'd pay in the US. Except for my dinner tonight. Broccoli, Asparagus, Red Pepper and Zucchini on the grill with a red wine sauce on the side. And a banana, coffee and a diet coke. That came out to be about $20, which was eye widening on the other spectrum. Probably because it was made to order. I just couldn't have chicken again.
A few tid bits...
>The drains in the bathroom aren't as interesting as I thought. They're just drains. Don't worry- I'll get a picture of a real squatter.
>On the way to work today I saw a police man salute a minister. The car with the minister drove past me with the siren on, and about 4 of the cops on the road stoped what they were doing, stood at attention and saluted. Didn't see any cows tho.
>Fog sets in at night, and the quality of air changes. It's smokey sort of. Or dusty- I'm not sure. But it smells either like a bonfire or sawdust. I think it might be an effect of all of the construction around here.
>The hotel is hosting a conference and it's huge! Someone said it's about how the industries are booming here and a discussion for what they can do to continue the growth. There are police all over the place and security is pretty tight. My driver couldn't pick me up in front like he normally does, he had to wait outside the gate for me.
I have plans to go to the Taj Mahal this weekend, so I'm pretty excited about that. We'll leave right after work (around 430am). The drive is about 250 kilometers (150 miles) but I'm told takes about 4-5 hours to get there. Sounds like rush hour in Chicago!
Until Later, Nameste.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Mind Over Matter
I think I'm getting back on track. I went to bed around 830am and set my alarm for 2pm. I woke up, took my daily malaria pill and headed for the gym. Had a nice, long overdue work out. (I haven't been back to the gym since I broke my foot at Amy and Brett's wedding)! Afterwards, I got ready for the day and ordered room service- this time a chicken burger. And it had a fried egg on it. So did the chicken club I ordered the day before. What's with the fried egg on every sandwich? I asked the girls at work and they didn't really have an answer. Interesting. Different...
I loaded some pictures-
Hopefully the bathroom shots won't gross anyone out, but it's interesting. We wipe, they wash. Notice the hose/sprayer on the left, and the urinal on the floor for the squatters. (I don't think there are any squatters at work)?!? I don't really get it. How it all works w/o getting wet and all that jazz. I guess I don't really want to think about it too much, but maybe I'll find the right person to ask one of these days. One of the books says the sprayer is used to "splash" with the left hand, which is why when dining one should never use their left hand. And I don't think you're supposed to shake hands with it either. While in the cafeteria, I realized I had grabbed some roti ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roti ) out of the tongs with my left hand. I asked one of the people at work how that would be perceived and they said it was an age old thing that doesn't really apply anymore. And another thing, they throw the TP away instead of flushing. ick. Don't tell anyone, but I've been flushing.
Today, I snapped some photos of my drive into work. I might try to get a video and load it to you tube if I can figure out how to do that. I'm not sure the chaos is accurately portrayed.
And the cows. There were lots of them today. I think I saw 4 on the way to work. I have yet to see them on the way home at 3am. Hmmm.
If you can't see the pictures in this email, click here to see it in a web browser:http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.3u7tf63l&x=0&y=-3jx0t
It's 615am and I'm actually tired. I'm going to take advantage of it.
Until later, Nameste.
I loaded some pictures-
Hopefully the bathroom shots won't gross anyone out, but it's interesting. We wipe, they wash. Notice the hose/sprayer on the left, and the urinal on the floor for the squatters. (I don't think there are any squatters at work)?!? I don't really get it. How it all works w/o getting wet and all that jazz. I guess I don't really want to think about it too much, but maybe I'll find the right person to ask one of these days. One of the books says the sprayer is used to "splash" with the left hand, which is why when dining one should never use their left hand. And I don't think you're supposed to shake hands with it either. While in the cafeteria, I realized I had grabbed some roti ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roti ) out of the tongs with my left hand. I asked one of the people at work how that would be perceived and they said it was an age old thing that doesn't really apply anymore. And another thing, they throw the TP away instead of flushing. ick. Don't tell anyone, but I've been flushing.
Today, I snapped some photos of my drive into work. I might try to get a video and load it to you tube if I can figure out how to do that. I'm not sure the chaos is accurately portrayed.
And the cows. There were lots of them today. I think I saw 4 on the way to work. I have yet to see them on the way home at 3am. Hmmm.
If you can't see the pictures in this email, click here to see it in a web browser:http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.3u7tf63l&x=0&y=-3jx0t
It's 615am and I'm actually tired. I'm going to take advantage of it.
Until later, Nameste.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I'm All Out of Whack!
First, thank you for all of the comments and emails. You guys are awesome! Please keep them coming.
I left you as I went to dinner on Sunday night. Dinner here is late, normally happens around 830pm. I was a bit early so I headed to the hotel bar for a breakfast drink. Amstel Light for breakfast? I guess anything goes when you're in India working US days and India nights. (Remember, even tho it's 6pm, it's when I'll start my work day, so it's sort of like breakfast). I'm sitting at the bar, having my one Amstel Light, listening, 'seeing and being seen.' There was a couple who noticed I was alone so they asked me to join them. Sure, why not. They were in town for the week and leaving that night. He, an executive with United Health Group, she works for Ceridian. They were familiar with Hewitt and she made sure to mention he was an exec a few times. I pretended not to know about Hewitt's relationship with UHC and Ceridian is a competitor of Hewitt. Who wants to talk about work at the bar anyway?
There are 2 restaurants at the hotel, one of them is a Brazilian restaurant (like Brazzaz) and the other is a buffet or menu order cafe. I opted for the Brazilian place since I figured I'd only spend a few actual nights at the hotel. It was great and I was surprised to see they served beef. I didn't like the lamb so much and I chose not to try the wild boar. It's 10pm by the time I end dinner, so I head up to get some work done. I wanted to stay up till 3 or 4am so I could get on my 'regular schedule.' I hit the hay around 4 and I can't fall asleep. 5, 6, 7, 8....still can't sleep. The gym opens at 9. "If I don't fall asleep by 9 I'm going to the gym." So I called my mom around 845am, 815pm for her, took a NyQuil and zonked out till 430. Maybe I'll go to the gym tomorrow.
In 36 hours I've eaten 2 bananas (one with my daily Malaria pills) and one meal. I'm all out of whack: So far I can't sleep and my internal clock hasn't adjusted yet. I don't know when I should be tired, be hungry, be sleepy or go to the gym. You'd think it wouldn't be so different, I mean, you'd think it would all fall into place. I haven't figured out how to work it out yet. So, I got ready for the day, ordered room service- a club sandwich for which I had to specify non-vegetarian style was ok. I received a call letting me know my driver had arrived and I let them know I'd be down in 10 minutes. He's supposed to be with me for the entire duration I'm here. Even on the weekends. It's a comfort knowing I have a dedicated chauffeur.
Driving around in India is like walking on Michigan. Ave. during the holiday season. There's no rhyme or reason- just somewhat of a flow. You better not slow down and you can't walk/drive fast. Sure there are suggested lanes, but you might have 1-4 cars trying to squeeze into the same places. Diagonal, merging, straight in the direction of traffic. Someone starts to drive too slow, so you go into the other lane to swerve around them- it's just normal. There are lots of motorcycles and bikes. Lots. And the horn is used to say, "hey, I'm here." Not "get out of my fricken way." Oh, and you might even share the lane with a cow. Yep, a cow. There was a white cow in the middle of the road crossing traffic all high and mighty. Kind of like geese do, oblivious to everything. We'll never see a cow crossing Addison in Cubs Game Day like traffic. And I hear if you hit a cow people will start chasing after you scolding not only the driver but the passengers, too. I'll try to get a picture.
I had my first day of work today. It was a normal day at work. Preparing for a training class for the following day. I needed the recoup day and I needed the one day prep day. I took a risk and tasted the free food in the cafeteria. It was like slop on rice- a few different options and all vegetarian. I really don't mind the vegetarian factor, but I don't think I'll have it on purpose again. Crossing my fingers I don't have regrets. So far so good.
Interesting Tid Bits
- The power goes out all the time. Every 2 hours or so and it's off for 2-15 seconds until the back up kicks in. The concept of not having back up power is unphathomable here.
- 2 times I had to call the duty manager for a second sheet. They only make the bed with the bottom sheet and then the comforter. Which is a duvet, so I supposed it's washed, but I want my second sheet! Here I am, in a 5 star hotel and I have to make my bed? Twice? Um, no. I left a written message for house keeping before I left for work requesting I have my 2 sheets. I checked when I got home and I do have my 2nd sheet. Sure, I can be high maintenance, demanding and requiring at times, but a 2nd sheet? That's necessary.
- I'll post more pictures tomorrow. My camera is out of juice. I'll show you pictures of the bathroom at work. We wipe, they wash.
On the Home Front
- My brother and his promise to become engaged get to leave the hospital with baby boy Murphy. Connor Michael Murphy. Born 1/9/08 at 4:25pm. 7lbs 13 oz. Alicia had an undescribable delivery and will spend 6-8 weeks recovering. Please keep her and the family in your thoughts and prayers. I'm a proud first-time-by-blood aunt.
Until Later, Nameste.
I left you as I went to dinner on Sunday night. Dinner here is late, normally happens around 830pm. I was a bit early so I headed to the hotel bar for a breakfast drink. Amstel Light for breakfast? I guess anything goes when you're in India working US days and India nights. (Remember, even tho it's 6pm, it's when I'll start my work day, so it's sort of like breakfast). I'm sitting at the bar, having my one Amstel Light, listening, 'seeing and being seen.' There was a couple who noticed I was alone so they asked me to join them. Sure, why not. They were in town for the week and leaving that night. He, an executive with United Health Group, she works for Ceridian. They were familiar with Hewitt and she made sure to mention he was an exec a few times. I pretended not to know about Hewitt's relationship with UHC and Ceridian is a competitor of Hewitt. Who wants to talk about work at the bar anyway?
There are 2 restaurants at the hotel, one of them is a Brazilian restaurant (like Brazzaz) and the other is a buffet or menu order cafe. I opted for the Brazilian place since I figured I'd only spend a few actual nights at the hotel. It was great and I was surprised to see they served beef. I didn't like the lamb so much and I chose not to try the wild boar. It's 10pm by the time I end dinner, so I head up to get some work done. I wanted to stay up till 3 or 4am so I could get on my 'regular schedule.' I hit the hay around 4 and I can't fall asleep. 5, 6, 7, 8....still can't sleep. The gym opens at 9. "If I don't fall asleep by 9 I'm going to the gym." So I called my mom around 845am, 815pm for her, took a NyQuil and zonked out till 430. Maybe I'll go to the gym tomorrow.
In 36 hours I've eaten 2 bananas (one with my daily Malaria pills) and one meal. I'm all out of whack: So far I can't sleep and my internal clock hasn't adjusted yet. I don't know when I should be tired, be hungry, be sleepy or go to the gym. You'd think it wouldn't be so different, I mean, you'd think it would all fall into place. I haven't figured out how to work it out yet. So, I got ready for the day, ordered room service- a club sandwich for which I had to specify non-vegetarian style was ok. I received a call letting me know my driver had arrived and I let them know I'd be down in 10 minutes. He's supposed to be with me for the entire duration I'm here. Even on the weekends. It's a comfort knowing I have a dedicated chauffeur.
Driving around in India is like walking on Michigan. Ave. during the holiday season. There's no rhyme or reason- just somewhat of a flow. You better not slow down and you can't walk/drive fast. Sure there are suggested lanes, but you might have 1-4 cars trying to squeeze into the same places. Diagonal, merging, straight in the direction of traffic. Someone starts to drive too slow, so you go into the other lane to swerve around them- it's just normal. There are lots of motorcycles and bikes. Lots. And the horn is used to say, "hey, I'm here." Not "get out of my fricken way." Oh, and you might even share the lane with a cow. Yep, a cow. There was a white cow in the middle of the road crossing traffic all high and mighty. Kind of like geese do, oblivious to everything. We'll never see a cow crossing Addison in Cubs Game Day like traffic. And I hear if you hit a cow people will start chasing after you scolding not only the driver but the passengers, too. I'll try to get a picture.
I had my first day of work today. It was a normal day at work. Preparing for a training class for the following day. I needed the recoup day and I needed the one day prep day. I took a risk and tasted the free food in the cafeteria. It was like slop on rice- a few different options and all vegetarian. I really don't mind the vegetarian factor, but I don't think I'll have it on purpose again. Crossing my fingers I don't have regrets. So far so good.
Interesting Tid Bits
- The power goes out all the time. Every 2 hours or so and it's off for 2-15 seconds until the back up kicks in. The concept of not having back up power is unphathomable here.
- 2 times I had to call the duty manager for a second sheet. They only make the bed with the bottom sheet and then the comforter. Which is a duvet, so I supposed it's washed, but I want my second sheet! Here I am, in a 5 star hotel and I have to make my bed? Twice? Um, no. I left a written message for house keeping before I left for work requesting I have my 2 sheets. I checked when I got home and I do have my 2nd sheet. Sure, I can be high maintenance, demanding and requiring at times, but a 2nd sheet? That's necessary.
- I'll post more pictures tomorrow. My camera is out of juice. I'll show you pictures of the bathroom at work. We wipe, they wash.
On the Home Front
- My brother and his promise to become engaged get to leave the hospital with baby boy Murphy. Connor Michael Murphy. Born 1/9/08 at 4:25pm. 7lbs 13 oz. Alicia had an undescribable delivery and will spend 6-8 weeks recovering. Please keep her and the family in your thoughts and prayers. I'm a proud first-time-by-blood aunt.
Until Later, Nameste.
Day 1: I'm Here!
So, I made it! 2 flights, each about 8 hours long. Sounds horrible, doesn't it? Surprising, it really wasn't bad at all. Business class is great and in my opinion Luftansa is better than United. I didn't sleep too much, maybe 2 hours on each flight.
Alright, so I'm going to give this blog thing a shot. (Mom, no comments on punctuation or writing.) Everyone has asked me to take lots of pictures and keep in touch, so maybe this will work. When work starts I'll be really busy. Just sayin'.
I arrived at the airport around 130am India time (2pm CST). It was easy to get around because all of the signs are written in both English and Hindu (I mean Hindi. I forgot to include Rachel when I warned my mom above...). After standing in line for about 45 minutes (passport/visa check) I was off to claim my luggage. Even tho there were 2 places where my luggage could have been I found my 2 bags right away and noticed an elderly Caucasian woman confused and looking for her belongings. I asked her if she spoke English and she responded, "No, Francais." So, I dug into the archives, "Le baggage es ici ou la bas. Les Deux." She said something and I answered 'Si, I mean oui.' My first global reality check and feeble attempt at Spengrench.
Bags in hand, I venture to go find my driver. The scene was ridiculous. Picture Red Carpet chaos: few people walking down an aisle with a billion people on each side shouting and wanting your autograph. Not kidding- about 400 guys all holding signs with names of people they are driving. We walk out overwhelmed and they could see it on our faces- all you could do was laugh.
No worries tho, I found my driver within minutes and he quickly took my bags. I flew around the globe with another Hewitt Associate. Someone here for a completely separate purpose and she is only here for a week. She also found her driver (different hotels) and after making sure we were both Ok, I was off.
The drive from the airport to the hotel was uneventful. They drive on the opposite side of the road and the driver sits on the left instead of the right. I arrived at the hotel and was greeted with prayer hands, head bows and 'namestes' by about 10 people, and by name when I approached the counter.
Since I arrived, I allowed myself 10 hours to sleep- and I used all of it. It's now 6pm, what will be the start of my work day, so I'm going to try to stay up until 3am so I can get on what will be my 'regular schedule.' I'm exhausted tho. And I have this eye twitch thing going on in my right eye which normally happens when I'm tired and stressed. I'm adapting to using bottled water while brushing my teeth and I've done everything I can to create make shift blocks to prevent me from accidently using the tap.
Keeping In Touch
-Via IM, you can create a gmail account. (Which is the coolest email account anyway.) We can g-chat!
-I downloaded skype. Any users out there? I think my user name is erinmurphy2005.
-You can still txt or call my cel phone. I most likely will not answer the phone, but I will respond via email or I'll call you while I'm at the Hewitt India office.
Pics
Hotel Website: http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/NDEGG
Kodak Gallery (personal photos): http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.a6mmezz5&x=0&y=4loldr
A few questions I've had so far:
Q: How many bags did you pack?
A: I checked 2 and carried on 1. One of the 2 was a big mama-jama. (Thanks Dad!) Total weight was around 95 pounds, not including the bag I carried with me. I'm still going to run out of clothes.
Q: Have you seen anything different so far?
A: Not really but sort of.
-Devon St. in Chicago is a pretty good replica of one of the streets I was on from the airport to the hotel. And on the side of the road, I saw a huge clay pot factory or store or something. Nothing I haven't seen before but not something that we see all the time. When we drive down to Panama City Beach we'll see places like this in Alabama or Northern Florida. (For Ali- Floribama. No mullets allowed.)
-Security is prevalent. Men in gear with Guns. And it feels surreal- Not like I'm in India, but more like I'm at MGM Studios.
-I just checked out the gym and the spa. The gym looks better than I expected and the spa prices seem CHEAP! And they're eager to service. I was just checking it out and they asked me to make an appointement about 4 times.
And now, I'll try to find something for dinner- which should really be breakfast given my schedule.
Until later, Nameste.
Alright, so I'm going to give this blog thing a shot. (Mom, no comments on punctuation or writing.) Everyone has asked me to take lots of pictures and keep in touch, so maybe this will work. When work starts I'll be really busy. Just sayin'.
I arrived at the airport around 130am India time (2pm CST). It was easy to get around because all of the signs are written in both English and Hindu (I mean Hindi. I forgot to include Rachel when I warned my mom above...). After standing in line for about 45 minutes (passport/visa check) I was off to claim my luggage. Even tho there were 2 places where my luggage could have been I found my 2 bags right away and noticed an elderly Caucasian woman confused and looking for her belongings. I asked her if she spoke English and she responded, "No, Francais." So, I dug into the archives, "Le baggage es ici ou la bas. Les Deux." She said something and I answered 'Si, I mean oui.' My first global reality check and feeble attempt at Spengrench.
Bags in hand, I venture to go find my driver. The scene was ridiculous. Picture Red Carpet chaos: few people walking down an aisle with a billion people on each side shouting and wanting your autograph. Not kidding- about 400 guys all holding signs with names of people they are driving. We walk out overwhelmed and they could see it on our faces- all you could do was laugh.
No worries tho, I found my driver within minutes and he quickly took my bags. I flew around the globe with another Hewitt Associate. Someone here for a completely separate purpose and she is only here for a week. She also found her driver (different hotels) and after making sure we were both Ok, I was off.
The drive from the airport to the hotel was uneventful. They drive on the opposite side of the road and the driver sits on the left instead of the right. I arrived at the hotel and was greeted with prayer hands, head bows and 'namestes' by about 10 people, and by name when I approached the counter.
Since I arrived, I allowed myself 10 hours to sleep- and I used all of it. It's now 6pm, what will be the start of my work day, so I'm going to try to stay up until 3am so I can get on what will be my 'regular schedule.' I'm exhausted tho. And I have this eye twitch thing going on in my right eye which normally happens when I'm tired and stressed. I'm adapting to using bottled water while brushing my teeth and I've done everything I can to create make shift blocks to prevent me from accidently using the tap.
Keeping In Touch
-Via IM, you can create a gmail account. (Which is the coolest email account anyway.) We can g-chat!
-I downloaded skype. Any users out there? I think my user name is erinmurphy2005.
-You can still txt or call my cel phone. I most likely will not answer the phone, but I will respond via email or I'll call you while I'm at the Hewitt India office.
Pics
Hotel Website: http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/NDEGG
Kodak Gallery (personal photos): http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.a6mmezz5&x=0&y=4loldr
A few questions I've had so far:
Q: How many bags did you pack?
A: I checked 2 and carried on 1. One of the 2 was a big mama-jama. (Thanks Dad!) Total weight was around 95 pounds, not including the bag I carried with me. I'm still going to run out of clothes.
Q: Have you seen anything different so far?
A: Not really but sort of.
-Devon St. in Chicago is a pretty good replica of one of the streets I was on from the airport to the hotel. And on the side of the road, I saw a huge clay pot factory or store or something. Nothing I haven't seen before but not something that we see all the time. When we drive down to Panama City Beach we'll see places like this in Alabama or Northern Florida. (For Ali- Floribama. No mullets allowed.)
-Security is prevalent. Men in gear with Guns. And it feels surreal- Not like I'm in India, but more like I'm at MGM Studios.
-I just checked out the gym and the spa. The gym looks better than I expected and the spa prices seem CHEAP! And they're eager to service. I was just checking it out and they asked me to make an appointement about 4 times.
And now, I'll try to find something for dinner- which should really be breakfast given my schedule.
Until later, Nameste.
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