Part of the India team!
L to R: 1st row: Askatha, Tracy, Shyni, Maria, Natasha, Kelli, Karey, Mridula, Been, Swetha. 2nd row : Muktha, some unknown woman who wanted to be in the picture :) , Anju, Deb, Robin.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Jan 30, Friday Part 2
Part of the India team!
L to R: 1st row: Askatha, Tracy, Shyni, Maria, Natasha, Kelli, Karey, Mridula, Been, Swetha. 2nd row : Muktha, some unknown woman who wanted to be in the picture :) , Anju, Deb, Robin.
Jan 30, Friday
L to R: Maria, Robin, Deb, Kelli, Karey
TGIF!
Yes, they celebrate TGIF here in India too! Hooray, it is now Friday evening at 6:45 PM so my time is unstructured for the next couple of days!
Ok, I know ... I have the most boring blog on the web! I've been very negligent about posting (here come the excuses) because I'm either too busy or too tired. My plan is to remedy that situation this weekend. Don't set your expectations too high 'cause I'm not going to write a novel. :)
The U.S. training team wore traditional Indian clothing to work today. The team we're training in Indai LOVED that we did that! Most of my colleagues wore "salwar" suits that include a top, pants and a scarf that you drape over your shoulders (hanging down your back). I wore a silk tunic I had made in Mysore and jeans. I was told I was wearing a 'fusion' look because it was a combination of both Indian and Western (not cowboy but American/European) wear.
While everyone was very excited about our clothing, the men seemed especially impressed. :) We were told that the men wanted to take our picture but none of them every approached us about it.
TGIF!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Jan 18, Sunday
Hello, everyone! Sorry that I've been negligent about blogging but I've just been too busy or too tired to blog (sorry to worry you, Mom). I just posted a slew of pics (not sure why the last group displayed smaller than the others) for your viewing pleasure. I'll write a bit about them later but wanted to get them out there to help paint a picture of my adventures in India!
Hugs all 'round!
deb
Monday, January 12, 2009
January 12, Monday
Hey all! Just a quick note to say that the weekend was very busy and a lot of fun! I hope to start writing about it tonight - if my energy holds out. :)
~deb
~deb
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Jan 7, Mehendi
We ate dinner tonight by the pool and a woman was there to offer Mehendi. Mehendi is an art form that uses an herbal mixture containing mainly henna, eucalyptus oil and lime (no water) to decorate the body (most widely used on the hands, arms and feet of brides). The artist makes her own mixture and fills her own tubes. I had my hand adorned with the henna and found the Mehendi artist, Zaiba Nayeem, to be most fascinating!
Zaiba said that Mehendi has been her passion since she was a child. She taught herself how to do much of it but also has had formal training. She has combined the intricacies of Indian Mehendi with some of the design elements of Arabic Mehendi to create her own unique patterns. She also does custom patterns when requested. Zaiba had a book of popular patterns and showed me a few of her recent favorites on her cell phone (seems everyone we run into has one and they use them a lot).
Hindu wedding ceremonies are 2-3 day events that begin with the arrival of the Mehendi woman. Ziaba said that the children eagerly await her arrival as they love to have it done too (the other women with the bride will also have it done). When Zaiba arrives at the bride's home, everyone is quiet with anticipation. Once she begins, so does the festive atmosphere. She said she loves to be a part of the wedding celebration. Check out the movie "Monsoon Wedding" to see a fairly accurate depiction of a Hindu wedding celebration (I love that movie).
Mehendi is supposed to bring happiness to the wearer. Zaiba said her experience has also been that if you think of something you want to happen while the henna is being applied, it ends up happening.
She further explained that there are also medicinal qualities to Mehendi. The people in the villages eat henna, or the Mehendi mixture, to calm stomach upsets. The main medical use of it is to draw the extra heat out of the body. A spiritual man currently popular in India (I cannot recall his name) explains that Mehendi is a gift from God to the whole world and that it can help reduce global warming by eliminating the extra body heat.
I'm so appreciative that I had this encounter with this wonderful, gracious woman and that she shared her talent and passion with me.
~deb
Zaiba said that Mehendi has been her passion since she was a child. She taught herself how to do much of it but also has had formal training. She has combined the intricacies of Indian Mehendi with some of the design elements of Arabic Mehendi to create her own unique patterns. She also does custom patterns when requested. Zaiba had a book of popular patterns and showed me a few of her recent favorites on her cell phone (seems everyone we run into has one and they use them a lot).
Hindu wedding ceremonies are 2-3 day events that begin with the arrival of the Mehendi woman. Ziaba said that the children eagerly await her arrival as they love to have it done too (the other women with the bride will also have it done). When Zaiba arrives at the bride's home, everyone is quiet with anticipation. Once she begins, so does the festive atmosphere. She said she loves to be a part of the wedding celebration. Check out the movie "Monsoon Wedding" to see a fairly accurate depiction of a Hindu wedding celebration (I love that movie).
Mehendi is supposed to bring happiness to the wearer. Zaiba said her experience has also been that if you think of something you want to happen while the henna is being applied, it ends up happening.
She further explained that there are also medicinal qualities to Mehendi. The people in the villages eat henna, or the Mehendi mixture, to calm stomach upsets. The main medical use of it is to draw the extra heat out of the body. A spiritual man currently popular in India (I cannot recall his name) explains that Mehendi is a gift from God to the whole world and that it can help reduce global warming by eliminating the extra body heat.
I'm so appreciative that I had this encounter with this wonderful, gracious woman and that she shared her talent and passion with me.
~deb
Jan 7, Wednesday
I'm so sorry that I haven't found the time to write to each of you (ok, any of you) who sent me an e-mail to my personal id. Please accept my apology and know that I truly appreciate each e-mail or blog comment but I don't think I'll be able to respond while I'm here.
The electrical power already been off and back on 3 or 4 times today. This is a common occurrence since the power demand exceeds the supply. The power goes out and then back on a few seconds later. When the lights go out the classroom is not totally dark as we're left with the soft glow of the ThinkPad screens (the bulk of people have desktops in this room so no battery backup). The trick is to not skip a beat when you're presenting and the place suddenly goes 95% dark. :)
Tonight, we're going to go to an Indian-themed dinner at the hotel. I may even get my hands done with henna.
~deb
The electrical power already been off and back on 3 or 4 times today. This is a common occurrence since the power demand exceeds the supply. The power goes out and then back on a few seconds later. When the lights go out the classroom is not totally dark as we're left with the soft glow of the ThinkPad screens (the bulk of people have desktops in this room so no battery backup). The trick is to not skip a beat when you're presenting and the place suddenly goes 95% dark. :)
Tonight, we're going to go to an Indian-themed dinner at the hotel. I may even get my hands done with henna.
~deb
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Jan 6, Part Two
Work went well again today. The Indian team that is being trained is both friendly and the fastest learners I've yet to meet! They ask the best questions and are enthusiastic in their desire to quickly master the work.
It is 6:30 PM and someone just knocked on the door to ask to turn down the bed. He removed the decorative pillows and quilt, rolled back the comforter, and placed the hotel slippers on a white cloth on the floor by the bed. It seems every time you turn around, someone is helping you here (at the Taj). It takes a little getting used to because the service here is really over the top (in an almost smothering way). It seems to make the staff uncomfortable if you say "no thank you, I can do it" so it is best to graciously accept their assistance (even though you rarely need it).
I wonder if I'll remember how to clean, open the front door by myself, drive, prepare food, do laundry, did I mention clean?, by the time I get back home? No doubt Dave will be happy to retrain me if my memory fails me. :)
Except for the front desk Duty Manager, the staff calls each of us"Ma'am" and, believe you me, it sounds a far sight different than the Southern U.S. "Ma'am". When speaking to us about an absent member of our group, they may refer to her as "Madam". Very formal - clearly a vestige of the British occupation and the fact that this is a ritzy hotel.
On the morning drive into the office, I'm likely to see lots of little storefronts (still closed at 8:00 AM); alleys, narrow roads, roads that accommodate 6 lanes of traffic (if the drivers used lanes); many motorcycles, taxis, cars and buses; pedestrians walking on the sidewalk or risking their lives by crossing the street; garbage piles almost everywhere ; cows - Hindus consider them sacred - usually eating from a garbage heap or laying down for a rest (just see a few during the 25 minute ride); dogs - who know there could be so many dogs loose in one place?; parents walking their children to school (there are a couple of parochoial schools nearby and the girls are so cute in their uniforms, knee socks and looped up braids; building rubble (bricks); open air displays of of large granite slabs for sale; people waiting to catch the bus; a Hindu temple with its doors open wide and incense burning right in the courtyard formed by the office buildings of a few major U.S. companies , including the IBM office building ...
The sights and sounds of Bangalore are both intoxicating and over-stimulating. You could live here for years, take the same route to work each day and see something new each time.
I'm going to upload some pictures I took today and then need to get some work done.
Hope all are well back home!
It is 6:30 PM and someone just knocked on the door to ask to turn down the bed. He removed the decorative pillows and quilt, rolled back the comforter, and placed the hotel slippers on a white cloth on the floor by the bed. It seems every time you turn around, someone is helping you here (at the Taj). It takes a little getting used to because the service here is really over the top (in an almost smothering way). It seems to make the staff uncomfortable if you say "no thank you, I can do it" so it is best to graciously accept their assistance (even though you rarely need it).
I wonder if I'll remember how to clean, open the front door by myself, drive, prepare food, do laundry, did I mention clean?, by the time I get back home? No doubt Dave will be happy to retrain me if my memory fails me. :)
Except for the front desk Duty Manager, the staff calls each of us"Ma'am" and, believe you me, it sounds a far sight different than the Southern U.S. "Ma'am". When speaking to us about an absent member of our group, they may refer to her as "Madam". Very formal - clearly a vestige of the British occupation and the fact that this is a ritzy hotel.
On the morning drive into the office, I'm likely to see lots of little storefronts (still closed at 8:00 AM); alleys, narrow roads, roads that accommodate 6 lanes of traffic (if the drivers used lanes); many motorcycles, taxis, cars and buses; pedestrians walking on the sidewalk or risking their lives by crossing the street; garbage piles almost everywhere ; cows - Hindus consider them sacred - usually eating from a garbage heap or laying down for a rest (just see a few during the 25 minute ride); dogs - who know there could be so many dogs loose in one place?; parents walking their children to school (there are a couple of parochoial schools nearby and the girls are so cute in their uniforms, knee socks and looped up braids; building rubble (bricks); open air displays of of large granite slabs for sale; people waiting to catch the bus; a Hindu temple with its doors open wide and incense burning right in the courtyard formed by the office buildings of a few major U.S. companies , including the IBM office building ...
The sights and sounds of Bangalore are both intoxicating and over-stimulating. You could live here for years, take the same route to work each day and see something new each time.
I'm going to upload some pictures I took today and then need to get some work done.
Hope all are well back home!
Jan 6, Tuesday
Happy Tuesday!
I lacked the energy to submit a post on Monday but am feeling much more like my 'normal' self today (whatever that is :) so the effects of jet lag must be waning. We're just finishing our lunch break so I don't have time to write anything of substance now. It is 2:15 PM as Indians eat lunch and dinner much later than we do in the U.S. We wanted to eat dinner last night when we got back to the hotel at 5:30 but had to wait until the restaurant opened at 7:00.
Bye for now from sunny, warm Bangalore (sorry my NY family and friends but I could not help myself).
I lacked the energy to submit a post on Monday but am feeling much more like my 'normal' self today (whatever that is :) so the effects of jet lag must be waning. We're just finishing our lunch break so I don't have time to write anything of substance now. It is 2:15 PM as Indians eat lunch and dinner much later than we do in the U.S. We wanted to eat dinner last night when we got back to the hotel at 5:30 but had to wait until the restaurant opened at 7:00.
Bye for now from sunny, warm Bangalore (sorry my NY family and friends but I could not help myself).
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Jan 4, Sunday - Hindu Wedding
There was just a loud band (mostly drummers) out on the street. Because of the trees in front of the hotel, I could not see what type of celebration it was. I went down to the front desk and was told it was most likely a Hindu wedding. The groom arrives on horseback and the wedding guests join in the procession. The hotel duty manager suggested that I go outside to try to see it and I asked "wouldn't that be gawking?". He replied that it would be "more like witnessing". :) I went outside the hotel gates to try to see it but it had already passed. If I'm fortunate enough to hear a celebration in the street like this again, I'll go right out to witness it!
Jan 3 & 4, Saturday and Sunday - Welcome to India!
I created this blog so I could share my experiences while in India with all of you! I'll be working in Bangalore for 6 weeks - getting home on Feb 10 (my birthday :). I will be working with IBM Human Resource colleagues in Bangalore. I hope you enjoy reading my posts and seeing the pictures. I left Syracuse, NY at 10:30 AM on Jan 1 and got to Bangalore, India at 12:35 AM on Jan 3. Bangalore is 10 1/2 hours ahead of EST. It took about 27 hours of travel (Syracuse - JFK - Paris - Bangalore) to get here. By the time I went thru Immigration, got my bags, went thru Customs and met the Hertz driver, it was about 2:45 AM when we got to the hotel. I'm staying at the Taj Residency and it is about 50 minutes from the airport. When you rent a car in India, it comes with a driver and for good reason -- the traffic here is nuts! I thought my driver would crash the car before we even got off of hotel property! Reckless driving is the norm and traffic rules considered mere suggestions! The drivers constantly honk their horns and flash their lights if they want to pass - which they do when they're only 1/2 a car length from the car in front of them! I spent the Saturday unpacking and learning how to use the Internet, tv and dvd player. There's a breakfast buffet each morning so I had breakfast at 10:00 AM. I haven't been hungry forced myself to go down to get some dinner - had 1/2 bowl of wheat raviolis stuffed with spinach and mushrooms. Did I mention that the Taj is a 5 star hotel? :) The hotel has increased Security since the Nov incident in Mumbai (about 700 miles away). The front gate is closed with a couple of policemen monitoring who comes in, there are barricades in front of the hotel (although it is right on the street), cops in the lobby and a metal detector as you enter the lobby. They also went through my bags when I arrived. The other 4 women I'll be working with arrived this morning (Sunday) between 4:30 and 7:00. I had asked to get here a day earlier to allow my 50 year old body time more time to recuperate from the trip. :) I slept for 12 hours last night. It was funny - I woke up at 8:48 AM this morning (Sunday) and one of the women from Raleigh (Karey) called about 1 minute later to say they had made it in about 7 AM. I went down to her room (4 doors down) in my jammies and hotel robe and was happy to give Karey and Kelli hugs (I've worked with both of them in RTP). I told Maria I'd spare her giving her one since we just met. :) They opened up a spa here in September called the "Jiva Spa". Here's a link to the spa's homepage that shows the spa lobby. http://www.tajhotels.com/Jivaspa/JivaSpa,Bangalore/default.htm I had a luxurious massage this morning. It was fabulous - and that's coming from someone who gets a lot of massage (of course Dave's are the best. :) The first thing they do is give you a detoxifying tea drink. It was exceptionally delicious- and I don't typically care for tea. You then take a 10 minute steam in a private booth, shower and put on disposable panties (like a glorified g-string) for the massage. The massage room was elegant. The first thing they do is wash your feet in warm water (rose petals floating in it). The massage therapist explained that they wash the feet because each guest is treated like a deity. :) Everything in the spa is organic, down to the robes which are made of organic cotton and dyed with organic dyes. The massage ended with the therapist putting a sandalwood mixture in-between my eyebrows and then putting 2 grains of rice into it (for prosperity). She then put a flower necklace around my neck to honor the goddess within. Cool, huh? I ate my sole meal today at pool side about 3:00 PM. Turns out it was their weekly brunch with live music (western pop). It was fun to be out there with kids playing in a blow-up jumping gym and frolicking in the apparently cold pool. Noticed a lot (maybe 20) other westerners there too (in addition to some Indians). I tried several Indian dishes and they were delicious. I asked for them not to be spicy but southern India is known for its spicy food so they couldn't eliminate it - just toned it down. Tomorrow's the first day of work! |
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