Friday, September 28, 2007

Don't Worry, Neill--The Cat Will Protect You



These bats are likely fruit bats, and they're actually probably larger than Neill's Die Fledermaus-ing Mia. Liz took a photo of these in the park near the Bull Temple.

The bull is really big, carved out of a single white boulder, and oiled monthly with peanut oil to keep it black. It's also looks kinda wall-eyed and freaked-out. Liz and I were bemused at the underwhelmingness of this "Must-See" Bangalore landmark recommended by the travel guides. But, we had a nice stroll and a good dosa lunch in the Basavanagudi neighborhood.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

WTF--Where's my Gmail?

The ISP we use--AirTel--seems to randomly block sites. They are allowed again after a while. Right now, I can't check gmail. Earlier, I couldn't reach Cute Overload. Liz and I had trouble one morning reaching the websites of software development firms, which is rough since finding them is part of our jobs.

Dear Aliya: Bring Me WD-40
On the bright side, my cough is clearing up, and I have been able to exercise the past two days. The workout room has several pieces of equipment, all of which make a LOT of squeaks and creaks when used. Also, I'm afraid my powerful physique--in that I weight more than 90 pounds--may destroy some of the machines (Liz actually pushed a treadmill instrument panel through its frame by pressing START). Last night I didn't think to bring an iPod (I have no problem working out without music). BIG MISTAKE. I tried five pieces of equipment before finding an exercycle that didn't make me cringe. Also, none of the 22 recognized languages of India have a word for "ergonomics."

Tonight's Lesson: The treadmill power sources shut off after 20 minutes and have to rest for 10.

I don't like using exercise equipment much anyway, and after 10 years of training, I know enough exhausting drills to keep myself out of breath. Plus, I am certain all my pants will keep fitting me because the laundry service doesn't use dryers and they scrub and wring the hell out of clothing.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Infrequently Asked Questions

To answer the Senator from Licton Springs:

Liz got to be my roommate because she's here around the same time I am, though she leaves India after I do. Also, she got here a week earlier and found the place.

The oddest thing I have smelled so far? That's tough. India never really smells odd, so much as intense. Today I smelled lemongrass. I can smell coffee roasting from my living room. Lots of men wear cologne here. The elevators are sometimes stincky, and I frequently smell weird, but I can't think of anything odd. Generally speaking, India has more good smells than bad. I could do without the diesel and urine (the latter is less present here than in downtown Seattle), but the jasmine smells lovely at night, and you get lots of wafts of breads cooking. Liz input: garbage piles, and I have to agree. They can be quite stinky.

Strangest thing I have seen was the SECOND Mystery Spot bumper sticker! The white guy on a motorcycle I saw today was pretty strange, though (and, no, not just fair. he was of Western descent). Honorable mention: the socket in my shower where the bathroom fan plugs in.

What food am I loving? ALMOST ALL OF IT AS FREQUENTLY AS POSSIBLE. I really like getting chats at stand-up places. Again--pictures forthcoming. I--like almost everyone--like panipuri. Brittens are tasty. I like getting South Indian food. I like North Indian Food. Indian Chinese is excellent. Hot chips. Breads. Tiny bananas. I'm a little tired of sambar, but other than that, BRING IT ON!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Jiggle It All You Like--It Won't help


On the evening errand walk, we saw a health club. Everything looked 24-Hour Fitness, until we noticed a guy attempting to shake off the flab with one of those fat belt machines. He had it strapped across his butt. The machine *did* appear to be getting quite a workout.

Uh--any questions?

So, at this point, I don't know how much I have to share. Unlike a tourist, I don't do exciting things every few days. I have two types of days:

Work at GK Day (2-3 days a week)
- wake up somewhere between 7 and 8
- open drapes, windows, and balcony doors to air out house
- Get up and make breakfast (If I don't eat enough, I end up throwing up the malaria pill)
- do dishes
- get dressed, check email, post a blog
- leave to get to GK between 8:15 and 8:45
- take 40-60 minute auto ride to GK
- find a spot at GK, work for a few hours, have a meeting, maybe have lunch, more work.
- leave GK between 4-5 PM
- 30-40 minutes auto ride home
- maybe walk neighborhood to pick up groceries, get snack, etc
- 6:30-8:30 prepare & consume dinner/leftovers with Liz, work on email, and watch TV
- Seattle starts waking up and sending email.
- 8:30-11 or 12 AM phone meetings with Seattle, emails, work.
- somewhere between 10 and 1, shower, floss, brush, and read a bit. Sleep.

Work from Home
- same as above, but I stay home all day, stopping to have lunch, make tea, and snack.

Once every few weeks (like yesterday) I may go into the city in the afternoon to meet with potential Mifos Specialists (companies who want to work for MFI's to deploy Mifos for them) or Mifos Developers (companies GTC would contract to build parts of Mifos). After the meetings, I might run errands or wander around MG Road (making sure to leave in time to beat some of the traffic). Once I get well, I'll probably throw in a workout in the morning.

All in all, it's a lot like my life in Seattle, except I eat breakfast here.

So, if you have any specific questions, it would be good to have them.

Monday, September 24, 2007

India Beats Pakistan!


India just beat Pakistan in the World Twenty20 cricket tournament.

The whole country's going crazy. We live on the 8th floor, and I can hear people cheering like they're next door. Fireworks are going off all over the city.

Have a look and listen from my balcony:

Can we send you packages?

Unless you're willing to coordinate with people in Seattle who are coming to Bangalore, sending me packages is not a good idea. Regular mail delivered through the Indian Postal Service--especially packages--is purportedly not reliable (another ex-pat received a wedding invite 4 months after it had been mailed).

FedEx and DHL are possibilities, but it means I have to stay in my house waiting for a delivery. So, although I appreciate the thought, it's probably not worth the effort!

Want to work on Mifos in Seattle?

Et voila--job postings for tech types.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

The New AutoRickshaw Lesson: Out of Gas

[This entry is something probably 8 million ex-pats have written about, but oh well...]

If the auto driver realizes belatedly (probably because I only speak English) that I need to go further out than he really wants to drive, he "runs out of gas." It happened twice this week. Saturday, I got out and walked after this happened, checking in on auto prices along the way to see what they would go for. Most of them wanted to charge more than double the metered fare (so .60 cents instead of .30 cents). I kept walking, since I had plenty of time and need exercise badly. Also, it was interesting to find that the distance decreased, but the amounts stayed the same (30 Rs). The walk was nice, though, and I got a better look at the neighborhood close to the office, so I may start having them let me out sooner anyway. Also, I'm gathering information about the buses, though timetables are uncertain.

I've been advised by locals to only pay the meter price, but I'm used to paying double at night. The argument--which I also get during the day, wherever I am going--is "I won't be able to get a fare from there to take me back here." I know in some cases it's true, but in others it's rubbish, and if I ask a few different drivers, I'll get one who will use the meter only. A driver and car are expensive (800? Rs/day), so I better learn how to best manage.

Change Is Difficult
The other item to remember when taking autos is that they rarely have change, and bills less than 100 Rs are hard to come by. Rounding is pretty common for auto fares, though I get stuck paying 10-40 Rs extra if I don't have change. again--it's "only a dollar" or "only a quarter" but when it starts happening a few times a day (shop clerks often don't have change, either), it adds up quickly. Saturday, I stopped and bought a Pepsi to make sure I had change for the ride home. A coke is usually ~20 Rs

At some point, I'll find a driver i like, keep his cell nearby, and call the same person to drive me out to work when I need to go. Also, I'll probably only go out to GK a few days a week, so it's not that big of a deal. In general, it's just something I shrug off as part of my day and what I expected.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Other Ex-Pats

I had dinner with some ex-pats at a very Western restaurant. I'll stick to Indian cuisine, but I do like seeing the interpretation of American/Italian/other food is in other countries.

We also went to a shi-shi bar near MG Road and drank (others more than I, as I'm fighting off my latest bout of Weak Foreigneritis. The ex-pats seem very nice. I seem to be coming off as serious and tending towards the quiet side.

I find that I now stare at foreigners, too.

I also have developed a taste for cricket watching. India just beat Australia and will play Pakistan in the World Twenty20 finals (I only caught the last few overs, unfortunately, as we were on the non-TV side of the bar, and the match was nearly finished by the time we got home). You could here people cheering from all over our complex.

Turns Out--I'm Sick

Don't worry, mom. It's just a sore throat. I'm still ambulatory. I was supposed to go out dancing with Liz and her new ex-pat friends (until 11:30 PM, when everything in Bangalore shuts down), but I think I'll just stay home.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Something I'll Never See in India

This made my day.

(Thanks to This Old Punk House for the ee-mahge)

I have not seen a single tiny dog in India. For pet dogs, big dogs are in. Lots of german shepherds, labs, & retrievers (and subsequently, lots of mixes of the above in teh street dogs).

Nary a weenie dog. I think their bellies would drag in the mud.

I HAVE INTERNET

YES! YES! YES!

Am I Sick or Just in India?

Every few days, I get a sore throat. I don't know if it's from the smog during my morning commute or if I am cycling through a host of Indian cooties to get to baseline immune level. Of course, I also can't tell if I am feverish or something else. I spend a lot of time in India with low blood sugar, since I'm trying to suss out when it's polite to ask for food, when I can snack, and when restaurants are open. I end up feeling mildly ill from hunger.

Lunch tends to be late--around 1-ish, though if I am at GK, lunch is brought (it's 3 and no sign that I see, save a belch that just echoed across the office), and I eat whenever I am offered food. I have not yet figured out what the cue is to go in and eat, and the IT staff--all male--seems a bit shy. So, I try to not make them uncomfortable by following them around. [I finally gave in and ate a PowerBar.]

I would go home, but I am supposed to have a meeting after lunch. I was also supposed to have a meeting this morning, but one of the people turned out to be unavailable (I have been warned that the meeting-no-not-really events would occur frequently in India). So, in addition to being hungry, I really want lunch to happen so that I can get the meeting done and head home, as the internet technician is supposed arrive at 5 PM. Oh, please, please let the internet arrive...

[I'm going to assume that I won't have internet tonight. It's easier to set my expectations in this manner.]

In Summary: I'm a Big Sissy
The other ills: bumpy auto rides, odd mattresses, really hard floors, lack of exercise, and non-ergonomic work habits are contributing to backaches, knee pain, the Return of the Swollen Achilles, a sore butt and general joint maladies. I seem to get a few bug bites each day (the critter type seems to vary, or maybe it's a rash?). However, let's keep in mind that I had lousy joints and easily irritated skin in the United States.

On the positive, I'm not having much trouble sleeping, and sleep is probably the most important thing for me.

Book Now and Save!

if you are thinking of coming to visit me, it's time to start planning. I'll be working through February (I can take time off, but that extends my stay in India). I will will likely travel somewhere in SE Asia at the end of February/beginning of March.

We have an extra bedroom. Alternately, you can bring a Thermarest and stay on the servant bed in the utility room. ;)

Also, know that if you visit and haven't been abroad much, you'll have to get some vaccinations, etc. I recommend the Travel Clinic at UW if it's your first developing world trip. Safeway also has a nice online travel clinic, too.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Sort of Indian Sort of Moon Pies!


They have Moon Pies in India!

OK--they have Korean-owned, Chinese-produced, stale, marshmallow and chocolate treats, but still!





I'll have pictures soon, I hope. I don't want to drag down the network at the office. Maybe we get internet at home today?

AutoRickshaw & Cybercafes 9/19-9/20

I commute to work (when I am not working from home) and generally get around in an auto-rickshaw, a.k.a. auto (you can search for auto in India or something of the sort on YouTube to get a sense of what it's like, though I find autos in Bangalore generally more tame than the in rest of India). Since the streets in Bangalore can be confusing, you try to tell the drivers a general neighborhood. Fairly frequently, they won't take you, for example if it's too far, or if the trip takes them into the heart of traffic. Also, they may demand extra fare on top of the metered fair, which is illegal, but everyone generally accepts.

The GK office is several kilometers south of the main of Bangalore and the streets are decreasingly paved (though they were all paved at some point in time), so both my drivers so far seemed annoyed and/or demanded extra money beyond the meter because they would have to go back empty (and because I just made them take a moped with a shell on a road I would hesitate to take a 4WD car). So, my daily commute costs about $2-2.50 each way, which is more expensive than my commute in Seattle. Also, biking is not really and option for me here, given the high likelihood of me being killed. Auto rides into the city--i.e. MG Road-rich-Westerner-area usually cost 70-100 Rs, depending upon how bad traffic might be and how much fight I'm willing to put up over 25 cents. Rides home at night are 100-140 Rs.

The commute to the office takes about 40 minutes, including at least one stop for directions (though I'm getting better at identifying where the turns are). The ride home takes lest time, since my place is more in-town and by some reasonably good landmarks (though once I had a driver go to the wrong massive fancy development).

As you may have guessed, I'm in the middle of another internet and power outage, so I have time to write about really mundane things. Basically, I work until I run out of things I can accomplish or meetings I can have, write or review notes until my laptop dies or I give up on waiting.

[Time Passes]
Since the internet is still not in my home (and quite honestly, I'm about to just ditch hopes all together), I'm again in a cyber cafe--no beverages, just carrels with machines and a printer, though they let me plug in my laptop at this one, thankfully. It costs about 20-50 Rs per hour. I could go to a fancy Western Hotel and sip chai while I work, but internet access costs 1000 Rs/day, plus 45-60 minutes transit each way, plus the $5 in auto rides. I ran a speed test, and I get ~100-125 here at the ol' cyber cafe, and it's not too bad.

Interesting (well, for Britten, at least) Aside: This morning I saw a car with a "Mystery Spot" bumper sticker. I'll look for Wall Drug tomorrow.

Also, I'm officially one month in (not in India, but with GFTC), so 5 months, plus or minus any vacation I take, are left. Time flies...

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Are old people allowed to cut in line in India?

At the grocery store, I was waiting in line to pay. The produce lady set down a basket of good belonging to an old man. My place was disregarded. I thought maybe she thought the basket was too heavy for him to lift off the floor.

I hopped lines over to the other checker, as the girl running the previous line seemed uncertain, at best. A different old man simply stepped in front of me in line. I guess I'm supposed to give old people deference not only for public seating, but they get to queue-jump, as well. I don't really mind either way, but I would like to know protocol. Anyone?



Binary India

So, if I were to have to come up with a sorting method for the nation of India, I think I might have to go fat/thin. Rich and middle class people are are fat. Fat like "Am I at WalMart in Garland?" fat (that's a Texas reference). And, I'm at risk, too, being both rich and enjoying Indian food.

Food is definitely the social lubricant (if you drink, it's before you eat, btw, so you end up starving and hammered by like 10 PM). So, there's item one that I notice: people are REALLY into food.

Diabetes is a big problem in India. I don't actually know if it's genetic or fat-induced, but you see glucose bread, etc, in the stores and lots of adverts for test kits, etc in the stores.

The other thing you see in the stores: SWEETS. The 8-aisle markets usually have a snack aisle and a sweet aisle. The streets have a sweet shop every other block. And the sweets are FRICKIN' DELICIOUS and have tons of variety. I try to stay away, as I already have moon pies, sesame treats, and a couple kinds of hot chips. Hot chips are freshly made Indian junk food like banana chips or spicy potato chips or crunchy fried peas etc etc etc.

Aye, the internet: she be a fickle beast

(Interestingly, I came up with that *before* I was reminded that it's ITLAPD)

Still no access at home. I've found a few slow places near the house, but the connections tend to drop or be intermittent. I made it out to Grameen Koota today (after confusing my poor auto-rickshaw driver GK is pretty far south). Once I got to GK I had no power. Once I got power--no internet.

I finally got online for a while, and then--blackout (something about the rain). So, here I sit, typing in Notepad, waiting for internet.

Now, I'm sure many of you would point out that I lived sans-web for more than half my life. Plenty of people have traveled the world, moved to new cities, and done many, many things without Skype or IM or Google Maps. However, none of those people were expected to be online all the time. Also, a lot of my work is online (yes, that *does* bring up some interesting issues WRT to how things are done).

On the positive side, all the offices in India bring you tea or coffee all the time. I don't think it's just because I'm a guest. At 11-ish and sometimes snackthirty, somebody comes around and brings you a hot bev and sometime cookies (that part is definitely a guest thing). Of course, you then have no excuse to leave the office, but who cares? Someone is bringing you stuff! Also, I get free lunch every day, and everybody eats together (well, except today, where I ate after everyone because I was in meetings).

I'm trying to figure out what people do during a blackout. The vibe seems the same as a network outage at home. You *try* to work, but ultimately--what can you do? Some people have meetings, some people ave analog work, and some people just kick back.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Reunited and it feels so goood...

Crappy chai, good internet here at Barista. Barista has manged to strip everything good out of the hot beverage experience (worst_chai_EVAH), but THEY HAVE INTERNET.
So, I've slapped up all my earlier posts. I fixed my unintentional "tehs," but cut me some slack on teh rest. We know I'll learn Hindi before I learns to type.

"Feeling good, Lewis!"

By the time you read this message, I will have reached the internet. I was very close to the internet; I even accessed it briefly. ut then--wham! chatty Indian business man who wanted to know everything about me, where I was staying my contact info, "Oh--I am bothering you. Do you have a card. Here is my card. You have address in Bangalore? Internet address? Where are you staying..."
Now, I *know* I need to work on my friendliness, but he was driving me nuts. So, I set out to find lunch (using it as en excuse). I'm now in the MG Road area (think Times Square-is vibe) at a restaurant that opened th menu to European dishes. Sigh. It's also going to be a pricey lunch, I think. However, ay I was struggling to find a restaurant that looked good, so I swore I would eat at the next place I saw. The next place was actually McDonald's, so I skipped that one, though I am curious to see the Indian iteration. I am now at Flame or Paradise or other connotated English word. It's dark, cool, and has Kenya v. Sri Lanka on ESPN. Sri Lanka appears to be kicking Kenya's ass, near as I can tell.

This morning I got a lot of work done, and then I headed out to reunite with teh 'nets, get business supplies, and acquire maps of Bangalore. I stopped and bought a bunch of cooking gear, so I'll be able to entertain and feed myself for a few evenings. Mainly, I WANT INTERNET. When I have it back, I shall pet it, and love it and call it George because I have an outbox stacked with email, and I need to use and update mifos.org.

Provisions and cleaning supplies have been acquired!

I intended to find internet, get a map, etc etc, but I felt a little feverish and a lot fatigued while making the lunch run (if you sweat in an air conditioned department store but not on the humid street, something is probably not right). On my way out of the complex, I took a brief tour of the Club House, which has a skimpy-but-acceptable fitness room, squash courts, a table tennis room, and a large gymnasium for shuttlecock (that one is for you, Dre). I'll get set up with a membership card once Liz arrives. Overall, the facilities are nice, but they definitely have the look of a property at teh start of its decline.

I checked for household items (washcloths, a kettle, pots, dishware, new pillows) at the department store close to the condo, but the price/quality/salary ratio made most of the items on par with what I would have spent for the same thing in Seattle [side note: I can hear a midi-quality version of Fur Elise coming from the outside. I suspect it's the reverse warning on a truck]. When Liz gets back, we'll make a market trip and haggle for more interesting, less expensive items.

Dad, I Think I've Turned into Ray

The grocery, FabMart, is across the street from the towers. There's also a small fruit market at the entry gate (which I didn't notice until after I had already bought my wee bananas at the grocery). I'm leading a pretty sad bachelor(ette) lifestyle. I empathize with those among you who cannot cook, and I offer you lessons upon my return. I can cook, having started at about 7 years old. However, given that I have nothing in which to cook food, I'm a little pathetic.

The store had a wide variety of grains, oils and spices, plus a bunch of ready-made dishes that I looked at a little stupidly and then moved away. The low point was when I found myself in front of ramen packets and realized I couldn't even make the most base of meals. I had to look for self-contained victuals: bread, yoghurt, fruit, and the ever-popular frozen pizza. I'm actually fine with eating very simply for a while, though. All my previous meals have been heavy and "ghee-licious."

Today's Lesson: Just Because the Picture Looks Like a Microwave...
It turned out that the "electric oven" instructions on the frozen pizza were for, um, an electric oven. We don't have anything but a microwave and a gas range, so I had to improvise. Microwaved par-baked pizza cooked directly on the micro glass tastes fine, though you can't get any kind of a crispy crust. I ate off a rather pitiful combination of a leftover clean airline napkin and the pizza box. At least I ate at the dining room table?

The one tea mug in the house turned out to be ceramic instead of plastic, so I have been able to boil water for my Assamese tea, which is great. It's peppercorn-sized balls of unspiced tea instead of tea leaves. The ceramic factor also means I can now cook [sic] ramen. BTW--Huge Peter can tell you where to get good spiced tea (chai) in Seattle.


"Plumber, Madam"

I spent the rest of the day cleaning, resting, and organizing. I feel much better having wiped everything down with a harsh chemical mixture. I also discovered that the sink leaks. Another call to Sophia resulted in the maintenance man showing up within the hour. Instead of a big toolbox/giant van of equipment, he had a couple crescent wrenches. That's it. He found the block, cleared it, asked me to verify it, and left. The sink now leaks significantly less than it did before (I didn't catch it during verification).


From the World of The Neat:
I just received an SMS from the Bangalore city police, indicating that "Heavy rains have resulted in traffic congestion. Please use the roads only if it is very necessary." I also get SMSpam and some random phone calls, but I love the idea that most of the city just got a text.

More Home Logistics

Sophia called to make sure the plumber had taken care of things and gave me the "intercom" numbers for services (maintenance, Security, pharmacy, FabMart delivery: 100 Rs minimum, no delivery charges), and explained the Move-in fee, extra keys, and said that she would again check on internet (~1000 Rs/month, though I could have gotten slower speed for 660 Rs). I hooked up the gas for the stove, took some pictures of the unintentionally kitschy decor, and found places for all my belongings


Settled
I feel more settled, though lack of internet and limited phone makes is a little frustrating. The sty on my right eye appears to have subsided somewhat, and I should get a hot shower tonight, since the water heater has been on for several hours this time. I felt better after reading Britten's List [link to be added later!]. Tonight I'll do as much work as possible without internet, which should not be too bad, since I can run Mifos locally. Tomorrow, I *will* find Internet [make sure you say that like _____ in the end of TLOTM]. Our rental agent, Raj, offered to take me to see some of the Lord Ganesha festivals, though I don't know how much energy/time I will have for sightseeing (or for Raj, for that matter), though my sore throat is gone and I don't feel feverish anymore.

One interesting thing I find is that while spending so much time alone, I end up blogging in my head. The upside is that writing the entries takes less time; the downside is that it's halfway to talking to myself. I suspect you could Google "Ex-pat Bangalore" and find near-identical entries to this one, but at least you know where to buy good Indian chai mix in Seattle.

It was a dark and stormy night...

...while I moved into the condo. I officially have a home in Bangalore. I was able to move into my oddly-decorated three-bedroom home this evening. It's been raining most of the evening, providing some nice soothing white noise while I unpacked. Liz is in Chennai for a few days, so I'll be alone for a bit. Currently, the place lacks one critical feature: INTERNET. Our internet connection is supposed to be up within five days, according to our landlady, Sofia. She seems quite nice, though it was odd to be asked if I was a Christian (I answered yes for simplicity). I'll be working from the nearest internet facility, and let's hope that's close. Other than a few mosquitoes, it's ok here.

First Day in the Condo
I woke up and shuffled around, opened the drapes, and generally tried living in the place. I also discovered my right eyelid now has a sty. It seems to be subsiding, but let this incident be a reminder that you should not touch your face without washing your hands here. I'm hoping the swelling really is just a sty and not pink-eye or a fever blister, which I have had on this eye.

I'll post some pictures of the apartment, and I may even try to capture a recording of our doorbell, which plays a little song, and then a garbled lady's voice demands "Please open the door!" Raj, our rental agent, offered to change it for me, but I want Liz to hear it. Other sounds are the distant honks and moto engines on Bannerghatta Road, people sweeping in other apartment towers adjacent to mine, and the occasional wind chime.

Housekeeping
I started making the list of items we lack. Our fully furnished condo has no cooking implements, so despite having a pound of lovely, fresh Assamese tea, I can't boil any water. The water purifier in the kitchen seems like it ought to be serviced, and I need to stock up on cleaning supplies and washcloths (I haven't seen a single washcloth in India, ooher than the one I brought).

I succeeded in sending out the laundry. It should come back in three days. I have no idea how much it costs, the quality of work they do, or really anything other than I need to be here to open the door on September 17th when the doorbell lady tells me to.

We have a servant that will come for an hour on Sundays to clean. I don't really know what that entails (probably floors and shower scrubbing), but I have to be here to let her in. I plan to do a once-over on the house after acquiring cleaning supplies. My brain stem demands that I claim the nest as my own, I guess. Plus, a bunch of messy (according to our landlady) guys lived here before, and the apartment has some evidence that it has either not been completely cleaned or has been occupied for unknown purposes while it was being shown.

Of a (Slightly) Weaker Breed
Generally, I am fine. I seem to have picked up a sore throat and maybe a mild fever, plus a some fatigue. Tough to say if that's adjustment or illness, though I suspect the latter. The food is fine for my stomach et al, though I often eat one cop-out meal a day from my stash of imported energy bars. Meals are all made from scratch and the Indian culture does not put the same premium on hurrying that we do, so if i haven't eaten by 7 or 8, I dine upon a Balance Bar.

Mostly, I'm anxious to settle into a routine so that I can get more work done at GK.

Oh--and I yesterday saw a monkey and three of the FATTEST retrievers I have ever seen (not together, but that would have been AWESOME), and I think we can agree that I know from fatty goldens.

Air Budweiser and More: Assam

The jet lag has passed, but I continue to wake up between 4:30 and 6 AM which is pretty standard for me when I have a lot on my mind (for example new job, new house, new country...)
However, waking up so early allows me to get some extra work done, maybe write a little, or watch, say, Shirley MacLaine talking about the majesty of
the elk on a Hollywood talk show. Sadly, the cable went out before I could find further entertainment.

The quick update: luggage is back, we're now in Assam. I flew the fantastic Kingfisher Airlines (yes, the same company as the beer). We spent a day or so in Guwahati ("goo-hwaa-tee," but I'm
still working on where to pronounce the H). Highlights included a rip out to a silk weaving village, having met a man on the bus there who just
*happened* to have family in the silk business. So, we ended up at his house, got tea, met all his relatives, and bought the silk from his family. The consensus among my companions is that it was fun, even if we
paid an extra 5%, and besides, we all knew it was coming. On Sunday, a driver took us and the Mifos Specialist team to Tezpur, 190 km (120 miles) from Guwahati (~4-hour drive). The sceneray in Assam is very green and lush, as it's monsoon season still. the flooding has been quite intense in Assam this year.

I'm in Tezpur ("tezjh-pur") in the northeeast region of India at an MFI head office (HO). We spent yesterday getting an overview of their processes, receiving unlimited beverages, and learning a lot. In the afternoon, we went out and met a branch manager
and went to some new member meetings at some centers in the afternoon. I was VERY impressed by the MFI team. Today we head back out to the HO to get into more details about the Mifos on-boarding process.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Jai Hind!

I made it, as did most of my luggage. We had a bit of a snag in that I failed to notice that they response email from my hotel was 2 km away from the one I wanted. It's the same chain, and they're nice and clean and had toothpaste in my hotel room.

Let's all take a moment to throw a disapproving look at BA, as they appear to have kept my bag at Heathrow. Fortunately, the baggage assistance clerks in Bangalore were very efficient and had my paperwork all ready for me. We gave them some of the chocolate chip cookies Dad sent with me, which they loved (and were impressed that my father had made them fresh).

Bags are to arrive at the other hotel tomorrow(?). I can by on the clothes that were in the smaller bag.

Flight: slept and watched movies, most notably Hot Fuzz.

Off to sleep for a few hours and then spend the day settling in Bangalore (getting SIM cards, meeting to discuss work for the next couple days).