The Last Post from India (for 2012)

Well its 10:32 a.m. IST and 7:02 AM Brussels time which means its approximately 1:02 am EST.  We are just over Prague and I’m enjoying a cup of Darjeeling tea as I write this.  We left India at 2:40 a.m. and I’m happy to report that I did get some sleep.  I slept approximately 5 hours with a little break in between.  Interesting in this 8.5 hour flight I have only watched 19 minutes of TV.  Sleep seemed MUCH more important.  The Toronto flight might be a mix of sleep and watching 😉

On my last day in India I completed the training  session and it again went well.  Overall average of 4.78/5 and some positive comments again.  After the session was over Mandakini and I went shopping.  I hadn’t had the chance to do much shopping this trip with every day training and interviewing.  (Plus a bit of sightseeing).  We went to Lifestyle which was a LOVELY store.  Mandakini told me that the ISC wanted to get me a gift so I had a choice of kurta.  They had really nice kurtas there so I chose a gold kurta with beading on the bodice.  It’s really pretty and some off-white churidar to go with it.  The kurta is such that I’m able to wear it with pants. It was the first kurta I tried on and I knew it was the one! 

I also saw some t-shirts and got a great one for Connor that says Jai Ho which is perfect since he loves that song on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack.  I was tempted by a t-shirt that had a silver outline of Gandhi and read keep walking or another that said Hardcore Indian but decided he’d prefer the Jai Ho. After clothing shopping we went to the home store and I saw some lovely china cups and saucers with a great Indian design so I picked up 2 for my Mom and a nice microwave safe bowl for me to have my porridge in the morning and think of India.

After the home store we were right by the MG Road metro station and so there were tons of autoricks and street vendors selling roasted corn and roasted sweet potato.  I asked Mandakini what the sweet potato was like and we purchased some.  It was swadisht (Hindi for yummy)!  The vendor prepared it by cutting off the skin and then cutting it into pieces; it was then salted/spiced and drizzled with lemon juice (actually Indian lemons look more like limes they are smaller and slightly green).  A nice way to make it.  Next time I’ll try the roasted corn.  The cost for the sweet potato?  25 rupess or less than $0.50. 

After shopping we went to visit the offices starting at the new office in Infocity.  It is LOVELY!  Lots and lots of sun motif’s throughout … I took a few photos to share with folks back home.  Also to illustrate to those on my blog how modern India looks.  I met up with some participants who’d been in the programs this time or previous programs.  It’s so nice to see everyone.  After visiting that office we quickly headed over to the other office to again say hello to folks and so I could say farewell to Priti. 

Then (approx. 9:00 p.m.) … I started packing! 

Such a wonderful trip.  It was different for me this time … I swear each time I go to India I come to love it more.  It is such a place of vibrant energy!  There is colour and activity everywhere!  It appears total chaos at times and yet things get done.  The Hindi term joogar is a perfect metaphor for India.  Joogar means to find a work around, to innovate, to makeshift, muddle through and indeed that is what happens.  Of course, I have been known to joogar myself.  ;-P

Hearing the stories from the women expats was fabulous!  Some incredible stories of growth and opportunity and clear-eyed views of the real challenges that come from living in India.  And yet, a great and abiding love for the country.  Mandakini was telling me that across from her house there is a Czech woman who married an Indian man and subsequently got divorced.  Rather than go back to Czech, she now resides in the house across from Manadakini … she has embraced the country. 

I feel like I grow more each time I come to India … she gets in and encourages reflection.  I feel like I embrace more of the country and sharpen my understanding of myself.  It’s an interesting personal exercise.  I’m thankful that this trip I got to experience more of India from the perspective of someone who lives there (albeit someone in a middle class environment) rather than someone in the rarefied world of the Crowne Plaza that doesn’t experience India except from a safe distance. 

If you let her in, India will embrace you … I have let her in … dhanyavad India agle saal fir milenge India!  Thank you India and see you next year!

Eeek they just announced the temperature in Brussels … its 8C!!! 

The Last Post from India (for 2012)

Well its 10:32 a.m. IST and 7:02 AM Brussels time which means its approximately 1:02 am EST. We are just over Prague and I’m enjoying a cup of Darjeeling tea as I write this. We left India at 2:40 a.m. and I’m happy to report that I did get some sleep. I slept approximately 5 hours with a little break in between. Interesting in this 8.5 hour flight I have only watched 19 minutes of TV. Sleep seemed MUCH more important. The Toronto flight might be a mix of sleep and watching 😉

On my last day in India I completed the training session and it again went well. Overall average of 4.78/5 and some positive comments again. After the session was over Mandakini and I went shopping. I hadn’t had the chance to do much shopping this trip with every day training and interviewing. (Plus a bit of sightseeing). We went to Lifestyle which was a LOVELY store. Mandakini told me that the ISC wanted to get me a gift so I had a choice of kurta. They had really nice kurtas there so I chose a gold kurta with beading on the bodice. It’s really pretty and some off-white churidar to go with it. The kurta is such that I’m able to wear it with pants. It was the first kurta I tried on and I knew it was the one!

I also saw some t-shirts and got a great one for Connor that says Jai Ho (Hindi for victory) which is perfect since he loves that song on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. I was tempted by a t-shirt that had a silver outline of Gandhi and read keep walking or another that said Hardcore Indian but decided he’d prefer the Jai Ho. After clothing shopping we went to the home store and I saw some lovely china cups and saucers with a great Indian design so I picked up 2 for my Mom and a nice microwave safe bowl for me to have my porridge in the morning and think of India.

After the home store we were right by the MG Road metro station and so there were tons of autoricks and street vendors selling roasted corn and roasted sweet potato. I asked Mandakini what the sweet potato was like and we purchased some. It was swadisht (Hindi for yummy)! The vendor prepared it by cutting off the skin and then cutting it into pieces; it was then salted/spiced and drizzled with lemon juice (actually Indian lemons look more like limes they are smaller and slightly green). A nice way to make it. Next time I’ll try the roasted corn. The cost for the sweet potato? 25 rupess or less than $0.50.

 

After shopping we went to visit the offices starting at the new office in Infocity. It is LOVELY! Lots and lots of sun motif’s throughout … I took a few photos to share with folks back home. Also to illustrate to those on my blog how modern India looks. I met up with some participants who’d been in the programs this time or previous programs. It’s so nice to see everyone. After visiting that office we quickly headed over to the other office to again say hello to folks and so I could say farewell to Priti.

Then (approx. 9:00 p.m.) … I started packing!

Such a wonderful trip. It was different for me this time … I swear each time I go to India I come to love it more. It is such a place of vibrant energy! There is colour and activity everywhere! It appears total chaos at times and yet things get done. The Hindi term joogar is a perfect metaphor for India. Joogar means to find a work around, to innovate, to makeshift, muddle through and indeed that is what happens. Of course, I have been known to joogar myself. ;-P

Hearing the stories from the women expats was fabulous! Some incredible stories of growth and opportunity and clear-eyed views of the real challenges that come from living in India. And yet, a great and abiding love for the country. Mandakini was telling me that across from her house there is a Czech woman who married an Indian man and subsequently got divorced. Rather than go back to Czech, she now resides in the house across from Manadakini … she has embraced the country.

I feel like I grow more each time I come to India … she gets in and encourages reflection. I feel like I embrace more of the country and sharpen my understanding of myself. It’s an interesting personal exercise. I’m thankful that this trip I got to experience more of India from the perspective of someone who lives there (albeit someone in a middle class environment) rather than someone in the rarefied world of the Crowne Plaza that doesn’t experience India except from a safe distance.

If you let her in, India will embrace you … I have let her in … dhanyavad India agle saal fir milenge India! Thank you India and see you next year!

Eeek they just announced the temperature in Brussels … its 8C!!!  In the words of Game of Thrones … Winter is coming … 😦

On Sunday I took the opportunity to sleep in a bit … I was feeling tired Saturday night and after waking up to call the boys to say goodnight, I turned over and went back to sleep until just after 9:00 a.m.  Interestingly I was still tired when I woke up but I did my run and some weights because that’s a necessity!  (Especially with all the great Indian food that surrounds me!)

After breakfast I decided to visit the template Chhatturpur.  I saw temples from the metro and it was at the Chhatturpur station so I looked it up (thanks Google) and it looked great.  Apparently it was the largest temple complex in India before Ashkardam was built.  I visited Ashkardam last year so it seemed appropriate to visit Chhatturpur.  I was tempted to use the metro again but since I was going on my own I promised I wouldn’t be as adventurous.  So I took a car from the hotel.

The temple complex was HUGE (60 acres)!! Luckily there weren’t throngs of people there either so it was easy to wander around.  The temples were BEAUTIFUL.  I took lots of pictures but wasn’t (obviously) able to take pictures inside the temples.

Front of the main temple

Me in front of one of the images of a god

Another beautiful temple

Me in front of Hanuman

Trishul or trident of Lord Shiva

One of the tableaus of the gods … this one I could take a picture of

Kapla Vriskha (Wish tree) people tie threads on the tree with wishes so their desires will be fulfilled

Another temple close up

After visiting Chhatturpur I took a side trip to Qutub Minar and boy am I glad I did … it was also BEAUTIFUL but in a different way.  Qutub Minar is the oldest (and tallest) minaret in India.  The complex (which is a UNESCO world heritage site) includes other beautiful monuments and a mosque from the time of the Mughul empire.  The minaret itself is 239 feet hight and was completed in 1192 AD.  made of red sandstone and is covered with intricate carvings and verses from the Qur’an.  It is BEAUTIFUL!!! 

GORGEOUS!!

I think you can tell that I thought this was FABULOUS!!  It was just beautiful and well maintained.  Really really cool.  I must say that there were some funny moments.  One Indian man asked if he could take a picture of me with his wife.  I consented … and they were most pleased!  (?)  Also, there were some girls dressed in colourful kurtas and some Asian fellows were taking pictues I asked if I could take a pic coz they looked so beautiful and then was asked to say in the pic by the Asian gentleman.  Apparently 49 yr old women are a hot picture in Qutub Minar 😛

Saturday

Since I didn’t post much yesterday this will be a mix of yesterday and today.  Yesterday was fun (and full!).  I met two young expats and we did a tour of Delhi.  We met at Sikanderpur metro station so I got to ride the metro agian!  I took a car from the hotel and we were to meet at 10 a.m. so I got in the car at 9:40 thinking of India traffic and … lo and behold … there was VERY little!  One of the other women remarked on the lack of traffic as well … she ended up waiting on the platform for 20 minutes.  Rebecca is Canadian and has been living and working in Gurgaon for just over a year.  The other woman is Valentina and she’s been in Gurgaon for just over a month.  Both were looking forward to being tourists for a day. 

We get on the metro and make our way to Connaught Place, the centre of Delhi.  Its circular and is a holdover from the days of the British Raj with colonial architecture and LOTS of shops.  First we stopped at Wenger’s Deli (yes a deli in Delhi) so Rebecca and Valentina could get a bite to eat.  We all remarked about the amount of staff in an Indian store – I swear there were more behind the counter than there were customers.  There were 2 people to take the order, another 2 to take the cash and then you had to take the receipt back to the others to fill the order.  A slow and arduous process … but labour is cheaper than machines here so there is little need to automate.  As well, having lots of employees is a form of income distribution.  Small specific jobs mean more people are employed and since there is NO social safety net that’s a good thing.

We were looking for the Delhi HoHo (hop on, hop off) bus.  We had an address but weren’t really sure how to get ther – street signs aren’t always the best in India.  We asked someone and they offered to show us the way … but not to the Delhi HoHo bus office.  We ended up in another tourism office but (being wily) declined the offer of service and called the Delhi HoHo office.  As it was a bit of a walk (and it was STINKING hot … 35C and humid) we opted for an autorick.  The three of us piled into the seat and off we went through traffic around Connaught Place.  I have to admit I was smiling … there’s no form of transportation like it back home and its soooo Indian!

We made it to the office and paid our tickets.  Rebecca got 50% off as she’s a “white Indian” and has a residency card.  Unfortunately for Valentina, she has to wait until January for her residency card and had to pay foreigner rate.  This is unfortunate for Valentina as she and Rebecca are working for a consulting firm as research analysts and are being paid Indian wages.  As Rebecca put it, my yearly wage might just pay the rent on my former apartment back in Canada but here she could live fairly well here in India.

The bus didn’t leave until 12:30 and so we prioritized our time because there was an hour between buses if you got off.  We decided on Humanyun’s Tomb, Indira Gandhi Museum and Jantar Mantar.  Luckily since we were HOT and sweaty the bus was air conditioned and we enjoyed being passengers chaffeured around Delhi in comfort.  We jumped off a couple of times to take photos like at India Gate.  Even though I’d seen it before, it is a lovely piece so I took a picture.  India Gate is a memorial to the 90,000 soldiers of the British Indian army that died in WW1.

 Because India Gate is a BIG tourist attraction there were a LOT of tourist buses there including one that caught my eye and made me giggle.

Yes you read that right … Panicker’s Travel.  I found out later that Panicker is a last name in the state of Kerala in the south.  It does, however, seem an unfortunate name for a tourism company. 

After a while we got to Humayun’s Tomb.  It is beautiful!  Humayun was a Mughul emperor and his wife built this tomb to him.  It is done in the same style as the Taj Mahal only in red sandstone instead of white marble.  The tomb was completed in 1572.  Here are some photos.

 

Beautiful eh?  The interior of the tomb is marvellous with domed ceilings and intricately carved window latticework.

 

It was gorgeous … and surrounded by beautiful gardens. 

 

We all thought we could be buried here quite happily :-P. 

Our next stop (after some nice time on the air conditioned bus) was the Indira Gandhi Museum which was, frankly, a bit of a disappointment.  It was the house she lived in.  Unfortunately you weren’t able to “into” the house, you peered in through windows to her bedroom, pooja (prayer) room, living room and dining room.  It was a nice bungalow done in a 70s – Indian style.  There was some commentary about her but nothing too much surprising because she was SUCH an important individual in India’s history.  The memorial to her death, however, was nicely done.  The her final walk from her home to her office was covered in crystal to resemble a river and a plate of glass marks the spot were she was assassinated.

There was also a great quote from her in the gift store.  It was available on a t-shirt but I wasn’t sure if my boy would wear it.  And here’s a pic of me in front of the sign to the most celebrated woman in Indian history and who was referred to as “the only man in parliament” during her time in power. 

More driving and sightseeing and then when we got to Jantar Matar our last stop it was close to 5 and we were hungry!  I’d gotten the name of a chai-walla from one of the folks at work and it was near Jantar Mantar so we headed to the chai-walla for some sustenance.  We were all yawning on the bus.  The chai-walla was GREAT!  We each had a samosa, chai and an Indian sweet (they were all different so we shared – Indian style) and the total came to 118 rupees or $2.10 at today’s exchange rate.   We ate in … unfortunately there wasn’t any AC and the fans were just moving warm, humid air but the food was GREAT!! Here’s some photos:Valentina on the left and Rebecca on the right.  Funny enough one of the security guards at Indira Gandhi house asked if I was Rebecca’s mother or sister and didn’t believe us when we said no.  I am old enough to be her mother 😦

 

The outside of Malik Sweets .. on a side alleyway in Janpath.  After eating … we decided against Jantar Mantar … and instead headed to our next stop … Cocoberry in Connaught Place.  We each got a yogurt plus toppings and I paid since I’m on Candian dollars 🙂  The total price this time for 3 small cocoberries?  297 rupees or $5.30.  Still a deal in Canadian but an AMAZING difference from the chai-walla!

After the nice cool yogurt (following the warm chai) in AC we headed for the metro back to Gurgaon.  I took a few shots of Rajiv Chowk station … very similar to Bloor station in Toronto with multiple lines converging and nice and clean and modern!

I know you’re all thinking it doesn’t look that busy … well it was a Sunday … and when we went to get on the metro (in the ladies’ car) it was a MASS of humanity!!  I took these photos for the express purpose of showing a side of India that doesn’t get a lot of exposure.  Many in the West think of India as a backward country.  In fact, Mandakini’s husband Vikas mentioned that some folks from the company he works for came from Switzerland and said they actually thought they’d be picked up at the airport by elephants!  Ignorant I realize but there is a tendency to look at the negative and “backward” side of India while ignoring the modern and progressive side.  Here you can see that India is indeed a modern nation with modern amenities.

Once I got back to the hotel I showered the day’s worth of layers of sweat off and readied myself to go to Mandakini’s for dinner.  I was honoured to be invited to a colleague’s home to have dinner with her family.  There was Mandakini, her husband Vikas, her son Chetanyu and here baby son and her mother in law.  The drive over was difficult however as it was raining cats and dogs!  And when it rains cats and dogs at the tail end of monsoon season it RAINS!  The streets get waterlogged and traffic snarls worse than normal.  It took over an hour to travel approx 8k!  But I arrived and shared a lovely evening.  Here’s a picture of Mandakini and her khusa bacce (happy baby).  He is a dolly and is one week from 6 months.  Lots and lots of smiles and hamsi (laughs),

Well that’s a long post … I think I’ll make this one only about Saturday and do a separate one on Sunday …

Cheers

 

Saturday …

Saturday is now over (its 12:29 a.m. here in India so its actually Sunday when I’m typing this :-P)  It’s been a busy day … lots of sightseeing and adventures.  Tonight after sightseeing I went over to a colleague’s home for dinner which was also great.  There’s a lot to write about but … it’s late and I’m tired … so I’ll just make this little post and promise to tell you more tomorrow.

Shubh ratri!

Friday

Well I’ve made it through to Friday … five days in a row of training is a LOT … but I made it through with energy until the last ball of the last over.  (I learned about balls and overs this week.  They are cricket terms and since cricket is the game of games here in India I decided I should use it instead of my usual habit talking about the final stretch as referred to in baseball).

The session went well today …. it scored an overall average of 4.68 out of a possible 5.  Comments included:

• This workshop helped in giving me new insight into being a leader for others
• Fantastic tools, great learning, will being to apply some of them immediately. Thanks
• Right session as I can relate a lot with learnings
• Awesome very useful
• The session was very helpful and effective in fulfilling the goal to lead for success. Best training I ever attended and an amazing trainer
• Examples, diverse scenarios, specific and relevant content. Excellent delivery by Shirley. handbook all great. Not able to find any improvement areas 🙂
• Good learning

I’m pleased.  I also was honoured today … some participants gave me a gift of a kurta and churidar pants!  I was so very touched by their generosity. It’s a lovely blue colour.  I’ll take a photo tomorrow and post it. 

There was a reception tonight for folks from the ISC … a Fast Track program concluded today and so the participants were feted.  There was a ceremony and certificate presentation followed by a reception and dinner here at the hotel.  It was very nice.  The MD of the ISC here thanked me for coming to India and bringing my energy and enthusiasm.  I blushed when someone asked if there was anyone in the room who didn’t know who I was and no one put up their hand.  The MD noted that I’d had a strong positive influence.  Phew … what a day … I swear I was concerned my head wouldn’t make it through the door to my room lol

Well … I’m going to head for bed … tomorrow I’m going on a hop-on, hop off bus tour of Delhi along with another Canadian woman I met the other night and her Italian roommate.  It should be fun … and then I’ve been invited over to a colleague’s for dinner.  It’ll be a fun night!!!

Since it’s night here now … there’s only 3 nights till I head for home … I miss my boys and can’t wait to see them!!!

Cheers all

Thursday …

Today is Thursday … hard to believe I’m over halfway through my trip.  This morning I woke up with the ALARM!  I believe I’m on India time now.  Today’s training went well … folks here are SO very engaged when in training.  I love seeing the engagement and interest.  We start our morning with teachbacks from the day before which are key points on the main topics.  Well today’s teachbacks were some of the MOST detailed I’ve ever seen … not just key points but almost a full recap of each and every topic!

After work I went to the office and walked around to show my face and say hello to people who’ve been in my sessions.  It’s so very nice to see friendly faces and smiles when I show up. 

Tonight I had dinner at the hotel with a fellow Canadian!  Yes the roommate of the woman I met last night who is an expat and working here in Gurgaon.  We had yet another great chat … love hearing these stories … such awesome experiences.  One of the great quotes from tonights interview was this … It’s easy to live in Canada. In India you have to love being who you are before you can enjoy living here.  It feels like when you arrive in India you are stripped down to nothing and then you build yourself back up to the person you want to be.  India is so different that everything you’re used to is taken away and you find out what you truly need. 

Its sort of a similar statement to one I heard last night.  Last night the statement was this … I learned I was French in India.  When I moved to Germany after college I didn’t want to be French.  I was tired of France and rejected my French background.  I loved Germany the planning the structure, the cleanliness.  But after 3 years it was too much.  I didn’t realize it until after I arrived in India but Germans weren’t flexible enough.  Once I arrived here I met other French people at the business school I was working at and I rediscovered my French roots and French culture and appreciated my background with my Indian students and with my French colleagues.

Love the sense of rediscovery of self in a place of difference.  It makes sense though … India is so very different that you can’t help but reflect on what and who you are, what your assumptions about life are and what your expectations are based on.  I learned a new Hindi word tonight … jugar which means to make do, muddle through, innovate, do the best with what you’e got, etc.  A cool word … it fits a great deal of what happens in India … it is jugar!

Best of all this Saturday I’m going to take a Hop on – Hop off bus in Delhi to see more of the sights.  Rebecca, the Canadian woman I met tonight is going to come along!  She hasn’t seen many of the sites and noted that her Indian friends aren’t that interested … just like back home going to Niagara Falls lol.  So I’ll have a companion for the sights of Delhi on Saturday.  Funny enough there are two prices for tourist attractions like this … Indians are 50% less and since Rebecca is a “white Indian” she has a residency card, she’ll get to pay the “Indian” price lol.

So that’s the news of today.  Tomorrow is the final day of training for the week … and then there’s a dinner with the leadership team for the office and other managers as the “Fast Track” program for high potentials is coming to an end.  I’ve been invited so that will be fun. 

Shubh ratri (Hindi for good night)

Great Night!

Tonight after work (the training went well again today) 😀  I met another expat for dinner and a chat.  We met at a South Indian restaurant … I can now say I’ve had South Indian food!  We had dosa and idlis and it was light and delicious. 

The conversation was, again, soooo interesting.  LOVE these stories and examples and hearing the learning that these women experience.  It is simply fascinating what leads people here. 

After dinner we met her flatmate at another restaurant / bar.  We walked along the street (few streetlights) and then took an autorick again to the bar.  It was another experience – autorick at night. 

Her roomate was there with 6 other expats all in their mid-twenties/early thirties.  And we sat on a patio outside talking about their lives in India, their work, the MASSIVE cultural/social shifts that are taking place and WOW … it was so cool.  Took me back to my days as an undergrad … solving the world problems and thinking big thoughts …

I’m loving getting out and about on my own and seeing different things and talking to different people this trip …

Day Three

So today I finished the last day of the first of my three training programs and I’m happy to say I appear to have done well! The session scored a 4.75 out of a possible 5.0 and there were some nice comments too:

• good learnings looking forward to followup touchpoints
• my best training at ISC to date. Thanks Shirley you are awesome
• Really new learning. Looking forward to more L&D workshops by Shirley
• Two thumbs up!! Thank you Shirley for sharing your wisdom with me. Looking forward to meeting you in Canada
• Energetic useful, information and helpful
• Thought the content of this session was good but this would never be interested without a facilitiator (Shirley)
• One Word: Excellent

Not bad eh?

Tonight after the session I met up with another female expat … another GREAT conversation! It is just so cool hearing about people’s experiences and thoughts about living and working internationally. SO cool. Interestingly this is someone who’s entire professional career has been in India. She’s originally from the US and decided early in her life that she wanted to live and work internationally. Really cool. Some great thoughts and examples … I’ll share some tomorrow. Interestingly she’s also thinking of going independent in the next year or so. As we were chatting about that I remarked that a couple of other women are expat entrepreneurs. The woman I spoke to tonight said when she thought about it that she knew a lot of other women who were expats who were business owners. Fascinating! She wondered if it had to do with these women being married to Indian men … perhaps but to move across the world to another country and decide to open a business … fascinating!!

In the meantime, its 9:45 and I’m BUSHED! I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and didn’t really get back to sleep so I’m gonna call this my blog for the day and hit the hay. Tomorrow I might meet up with another expat … more fun! Love hearing these stories.

Cheers

Stories and thoughts of Sunday and Today

A couple of things from yesterday and today …

First, today was the first day of the training I’m doing here in India so in honour of my host country I wore a kurta (tunic) and churidhar pants.  I got lots of admiring looks from the participants and the folks here at the hotel. 

I was telling the participants about my adventures on the Delhi Metro and in the auto-ricks.  They were most impressed and asked if I negotiated with the autorickshaw-walla.  I said sort of but I wasn’t sure if I paid a “Western” price or not.  When I told them how much I paid they said I did quite well.  I was within range of what a local Indian would pay 😀 … I guess I am becoming more Indian.  Last time one of my colleagues here said after two trips I was 50% Indian and I’d be 75% Indian by the next trip … it appears to be the case!

AS couple of the stories from yesterday I think are cool to share from the two women I met yesterday.  This piece where I asked what keeps them in Delhi was fascinating …

What keeps you here?  Not sure.  When things get too much something always says “no” to day.  I’m never bored.  There is always something going on.  I guess I like “the challenge of being/living here”.  I would say that once you’ve lived internationally you can’t go back to an insular situation.  You can’t go back to the small village looking to raise money for the church organ.  You can’t.  Living internationally changes you. 

I too like the challenge of living here.  It fascinates me.  I’m a political junkie and Indian politics is the best in the world.  There is such drama in the political sense here.  It’s a messy democracy but somehow it works.  I think its also a sense of “embracing the chaos”.  Being here helps me embrace my inner chaos.  For so many years I was very planful.  Everything was planned in a specific trajectory.  India is not like that so I’m learned to “embrace my inner chaos”.

Pending further information from others … I love that phrase “embracing the chaos” … it fits for me on what I’ve experienced here and what I think draws me to India.  I have a sense that to be successful here and to feel acclimatized and to adjust well you do need to “embrace the chaos”.  LOVE it!

Another story … When asked about the biggest challenge the issue of privacy / boundaries came up:

I needed my laptop repaired.  For various reasons the only time he and I could meet up to return the laptop was 9:30 at night.  He came and I let him in and he explained what was wrong and after about 10 minutes he left.  I accompanied him out and left the passage light on.  At midnight my landlady called to tell me I’d done that.  Seemed weird to me but I let it go.  Next day talking to landlord and mentioned his wife calling.  He said yes my wife thought you had a gentleman caller and that the light was still on because he was still here.  Explained not and asked if that had happened what would be the difficulty?  Wife was concerned about what they’d need to tell their girls.

Also another time went out with Indian friends and got home at 2 a.m.  Next day landlord mentioned got home very late.  Said next time text if going to be late so we won’t worry.  When asked why was told “We think of you as one of the family” different level of relationship – more than economic relationship.  Difficult to understand.

Another example.   In Delhi recycling is picked up once a month.  One day landlord went through my recycling.  Landlord said to me “I notice you drink a lot of mineral water and wondered where you bought it.”  When told said oh you can get the same at a wholesaler down the road you’re spending too much. 

Love the distinctions in relationships that we make in the West and the lack of those made in India.  A relationship is familial because families are so important here.  Marriage is a blending of two families here I was told last time.  Family (and by definition family is EXTENDED family) is HUGELY important here.  MUCH less so in North America.  As one of the women I met with said, on one hand it is sweet but on the other its disconcerting because its a level of relationship she hadn’t expected.  In North America we tend to compartmentalize our relationships much moreso than here in India.

Finally, I went to the mall tonight and picked up a couple of books.  One is  novel by one of my favourite authors Michael Connolly and one I’ve not read of his.  The other is by an Indian author Rashmi Bansai and its called Poor Little Rich Slum.  Its about the Dharavi slum in Mumbai (the setting for some of the scenes in Slumdog Millionaire).  Interestingly the “take” of the book is summed up here … “One little, two little, three little Indians, four little, five little, six little Indians, seven little, eight little, nine little Indians … one million little Indian entrepreneurs.  These are the stories of the little people who make up the Big Idea of Dharavi.  A slum of energy, enterprise and hope.  Where every hand is busy, every head held high.  Where people could be miserable but choose to be happy.  A choice each of us can make”

Bansal is an author of 3 other books that have a focuse on entrepeneurship in India.  Isn’t that fascinating?  A book about a slum from the entrepreneurship angle!  Fascinating … I read through a few pages and it looked great.  It’s also chock a block of photographs too.  Should be an interesting read!

Well … its after 10 … time to turn in!  Shubh ratri … that’s Hindi for Good night!