Alright, I'm ready to show off some of my pictures :) I went back and added pictures to old blogs. I am also starting a Picasa web album so you can see them all (still, I haven't taken that many yet!). Sorry!!!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Pictures
Hooray for Tom Brady! He actually figured out how to do the photo thing :)
I'll have to post them tonight when I get home, but for now, the link below is to my roommates pictures of last weekends trip to Tanjore and Maduari. I should warn you, the people I'm with are basically like professional photographers and they take a TON of pictures. They are really great pictures though. Cruise through these and I'll post mine later!!
I'll have to post them tonight when I get home, but for now, the link below is to my roommates pictures of last weekends trip to Tanjore and Maduari. I should warn you, the people I'm with are basically like professional photographers and they take a TON of pictures. They are really great pictures though. Cruise through these and I'll post mine later!!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Week 2
So, I realize that I have yet to come up with interesting names for my blog posts, but hey, at least I'm writing them. This blog is dedicated to Jen Stone, for "subtly implying" that I should blog a little more often than once a week :) What can I say, I take action on feedback.
Alright, enough with the Targetisms. Week 2 was a good one. First full week in the office was good and very productive. I went to our 2nd facility which is where I will spend the majority of my time this summer. Unfortunately, it also adds about 45 -60 minutes onto my drive time (that's each way folks) which brings the one way total to about 1.25 - 1.5 hours. The facilities are really nice though and it reminds me a lot of the building I work in in Minneapolis. Actually, with that sentence, I have to tell this story. There were two executives on a visit today (no names to protect the innocent) and were just stopping through on their way to Hong Kong. They had spent the morning at our RJU facility and were getting a tour of Manyata (the building i was in) in the afternoon. I could hear American voices behind my cube so I popped up to see the three of them standing there (2 visitors and their TI executive tour guide). Being a natural introvert, I walked over and introduced myself. The man looked confused and the woman looked frightened (not actually by my presence but more in general) and so I started asking them about their trip. The man responded with "the cubes are so small here, I just don't understand..." and when I looked to the woman for clarification, she looked at me and said "I'm sorry, I'm still not quite over the ride here. I had to keep my eyes closed the whole time, it was frightening." I took this as a cue that they had not quite adjusted to India. The remainder of the conversation was a little less awkward but needless to say I spent my car ride home feeling pretty proud of myself. Despite the grocery store incident, I have yet to be that thrown off by India. I'm not feeling like a citizen yet or anything but after less than two weeks I'm way better off than those two :)
Something really cool about last week was getting the opportunity to go to Vikram's wedding. Vikram is a
team member who had come to Minneapolis to train, went back to work in India and now is working with me to train the new hires this summer. He is just the nicest person and I was so excited to get the opportunity to go!! Obviously going to this wedding meant I would have to "sari up". While it may not sound like the most complicated garment (just wrap yourself right?) it actually is insanely intricate. Now try and follow this: My roommates drivers wife is the one who came to "dress me in the morning". And what that meant was that I stood in the middle of the living room with my arms straight up in the air while she circled around me and stuck me with safety pins (she didn't trust me to keep it in place myself...good call Geetha). When she was done, it really did look amazing (despite the awkward person inside it) and regardless of having trouble walking it was surprisingly comfortable and airy (which when you're going to a wedding hall with no AC and broken fans is rather important).
From there I joined Will, and two of his Indian team members for the 2 hour ride down. Minus the 1 hour "detour" his driver took, it was a lovely
drive. We got there just in time to see Vikram put the necklace on his new wife, which was the actual point of marriage (think ring exchanging in the U.S.). The actual ceremony had been going on for 3 days. We were there for the third day and only about 2-3 hours (had to get back to work). In the hours we were there, it was obvious that we, not the bride and groom, were the main attraction. You know how i talked about the pictures before? Well this was a small town wedding, so most people didn't speak English. So instead of asking for a picture, they just walked up and stood and looked at us and asked why we didn't speak Karnataka (the local dialect). I had no reply...
But in all seriousness, the wedding was beautiful. Vikram was so excited to see us, and that we made it in the traditional clothing. It was really heartwarming. His wife is very pretty, and although they looked a little hot and tired (so would anyone after that much ceremony in that heat). They also seemed very excited. Both families couldn't have been nicer. Vikram's brother went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable and his parents made a point to meet us and make us feel welcome. Of the time we were there, we watched about 2 hours of the ceremony. Most of it was a little confusing, obviously, but to sum it up, the bride and groom sit on a stage at the front of the wedd
ing hall (a big room) under a beautifully decorated canopy and a priest sits beside them. During the ceremony he basically gives them directions on what to do. Exp. He tells them to feed each other a certain dish or sprinkle water on the other person's head. You can't really hear what's going on, there's lots of music and it isn't like there's a microphone, so you just watch. It's so interesting and I really enjoyed it. After that we ate in a big room. Of course, they put us in the middle, which was really a great honor, but it also meant that everyone watched us eat. Overall, an incredible experience. I only got a few pictures (Vikram's brother is a professional so I'm waiting to see his...) but I'll make sure to post them...somewhere.
It's getting late and I've got another day ahead. So that's all for now. Good night!
Alright, enough with the Targetisms. Week 2 was a good one. First full week in the office was good and very productive. I went to our 2nd facility which is where I will spend the majority of my time this summer. Unfortunately, it also adds about 45 -60 minutes onto my drive time (that's each way folks) which brings the one way total to about 1.25 - 1.5 hours. The facilities are really nice though and it reminds me a lot of the building I work in in Minneapolis. Actually, with that sentence, I have to tell this story. There were two executives on a visit today (no names to protect the innocent) and were just stopping through on their way to Hong Kong. They had spent the morning at our RJU facility and were getting a tour of Manyata (the building i was in) in the afternoon. I could hear American voices behind my cube so I popped up to see the three of them standing there (2 visitors and their TI executive tour guide). Being a natural introvert, I walked over and introduced myself. The man looked confused and the woman looked frightened (not actually by my presence but more in general) and so I started asking them about their trip. The man responded with "the cubes are so small here, I just don't understand..." and when I looked to the woman for clarification, she looked at me and said "I'm sorry, I'm still not quite over the ride here. I had to keep my eyes closed the whole time, it was frightening." I took this as a cue that they had not quite adjusted to India. The remainder of the conversation was a little less awkward but needless to say I spent my car ride home feeling pretty proud of myself. Despite the grocery store incident, I have yet to be that thrown off by India. I'm not feeling like a citizen yet or anything but after less than two weeks I'm way better off than those two :)
Something really cool about last week was getting the opportunity to go to Vikram's wedding. Vikram is a
team member who had come to Minneapolis to train, went back to work in India and now is working with me to train the new hires this summer. He is just the nicest person and I was so excited to get the opportunity to go!! Obviously going to this wedding meant I would have to "sari up". While it may not sound like the most complicated garment (just wrap yourself right?) it actually is insanely intricate. Now try and follow this: My roommates drivers wife is the one who came to "dress me in the morning". And what that meant was that I stood in the middle of the living room with my arms straight up in the air while she circled around me and stuck me with safety pins (she didn't trust me to keep it in place myself...good call Geetha). When she was done, it really did look amazing (despite the awkward person inside it) and regardless of having trouble walking it was surprisingly comfortable and airy (which when you're going to a wedding hall with no AC and broken fans is rather important).From there I joined Will, and two of his Indian team members for the 2 hour ride down. Minus the 1 hour "detour" his driver took, it was a lovely
drive. We got there just in time to see Vikram put the necklace on his new wife, which was the actual point of marriage (think ring exchanging in the U.S.). The actual ceremony had been going on for 3 days. We were there for the third day and only about 2-3 hours (had to get back to work). In the hours we were there, it was obvious that we, not the bride and groom, were the main attraction. You know how i talked about the pictures before? Well this was a small town wedding, so most people didn't speak English. So instead of asking for a picture, they just walked up and stood and looked at us and asked why we didn't speak Karnataka (the local dialect). I had no reply...But in all seriousness, the wedding was beautiful. Vikram was so excited to see us, and that we made it in the traditional clothing. It was really heartwarming. His wife is very pretty, and although they looked a little hot and tired (so would anyone after that much ceremony in that heat). They also seemed very excited. Both families couldn't have been nicer. Vikram's brother went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable and his parents made a point to meet us and make us feel welcome. Of the time we were there, we watched about 2 hours of the ceremony. Most of it was a little confusing, obviously, but to sum it up, the bride and groom sit on a stage at the front of the wedd
ing hall (a big room) under a beautifully decorated canopy and a priest sits beside them. During the ceremony he basically gives them directions on what to do. Exp. He tells them to feed each other a certain dish or sprinkle water on the other person's head. You can't really hear what's going on, there's lots of music and it isn't like there's a microphone, so you just watch. It's so interesting and I really enjoyed it. After that we ate in a big room. Of course, they put us in the middle, which was really a great honor, but it also meant that everyone watched us eat. Overall, an incredible experience. I only got a few pictures (Vikram's brother is a professional so I'm waiting to see his...) but I'll make sure to post them...somewhere.It's getting late and I've got another day ahead. So that's all for now. Good night!
Monday, April 13, 2009
My first week
To tell the truth, I had a clear picture of what today's blog would be about, but that all dramatically changed this evening after work. Before I travelled to India, I was "warned" about several things that could potentially overwhelm me: the traffic, the noise, the trash, the poverty, but there was something that was left out. I have yet to be really thrown off by the aforementioned parts of life in India as I was aptly prepared. What I was not properly ready for?
The Indian grocery store.
Trust me, such a build up would not have been given if it wasn't worthy. Holy buckets. After a rather long Monday, I decided I would pick up some water and a few other necessities. After making a few phone calls so my driver could get directions to the store, I went in optimistic. I was wrong. I was so not prepared. I have never seen more people in one place and shoving other people more than I did in that store. I spent 25 minutes in line (apparently 1+1 hasn't made it to India yet let alone the idea of instocks) and I only made it out with about 1/3 of my list (I was too afraid to be there any longer). I got back in the car and recapped the events of the grocery store to my driver (too trau
matic to list here) who laughed so hard he had to pull the car over. This is the same guy who has so much respect for me (prior to this) he has recently changed from calling me the informal "ma'am" to now calling me "madame". Needless to say, I was so out of sorts when I got home, that the only thing I could do was eat a large chocolate bunny my mom gave me for Easter. And that's exactly what I did....And so begins week 2. But not without a "quick" recap of week 1.
After getting off to a great start Thursday, the jet lag quietly struck Friday morning. I truly feel bad for anyone I interacted with that day as I clearly was not on my A game. I managed to get through work and actually accomplished a few things, but then I quickly started to fade. And you know what they say, the best cure for being over tired is a 12 hour train ride to Southern India...or is it?
There really isn't anything like a long day at work followed by you, three of your new expat friends and about 8,000 of your closest Indian neighbors jumping on a 7pm train for just over 11 hours. And yes, if you do the math that puts us into the middle of the small city of Thanjavur (pronounced Tan-Jore) at approximately 5:40 in the morning. But don't worry, it was only a few blocks in the dark and rain (while still managing to be a balmy 95+ degrees) to our hotel. Did I mention India doesn't really do sidewalks? Only then to arrive at the hotel that says our room won't be ready until 8am. Classic.
Despite the rather interesting beginning to the trip, it an incredible weekend. Thanjavur is one of the oldest cities in India (and that's saying something). I learned so much there about South Indian culture, food, architecture and history. I was also lucky that we had 2 really great tour guides as I was definitely the only one of the 4 of us who didn't know who all the gods and goddesses were. Fortunately, the guides were patient in explaining everything and I really am starting to pick up on some things. I am really enjoying learning about Indian culture and religion, the passion and dedication the people here have for spirituality is inspiring. While we were in the city we visited the Brihadishwara Temple which is a UNESCO World Heritage site (meaning its so significant that the UN pays for the restoration and operation). We followed that up with a trip to the Royal Palace and then did a little shopping and I bought my first sari for a wedding I have coming up this week. Then we ate a very traditional Indian lunch in a restaurant that...well lets just say wouldn't have passed a health code inspection. I'm happy to report I didn't get sick and on top of that, thought everything was really delicious.
From Thanjavur, we went to Madurai, which is the oldest inhabited city in the Indian peninsula. It, like Thanjavur, is in the state of Tamil Nadu (which is right next to Karnataka, the state Bangalore is in) and was founded approximately 2500 years ago. temple in Madurai was absolutely incredible. It's one of the biggest temple complexes in India with 14 towers. On top of that the colors used on the construction of the temple is amazing. They repaint the entire temple every 12 years and we were lucky enough to arrive right after it had been painted so everything was so vibrant. The problem with that, however, is that everyone else in India also wants to see it, so it was a little crowded (which in India means there was a little over 1 million people there). While in Madurai, we stayed in a really cool hotel that was located on a nature reserve. Because of the location, I was able to get closer to a peacock that I ever though possible and way closer than I was comfortable with. Especially when it tried to eat my toes. No worries though, the attempts of said peacock were futile as a very nice Indian man distracted it with Wasabi peas (I couldn't make this stuff up). I think the real highlight of the whole trip was when we sat down at the temple and realized we were 4 Christians spending Easter in a Hindu temple. That definitely got some laughs.
Overall, it was a truly great weekend and it must be said that I am very lucky to be with some people here in India. On this trip I went with my roommate Pam, Will, and another expat in Marketing at Target named Lance. When you begin to spend time with all the people from the U.S. that uprooted their lives to move to India for minimum of a year, you start to see common characteristics. While everyone clearly has their own personality, they are each laid-back, hard-working, passionate, open-minded and truly have a great sense of humor. I think if you can't look around and laugh (not just at some of the craziness of India, but also at yourself) you can't make it here. I'm just really impressed by the people here and truly count myself lucky to have been accidentally sent here (Target got the name wrong on the airline ticket, I'm nothing like these other expats) :)
I do have to say though, the highlight of the entire weekend was learning my celebrity status. Jess, you were right. While I'm not making the front page of Indian People any time soon, I have definitely learned that my appearance (white, tall, blond, blue eyes) draws a crowd. On top of everyone just blatantly staring (which I'm still not quite okay with), everyone wants their picture taken with you. But wait, it gets better. Americans (the 4 of us) were the only ones with cameras. So they take a picture with you, using your camera. They just want it to be in someones record book that they met you and that they were there to document it. It was bizarre and hysterical all at the same time. Needless to say, once I figure out how to post pictures on this thing, you'll be cracking up. Oh India, you are incredible!
Pictures of Bangalore:
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
I made it!!!
Wow. I'm here. Unfortunately, that's about as deep a thought as I was able to conjure when I landed at 1am Bangalore time last night.
After 24 hours of travel, I have come to one conclusion: I love business class!!! A huge thank you goes to MMG for the support on that account. It was amazing. The food was great and for the first time in my life, my knees didn't touch the seat in front of me. It was truly incredible. As were the business class lounges, it's like a secret party that goes on while everyone else migrates to the airport Chiles. The sad thing is though, this has ruined coach for me forever. Although, the amount of attention you receive is a little overwhelming a
nd it is true what they say (credit to Adrienne) they feed you constantly! I think I'm good for the remainder of the week...
nd it is true what they say (credit to Adrienne) they feed you constantly! I think I'm good for the remainder of the week...As far as jetlag goes, I'm actually okay. I took the advice of travelers past and only slept on flights where it was nighttime in India. I didn't sleep in today (although with the blackout curtains at the hotel I probably could have slept until Saturday and not noticed) and went for an amazing brunch at the Leela. By the way, 
the Leela is the hotel I'm staying at (I figured barging in at 2am was not the best first impression for my new roommate) and it is super incredible. Google it. Leela Palace Hotel, Bangalore (picture to the left). And after you do, all I can say is yes, it is that beautiful. I changed my mind, I think I will stay here instead (just kidding).
the Leela is the hotel I'm staying at (I figured barging in at 2am was not the best first impression for my new roommate) and it is super incredible. Google it. Leela Palace Hotel, Bangalore (picture to the left). And after you do, all I can say is yes, it is that beautiful. I changed my mind, I think I will stay here instead (just kidding).Initial impressions of India:
There are stray dogs EVERYWHERE. I know that's an odd thing to mention, but seriously, they're everywhere. Then this morning I was reading the Times of India (newspaper) and there was a whole article on strays around Bangalore. It was nice to know it wasn't just me...
I also have already verified that when they say the people here are extremely kind and warm, it is so true. I already made a couple of friends while waiting for baggage at the airport. And apparently my giant stature (I have yet to see/meet anyone taller than me) does not frighten anyone. Speaking of kindness, Will Stanton (a manager in MP I work with) was so wonderful. As if he had nothing better to do at 1am, he and his driver made 45 minute (each way) trek out to the Bangalore airport to pick me up. And for those of you who know Will, or Willard as he is known here, in true Stanton fashion he was waiting outside with a Target-branded sign on a clipboard that said "Ms. Kate Brady". Classic...
Other than last night, my only other experiences in Bangalore have been in the car. And yes, the traffic is as bad as they say. We sat at a green light (yes, we had the green light) as the first car in line and it took us about 15 minutes to get through the intersection (on a red light of course). Shekar, my driver, is very nice, although I'm pretty sure I make him nervous, which probably surprises no one reading this blog. I spent most of the ride trying to convince him to stop calling me "ma'am".
Alright, well I'm going to move into my new place and meet my roommate Pam. Feel free to email me if these are incredibly lame or if there are any burning questions you have. Direction would be helpful, otherwise these will most likely be the ramblings you see above.
Pictures to come!!
Other than last night, my only other experiences in Bangalore have been in the car. And yes, the traffic is as bad as they say. We sat at a green light (yes, we had the green light) as the first car in line and it took us about 15 minutes to get through the intersection (on a red light of course). Shekar, my driver, is very nice, although I'm pretty sure I make him nervous, which probably surprises no one reading this blog. I spent most of the ride trying to convince him to stop calling me "ma'am".
Alright, well I'm going to move into my new place and meet my roommate Pam. Feel free to email me if these are incredibly lame or if there are any burning questions you have. Direction would be helpful, otherwise these will most likely be the ramblings you see above.
Pictures to come!!
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