First you have to know that there is automatic and semi automatic.
The diff is that semi automatic you need to put laundry in spinner after wash (a separate tub).
So I ask the clerk; I put the clothes in the tub, push a button and wait. When done I put laundry in the spinner and then hang it up to dry (no dryers here).
I confirm, is this all I need to do – yes Sir.
Swagata goes to the same store some days later and gets the same story, but she asks about the automatic model:
Do I have to turn on the tap in order for the tub to fill? - Yes ma’m.
Do I need to turn tap off when tub is full? - Yes ma’m.
Do I need to select wash with the knob? - Yes ma’m.
When washing is done, do I have to set the knob to drain? - Yes ma’m.
When draining is done I have to fill the tub again and then select rinse? - Yes, ma’m.
WELL, THAT’S NOT JUST A SINGLE BUTTON PUSH THEN, IS IT?? - No Ma’m.
Moral of the story: you gotta know what questions to ask.
Of course, being strangers here, how do you know what the questions are?
Friday, October 19, 2007
Drivers (by Cor)
Drivers - this is when you do not have your own car and need to get what we would call a taxi - except you "hire a car" to go to the airport, or shopping, or whatever. It's usually for several hours and quite reasonable $2-$3/hour. Except paying this several times per week gets to be a hassle.
We've now bought our own car, the Mahindra Scorpio, an "SUV" - quite nice, and soooo much better than trying to get the driver to come on time and get you where you need to go. Some people have their own cars AND a personal driver, not too expensive, $125 month (yes, for the whole month - he washes your car too and runs errands).
It's funny how you see a VERY small car with a chauffeur and the passenger in the back, just like in a limmo, except the car is one quarter the size of the limmo.
It's funny how after some months here now, a Honda City (smaller than a Civic) or Toyota Corolla actually look like large luxurious automobiles. A BMW (rare) or Benz looks absolutely extravagant - of course they cost 125% more here, due to import tarrifs.
Drivers come in all shapes and sizes (old, young, smart, s....d, etc). One thing they share; when you ask them "do you know how to get to place x or place y”, they all say say yes.
Well if they kindof mumble yes, they don’t know. Be careful.
What will happen is that they take off down the street and ask directions from people along the way. Of course most of those people answer very diligently, first pointing left and then right and then another way yet – all of this resulting in mass confusion and no clear directions. Eventually you do arrive at the address – most of the time, but almost always late.
Problem is that many streets do not have names, and very few streets have street names posted. And, of course we still dont always know how to get there either, so we dont know if the driver is guessing or not.
One exception, if you need to get to the airport they get you there on time, no matter what traffic jams they encounter - it's amazing.
We've now bought our own car, the Mahindra Scorpio, an "SUV" - quite nice, and soooo much better than trying to get the driver to come on time and get you where you need to go. Some people have their own cars AND a personal driver, not too expensive, $125 month (yes, for the whole month - he washes your car too and runs errands).
It's funny how you see a VERY small car with a chauffeur and the passenger in the back, just like in a limmo, except the car is one quarter the size of the limmo.
It's funny how after some months here now, a Honda City (smaller than a Civic) or Toyota Corolla actually look like large luxurious automobiles. A BMW (rare) or Benz looks absolutely extravagant - of course they cost 125% more here, due to import tarrifs.
Drivers come in all shapes and sizes (old, young, smart, s....d, etc). One thing they share; when you ask them "do you know how to get to place x or place y”, they all say say yes.
Well if they kindof mumble yes, they don’t know. Be careful.
What will happen is that they take off down the street and ask directions from people along the way. Of course most of those people answer very diligently, first pointing left and then right and then another way yet – all of this resulting in mass confusion and no clear directions. Eventually you do arrive at the address – most of the time, but almost always late.
Problem is that many streets do not have names, and very few streets have street names posted. And, of course we still dont always know how to get there either, so we dont know if the driver is guessing or not.
One exception, if you need to get to the airport they get you there on time, no matter what traffic jams they encounter - it's amazing.
Random Observations by Cor
Chalta Hai
It’s just amazing sometimes:
You scream and yell at someone, because you’re frustrated, they don’t understand you, they do something stupid, or whatever – and the next instance they’ll ask “Can I get you a cup of tea”?
All teenagers come a pinch your kid’s cheeks, smile their big white-toothed and honestly sweet smiles at your children and ask their names.
You ask for directions on the road and everyone will try and help you, nobody turns away from you – no matter what they are doing, whether they are in a hurry or not.
Service at business hotels is very good, helpful and friendly - yet you will be checking in with a clerk at the reception and someone behind you will step in front of you and try to get their affairs taken care of first. This same scene is repeated anywhere you go.
If there is one foot of space between your car and the one ahead of you, some bike or car or bulloock cart, or auto-rickshaw or pedestrian will try to occupy that space – so you better inch your own car ahead, so that you don’t get pushed to the back of the pack all the time.
Cars (4 wheelers) and motorbikes (2 wheelers) honk their horns at will; honking a horn is not offensive, it is defensive; it tells people “I am here, don’t run into to me” – so you hear honking horns ALL the time, often for no reason at all. My wife jokes that her brother honks at trees.
Grid lock happens frequently (literally), even when a policeman is directing traffic. He may allow one lane of vehicles go until they fill up the entire intersection. When that’s done the other lanes of traffic try to get around the vehicles blocking the intersection, and before you know it the entire intersection is stuck. To be fair to the policeman, most drivers ignore his commands.
It’s just amazing sometimes:
You scream and yell at someone, because you’re frustrated, they don’t understand you, they do something stupid, or whatever – and the next instance they’ll ask “Can I get you a cup of tea”?
All teenagers come a pinch your kid’s cheeks, smile their big white-toothed and honestly sweet smiles at your children and ask their names.
You ask for directions on the road and everyone will try and help you, nobody turns away from you – no matter what they are doing, whether they are in a hurry or not.
Service at business hotels is very good, helpful and friendly - yet you will be checking in with a clerk at the reception and someone behind you will step in front of you and try to get their affairs taken care of first. This same scene is repeated anywhere you go.
If there is one foot of space between your car and the one ahead of you, some bike or car or bulloock cart, or auto-rickshaw or pedestrian will try to occupy that space – so you better inch your own car ahead, so that you don’t get pushed to the back of the pack all the time.
Cars (4 wheelers) and motorbikes (2 wheelers) honk their horns at will; honking a horn is not offensive, it is defensive; it tells people “I am here, don’t run into to me” – so you hear honking horns ALL the time, often for no reason at all. My wife jokes that her brother honks at trees.
Grid lock happens frequently (literally), even when a policeman is directing traffic. He may allow one lane of vehicles go until they fill up the entire intersection. When that’s done the other lanes of traffic try to get around the vehicles blocking the intersection, and before you know it the entire intersection is stuck. To be fair to the policeman, most drivers ignore his commands.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Trips (by Swagata)
Whenever we get the opportunity, we make little trips. The first one was to Mysore, a much smaller city than Bangalore.
When the temple was carved, the rocks were soft and therefore easy to cut. The quality of the rocks is that they harden over time.
When the statues of Gods were washed inside the temples, the indoor drainage carried the water out.
R’s hand is in one of the outer drains. No worship is carried on i
n this temple now, because the deities have been looted over the centuries. This temple is now a National Monument.
Bangalore Railway Station
The highlight was a free open air concert by Shreya Goshal and Kunal Ganjanwala (sp?). Reminded me of the open air concerts in California, only this time it was Indian artists.
The small village of Somnathapura is about 35 klms from Mysore The Keshava Temple here was built in 1268 - Hoysala Dynasty.
We enjoy looking at ancient temples, built 700 – 1000 years ago, still standing strong.
The carvings tells stories of the Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, which just fascinate Rohan to no end. Just by studying how many hands and legs a statue has, and what instrument/weapon each hand is carrying, Rohan can make a pretty good guess which mythical character it is. Similar to Roman and Greek mythologies.
The highlight was a free open air concert by Shreya Goshal and Kunal Ganjanwala (sp?). Reminded me of the open air concerts in California, only this time it was Indian artists.
The small village of Somnathapura is about 35 klms from Mysore The Keshava Temple here was built in 1268 - Hoysala Dynasty.
We enjoy looking at ancient temples, built 700 – 1000 years ago, still standing strong.
The carvings tells stories of the Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, which just fascinate Rohan to no end. Just by studying how many hands and legs a statue has, and what instrument/weapon each hand is carrying, Rohan can make a pretty good guess which mythical character it is. Similar to Roman and Greek mythologies.
I have to thanks Bangla School of Irvine for this – that little role of a monkey in Hanuman’s army 4 years ago was enough to kindle R’s interest in the Indian epics.
When the temple was carved, the rocks were soft and therefore easy to cut. The quality of the rocks is that they harden over time.
When the statues of Gods were washed inside the temples, the indoor drainage carried the water out.
R’s hand is in one of the outer drains. No worship is carried on i
n this temple now, because the deities have been looted over the centuries. This temple is now a National Monument.Lots of scenic places too, like the Balmuri Falls near Mysore.
Balmuri Falls near Mysore
Balmuri Falls near Mysore
YELAGIRI
Yelagiri is a small hill station in Tamil Nadu, about 180 klms by car from Bangalore. We drove up the hill through 14 hairpin bends, and were surprised to see an entire town complete with cows and wagons up there. AND wild pigs.
Yelagiri is a small hill station in Tamil Nadu, about 180 klms by car from Bangalore. We drove up the hill through 14 hairpin bends, and were surprised to see an entire town complete with cows and wagons up there. AND wild pigs.
Not to mention, all those monkeys along the way.
Time has stood still in some places.
The monkeys know what's coming?
And then, there was this road that seemed to lead to nowhere:-
But, C and I kept walking in the rain, and found Le Auroville, a subsidiary of Aurobindo Ashram, where we were treated to hot tea.
But, C and I kept walking in the rain, and found Le Auroville, a subsidiary of Aurobindo Ashram, where we were treated to hot tea.
Since it was raining on the way back, Mike, the manager, gave us his Kinetic Honda to ride back to our hotel!
The Malyalis decided to celebrate Onam at our complex this year. It is Kerala’s biggest festival – their harvest festival, and is not restricted to any particular religion. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, all come together to celebrate.
Very traditional fare.
So, we too tried our hand at the traditional
costume….
Very traditional fare.
So, we too tried our hand at the traditional
costume….Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Cor's first post
India-ahh......
“Ahh” like in Agony, or “Ahh” like in Ecstasy?
Well, this is my first post, after two months here. Been busy, getting the house set up, doing some work and ... breaking my bones ... Those of you who have read this blog before know already, I broke my wrist, yes, just walking down the street. I guess there is something to the old saying "he can't walk and chew gum at the same time". Of course I was not even chewing gum. Anyway, all I have left of this injury now is an ugly scar, some sore muscles and a steel plate (which has to be taken out in 6-12 months, I wonder if I will have the courage).
Yes, this is a place of extremes. You can feel really good here, or extremely frustrated. You can see very poor people, next to nicely middle class people (which means pretty well off compared to the other 70%). In the lay-out (read "walled off neighborhood") that we live in, you can even see that. All the home owners are well off or very well off, but the laborers written about earlier, live in a concrete block, one room place built right next to the construction site, and the whole family lives there. The empty lot next to it serves as the bathroom and the hose is the toilet paper, shower and drinking water. And they may be the lucky ones.
I'm sure we'l write more about this as time goes by.
The Indians I come in contact with are all very nice, helpful, friendly, warm, etc. All of what I had remembered and hoped to find. The kids are the biggest beneficiaries from this. Especially young boys and men all have a smile for the children and a pinch on their cheeks. But even for me, at work, everyone's is always ready to be of help, give advise, etc. It may be because I am a foreigner, but that is not the only reason. People are just very gentle here.
Ok, I had made some notes earlier about some of the experiences we had getting stuff set up in the house. This is not meant to complain, but I thought it may be an interesting illustration of what life here is like at times.
First our quest to get a gas connection, for cooking. This means a gas cylinder is delivered to your house. Seems easy enough ....
* Go to the Gas Company equivalent and they say: Need ration card before we can give it to you
* Go find out where to get that and learn that: Govt does not issue them any more
* Can get it from a commercial supplier , someone says
* Go to this place: However, does not fit under the sink, too tall.
* Can get a private connection, someone says
* Find this place and: Costs extra (almost 2x), but have 2 cylinders next day
* Ahhhh - like a good ahhh (even though it took about 2 weeks and 3,4,5 trips)
Note that most of these things cannot be done by phone, the phone is not picked up or is turned off most of the time, you gotta go there in person.
Now my loooong story about my mobile phone. As of now, I think I'm ok (i.e. it wont be turned off any more), but it was a long and arduous trip.
If you think this is a long story, just remember, I had to live through this:
1. Buy phone from some place.
2. Get driven (on the back of a scooter while the driver is talking on his mobile) to the Airtel office, the service provider, for sim card (i.e. the connection)
3. Need proof of residency, pics, copy of passport, lease, PIO card
4. I come back next day to the Airtel office with the stuff, plus Rs4,000 ($100) deposit.
5. They don’t understand PIO card (Person of Indian Origin, like a green card), but after many calls to a supervisor, it’s ok. I ask about international access on my mobile, but they say it requires a Rs20,000 ($500) deposit. I decide against it.
6. Phone gets turned on same night
7. Now I need a data card (i.e a cellular modem)
8. At the Airtel office they say a man will come tomorrow
9. Man does not show
10. Call the Airtel office but no one answers
11. Call 121 – no answer
12. Call 450 12345 – get good info, but have to go back to Airtel office
13. At the office they say “man will come today itself”
14. Go home and wait
15. Yes! Man comes, however he does not say at first, but he is here to verify our place of residency – not for the data card. After a long confusion, he says why he is here. He says, I don’t want to see your service turned off, so I came to check.
16. I go to the Airtel office and ask what happened to the man who was going to come with the data card – don’t worry, he’ll come tonight only.
17. And yes, he comes. But connection is as slow as dialup modem – it it’s of no use.
18. Next day, mobile service is turned off again – why?
19. I called 121, they say don’t worry, it was a mistake, they’ll turn it back on.
20. A couple of days later the service is turned off again.
21. I called 121, they say the man must have not filed his residency report, you need to go back to the Airtel office.
22. Back to the Airtel office (btw, it is about 3kms from here, but we don’t have a car so we have to get a taxi, and due to the road conditions, it takes 30 minutes to get there).
23. They talk and look at the paper and talk, we give them a copy of our gas connection, etc. Ok, finally they say it’s ok, service will be turned back on tonight. Don’t worry. I ask about international access, they say it is Rs6,000 ($150) – remember last time I asked it was $500. I decide to go ahead and get international calling.
24. Ok, that night I have both local and international service. Wow!
25. All the while I have been trying to get email working. I call 121, but now instead of English the message is in the local language. So I go to the Airtel office and ask. Ohh, you need to activate it. Send an SMS and it will be turned on in 24 hours.
26. I send SMS and sure enough I get no less than 6 confirmation SMS’s that the service has been turned on. But email/web access still does not work.
27. But I am happily calling the US and Holland and letting people know we’re still alive, until ….
28. A week later my service is turned off again. I call 121, but it is in the local language (remember, this used to be English).
29. So I go to the Airtel office to see what’s the reason. Well sir, you only have a Rs500 credit limit, and you have exceeded that (all those US and NL calls). But wait, I have deposited Rs10,000 already!!! Ok sir, we’ll fix it in 30 minutes. Don’t worry. Ok, and what about the language issue on 121. Ok sir, we’ll fix it in 30 minutes. Don’t worry. Ok, and what about my email access. Sir, we have no record of this, you need to send the SMS again. But I have 6 confirmation messages! Yes sir, but it does not show here, please send it again. Don’t worry.
30. 3 hours later, still no service. I call 121 from a land line, and yes! I get through to a live person. He says the service was turned off because of failure to verify residency – see above. Whaaaat, that was supposed to have been cleared up TWICE already. Anyway, he promises to turn my phone back on in 4 hours, get 121 to answer in English for me and once all items are cleared my credit limit will increase to Rs10,000.
31. Residency is not verified in the next few days, I get nervous that they may turn off the phone again, so I call 121 and they promise (100%!) to come on Tuesday before 10:30 am.
32. On Tuesday at 4PM I call and start yelling, finally they explain that the 10:30am promise was to, by that time, set a date of when the person will come to verify residency. Well i got a lot of screaming off my chest, but in the end accepted it. They promise to settle this by next week.
33. I get an SMS that my credit line is now Rs10K - whoopie, one problem solved. And, my email starts working as well, things are good!
34. Couple of weeks go by. Nothing happens.
35. I get an email that my credit line if Rs15K. Why? Dont care!
36. After some more time I decide to check on this residency situation. I call 121 and they say it has been cleared. I dont bother asking how/why. All seems well, why push it.
And, in the mean time I got a data card from another carrier, Tata Indicom (another long story, but not so long as above, so that's good), which is our internet life line. The little PC app says the throughput the 230K, but their markething brochure says it will only do 113K and it feels like 75K. But I'm NOT complaining, at least i can check email, do all our on-line paperwork and do emails, without having to walk down to by brother-in-law. ... It would be nice to get DSL and higher speeds though, but Swagata is calling that guy about every other day, so we'll get it soon.
Heh, it's just the way it is. Wisdom is recognizing the things you cannot change and I am trying to be wise.
See you later.
“Ahh” like in Agony, or “Ahh” like in Ecstasy?
Well, this is my first post, after two months here. Been busy, getting the house set up, doing some work and ... breaking my bones ... Those of you who have read this blog before know already, I broke my wrist, yes, just walking down the street. I guess there is something to the old saying "he can't walk and chew gum at the same time". Of course I was not even chewing gum. Anyway, all I have left of this injury now is an ugly scar, some sore muscles and a steel plate (which has to be taken out in 6-12 months, I wonder if I will have the courage).
Yes, this is a place of extremes. You can feel really good here, or extremely frustrated. You can see very poor people, next to nicely middle class people (which means pretty well off compared to the other 70%). In the lay-out (read "walled off neighborhood") that we live in, you can even see that. All the home owners are well off or very well off, but the laborers written about earlier, live in a concrete block, one room place built right next to the construction site, and the whole family lives there. The empty lot next to it serves as the bathroom and the hose is the toilet paper, shower and drinking water. And they may be the lucky ones.
I'm sure we'l write more about this as time goes by.
The Indians I come in contact with are all very nice, helpful, friendly, warm, etc. All of what I had remembered and hoped to find. The kids are the biggest beneficiaries from this. Especially young boys and men all have a smile for the children and a pinch on their cheeks. But even for me, at work, everyone's is always ready to be of help, give advise, etc. It may be because I am a foreigner, but that is not the only reason. People are just very gentle here.
Ok, I had made some notes earlier about some of the experiences we had getting stuff set up in the house. This is not meant to complain, but I thought it may be an interesting illustration of what life here is like at times.
First our quest to get a gas connection, for cooking. This means a gas cylinder is delivered to your house. Seems easy enough ....
* Go to the Gas Company equivalent and they say: Need ration card before we can give it to you
* Go find out where to get that and learn that: Govt does not issue them any more
* Can get it from a commercial supplier , someone says
* Go to this place: However, does not fit under the sink, too tall.
* Can get a private connection, someone says
* Find this place and: Costs extra (almost 2x), but have 2 cylinders next day
* Ahhhh - like a good ahhh (even though it took about 2 weeks and 3,4,5 trips)
Note that most of these things cannot be done by phone, the phone is not picked up or is turned off most of the time, you gotta go there in person.
Now my loooong story about my mobile phone. As of now, I think I'm ok (i.e. it wont be turned off any more), but it was a long and arduous trip.
If you think this is a long story, just remember, I had to live through this:
1. Buy phone from some place.
2. Get driven (on the back of a scooter while the driver is talking on his mobile) to the Airtel office, the service provider, for sim card (i.e. the connection)
3. Need proof of residency, pics, copy of passport, lease, PIO card
4. I come back next day to the Airtel office with the stuff, plus Rs4,000 ($100) deposit.
5. They don’t understand PIO card (Person of Indian Origin, like a green card), but after many calls to a supervisor, it’s ok. I ask about international access on my mobile, but they say it requires a Rs20,000 ($500) deposit. I decide against it.
6. Phone gets turned on same night
7. Now I need a data card (i.e a cellular modem)
8. At the Airtel office they say a man will come tomorrow
9. Man does not show
10. Call the Airtel office but no one answers
11. Call 121 – no answer
12. Call 450 12345 – get good info, but have to go back to Airtel office
13. At the office they say “man will come today itself”
14. Go home and wait
15. Yes! Man comes, however he does not say at first, but he is here to verify our place of residency – not for the data card. After a long confusion, he says why he is here. He says, I don’t want to see your service turned off, so I came to check.
16. I go to the Airtel office and ask what happened to the man who was going to come with the data card – don’t worry, he’ll come tonight only.
17. And yes, he comes. But connection is as slow as dialup modem – it it’s of no use.
18. Next day, mobile service is turned off again – why?
19. I called 121, they say don’t worry, it was a mistake, they’ll turn it back on.
20. A couple of days later the service is turned off again.
21. I called 121, they say the man must have not filed his residency report, you need to go back to the Airtel office.
22. Back to the Airtel office (btw, it is about 3kms from here, but we don’t have a car so we have to get a taxi, and due to the road conditions, it takes 30 minutes to get there).
23. They talk and look at the paper and talk, we give them a copy of our gas connection, etc. Ok, finally they say it’s ok, service will be turned back on tonight. Don’t worry. I ask about international access, they say it is Rs6,000 ($150) – remember last time I asked it was $500. I decide to go ahead and get international calling.
24. Ok, that night I have both local and international service. Wow!
25. All the while I have been trying to get email working. I call 121, but now instead of English the message is in the local language. So I go to the Airtel office and ask. Ohh, you need to activate it. Send an SMS and it will be turned on in 24 hours.
26. I send SMS and sure enough I get no less than 6 confirmation SMS’s that the service has been turned on. But email/web access still does not work.
27. But I am happily calling the US and Holland and letting people know we’re still alive, until ….
28. A week later my service is turned off again. I call 121, but it is in the local language (remember, this used to be English).
29. So I go to the Airtel office to see what’s the reason. Well sir, you only have a Rs500 credit limit, and you have exceeded that (all those US and NL calls). But wait, I have deposited Rs10,000 already!!! Ok sir, we’ll fix it in 30 minutes. Don’t worry. Ok, and what about the language issue on 121. Ok sir, we’ll fix it in 30 minutes. Don’t worry. Ok, and what about my email access. Sir, we have no record of this, you need to send the SMS again. But I have 6 confirmation messages! Yes sir, but it does not show here, please send it again. Don’t worry.
30. 3 hours later, still no service. I call 121 from a land line, and yes! I get through to a live person. He says the service was turned off because of failure to verify residency – see above. Whaaaat, that was supposed to have been cleared up TWICE already. Anyway, he promises to turn my phone back on in 4 hours, get 121 to answer in English for me and once all items are cleared my credit limit will increase to Rs10,000.
31. Residency is not verified in the next few days, I get nervous that they may turn off the phone again, so I call 121 and they promise (100%!) to come on Tuesday before 10:30 am.
32. On Tuesday at 4PM I call and start yelling, finally they explain that the 10:30am promise was to, by that time, set a date of when the person will come to verify residency. Well i got a lot of screaming off my chest, but in the end accepted it. They promise to settle this by next week.
33. I get an SMS that my credit line is now Rs10K - whoopie, one problem solved. And, my email starts working as well, things are good!
34. Couple of weeks go by. Nothing happens.
35. I get an email that my credit line if Rs15K. Why? Dont care!
36. After some more time I decide to check on this residency situation. I call 121 and they say it has been cleared. I dont bother asking how/why. All seems well, why push it.
And, in the mean time I got a data card from another carrier, Tata Indicom (another long story, but not so long as above, so that's good), which is our internet life line. The little PC app says the throughput the 230K, but their markething brochure says it will only do 113K and it feels like 75K. But I'm NOT complaining, at least i can check email, do all our on-line paperwork and do emails, without having to walk down to by brother-in-law. ... It would be nice to get DSL and higher speeds though, but Swagata is calling that guy about every other day, so we'll get it soon.
Heh, it's just the way it is. Wisdom is recognizing the things you cannot change and I am trying to be wise.
See you later.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
From Rohan again - July 17th, 2007
Bonjour friends, Comment avez-vous?
Je vais bien aussi.
Namaste! Aap Kaise Hai?
Main achaa hoon.
I am learning 2 new languages – French and Hindi.
In Hindi, the number 1 is written as 9; the number 0 is written the same way, so 10 = 90!
I am also getting familiar with some Indian English. Here they say “giving the test” instead of “taking the test”. They also say “Hech” for the alphabet “H”. So, the spelling of the word ‘Here’ is pronounced ‘Hech-e-r-e’.
They also often repeat the same word, maybe to give it more emphasis. Little-little, one-one, and so on.
Meanwhile, my classroom experiences have been mixed. The boy who used to call me ‘D.A.B.’ also would push me with his shoulders while walking past me. I dealt with it by doing the same to him one day, and he turned around and hit me. I hit him back. Pretty soon, we were both punching at each other and the rest of my classmates got involved trying to separate us! After that, that boy never bothered me. He even hinted that he wanted to be my friend!
Another day, some kid splattered ink on my chair, and when I sat on it my white shirt and short got all stained. I told the teacher about it, and some students were punished.
And I also heard that one boy had brought his Gameboy to SCHOOL! Apparently, he had skipped his first class and went to the roof of the school to play it. Every now and then, he would peek over to see if someone saw him. As he did so, a teacher spotted him and called his parents.
I is also getting used to calling my teachers "Ma'm". Students here say "Ma'm" several times in one sentence. "Ma'm, I did not come Ma'm because my bus did not come Ma'm".
People here shake their heads when meaning 'Yes' and nod their heads when meaning 'No'. I am trying to master that perfect nod and shake. It drives my mother crazy, she can never figure out if I mean Yes or No.
School is easy. The Math curriculum had already been covered in the 4th Grade APAAS in the U.S. I spend every evening playing with my friends.
Soccer, or Football, as they call it here.
Je vais bien aussi.
Namaste! Aap Kaise Hai?
Main achaa hoon.
I am learning 2 new languages – French and Hindi.
In Hindi, the number 1 is written as 9; the number 0 is written the same way, so 10 = 90!
I am also getting familiar with some Indian English. Here they say “giving the test” instead of “taking the test”. They also say “Hech” for the alphabet “H”. So, the spelling of the word ‘Here’ is pronounced ‘Hech-e-r-e’.
They also often repeat the same word, maybe to give it more emphasis. Little-little, one-one, and so on.
Meanwhile, my classroom experiences have been mixed. The boy who used to call me ‘D.A.B.’ also would push me with his shoulders while walking past me. I dealt with it by doing the same to him one day, and he turned around and hit me. I hit him back. Pretty soon, we were both punching at each other and the rest of my classmates got involved trying to separate us! After that, that boy never bothered me. He even hinted that he wanted to be my friend!
Another day, some kid splattered ink on my chair, and when I sat on it my white shirt and short got all stained. I told the teacher about it, and some students were punished.
And I also heard that one boy had brought his Gameboy to SCHOOL! Apparently, he had skipped his first class and went to the roof of the school to play it. Every now and then, he would peek over to see if someone saw him. As he did so, a teacher spotted him and called his parents.
I is also getting used to calling my teachers "Ma'm". Students here say "Ma'm" several times in one sentence. "Ma'm, I did not come Ma'm because my bus did not come Ma'm".
People here shake their heads when meaning 'Yes' and nod their heads when meaning 'No'. I am trying to master that perfect nod and shake. It drives my mother crazy, she can never figure out if I mean Yes or No.
School is easy. The Math curriculum had already been covered in the 4th Grade APAAS in the U.S. I spend every evening playing with my friends.
Soccer, or Football, as they call it here.
See me in that photo? This the band Aurko, that played in a small setting in a clothing showroom Indigo Nation. They called me on stage and I danced with them. You can check them out at http://www.aurko.com/
Monday, July 9, 2007
The monsoons are finally here! - July 18th, 2007
It looks like the much-awaited monsoons are finally here! Every evening, we get a downpour. See the grey hue in the air? Everything is so green, and the smell of the mud feels so fresh! The ants and snakes also crawl out of their holes, so we have to remind the children not to go to the empty lots.
And see this forlorn hawk on its nest? Or is it some other bird's nest? C took this picture from our bedroom window. The tree is on the lot next door.
I now have a cleaning woman and also someone who makes Rotis for me and chops my vegetables. On weekends, she makes Idly/Sambar/Chutney for . Got to say, that is a real treat! She also cooks some typical South Indian curries with coconut for me often. I like that!!
Finally got the telephone land line! This is after weeks of calling the Engineer-in-Charge, who would then call the Field guy, and then tell me that the telephone man would come in the afternoon. Then I would come home and wait all afternoon, and no one would up. Very typical. It is not that they are being lazy, or that they did not want to do the work. It is just that the field guys are always busy fixing problems. They are out in the field all day, fixing lines and connections, etc. Anyway, I now have my line. Hopefully, we will get DSL in a couple more weeks.
The problem is that here everything is "No problem, Ma'm. Don't worry, Ma'm. It will be taken care of, Ma'm.
I have also learnt to call everyone "Sir". "What, Sir, what happened, Sir? No one showed up, Sir. Why Sir?"
So, Ma'ms and Sirs, so much for now.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
June 26th - Rohan's notes
I have arrived safely in India. I started school on June 13th, and school here is very different than in America. We have eight periods and one 25 minute lunch break. Between each period we have a few minutes of free time. Each period, we have a different teacher teaching a different subject. The teachers are very strict and one of them yelled " If you have left your brains at home, then don't come to my class". !!
The soccer field has absolutely no grass, just dirt. It is very hard to play soccer as many kids slip, slide and get hurt, as I have done 3 times.
The basketball court serves as an assembly place also.
During the few minutes between periods, everyone in the classroom goes absolutely crazy, yelling and hooting, hollering and pounding on the table. There is no classroom library, just the school library, which we visit once a week.
At school, I have made 4 friends: 2 Americans, 1 Dutch and 1 Indian. I ahve also made one enemy, who calls me "Dirty American Brat".
The roads are terribly bumpy and half of them are made of DIRT. I take the bus to school everyday, and we bounce up and down on the roads. There are few traffic lights, just on the main intersection roads, and we DO NOT wear seat belts.
I have gotten sick already on the 21st, and stayed home all day and skipped school. My mother was clever enough to get some medicines from the local doctor to have on hand, because she knew we would fall sick sometime or the other.
Everyday, at 5:30 p.m., all kids in the complex go to the clubhouse and play soccer for about 1 hour. Now, this field has grass.
I live with my cousin, but we will soon move to our own house. It is really cool, having a spiral staircase that goes to the roof. A lot of houses here have that, including my cousin's house.
P.S. The tome here is different from the American time, because of the time zones.
The soccer field has absolutely no grass, just dirt. It is very hard to play soccer as many kids slip, slide and get hurt, as I have done 3 times.
The basketball court serves as an assembly place also.
During the few minutes between periods, everyone in the classroom goes absolutely crazy, yelling and hooting, hollering and pounding on the table. There is no classroom library, just the school library, which we visit once a week.
At school, I have made 4 friends: 2 Americans, 1 Dutch and 1 Indian. I ahve also made one enemy, who calls me "Dirty American Brat".
The roads are terribly bumpy and half of them are made of DIRT. I take the bus to school everyday, and we bounce up and down on the roads. There are few traffic lights, just on the main intersection roads, and we DO NOT wear seat belts.
I have gotten sick already on the 21st, and stayed home all day and skipped school. My mother was clever enough to get some medicines from the local doctor to have on hand, because she knew we would fall sick sometime or the other.
Everyday, at 5:30 p.m., all kids in the complex go to the clubhouse and play soccer for about 1 hour. Now, this field has grass.
I live with my cousin, but we will soon move to our own house. It is really cool, having a spiral staircase that goes to the roof. A lot of houses here have that, including my cousin's house.
P.S. The tome here is different from the American time, because of the time zones.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
June 24th - A Salute to my coffee mates And a broken arm in the family!
This is the street we live on. And these are a couple of women laborers working on a nearby house.
We live away from the city, so it is very quiet and peaceful here. We do not hear any of the city noise. Not all houses have been built here, so there are a lot of vacant lots, which makes it even nicer. I am sure it won't be long before it becomes all engulfed into the city, and becomes as noisy as ever.
On Friday, a storm was threatening. The sky was cloudy, the winds were strong swaying the trees, and a slight drizzle. It was a gorgeous day. I was reminded of Java City Coffee and my coffeemates. How I missed them! Bangalore has very good coffee, many coffee plantations nearby. And coffee shops selling all kinds of coffee concoctations have sprung up. Only problem is that I just can't jump in a car and drive and be somewhere in 5 mins. It will take me a whole half hour going bumpity bump to reach the nearest coffee place. By that time, my appetite would have disappeared.
I do miss living close to all amenities. But, if I lived downtown, the children would have no place to play. The children are very happy in the complex, plenty of place to run around and play.
Anyway, later in the day, it was on this very same street that C fell and broke his arm while juggling a ball with R. We took him to the nearest hospital where he was diagnosed to have a chipped bone that would need plates to fix. I wanted a second opinion. So we took him to Columbia Asia hospital, where he was again given the same diagnosis.
What an irony! The first surgery in C's life had to happen in India!! So far, it has been a very pleasant experience. Very efficient administration, very professional doctors, smiling nurses, good care, and so on. The results of the surgery has yet to be seen. C will come home today.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
real life is starting - June 20th
C likes to take pictures of cows on the streets.
It will take us 2 months to get an internet connection. Apparently, the servers are all full, so they are configuring a new server to accommodate new requests. We use the internet in my brother's house, where the connection is sometimes good, but mostly of very low capacity. Voice over IP connection is really bad from our place. The cell phone signals are not very strong where we live, so data cards have modem speed. That is our biggest disappointment so far. We need to have a good Internet connection. Obviously, our US phone lines are not hooked up to any equipment yet, but we can receive messages on them.
Email is still the best way to contact me.
Other than that, life has been good. The weather has cooled down, because the monsoons are threatening, I feel cold enough in the mornings and nights to want to wear a sweatshirt. R has started school, he takes the schoolbus along with his cousin. The school has a Hindi-B program, where they take the "returning children" separately, and teach them Hindi right from the alphabets. In one year time, they will be brought up to speed. SO far, R says the academics are quite easy - he doesn't yet feel intimidated by it.
We live in a nice gated community, away from the main road, so it is very quiet and peaceful here. The children get all their entertainment by hanging out with the tons of neighborhood kids of every age that live here. R looks forward to playing soccer every evening.
Email is still the best way to contact me.
Other than that, life has been good. The weather has cooled down, because the monsoons are threatening, I feel cold enough in the mornings and nights to want to wear a sweatshirt. R has started school, he takes the schoolbus along with his cousin. The school has a Hindi-B program, where they take the "returning children" separately, and teach them Hindi right from the alphabets. In one year time, they will be brought up to speed. SO far, R says the academics are quite easy - he doesn't yet feel intimidated by it.
We live in a nice gated community, away from the main road, so it is very quiet and peaceful here. The children get all their entertainment by hanging out with the tons of neighborhood kids of every age that live here. R looks forward to playing soccer every evening.
(I am trying to upload some more pics, but doing that has been difficult.)
But as soon as we step out of our complex, the view changes dramatically. The road is dirt road, the main road is very bumpy and full of holes. The tolerance level is so high here, you would think there should be a mass uprising against the local government. But people just accept it, just like they accept so many other things in life.
Most people have Water filtration system at home, because the water that otherwise comes in is full of bacteria. We have a borewell system, from which the water is electrically pumped up to a rooftop tank once a day, and then that water is taken thru a water filtration system. Apparently, that is not enough. The high calcium content in the inderground water has caused kidney stones in many people. So, we will have to install a Reverse Osmosis system also.
This is all for those who can afford it. The costs of clean living are high here, afforded probably by only 400 million of the total billion people population of India. The rest 600 million have it very hard.
The income difference between the middle class and the poor is terribly high.
Primary education is free in the public schools, but the catch is that there are not enough public school s to accommodate all the poor children. So the poor parents who still aspire have to send their children to private schools, where they have to pay fees. Often it is a tug between putting food on the table and paying school fees. A child going to school also means that he/she can't work during the day to supplement the family income. As a result, many parents may not be too eager to send their children to school. Without even a primary education, how much even a fast growing economy can pull them up, I don't know.
One of the frequent discussions of people here is "maid problem". Either the maid does not do a good cleaning job, or they simply take off without notice, or something or the other. I sometimes look at the maids and wonder if they have any aspirations in life. What do they aspire for their children? Or do they look at the high standards of living of the houses they work in and feel doomed for the rest of their lives?
The maid who works in my brother's house saw the house I will be renting here and asked me how come I need such a big house for just 2 adults and 2 children? It made me cringe. At least she feels the freedom to ask me such a question. She is from Nepal, the whole clan came all the way from Nepal to Bangalore to find work as security guards and maids. She probably lives in one room with her husband and 6 children. Yes, 6 children!! I asked her why so many? She got married at 12, had her first one 16, and it went on from there.
But as soon as we step out of our complex, the view changes dramatically. The road is dirt road, the main road is very bumpy and full of holes. The tolerance level is so high here, you would think there should be a mass uprising against the local government. But people just accept it, just like they accept so many other things in life.
Most people have Water filtration system at home, because the water that otherwise comes in is full of bacteria. We have a borewell system, from which the water is electrically pumped up to a rooftop tank once a day, and then that water is taken thru a water filtration system. Apparently, that is not enough. The high calcium content in the inderground water has caused kidney stones in many people. So, we will have to install a Reverse Osmosis system also.
This is all for those who can afford it. The costs of clean living are high here, afforded probably by only 400 million of the total billion people population of India. The rest 600 million have it very hard.
The income difference between the middle class and the poor is terribly high.
Primary education is free in the public schools, but the catch is that there are not enough public school s to accommodate all the poor children. So the poor parents who still aspire have to send their children to private schools, where they have to pay fees. Often it is a tug between putting food on the table and paying school fees. A child going to school also means that he/she can't work during the day to supplement the family income. As a result, many parents may not be too eager to send their children to school. Without even a primary education, how much even a fast growing economy can pull them up, I don't know.
One of the frequent discussions of people here is "maid problem". Either the maid does not do a good cleaning job, or they simply take off without notice, or something or the other. I sometimes look at the maids and wonder if they have any aspirations in life. What do they aspire for their children? Or do they look at the high standards of living of the houses they work in and feel doomed for the rest of their lives?
The maid who works in my brother's house saw the house I will be renting here and asked me how come I need such a big house for just 2 adults and 2 children? It made me cringe. At least she feels the freedom to ask me such a question. She is from Nepal, the whole clan came all the way from Nepal to Bangalore to find work as security guards and maids. She probably lives in one room with her husband and 6 children. Yes, 6 children!! I asked her why so many? She got married at 12, had her first one 16, and it went on from there.
India struggles under the crush of its own poor people, yet everyday thousands cross the border from the neighboring poor countries to find work in India. The Government discourages it, but there are no laws barring businesses from hiring them. "Illegal immigrant" is not even a term here.
I have decided not to be dependent on maids, and instead do the cleaning myself. My husband is promising to help out. But is that a good decision? I often get irritated about the middle class dependency on the underclass, but this dependence also provides employment. Just like, when roads or houses are being built, there is tons of manual labor involved. Men dig with shovels, instead of using a digger truck. Women carry the dug out dirt in a pan placed on top of their heads. Bricks are handed out from one person to another standing in line. The absence of every digger truck provides employment to 100 men, the absence of every loader truck provides employment to 100 women. Helps both the economy and the environment. That is why such constructions take forever, but everyone is acceptable of the time imvolved. I guess everything comes with a price.
I have decided not to be dependent on maids, and instead do the cleaning myself. My husband is promising to help out. But is that a good decision? I often get irritated about the middle class dependency on the underclass, but this dependence also provides employment. Just like, when roads or houses are being built, there is tons of manual labor involved. Men dig with shovels, instead of using a digger truck. Women carry the dug out dirt in a pan placed on top of their heads. Bricks are handed out from one person to another standing in line. The absence of every digger truck provides employment to 100 men, the absence of every loader truck provides employment to 100 women. Helps both the economy and the environment. That is why such constructions take forever, but everyone is acceptable of the time imvolved. I guess everything comes with a price.
Here is a picture of a house being constructed in the neighborhood. Totally manual labor:
And, Here is a picture of a fallen motorbike that our autorickshwa ran into. C was in the other one, he was quick to take a picture, then he came and asked me if I was OK. No one was hurt, and life went on.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Admission tests in school - June 9th
June 10, 2007
Today the children had their admission exams in Delhi Public School. They got a waiver on their second language (Hindi) and were tested only for English and Math. R said it was very easy. We will know when we see the results. For S, however, we were told that she reversed her numbers and did not write her alphabets in cursive. I got to work on that at home. I also need to teach her to read small words. The teachers said they will help us along. The teachers seemed confident, I am not. We will see. Next week they will start school.
Today the children had their admission exams in Delhi Public School. They got a waiver on their second language (Hindi) and were tested only for English and Math. R said it was very easy. We will know when we see the results. For S, however, we were told that she reversed her numbers and did not write her alphabets in cursive. I got to work on that at home. I also need to teach her to read small words. The teachers said they will help us along. The teachers seemed confident, I am not. We will see. Next week they will start school.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Initial days - June 7
June 7, 2007
This is what I wrote to some of my girlfriends soon after I arrived in Bangalore 5 days ago:
"I am back online, the days are hot in Bangalore, nights are cooler, this is summertime here, expecting monsoons soon. Last Saturday, the neighborhood kids planted trees along the road outside the complex, hoping the monsoons will provide the necessary water. We are staying in my brother’s house, am busy trying to get our rental house set up with furniture, appliances, broadband , etc. Drinking a lot of Indian “Chai”.
Hoping to wear my Indian sarees, but probably would feel out of place in the midst of tight pants and tights shirts the women are sporting here. Simone’s body is totally jetlagged, she sleeps all day and stays awake all night, meaning I hardly get any night time sleep. Not a real problem, these hot afternoons are perfect for the afternoon “siesta”, during which I make up my sleep."
Few more days have gone by since, the children seem very happy. I had thought R would be miserable, and be missing his father, but that has not been the case. Both the kids have been playing with their cousin and other kids in the neighborhood. R is also enjoying the "Bengali" foods. Insists on eating with his hands - the authentic "Indian" way.
The last two night had strong winds, thunder, lightning and rain, bringing down the temperatures considerably.
Next week, we have to deal with school, studies, the "real life".....
This is what I wrote to some of my girlfriends soon after I arrived in Bangalore 5 days ago:
"I am back online, the days are hot in Bangalore, nights are cooler, this is summertime here, expecting monsoons soon. Last Saturday, the neighborhood kids planted trees along the road outside the complex, hoping the monsoons will provide the necessary water. We are staying in my brother’s house, am busy trying to get our rental house set up with furniture, appliances, broadband , etc. Drinking a lot of Indian “Chai”.
Hoping to wear my Indian sarees, but probably would feel out of place in the midst of tight pants and tights shirts the women are sporting here. Simone’s body is totally jetlagged, she sleeps all day and stays awake all night, meaning I hardly get any night time sleep. Not a real problem, these hot afternoons are perfect for the afternoon “siesta”, during which I make up my sleep."
Few more days have gone by since, the children seem very happy. I had thought R would be miserable, and be missing his father, but that has not been the case. Both the kids have been playing with their cousin and other kids in the neighborhood. R is also enjoying the "Bengali" foods. Insists on eating with his hands - the authentic "Indian" way.
The last two night had strong winds, thunder, lightning and rain, bringing down the temperatures considerably.
Next week, we have to deal with school, studies, the "real life".....
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