So, its been over 10 years since i last spent my mum's birthday with her. Since i left London when i was young, i've usually visited London on holidays such as Christmas or Easter. Sometimes, i can head over for a week or so in the summertime. So this particular birthday of her's was special. Not only was she spending it in Mumbai, but she would be spending it with me! :) I wanted to make sure her birthday was a big hit so i organized a cake to be light when we arrived at my apartment at 2am in the morning, with a cake set right next to it. She was totally shocked!!!The look on her face was priceless!
I then took her to Hard Rock Cafe Mumbai for a lunch......since i know the owner there, i knew he would make her day memorable :)
Then, what is a birthday weekend without some mumbai sightseeing...??
Twin Day @ Work! This was one of my favorites......
Monday 10 October 2011
Every day, many children come to my car window begging for money.....last night, as i was doing some work and writing in my notebook, a small boy came and stared at me writing in amazement...when the light turned green, i quickly rolled down my window and gave him my notebook and pen...I've NEVER seen a child so happy......
This was on our second day in Bangkok at our hostel....probably the best hostel ever..NapPack close to the famous Khao San Road! As if being me and looking different didn't scream out "tourist" enough, these shirts surely did!
We spent Sunday exploring different places in Bankok....here are some friends we met at the hostel that came along with us on the tour! Some of the guys are wearing funny looking pants because shorts are prohibited in the palace. Guests are expected to be "well covered" from head to toe.
Pictures of The Grand Palace in Bangkok
After a 12 hour long bus ride, we arrived on the island of Khao Samui!!!! So beautiful!!
I haven't written a new blog in a very long time but i have a very good reason. At least, i convinced myself it was a good reason this morning. This week will conclude my second month in Mumbai and whereas August was kind of like my baptism into the country, i moved from a stage of "OMG, im in INDIA!" to "Your in India, so you better start acting like an Indian!" Life became sort of, business as usual. Even though people continued to stare at me everywhere i went, i started to get used to it. At this point, i have mastered walking while looking down at the ground. If i do not look at people, they will not look at me. Its that simple. So, every morning, instead of looking out the window in awe with how other people have assimilated into their morning routines, my head is now glued to the "Economic Times" or the "Hindustan Times" both popular newspapers that i simply cannot start my day without reading. With only 6 months to make a big impact in my current job and only six months to spend is such a vibrant, developing nation, there's just so much to learn and too much to learn without reading the newspaper and watching the news. And since i would rather spend my t.v. time watching bollywood music videos, i figured i could spend my morning time reading the newspaper. So far, the routine has been working out well for me. :)
So, everyday or at least every other day, i'll try to share some of the newspaper headlines that i find interesting and maybe you will too. Maybe it will help you and the rest of the work realize that India truly is the place to be right now. Well, i think most of the world has already recognized that as every time i read the newspaper or turn on the news, i hear about the growth in India and China. India is truly up and coming with so much growth opportunity and so much potential, it is truly amazing. A great environment to be part of. India's idiosyncrasies make it a culturally and economically unique country that appreciates traditional lifestyles and values but completely embraces modern intricacies and systems. Someone who can strategically create an interface between the two has already "made it" in India, regardless of what platform they are working in.
Take for example, even Paris Hilton who clearly has a great business adviser. This weekend, she arrived in India to launch her new collection of handbags in India. If the message can get all the way toParis's ears, then they should at least-at bare minimum be in our ears too!
Speaking of the weekend. I spent mine in Goa...probably one of the most beautiful destinations in India. A few weeks ago i read a newspaper article that listed the "Top Ten Cities to Wake Up In". I immediately went though the list and was shocked to see Mumbai listed as number 7 or 8. As much as i love living here, i couldn't imagine it being the top TEN cities in the entire world to wake up in. I immediately looked out my window, watched the rain pour with a group of cows huddled under a small tent and said "hmm"...i should be very grateful then. I will say however that GOA should have been at the top of that list!! I never thought i would go to a place like Goa until my honeymoon. It was one of those places that you see in a magazine with a man and woman laying on a poolside chair with their backs turned to the beach. The woman in a tan beach hat and yellow one piece swim suit....the couple gazing onto a pure blue colored ocean with two bottles of Corona positioned on a low stoop. That is what being in Goa felt like. See for yourself!!
This past week, millions of Indians celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi. The festivals are the most elaborate in Maharashtra and parts of Western India where families create these large idols of the elephant god, Lord Ganesha. People celebrated on the streets, in the alleys, in public venues, housing complexes, home, just about everywhere. And although i got two days off form work this week in honor of the holiday, i really couldn't actually go anywhere. The streets were filled with bright, bright lights. It was almost like Christmas in New York, times 50. On the way home from work yesterday, i just starred in owe out the window as we drove by all of the mini celebrations taking place on the streets. I watched my driver smile at all of the different celebrations going on as he too celebrated the holiday. In some instances, he looked like a young boy with his eyes wide open like a child that go everything they wished for on their birthday. I watched him drive, and as we passed the idols on the streets, he would bring his hands together in the position of a prayer and quietly spoke a few words in honor and obedience to Lord Ganesh.
Earlier in the week, many Indians celebratedRamzan Id/Eid-ul-Fitar, an Islamic holiday to celebrate the end of the fast. Many people just call it Eid. Several of my friends and co-workers celebrated the holiday in full blast. They had organized communal meals, bought fresh new clothes and invited family members to their homes to exchanges gifts and cards. I was very fortunate to be invited to many celebrations and gathering to enjoy the festivities but i previously made plans to attend a wedding. Although i was a bit sad that it was not a traditional Indian wedding with traditional Indian attire and dancing, i was thrilled to be a guest at this Christian Indian wedding. The groom also worked at Nielsen so i didn't feel too bad crashing the wedding. It turned out to be a beautiful event and i had the opportunity of meeting several new people. I will however be in a traditional Indian wedding this coming December so i absolutely cannot wait until then!
I also spent some of my time off roaming the city of course......
Last Thursday, my team had a BDO (Business Day Out)...where we went to Kelva Beach Resort. It was a 4 hour drive from Mumbai. On the way there, we passed views like this one. I couldn't help but stop and take a picture with the view of the mountains behind me. For some reason it reminded me of the scenery in the movie Avatar. Except, this was real life and i got to experience it for myself :).
Earlier that day, i was so excited to go to to Kelva Beach Resort. I thought, how could you go wrong with a place that had the words "Beach" and "Resort". As we were driving to the place, there were signs showing 15km away and finally 1km away. As we got closer, i kept thinking...hmm i wonder when i'm going to see signs of a beach and a resort. It didnt help that it had been raining all day and everywhere was a little flooded. When we finally pulled up to the "Kelva Beach Resort" sign, i looked straight head and it was surely no beach and no resort at least not one that i had ever seen before. In fact, i would encourage you to close your eyes and imagine a beach resort...any beach resort. The Kelva Beach resort was probably the opposite of that! Either way, it was a FANTASTICday! There were about 20 of us at the "resort" that day. We did all kinds of things....things i never imagined i would do in my lifetime...simple things however. Like play football (soccer) in the pouring rain with a bunch of guys surrounded by the waves of a dirty ocean and ox looking cows roaming the beach with stray dogs huddling together starring at the game before them....incredible. But i'm currently facing the consequences. sick. Playing soccer in the rain only made me sick for the following 3 days. But it was well worth it.
Last night, i went to my first comedy show in Mumbai and it was amazing! There was an American comedian as well as a Canadian comedian and they were both extremely good! I went by myself of course, but met a sweet girl called honey who also came by herself. Funny how things work out. Before i came, someone at the hotel told me that it would be an empty show and because of the rain, no one would go. The show ended up being packed! and a great time indeed. I'm definitely going back.
I spent this morning.....still recovering from my football tournament at Kelva Beach! I pulled myself and went to a place called Cafe Mondegar my myself for brunch. I thought i owed it to myself after a long week from New Delhi to Agra to Palghar and back to Mumbai. I had lunch with a nice journalist that i met at the cafe. Another great day indeed.
This week, for some reason, an american song has been stuck in my head. Theophilus London- I Stand Alone
For my friends in New York facing Irene....Stay inside and be safe!
It had to be close to150 degrees today....as i was sitting on a bench, starring directly at the Taj Mahal. Although i was sweating bullets out of my new, overpriced golden shirt that i bought from Zara at Phoenix Mall in Mumbai, something hit me. It was one of those moments where a split second feels like several days and for that second, i felt consumed with complete and total joy. How could you stare at something so amazing, so gorgeous, so historic, so meaningful, so touching and have a single care in the world. Knowing that years and years ago twenty thousand laborers worked to build such a monument but not all twenty thousand lived to see the result. And here i am, admiring its beauty. With the struggle and the passion it took to build it, all i could offer back was "Wow" and my feeling of appreciation. It's not much but i did discover something about myself in that split second.....that from then on, no matter where i would find myself next in the world, i had to become my own best friend. I was the only person that was i going to live with me my entire life so i might as well get to know myself and treat myself like the valuable person i am.
Well i didn't think all of that in a split second but i did think of it until i couldn't stand the heat any longer and got up. After i covered my shoes with little white shoe covers (which was required--either that or take your shoes off), I walked around the compounds of the Taj Mahal, went inside, snapped some pictures and went on my way. It was an amazing experience....probably one of the best sights my eyes have laid eyes on, and one it will never forget. The trip to and from Agra (where the Taj Mahal is) was an even more interesting experience. I sat in the backseat of the care as people continued to stare at me as they were driving/walking or riding my. In India, they just have no shame when it comes to starring. Please stare at me so hard that sometimes i have no choice but to stare back so that they will stop looking at me. Then again, i'm not sure how many black women with long golden braids they see on a daily basis. That may contribute a little to the starring :). By the way, my driver was driving like a complete maniac..i was clinging onto my seat or forcing myself to fall asleep at any given time. He was speeding in which i joking asked him to slow down (but meant it), blasting Bollywood songs (which i didn't really mind) and then asking me personal questions like if i had a boyfriend and did i smoke and drink beer. I obviously lied and said i had a boyfriend....then he asked to see pictures of him! I just acted like i didn't understand his English...it worked.
I was extremely excited to get back to the Guest House and get out of the car. As i was getting out the driver said, "Ma'am...Tip?" I laughed really hard in my head, then replied with ...."tomorrow". I do plan on giving him a tip tomorrow...i actually didn't have any change at the time and i also thought in my head "I bought you lunch today and a drink, and now your asking ME for a tip! especially with your wild driving!!"...but i didn't say that out loud. Maybe i should have.
All that happened on Sunday.....
My discrete attempt to take a pic of the Bollywood Stars
On Saturday, the day before the trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, my flight arrived to New Delhi, the capital of India very early in the morning. Apparently i was on the flight with two Bollywood stars. All the little kids kept taking pictures of them. I had no clue who they were but i thought about taking a picture with them then googling who they were later that day. I tried to discretely take a picture of them...It didnt come out very well..as you can see. The first thing i said when i got out of the airport was "Wow! this is nice!!!" No wonder New Delhi is the capital and not Mumbai! Its gorgeous here! Of course you'll still find mega huge cows roaming around, poor women and children knocking on your car window asking for food, broken down kiosks selling coca cola and lays chips and pockets of traffic BUTT, its not as dirty, crowded, smelly, traffic infested and fast paced as Mumbai. Its like the comparison between New York and Chicago. Chicago is the nicer, cleaner, friendlier version of New York, except New York will always be better..more stuff to do, more foreigners, busy, fun....so here goes: MUMBAI:NEW YORK as NEW DELHI:CHICAGO. While in Delhi, here are the awesome attractions that i visited!!! See Below----->>>> just, AWESOME!!
What an exciting weekend in India! It was Independence Day weekend so I had Monday off from work. There is something about weekends in Mumbai that make it ten times more fulfilling than weekends in New York City. Maybe because it is not filled with drinking every night, $20 taxi rides across town and hot, crowded subways. Well, there are crowded subways...trains here in Mumbai. They are certainly three times as crowded as those in New York but i just haven't built up enough courage to ride the local Mumbai trains yet...but i'm working on it. I'm not sure if the horror stories about local trains outweigh the experience..just yet.
I went to see my first movie (at a movie theater) in India this past Sunday evening and that was quite an experience in itself. The movie theater was upstairs in the mall. It almost looked like a run down building from the back and side but when i opened the door, i walked into a huge, extravagant movie theater. I was quite pleased. Especially when i found out that my friend had gotten us V.I.P tickets! In India, movies have assigned seats...as i discovered. We sat in the elite seats that were plush recliner seats. In all the years i had lived in America, i had yet to sit in a reclining chair at a movie theater. It doesn't stop there. About halfway through the movie, a big, englarged word appeared on the screen that said INTERMISSION. The movie paused and people started getting up. I turned to my friend and said "Is this real!?...intermission during the movie!?" Not only was it intermission, but about 4 men started walking around in what looked like McDonald's outfits carrying menu's and taking orders for food. I was intrigued! They even brought the food to you! So the movie we went to see was Aarakshan, a bollywood style movie about the corrupt education and caste system in India. The movie was entirely in Hindi but luckily and quite suprisingly, i was able to understand the entire movie from beginning to end. My friend turned to me several times and asked me if i understood what someone in the movie said, and i would translate what i thought they said in English. She was impressed.
I had given my driver the weekend off since Saturday and Monday were both holidays. Saturday was a holiday called Raksha Bandhan which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is also called Rakhi Purnima in other parts of India. During that day, sisters tie a rakhi (sacred thread) bracelet on her brother's wrist. It is meant to symbolizes the sister's love and prayers for her brother's well-being, and the brother's lifelong vow to protect her. Although i bought a Rakhi braclet, i didn't give it to my brother. I plan to give it to him when i get back to the U.S.
On Sunday, i went to church with my co-worker, Nisha who was the same friend who treated me to go see the movie Aarakshan. She picked me up in one of the local taxis and we took a quick 10 minute ride to the catholic church. It was a very old, traditional catholic church. The Mass was only about an hour...there were about 100 people there. I told Nisha i had been baptized in a catholic church when i lived in London and that i had attended that church for several years. She was pleased. I am hoping to go with her to the same church every Sunday. Later that evening, after watching the movie Aarakshan, i was lucky enough to be invited to an event sponsored by Videocon, one of the largest companies in India. During that event, they presented award to Hema Maliniwho is a very famous Bollywood superstar who actually appeared in Aarakshan, the movie i had seen earlier that day! She is an older actress, but was the premier Bollywood star of her age. I was thrilled to see her and joined in the mob of people taking picture of her at this very formal event :)
I spent Monday, my day off going for a drive to Bandra and Juhu-two very popular cities in India. I found a map of each town, circled a few places i wanted to go and ventured there. Below is a picture of Mount Mary Church, a very famous church in Bandra. The kids were nice enough to take a picture with me!
Today was probably one of the best birthday's i've ever had! My team presented me with a big bouquet of flowers and an email from the entire team wishing me a happy birthday! Throughout the day, associates came up to me, shaking my hand and wishing me a happy birthday. During a conference call, the HR coordinator called me aside because someone had come to meet me. When i walked out of the office, the Sales Manager from the hotel that i am staying at was standing there waiting for me. He presented me with a birthday cake and a card! Later that day, two people from my team treated me to a delicious mean with an even more delicious dessert...a hot brownie with ice cream and chocolate syrup. After that, the team secretly gathered in an office, called me in and presented me with yet another chocolate cake! It is Indian tradition to smear cake icing on the face of the birthday person after they cut the cake. I was no exception. After getting white cake icing smeared on my face, everyone dug in to have a piece of the cake! I then walked out the room to be greeted by a group of new employees who wanted to wish me a happy birthday!
Oh and the day before, i bought my first Kurta! (top that im wearing)
What a great birthday! and thats only what happened in India.....Its 7pm now which means its almost 10am in New York, so that mean i still have a whole day to celebrate my birthday, American time! :)
The people in Mumbai that i had met during my first few days were absolutely wonderful and the people in the office were not different. As i walked out of my hotel building on Wednesday to head to work, a woman named Sarikha kindly greeted me with "Good Morning Ma'am" as many of the hotel staff greet me throughout the morning.And most of time i kindly ask them that they should just feel free to call me "Jessica". The drive to the office was an interesting one. Much like the YouTube videos i had seen of traffic in India, this was no different. There were hundreds and hundreds of taxis sharing the streets with cars, buses, bikers and motocyclers. Not to mention people including infant children trying to cross the street at all times and always almost 2 inches from being hit. To top it off, the journey was filled with constant rain as it is currently Monsoon season in India so it rains all the time.
The office is very similar to the office in New York except a bit more stuffy and a lot more crowded. I walked in the office and sadly looked for the first foreigner i could find and what are the odds that i ran into Whitney Bush, an American from Chicago who took me to exactly where i needed to be. By 10am, i had met my entire team and met some team members on a different floor. Everyone welcomed be with open arms. Some assured me not to be worried about safety (in regards to the July 13th bombings). One girls noted, "You'll be fine...see, we survived!" I wasn't sure how reassuring that was but i wasn't too worried. Another person called the three bombings a "firecracker"...a small bump in the road.
So everyday around 1pm they shut off all the lights in the office to signal lunchtime. Apparently by switching the lights off, employees are supposed to stop their work completely and eat. Although a handful of people continue to work, i loved the concept! At that time, your supposed to flag down Ji-Too, the "office boy" and place your lunch order and he'll bring your lunch right to your desk! How cool is that? Since i haven't adjusted my stomach to Indian food, I've been having Subway and cheese sandwich that they bring me with ketchup! Interestingly enough, Indian's each ketchup with everything! Even with Chinese rice....and noodles!
So i walked into the office on Friday and had some serious issues with my laptop so i called IT. To my amusement, i could not reach one person in IT that knew how to get me connected to the server. I would never imagine in a million years, that i would be in India and not find a single person in IT to help me with my computer problems. After getting my laptop fixed, the rest of the day went well. I ended the day filled with excitement that this was exactly the kind of experience i wanted. The people in India were so different...they think different act differently and always have a unique perspective. I chatted with one coworker who pointed out that if i just continue to have an open mind, I'll leave India a completely different person. I'll be able to take a with me a new perspective and a new frame of mind back to new york. This was refreshing. He said, "In India, people care about the "whole"...there is a warmness about the people here that is hard to find in Americans...in the U.S people are very individualistic and usually put their self interest first" With that, I've been making every effort to keep an open mind and to open my ears as much as possible...to deliberately listen and not just hear.
So, other than work, i have been taking this time to work on me...and watch as much Bollywood as possible! I have been learning a little Hindi day by day, lost 1kg on my new work out plan and and now accpeted Kareena Kapoor as my idol (Bollywood actress)!
I then took her to Hard Rock Cafe Mumbai for a lunch......since i know the owner there, i knew he would make her day memorable :)
Then, what is a birthday weekend without some mumbai sightseeing...??
