India week 2

There are so many things to talk about that I don't know where to start. Should I focus on India? Working with a new team? How I got sick this past weekend? Maybe I will skip the last one.

India has finally decided to show me what monsoon season is. Contrary to popular opinion formed by the movie Jumangi, Monsoon is not a long thunderstorm that lasts days. In fact it is quite the opposite. It is heavy intense rains that start suddenly and end just as suddenly and there is definitely not enough rain in those 3 - 4 minutes to cause a house to fill with water (sorry Interscope) and no lightning or thunder. There isn't enough time.I have learned to recognize when a storm is about to hit. The winds pick up dramatically and you can see the clouds grow darker rapidly. Here are two pictures I took at the resort we were at last weekend. If I could show you the time stamp you could see that they are about 2 minutes apart.

Not gonna happen

This quick occurrence of rain is a major pain in the ass. One minute you are enjoy your weekend in the pool and then you feel the difference in the air as the humidity rapidly rises. Twice I had to jump out and run for my nook and purse on the deck and book it to the relative dryness of the hotel terrace. Another time a coworker and I were looking at souvenirs from some locals on the beach and had to run back the half mile to the hotel, sure we were going to get soaked. Unfortunately we had not paid them for their goods yet and waited for us patiently on the beach while we exchanged some of our currency at the hotel. Fortunately it was one of the few times the rains didn't open a can of whoop ass on us and they remained dry. Below is a picture of the two very nice woman and a very pushy woman (far right) who let us try on their Saris. We didn't end up buying any of them.

All in all it was a great weekend. But now I have to get back to doing actual work. I leave you with a picture of me in the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately I didn't realize at the time that I was back lit. Oh well I will take what I can get.

Well, I am in India

About a month and a half ago my senior looked to me and a coworker and said "We need someone to go to India." Even if I hadn't wanted to go my coworker's wife is pregnant and I knew there was no way that they were going to send a soon to be brand new father on travel that would take almost a full 24 hours to get home. Luckily, while India has never been high on my to do list, it has been a place I wanted to see.

So now, I am in India. It is my third day here and I can say that every day brings new insights. 

The very first thing that I noticed about India was the lack of lights. Which makes sense seeing as how it is a developing country but for me it was startling. Bangalore is the third largest city in India (behind Mumbai and Delhi) but on landing you only see groups of lights. Small clusters as opposed to seeing a sprawling city laid out by power grids that you would normally see flying into New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia or any other city in the US. To see how little lights there are check out the images as from space. The thing that blew my mind is that India has around 4x the amount of people but is 1/3 the size of the United states (including Alaska).

Living near or in cities for the past four years has made me accustomed to the lights, sounds, and smells of a city. Bangalore fits none of these preconceptions. The lights are fewer, there are constant sounds of construction absolutely everywhere, the traffic is worse than LA (takes 1.5 hours to go 15 kilometers, don't ask me how far that is in miles), and it isn't near as hot or as pungent as everyone made it out to be. The heat has cooperated with us and been around 82 degrees. The humidity is no where near as bad as Atlanta in July and for a rainy season all we have had is clouds (knock on wood). The food has been spicy but I try to attempt some new dish at least once every meal, I fear even the smallest mosquito, and good lord is the city dirty. With constant construction and projects left half finished, the remains of those half buildings and the dust from the new buildings clutter the streets. I bet my dad would love all the material that has been left over to recycle (should have moved to India, Dad).

The best thing so far has been getting to know the people. I still can't understand the Indian head wobble (it is a thing, google it) and it causes some difficulty in understanding someone when I am interviewing them or trying to get information from them. But they are so generous and kind. And the colors that they wear are amazing. The saris here are absolutely gorgeous. They are mainly jewel toned and extremely ornate, with beads and gold colored threads. I can't wait to go buy myself one. The women love to discuss clothing (as does most women) but they are keen on telling you how they live, to share their culture. About learning to drive, how the bindi is more of a fashion statement now than a religious aspect, how gaining the middle class in India is hard but once accomplished could mean switching to the same job in a developed country bringing more comforts  that come with first world countries and more money to send home to support family.

So far, in my three days here I have been inundated with culture and I am loving it. This weekend I go to Goa where all the beaches are. Hopefully monsoon season will decide to delay a little longer so I can enjoy what the countryside has to offer (like elephant rides). Hopefully pictures will be up soon.