Hi everyone, just a really quick post to let you all know that everyone over here in Hyderabad is fine, and we have not been affected by the tsunamis (other than a good deal of sadness). It's been pretty overwhelming on the news over here, and I definitely will write more about it all soon. Love, Saamra
Dec 30, 2004
Dec 26, 2004
It’s been an eventful week in Southeast Asia. Our holiday party was on Wednesday the 22nd, and it was indeed a festive occasion. We were serenaded with Christmas carols by three separate choirs, with guitars and bongo drums as accompaniment. The highlight of this was a song dedicated to Chris Wright, entitled ‘Little Christopher.’ As Chris is far from little, weighing in at 94 kilos and somewhere in the vicinity of 6 feet tall, we were all in stitches listening to the musical chronicle of ‘Little’ Christopher’s escapades. I’ve posted a picture of the not-so-little Christopher trying his best not to burst out laughing.
My mom arrived at the airport towards the end of the party, so I had to bow out a little early, but not before I had a chance to grab some cake (the third birthday cake of the week…). With my mom arrived safe and sound, we headed back to the apartment, where I had planned to have a little Ethiopian food feast, since my mom was coming directly from Addis Ababa. Roy and Leigh Anne are HUGE Ethiopian food fans, so I had asked my mom to bring some. True to form, she showed up with boxes of food, and everyone was quite stuffed by the end of the night. There are still leftovers in the fridge… yummm!
Thursday was a day off from work for me, and my mom and I toured around Hyderabad a bit, heading to the fabric store and to the old city. It was my first time being out of the newer part of the city, and it was really cool. We went to the Charminar, which is a predominantly Muslim area of Hyderabad, where about half of the women were in full-length black burqas, with only the smallest of openings for their eyes. I found myself wondering how they were able to communicate, as it seemed like the scarves they wore would muffle the sounds of their voices. But they were at the stores, bargaining and shopping along with everyone else. The Charminar itself was on top of a rotary, and in the middle of a huge snarl of traffic, so we didn’t end up heading to the top. However, we did manage to find a few stores that sold bangles, which are the specialty of the Charminar area. For about $0.50 each, I got enough bangles to make my arms sound pretty lively.
Thursday evening was Roy’s birthday party, and everyone went over to the Gilberts’ for chocolate cake and presents. It’s funny, when I’m in one of our apartments, it is easy to forget that I’m even in India. Leigh Anne has painted their apartment in beautiful colors, which makes it seem more like my mom’s home in Boston than a somewhat temporary place in Hyderabad. All the expats presented Roy with an almost fully stocked bar, the assembling of which is quite a story on its own:
Chris and I were given the mission of obtaining good quality vodka, which is not that easy in a place like Hyderabad, which up until 5 years ago did not allow alcohol to be sold at all. About the best you can usually do is Smirnoff, which my ex-bartender’s soul rebels at. Therefore, we considered it our mission to seek out at least Absolut. After going to a few ‘wine stops’ we realized that our mission was headed towards failure. Bold action was required. So we headed to the only place we were sure had good vodka: the airport duty-free. ‘But you have to be an international traveler to buy at the duty-free shop’ you might say. Yes, normally you do. But this is India we’re talking about here. Those international customs ‘laws’ don’t apply. At least to those holding American passports. Chris manufactured a very, very weak story about us having arrived on a flight from somewhere else in India, and having forgotten to make our duty-free purchases at the proper place. After being inspected by a series of Indian airport officials (and being convinced that at any moment we would find ourselves headed for the nearest Indian prison), we were allowed to shop uninhibited at the duty-free shop, buying the vodka, as well as some other supplies to create a well-appointed bar. Viva Indian bureaucracy :)
Friday morning saw my mother and I on our way to Sri Lanka, to visit a couple of her friends. I was excited, as I had heard that Sri Lanka has some of the best shopping around, especially for DVD’s that are less than authentic. The shopping has indeed been quite wonderful, and I’m looking forward to making some more fun purchases tomorrow. The food here is quite interesting as well, with an emphasis on coconut and fish, as well as spaghetti made into an almost naan-like shape and used to eat everything from chili pepper to chicken.
The event of the day so far has been a massive earthquake in Indonesia, which created a tidal wave that hit Sri Lanka and the Indian coast. Luckily, there was no damage to Colombo, the city where my mom and I are staying. However, there have apparently been deaths from tidal waves all over other parts of the island, and places in Thailand and elsewhere. It really makes you realize how quickly catastrophes can happen, and how little warning there really is in these cases.
Here are some pictures from the holiday party and Charminar, I’ll add some more from Sri Lanka if I ever remember to take out my camera here!
My mom arrived at the airport towards the end of the party, so I had to bow out a little early, but not before I had a chance to grab some cake (the third birthday cake of the week…). With my mom arrived safe and sound, we headed back to the apartment, where I had planned to have a little Ethiopian food feast, since my mom was coming directly from Addis Ababa. Roy and Leigh Anne are HUGE Ethiopian food fans, so I had asked my mom to bring some. True to form, she showed up with boxes of food, and everyone was quite stuffed by the end of the night. There are still leftovers in the fridge… yummm!
Thursday was a day off from work for me, and my mom and I toured around Hyderabad a bit, heading to the fabric store and to the old city. It was my first time being out of the newer part of the city, and it was really cool. We went to the Charminar, which is a predominantly Muslim area of Hyderabad, where about half of the women were in full-length black burqas, with only the smallest of openings for their eyes. I found myself wondering how they were able to communicate, as it seemed like the scarves they wore would muffle the sounds of their voices. But they were at the stores, bargaining and shopping along with everyone else. The Charminar itself was on top of a rotary, and in the middle of a huge snarl of traffic, so we didn’t end up heading to the top. However, we did manage to find a few stores that sold bangles, which are the specialty of the Charminar area. For about $0.50 each, I got enough bangles to make my arms sound pretty lively.
Thursday evening was Roy’s birthday party, and everyone went over to the Gilberts’ for chocolate cake and presents. It’s funny, when I’m in one of our apartments, it is easy to forget that I’m even in India. Leigh Anne has painted their apartment in beautiful colors, which makes it seem more like my mom’s home in Boston than a somewhat temporary place in Hyderabad. All the expats presented Roy with an almost fully stocked bar, the assembling of which is quite a story on its own:
Chris and I were given the mission of obtaining good quality vodka, which is not that easy in a place like Hyderabad, which up until 5 years ago did not allow alcohol to be sold at all. About the best you can usually do is Smirnoff, which my ex-bartender’s soul rebels at. Therefore, we considered it our mission to seek out at least Absolut. After going to a few ‘wine stops’ we realized that our mission was headed towards failure. Bold action was required. So we headed to the only place we were sure had good vodka: the airport duty-free. ‘But you have to be an international traveler to buy at the duty-free shop’ you might say. Yes, normally you do. But this is India we’re talking about here. Those international customs ‘laws’ don’t apply. At least to those holding American passports. Chris manufactured a very, very weak story about us having arrived on a flight from somewhere else in India, and having forgotten to make our duty-free purchases at the proper place. After being inspected by a series of Indian airport officials (and being convinced that at any moment we would find ourselves headed for the nearest Indian prison), we were allowed to shop uninhibited at the duty-free shop, buying the vodka, as well as some other supplies to create a well-appointed bar. Viva Indian bureaucracy :)
Friday morning saw my mother and I on our way to Sri Lanka, to visit a couple of her friends. I was excited, as I had heard that Sri Lanka has some of the best shopping around, especially for DVD’s that are less than authentic. The shopping has indeed been quite wonderful, and I’m looking forward to making some more fun purchases tomorrow. The food here is quite interesting as well, with an emphasis on coconut and fish, as well as spaghetti made into an almost naan-like shape and used to eat everything from chili pepper to chicken.
The event of the day so far has been a massive earthquake in Indonesia, which created a tidal wave that hit Sri Lanka and the Indian coast. Luckily, there was no damage to Colombo, the city where my mom and I are staying. However, there have apparently been deaths from tidal waves all over other parts of the island, and places in Thailand and elsewhere. It really makes you realize how quickly catastrophes can happen, and how little warning there really is in these cases.
Here are some pictures from the holiday party and Charminar, I’ll add some more from Sri Lanka if I ever remember to take out my camera here!
Dec 24, 2004
Dec 23, 2004
Dec 19, 2004
Dec 18, 2004
I've just returned home from a night out on the town, which in Hyderabad means Bacardi Breezers at the bar, where the DJ's idea of good music is to play the same song every half hour. No joke, we must have heard 'Turn me on' by Kevin Lyttle at least 5 times. And while it is admittedly a dance hall masterpiece.... well, let's just say I wasn't exactly keen to dance all night.
I am looking forward to seeing my mom on Wednesday, she's bringing an Ethiopian dinner from Addis, about which all my friends here are quite excited. She arrives the night of our company xmas party, which should be very interesting. I'll get to meet the spouses and family of a lot of people on our team, which should provide some insight into their lives outside the office. I'm also really looking forward to heading over to Sri Lanka for a few days, where the DVD's are cheap (pirated), and I will have nothing to do but sleep, and sleep some more :) I should be able to squeeze in a day of shopping and sightseeing, and I've heard that there is an elephant orphanage that shouldn't be missed.
Two of my friends and I joined a gym near work today, to begin working off the Hyderabadi food. Although we think we're eating healthy food, apparently it's all full of butter. Guess that explains why it tastes so good. After the triathlon training has ended, my body is in lazy mode again, and motivating to run on the treadmill is pretty hard. I haven't quite worked up the courage to run outside yet, women in jogging shorts are definitely not socially acceptable here. So until I'm ready to completely shatter the norms, I'm parked on the machines at the gym.
We all went to see Ocean's Twelve at the IMAX theatre this evening, before the bar visit. The minute we entered the cinemaplex, it felt like we were magically transported to the AMC Mercado in Sunnyvale, scene of so many office movie outings. There is an arcade there as well, that will definitely be getting some serious use soon. They've got 'whack-a-mole,' which, in my opinion, is second only to Ms. Pac Man in terms of sheer enjoyment. Movies in India cost 60 rupees. That's $1.50. For all the movies for which I've paid $10.00, I feel somewhat violated.
Okay, it's time for bed, I'll post some pictures soon. Keep the comments coming, if there's anyone out there. Anyone? Bueller? :)
I am looking forward to seeing my mom on Wednesday, she's bringing an Ethiopian dinner from Addis, about which all my friends here are quite excited. She arrives the night of our company xmas party, which should be very interesting. I'll get to meet the spouses and family of a lot of people on our team, which should provide some insight into their lives outside the office. I'm also really looking forward to heading over to Sri Lanka for a few days, where the DVD's are cheap (pirated), and I will have nothing to do but sleep, and sleep some more :) I should be able to squeeze in a day of shopping and sightseeing, and I've heard that there is an elephant orphanage that shouldn't be missed.
Two of my friends and I joined a gym near work today, to begin working off the Hyderabadi food. Although we think we're eating healthy food, apparently it's all full of butter. Guess that explains why it tastes so good. After the triathlon training has ended, my body is in lazy mode again, and motivating to run on the treadmill is pretty hard. I haven't quite worked up the courage to run outside yet, women in jogging shorts are definitely not socially acceptable here. So until I'm ready to completely shatter the norms, I'm parked on the machines at the gym.
We all went to see Ocean's Twelve at the IMAX theatre this evening, before the bar visit. The minute we entered the cinemaplex, it felt like we were magically transported to the AMC Mercado in Sunnyvale, scene of so many office movie outings. There is an arcade there as well, that will definitely be getting some serious use soon. They've got 'whack-a-mole,' which, in my opinion, is second only to Ms. Pac Man in terms of sheer enjoyment. Movies in India cost 60 rupees. That's $1.50. For all the movies for which I've paid $10.00, I feel somewhat violated.
Okay, it's time for bed, I'll post some pictures soon. Keep the comments coming, if there's anyone out there. Anyone? Bueller? :)
Dec 12, 2004
It’s been about 10 days since I arrived in India, and today is the first time that I’ve really felt like I could sit down for half an hour and write. It’s funny, everyone thinks of the pace of life in India as frustratingly slow most of the time. So far, it’s been intensely rapid for me.
I arrived on the 30th of November, in the evening, after having spent more than 24 hours in transit. I passed through the Singapore airport, spending nine hours trying desperately to stay awake. A foot massage, 3 coffees, a shower, and half of ‘The Abyss’ later, I boarded my plane to Hyderabad.
I pretty much crashed immediately when I got in, and was at work the next day, although I think I left the better part of my brain floating around the Singapore airport. Most of the week I spent observing Kevin, the trainer I am here to take over from. He’s heading back to Mountain View after 5 months, and when he leaves we will have had 2 weeks to transition his responsibilities. It seems like the Hyderabad team is taking on more and more responsibility, which is great, although the expat team is still working pretty feverishly.
I haven’t had a chance to see much of the city, my days consist mostly of the office and our apartment. Our apartment is extremely nice, I actually think that my standard of living has gone up since leaving San Francisco (no offense Bri :)). We have a housekeeper, that comes every day to clean, and all our meals are cooked for us. The food has been pretty rice-centric overall, so occasionally Kirti and I have been cooking for ourselves (the highlight so far has been some fantastic tostadas with Kirti’s homemade enchilada sauce… yummmmmm).
I’ve been shopping quite a bit on the weekends, just trying to get settled into a new room, and taking advantage of how inexpensive most things are here. I’m slowly accumulating a number of Indian fashion items, and planning to get lots of clothes made. The fabric here is incredible, the colors are so vibrant. I feel like the bright colors that everyone wears here is a reflection of the spirit of the culture that I’ve observed so far. The people that I’ve met dance, sing, and just live with such energy. They are not afraid to show their excitement; the coolness factor that so often dampens expression of emotions and energy in the States is not present.
We had our team offsite on Friday, and went go-karting, roller skating, did archery, and danced to a pretty bad DJ. The whole team formed a variation on a conga line at one point, and everyone followed one person’s lead through the craziest dance moves that person could dream up. The go-karting competition was pretty intense, although I did not do anything to make the competition stiffer. I ended up starting out my heat in the lead, but after spinning my go-kart out five times, I finished dead last. The 180’s were definitely fun though :)
Today, we’re headed to our normal Sunday brunch place, the Taj, where we can get almost any food we want, and lots of it. In the sea of pancakes, omelettes, pasta and more, ironically, what sounds the best to me is a salad. That’s the one thing so far that I haven’t been able to find here. I think the city has an acute shortage of lettuce. Charlie’s salad bar never sounded so good. Other than the lack of salad, the food has been great, the fruit is wonderful, and I’ve eaten more yogurt than I usually eat in 6 months.
I’ll try to keep the updates coming somewhat regularly; here’s some pictures of my time here so far.
I arrived on the 30th of November, in the evening, after having spent more than 24 hours in transit. I passed through the Singapore airport, spending nine hours trying desperately to stay awake. A foot massage, 3 coffees, a shower, and half of ‘The Abyss’ later, I boarded my plane to Hyderabad.
I pretty much crashed immediately when I got in, and was at work the next day, although I think I left the better part of my brain floating around the Singapore airport. Most of the week I spent observing Kevin, the trainer I am here to take over from. He’s heading back to Mountain View after 5 months, and when he leaves we will have had 2 weeks to transition his responsibilities. It seems like the Hyderabad team is taking on more and more responsibility, which is great, although the expat team is still working pretty feverishly.
I haven’t had a chance to see much of the city, my days consist mostly of the office and our apartment. Our apartment is extremely nice, I actually think that my standard of living has gone up since leaving San Francisco (no offense Bri :)). We have a housekeeper, that comes every day to clean, and all our meals are cooked for us. The food has been pretty rice-centric overall, so occasionally Kirti and I have been cooking for ourselves (the highlight so far has been some fantastic tostadas with Kirti’s homemade enchilada sauce… yummmmmm).
I’ve been shopping quite a bit on the weekends, just trying to get settled into a new room, and taking advantage of how inexpensive most things are here. I’m slowly accumulating a number of Indian fashion items, and planning to get lots of clothes made. The fabric here is incredible, the colors are so vibrant. I feel like the bright colors that everyone wears here is a reflection of the spirit of the culture that I’ve observed so far. The people that I’ve met dance, sing, and just live with such energy. They are not afraid to show their excitement; the coolness factor that so often dampens expression of emotions and energy in the States is not present.
We had our team offsite on Friday, and went go-karting, roller skating, did archery, and danced to a pretty bad DJ. The whole team formed a variation on a conga line at one point, and everyone followed one person’s lead through the craziest dance moves that person could dream up. The go-karting competition was pretty intense, although I did not do anything to make the competition stiffer. I ended up starting out my heat in the lead, but after spinning my go-kart out five times, I finished dead last. The 180’s were definitely fun though :)
Today, we’re headed to our normal Sunday brunch place, the Taj, where we can get almost any food we want, and lots of it. In the sea of pancakes, omelettes, pasta and more, ironically, what sounds the best to me is a salad. That’s the one thing so far that I haven’t been able to find here. I think the city has an acute shortage of lettuce. Charlie’s salad bar never sounded so good. Other than the lack of salad, the food has been great, the fruit is wonderful, and I’ve eaten more yogurt than I usually eat in 6 months.
I’ll try to keep the updates coming somewhat regularly; here’s some pictures of my time here so far.
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