Random Observations & Thoughts

As we near the three-month mark, I realize that I have not shared some of the observations or thoughts/topics of discussion that Savannah and I have contemplated.  For instance, one of the first things Savannah noticed was that men wear "skirts." And they frequently put their arm around each other as they are walking or standing around.  And they might even be holding hands.  I understood from a few conversations and some online reading prior to our arrival that the Indian culture is not accepting of gay lifestyles and there is very little tolerance of openly gay people.  I do not remember talking to Savannah about it before we left, but when she mentioned the men wearing skirts I knew it was a conversation we needed to have.  Since society looks at being gay as taboo, she was very confused as to why men wear skirts, hold hands and drape their arms around each other if they aren't gay.  So the explanation was, "It's just different here... I guess men aren't intimidated to show affection, as they might be in the US for fear of being teased for being gay, because nobody here talks about being gay." The more I see it - as a group of men walks down the street, a couple of guys working over a computer at work, standing in line for fresh juice - the more I think of the American word bromance.  And it makes me laugh a little every time.
Speaking of topics not openly discussed, (yep, leave it to the American to bring these things up...) another observation is some of the censorship that we have seen on TV.  We have some US channels - CBS, FX, WB, HBO - and they include shows like Sex & the City, Sons of Anarchy, Mike & Molly, all the X-factor, America's Got Talent, The Voice reality shows and more.  These are typical American shows, with references to sex, drugs, profanity.  Many words and scenes are censored. Even anatomically correct body parts and the word "sex" are censored.  I have to say that all the censorship isn't hindering the reproduction of the second-most populous country in the world, although I do not think I have seen more than two or three pregnant women since we've been here.  Interesting... just realized that.
Savannah still does not understand why I don't let her wear shorts and tank tops, as we do see some ex-pats wearing them periodically.  It's just not the norm and we are already stared at enough.  Most of the ladies here wear sarees or kurtas with leggings all the time. It's hot here, low 90's, and crazy humid.  Shorts and a tank would be nice, but I figure it's not worth it.  We do our best to blend in, even if we are a few shades lighter than our neighbors.  Speaking of lighter skin - one of the funniest thing we see for sale are skin lightening products and lotions.  It strikes us as amusing since we love to be tan and buy skin darkening products in the US. It just goes to show that no matter what you look like, someone else in the world wants what you have...

Cost of living. in some ways it is very cheap to live here. In other ways, not so much.  Our housing here is not much less than what it would be in Houston (I do realize Houston is a very low cost of living location in the US, but we are in India).  A liter of petrol (gasoline) is about 73 rupees right now.  73 rupees is about $1.35.  There are about 3.75 liters in a gallon, so a gallon of gas is about $5. It's no wonder there are so many motorcycles everywhere around here! 

Took this pic when I was here in February

Milk is 62 rupees for a liter... doing the math on that one, milk runs around $6 a gallon.  On the flip side, veggies are cheap (and fresh!).  Chicken is pretty cheap, too, at under $2 for a pound of boneless, skinless (again, fresh!) breast.  A loaf of bread is about 50 cents.  Cable TV is cheap... super cheap, like $5 a month.  Cell phone service, also cheap.  Not as cheap as cable, but cheap enough.  Music downloads are cheap. Books are relatively inexpensive.  Indian-ethnic clothing is pretty cheap, but tennies and jeans are crazy expensive.  We paid over $100 for a pair of basic Nike shoes for Savannah a few weeks ago.  Electronics are much higher here than in the US, also.  Samsung has a factory here, so you would think they might have a local discount.  Not quite.  
Something else I have realized is that no matter where I am in the world, people want to share personal  information with me.  I am not sure why, and Dennis used to tease me about being a gossip because I always knew stuff, but REALLY I don't ask!!  Everyone just volunteers information that I don't need (and sometimes want!) to know.  It is probably because they need to share with someone and realize that since I have the worst memory ever, I am safe.  LOL  There have been many occasions when someone told me something, then a few months later it came up again and I thought, "Oh yeah! I knew that already and forgot all about it!"  
That might be the end of my thoughts... I am getting pretty sleepy and these are really all over the place.  I am sitting here waiting on Savannah to go to school (half days this week for testing) so I can go to bed.  Nothing new or exciting to update you on.  Still counting down for the arrival of our container - hopefully in early October.  Also counting the days until Mom and Dad arrive!!  And I haven't even told Savannah yet, but I just planned a weekend get-away for us with a group from work for the first weekend in November.  I think my colleagues are tired of me not getting out and doing anything on the weekends so they are taking matters into their own hands.  I am not complaining at all and know it will be a good time.
Hope everyone is having a great week and I'll write more later.  Love and hugs from India!

Funny stories

I have probably been a little too whiny on here for my own good, or anyone else's, for that matter, so I will share a couple funny stories.  Short ones.  Well, I'll try to make them short - how about that?

Funny Story #1 - I wonder how many of you noticed how geographically challenged I am when, several blogs ago, I wrote about my view of the Baltic Sea from the balconies at our flat?  Actually, we have a view of the Bay of Bengal.  Yep, I work for a global ocean freight company and don't know which sea is where.  I bet the girls on my team back in Houston are laughing right now about my other geographically-challenged moment a while back regarding a certain India-Asia-Africa connection... but I'll save that story for another time.  Or not at all.  haha  But many thanks to my IT buddy for pointing that out a while back; I just never addressed it until now.

 Funny Story #2 - Yesterday was Vinayaka Chaturthi, an Indian national and Hindu holiday that celebrates Lord Ganesha.  At work there was a lot of present wrapping and hustle and bustle of the team I sit near and work with on occasion (sitting in Exports now, but working more with Imports, as we are all shuffling desks soon) and I just assumed it was all about this holiday.  I was pretty busy, still catching up from being out last week, and meant to ask my colleagues a few times, but got distracted or never thought about it at a good time.  Anyway, lotssssss of present wrapping, all the men on the team (which is quite funny because Indian men wrap presents about as quickly as American men... and probably with about as much skill) took turns wrapping a few gifts at a time and then they piled them up on a manager's desk.  Then they were all compiled into a big box and a couple plastic bags, bound tightly with packing tape and ready for - well, I didn't know what they were ready for.  I figured it was something like what we would do for Christmas, Secret Santa, donations to a local home or a White Elephant-type thing.  But time ticked away, the night escaped me and it was time to leave. So I went home without seeing the big ending.  When I came in tonight, I remembered to ask my co-manager what all the presents were for.  And he said they were for our boss, Selvam, to take with him to his trip to visit our colleagues in NAM.  What?!  I thought this was related to an Indian thing and I had been intrigued all night.  HAHAHA!  Well, that will teach me to wait until the day after to ask a question.  What a dork I am!

Funny Story #3 - Savannah has to go to school on Saturday.  That in itself is funny, since I did it for almost 5 years, I kind of like the idea. She was out yesterday for the completely unrelated present-wrapping festival (LOL) and had a half day today, half day tomorrow, and half day Saturday.  Really, she is still getting a half a day off, but it's the principle of the Saturday attendance for her.  And I get it.  I just don't have much sympathy. By the way, we often see kids in their common school uniforms if we make it out and about on Saturdays, so it's a regular occurrence around here.
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Funny Story #4 - Isn't really a story, just a few little snippets of the adventures of Dynamo:

• One of the guards at our apartment complex and I had a short conversation the other morning when I took him out to do his business: Guard - "Is that a dog or a cat?"  Me - stunned silence, then, laughing "It's a dog."  Guard -  "Are you sure?  I thought not because it is so little." Me - "Yep, I am sure.  He's a dog." Guard - "Oh, OK, madam. I thought he was little like a cat, but have a good day."
• A young girl, probably 8 or 9 years old, quite mature, walked over to me one afternoon when we were out and asked if she could pet him.  She asked lots of questions, including his name, where we were from, where we got him, and then she asked, "Is he veg or non-veg?"  Well, this might not be as funny to most of you, not living in India, but everyone is either veg or non-veg here.  Meaning they eat meat or they don't.  Food is marked with a green circle if it's veg and there are strictly veg restaurants, etc.  Some of it has religious implications, some does not.  But when she asked me if my DOG was veg or non-veg, I fell out laughing.  But I replied, as seriously as I could, "He's non-veg."  Just as quickly as the breath she took, she asked, "And what does he eat, then? Pedigree?"  It was so funny.  There are not a lot of pet food choices around here, but Pedigree is one of the few, so, "Yes, he eats Pedigree." 
• Back when we were at the Aloft Hotel, one of the staff girls asked him, "Dynamo, do you know your ABC's?"  And she waited for his reply.  Savannah and I looked at each other, stifled our laughs and said we had to go back to the room, where we then roared with laughter for the next 20 minutes.  Sometimes if I am in a cranky mood, or if she's just feeling especially silly, Savannah will ask the wind, "Dynamo, do you know your ABC's?"
• And lastly, the sweet lady that stays with Savannah at nights when I work, Lakshmi,  wants to feed him all the time.  Like, ALL THE TIME.  Keep in mind we are communication-ally challenged... Every evening when I am getting my stuff together and getting ready to go to work, she walks to the cabinet with the dog food (yes, non-veg Pedigree) and points to it.  Generally, Savannah has already fed him.  But she would like to feed him again.  She motions to the cabinet, then her mouth with her fingers all closed like she is putting food into her mouth.  Then she does the same motion toward Dynamo.  Usually I laugh and tell her he already ate, but every now and then we will let her feed him again.  They kind of love each other. It's pretty cute.

I am all out of funny stories for the moment and my mom just sent me an iMessage that they are ready to Skype (she's quite impatient, so it's now been 3 iMessages and a "how much longer"), so I will sign off for the day.  Hope everyone is having a nice week and enjoying the cool weather I keep reading about (with envy and jealous) on FB.  As always, appreciate your prayers and thoughts and sending them right back along with big hugs from Chennai.

A Day at the Beach and a Week in Bed

Savannah and I had a nice little outing last Saturday afternoon/evening.  We made it out to Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram, because - you know - we can't just have one name I can't pronounce with 12 plus letters in it around here - we need to have multiple unpronounceable names!  There are a lot of places with two names, I am learning.  Examples: Chennai = Madras. Mumbai = Bombay. Nhava Sheva = Jawaharlal Nehru.  I am told the old name was English, from when the British ruled India, and that more recently the Indian government has decided to rename many places to sound more Indian than British.  I don't know about you, but these ALL sounded the same amount of Indian to me.  Silly Indians. Anyway, our visit wasn't too long, because I didn't bring a lot of cash and the stone temple things we wanted to see didn't take debit cards... but we did walk to the beach part and shopped some of the little vendor stands, drank some tea and Savannah had some fresh pineapple.  When I asked how much stuff was, the locals thought it was great fun to take advantage of us.  I know it is not really 40 rupees (appx 75 cents) for two slices of pineapple, but whatever.  And I know it's not really 75 rupees for two cups of tea (appx $1.50), because really these things are much less expensive here.  But I didn't feel like haggling (very unlike me, usually I am down for a price war) so I paid them and they laughed as we walked off like they got something over the foreigners.  Silly Indians.  When we went to the stone carving temple things to see how much it was and see if they took a debit card (most places here do, really!), we saw it was 20 rupees for Indians and 250 rupees for "all others."  Over ten times as much because we fell in that "all others" category.  Crazy country, I tell ya.  So we will go back one day with our zillions of foreign dollars they must think we have and enjoy it again.  It wasn't too far away and we might get in the water this time.  But not in bathing suits... there were people in the water there, but they all just wear their clothes.  The ladies wore their salwar suits like it was normal.  And I guess, for here, it is normal.  When I had told someone Friday night that we were going to the beach on Saturday he asked me, very seriously, "please do not wear your American swimwear." I already knew it was a no-no, because we don't even wear shorts here, so a swimsuit would just blow their minds! But it was pretty funny that they felt it necessary to have that conversation.  Silly Indians! (have I mentioned that already?) 

At the beach

Showing off her souvenirs

Monday and Tuesday I woke up with a headache and figured it was because we had some rain and there was a bunch of stuff in the air, but as the night wore on Tuesday, I was feeling worse and worse - congested, sneezing, puffy eyes, pounding head, sore throat, achy back and shoulders, and dizzy when I stood up.  By the time I left and came home, I crashed out and did not wake up until my alarm went off after 5 PM.  5 PM is pretty late, considering my daughter should have been home before that, so I freaked out a little and called her cell phone immediately, which was off.  I rushed to the front door and she was standing there.  For over an hour.  Knocking.  Ringing the bell.  Waiting.  I heard nothing... I was out to the world.  Her phone was taken at school (returned the next day - which is a good thing because they were going to have one ticked off American mom up there if not) so she couldn't call me.  And she doesn't have my number memorized so she couldn't go ask anyone else to call me, either.  Lesson learned.  She now has my number on a piece of paper in her purse in case she doesn't have her phone for any reason again.  Anyway, I was feeling terrible so I texted my co-manager to let him know I was going to "take rest" and I'd be back the next day.  Our little lady that stays with Savannah came over as planned, which was good because I was right back in bed.  She made Savannah dinner and was so worried about me. She brought me "copy" (coffee) and wanted me to come eat, but that was not happening, so she and Savannah walked down to the store at the apartment complex to see if there was any medicine, but there wasn't.  Everything here is at its own store.  Groceries at one place, medicine at another, books at another, electronics at another, sweets at another, shoes at another, ladies clothes at another, dog food at another, you get the point - it's maddening.  I miss Target.  I would even go so far as to say I miss Wal-Mart - a place I NEVER thought I would miss - simply for the convenience of one-stop shopping. Back to the store - when they were in the store, another resident overheard Savannah asking for medicine and offered some info about a nearby drug store and Savannah explained her mom was sick and the driver was gone for the night, so no way to get there.  Well, turns out the lady was a doctor (so many doctors and engineers here!!) and she ordered some other stuff, had it delivered, and then walked some up to our apartment for me... after 10 at night.  Very kind!  I took the first pill and felt GREAT after about an hour... felt pretty darn good until it wore off and then nothing worked quite like that again.  I stayed pretty sick until Saturday early afternoon and I slept so much my back was sore from laying down.  I guess my body decided I had gone long enough through this big move and emotional crap I was putting it through, and it was shutting down on me, forcing me to rest and recoup.  So I did.  Until Friday morning when I attempted to go in for a day-side meeting and spiked a fever on the way, so had the driver turn around and take me home... So I went back to bed.  But I feel better today.  I was going to go out and get pampered with a mani/pedi, but the driver never answered, so I stayed home. Probably better, anyway.  However, my child had gone with her friends from school to work on a project and I had no way to get her home since the driver did not answer.  So she wound up staying the night over there and when he comes in the morning I will have to send her stuff with him and he will pick her up from her friend's and take them to school.  I tell ya, this not having a car at-will is pretty inconvenient.  Especially when the drivers do not cooperate.  Sigh.
So that is our exciting week.  Savannah's been sweet and helped take care of me while I was under the weather, but I think she was glad to head out yesterday and she probably wasn't very sad to not make it home tonight, in all honesty.  Sometimes inconvenience for Mom works out in a teenager's favor.  
We are still waiting on our household goods... 4 weeks delay - ETA to Chennai is now Oct. 4.  We'll see if that happens.  I am a little disgusted with that and would rather not talk about it quite yet.  Later, I guess I will laugh (this is what everyone keeps telling me), but there is not any laughter about it right now.  Not yet.  And we are counting down for Mom & Dad's visit.  Third week of October can't get here fast enough!  We are only about a month away - Yippee!!!  And then we will start the countdown for our trip home - tickets booked for December 20 departure and January 1 return.  Double Yippeeeeeee!  
Well, it's after 4:30 AM and I am pretty hungry (got an appetite back!) so I should probably eat something and try to get some sleep.  Please keep us in your prayers... still missing home, friends & family like crazy.  Still working to acclimate to our new country.  We are taking it one day at a time, and certainly doing better every day, but it's still a little rough sometimes.  We appreciate your thoughts and prayers very much and send them back to you all.  Here's hoping everyone has a great week and sending big love and hugs!

Whew! What a Week!

I know I am past due keeping you all updated on our adventures over here, so even though I really need to get some sleep, I figured I will write a little something.  It's 6:45, Saturday morning, and I've been home from work for about an hour.  I made some eggs and ate, put a load of clothes into the washer and sat down to wind down before I try to sleep, but pulled out the laptop and decided to write.  I made myself a note of a few reminder topics so I will start with those.
 1. The phrase "I used to" in the US means: In the past, previously, not anymore or not now.  Example:  I used to live in Spring, Texas. I used to have AC all the time.  I used to be able to go to the grocery store and buy wine.  Heck, I used to be able to go to the pharmacy and buy wine! LOL  I don't live in Spring anymore.  I don't have AC all the time here.  I can't go to the local store, grocery or otherwise, and pick up a bottle of wine.  In India, the phrase does not mean in the past.  I don't know how to exactly explain it other than to use it in context.  I have seen this on IM and heard in conversation at work on several occasions and I just realized this week (I guess sometimes I am a little slow...) the completely different usage.  Someone is explaining how they work a process, "And I used to click here and do this." Or "I used to check the system for this and use the information for that." Or "I used to verify the rates on this lane and confirm the transit time as..."  These are all statements of present tense.  This is how I do something.  Not this is what I did in the past.  It confuses me a bit still.
2. FaceTime and Skype: I don't even really like talking on the phone all that much. I did that for several years as a job... talked on the phone all day and got paid for it.  It got old quick.  As a teenager, I can assure you my parents would have bet BIG money I would never say that. But it's true.  So not only do I not really want to talk on the phone, I REALLY don't want to sit in front of a computer and look at someone while I don't want to talk to them.  It is nothing personal.  It's not you. It's me. BUT, because I love my family and friends SO VERY MUCH, I will try very hard to self-sacrifice and do the Skype or FaceTime thing, or, at the very minimum, the phone thing.  Really, if you haven't read this before - download the Viber app.  It works on 3G (WHICH I GOT THIS WEEK!) or WiFi and international calls and texts just pull from your regular plan.  No extra charges.  Super cool. 
3. Last week I heard about the holiday Onam.  I did some research (research these days includes typing "Onam" into the google search screen) and found that this is not a Tamil Nadu-oriented holiday.  It is a holiday of our neighboring state, Kerala.  When several of my colleagues took last Wednesday off and I received several "Happy Onam!" text messages and saw FB posts, I thought to myself, "Why in the world are we celebrating this holiday here in Tamil Nadu? It's for Kerala.  These people are just odd.  Why would you celebrate a holiday for a neighboring state?  That's just silly."  And then I laughed at myself.  And thought of King cake and beads and parades...  Yep, Mardi Gras.  We odd, silly Texans help our Cajun neighbors from Louisiana celebrate their holiday every year, don't we?  Yeah. Plus, there are lots of people that have come to Chennai for work that originate from Kerala. So maybe not so odd or silly, after all.  I should probably think about celebrations a little more thoroughly before I decide to write them off.  Lesson learned.
OK, that was my list of reminders.  But there are a few more things that I will add.  The first of which will be prefaced by a "this is just my opinion based on observations" disclaimer and does not constitute anything other than that.  And it's not meant to be offensive or taken in such a way that anyone gets upset.  So, if you are offended, my sincere apologies.  Please don't be.
I have noticed that Indian men pee everywhere.  On the side of the road.  Every road.  Middle of the day without a tree or car door to stand behind. Ew.  
It is so loud here.  I like quiet.  This is a big adjustment.  Loud music playing from temples to celebrate holidays.  Or something.  I assume they are celebrating holidays, but I really do not know since I cannot understand what the loud speaker is booming when someone's voice comes across.  Also, there are speakers down the main road I take to work and sometimes there is just really loud talking.  Constant.  For most of the 20 kilometers from the apartment to the office.  That's a long 20 KM when you have a loud foreign voice yelling at you through the car windows.  Cars like to honk.  And motorcycles. And buses. All of them at the same time. And when we are all at a stand-still together at the same signal.  And nobody is going to be able to move.  But if we all honk in succession, it must make them feel like we will go somewhere faster.  I really find the back of many trucks' phrases ironic "Sound Horn."  Um, no need to have that painted on there, folks.  Pretty sure it comes naturally to the drivers around here.  And it's loud at the office.  Sometimes really loud.  I have a hard time focusing loud.  I do realize this is my issue, not my colleagues', so I am trying to learn how to tune it out (Shonda, I know you thought I had that "tuning out" thing down, but turns out, notsomuch over here!).
Hmmm what else?  Oh!  Our container...  was due in 8/24.  Then 9/4.  Then 9/8.  Then I checked the website last night and saw it was due into JEBEL ALI 9/8, NOT Chennai.  I was DYINGGGGGGGG so I e mailed the move guy and he confirmed today "Oops, yes it's delayed until OCTOBER 4."  Ummmm, what?  Nooooooo!!!!!  (Yes, I am a little dramatic with the letters and punctuation here.  You must understand my tone and inflection.)  So after a few e mails and lots of four letter words, I was reminded about the great company I work for.  Our Customer Service team in NAM does what they do best, and some great executives reached out to the consolidator (after we were advised the LCL contents were being de-stuffed and the steamship line carrying it now was out of the picture) to see what they can do to speed it up.  So, we won't have it next week like I was hoping, but maybe sooner than October 4.  Even though I was frustrated that we still won't have things that we have really been missing like Savannah's tennis shoes, our blankets and sheets, my work out clothes, our kitchen dishes and wares, shower gels, solid deodorants, and more, I am thankful for the great people I work with, both here in India and home in the US.  
I am still enjoying my role here and meeting some really nice people.  I spent some time with another team this week, watching the process and learning so I can help close some gaps on the import side, and one of the girls was so sweet and brought me in a pack of bindis, and proceeded to place one right on my forehead tonight.  Sweet!  And then she decided the plain "diamond" didn't stand out enough and promptly changed it out with a "diamond" on a red background.  I laughed and said, "you can't see it because I am so pale," and she blushed a little and nodded. I am sure she was thinking, "Silly white girl!"
Well, I really better get some rest so I can wake up and take my kiddo on our first unaccompanied outing.  We are going to Mahabalipuram, which is located about 25 KM from our home.  I will try to remember to take some pictures and post for everyone soon. We appreciate your prayers and well wishes more than I can say.  It's nice to know we have such a great cheering section, all across the world.  We love you all and send big hugs from Chennai.

A Resort Visit and a Trip to the Police Station...

While there are some positives to working the night shift in India (awake and working when my NAM colleagues are online, avoid the sweltering heat and humidity of the daylight, not as much traffic back and forth to the office), I have been acutely aware of the downfalls to such a shift... Difficult to handle necessary tasks such as government office registration, home utility set up, and banking transactions, challenging to function somewhat normally on the weekend when my daughter would like to leave the compound and do things, and lack of time to explore the world around us with a crazy sleep schedule.  These challenges have presented themselves to me quite a bit over the past several days.
Saturday we had a team outing for work.  The plan was to arrive at Jade Resort around 10, after heading home for a quick nap after my 5 am shift ended.  Good plan.  Well, I like to sleep.  So waking up at 9:30 after falling asleep around 6:30 was a challenge, but I did it.  Got myself moving and in the car, communicated poorly with the driver, showing him the resort's address and map that I had saved to my phone (correct, still no 3G service!) and asking him to take me there.  Trying to pronounce the 2 cities the resort falls between and the perplexed look on his face only got me frustrated (remember, going on 3 hours of sleep here).  So I showed him the virtual map again, said the road name (ECR, that's a pretty easy one) and pointed in the direction I figured we needed to be going.  So he went.  And we eventually made it there, after he stopped twice to ask locals for some help.  I don't know if he was asking them to take the grumpy American off his hands or if he asked for directions, but either way, we made it.  So I went in to the front office and asked for the Maersk party and was directed to the third building back.  So I walked to the third building and looked around for familiar faces.  Nope.  So I walked over to the desk and asked this guy for the Maersk party.  Blank stare.  Taking me back to the Aloft days and I just knew I was about to hear, "Maam, I can't get you."  But instead, he pointed to the bulletin board nearby and asked if my company was listed.  Nope.  "No, I don't see it, but I know we are meeting here."  Based on this guy's doubtful expression, if I hadn't actually looked at the website at work with the coordinator, Asif, then I might wonder if I was at the wrong place, but I was sure this was it.  So I called Selvam, my boss, and told him I was there but didn't see anyone else.  He said he would call Asif and have him call me back, not to worry.  OK, I wasn't worried, just a little tired and grumpy.  So I sat on the couch in the waiting area and told the desk they were on their way. I am pretty sure the guy at the desk still didn't think the white girl knew what she was talking about, but I just sat there drinking some mango juice and relaxing.  It was really OK just to sit and I probably could have taken a little nap if it hadn't been for all the in and out of some guests of the resort.  Lots of stares.  After about fifteen minutes a man in a suit came over and asked me what party I was waiting on. "Maersk Line."  "We do not have a confirmation under that name."  "Asif?  Mohamed?  Selvam?" "No, these are the only companies we have coming, madam," gesturing to the bulletin board I had already reviewed.  "OK, well they told me they are coming so I will wait, no worries."  And then, "Please come." This is a common phrase here.  It is half statement, half question, all directive.  I think - nah, I am ok - and don't respond. He repeats, "Please come."  Sigh.  Fine. So I get up and follow him around the corner to a large closet turned office and the 4 young men that are crowded in there stop their banter and smile as I walk in.  He directs me to his desk and asks for the number of the party I am meeting.  But I don't have Asif's number in my phone, like a genius, and I already called Selvam.  So I told him I already called, they are on the way and will be here shortly.  "The number, please?"  Again... sigh. Fine.  So he calls Selvam and they chat for a bit.  Turns out he's OK with Selvam telling him that they will be here shortly and he asks me to wait in the office until they arrive.  Ummmm, OK.  So I play bejewled on my non 3G enabled phone and wait for another 10 minutes or so.  Then Asif pops his head in and says, "Nikki, please come."  Of course.  
So then the party begins.  I walk upstairs and open the door to the banquet room and the music is loud and everyone cheers. "Nikki, come dance!" I hear.  Uhhh it's, like, 11 am, I haven't had enough sleep (or a drink!) and it's only the guys on the dance floor.  "Oh, I'll wait a bit, thanks." And I sit.  No dice.  A team member comes over, takes my hand and pulls me to the dance floor.  Oh, Lord.  So I dance to Ace of Bass' "All That She Wants" until it's over and then sit down about as quickly as I can, graciously declining further requests to dance more.  So this was the team outing.  Hm.  More music played.  Some good stuff, mostly American.  It was fun to watch the dancing, laughing and cutting up.  I think the few girls on the team felt like they needed to sit with me and took turns coming over.  I really was content, just watching and taking it all in, but I suppose from their perspective I looked like I needed interaction.  Anyway, after about 45 seconds of the song playing, it was abruptly cut off and the guys booed and jeered until the next song started, and at that point they all cheered and hollered excitedly.  This happened for about 15 songs.  Every time.  And then it got quiet, one of the guys on the team was orchestrating something that everyone seemed to be interested in... I wasn't sure what it was, though.  Dance contest?  A few minutes went by and then it started.  What else? A push-up contest!  Yep.  Not everyone, but many of the guys were excited to show off their strength while the group counted how many push-ups they could do.  It ranged from 17 to 70, with the latter being the champion. 
When the push-up competition was over we moved onto a game with a tennis ball, a cross between "hot potato" and musical chairs - don't be holding the ball when the music stops.  And then a game where we had to say the word BUS on every multiple of 3. That was pretty funny.  Oh, and they made David, a somewhat fresh manager to Maersk Line and myself give speeches.  Quick, but I started with "Venakkam" and ended with "OK, that's enough of my bad Tamil!" And then we walked outside for some refreshing beach volleyball.  And when I say we, I mean not me.  I sat in the shade and watched for a while but decided it was entirely too hot (about 95 F) and went back in with a small group who agreed the heat was too much.  Soon it was lunch time, a buffet, and my favorite was biryani. After we ate, it was about time to pick up Savannah from Ila's (she had gone to a school carnival, which was, to her, about as amusing as my outing) and run a couple errands and head home for some sleep.
Sunday we did not do much.  I slept the day away, much to my own chagrin because I really needed to try and sleep "normally" so we could go to the FRRO office again to register our flat's address on Monday morning.  So after about 2 hours of sleep Sunday night, I got up Monday in another lovely mood, got ready, barked a few orders at Savannah, who had to join me in case they wanted here there (last time they said they didn't need her over the phone but then demanded her presence when I arrived), and headed to pick up my co-NAM expat, Tom on the way.  We made our way down there and met Gideon and made it through to our "number" within about 45 minutes... Not bad.  So the lady called us up, reviewed the papers, then told me "Be seated." And moved our paperwork to the side.  And then called others.  Tom was done right after us, and we were still just waiting, not knowing why, but not wanting to annoy with too many questions.  So the lady left with our papers, came back without them, and Tom went out to talk to Gideon after about 45 more minutes of no change.  Another half an hour or so, she called us back up to advise we were out of Chennai city limits and needed to go to another office to register, and we must do so with seven days. Ugh.
So Gideon decided that Tuesday would be best, since my sleep schedule was already messed up, so we planned for a 10 am departure.  He told me to keep Savannah out of school again, as we were going too far to go pick her up if they wanted to see her. Sigh.  We left this morning and headed to Kanchipuram to register.  A full hour and a half later, after picking up a "local guy" on the way and driving down a very scenic road through many small villages, we made it to our destination, which happened to be the police station.  Savannah and I sat in the car while Gideon and our local host took our paperwork and went in to get the 411.  I kept expecting them to pop out and motion us in, but time passed and they never did.  They brought us paperwork to fill out and then carried it back in for us.  We sat and waited some more.  I forgot to bring my nook so it was pretty boring... played Fruit Pop on my phone for a while.  Took in the sights.  Oh, we had to go get some copies made and new passport pictures done - they like a lot of passport photos for everything here - and Savannah was able to translate our local guy asking the photographer if they turned out OK and how long it would take before they would be ready.  I was pretty proud of my girl - catching onto Tamil pretty quickly.  Good thing, since I am apparently quite a slow learner with this language biz. So the pics were done, copies were made and we had eaten lunch.  Apparently they told Gideon we would need to come back in a few days, but he convinced them it should be quicker.  And after lunch, and after some more waiting, it was done.  Probably the fastest out-of-city FRRO address change/registration in the history of this turtle-paced country.  Unspoken ways to make things happen faster were no doubt involved, a reflection of the culture we are now immersed in.  Lots of questions from Savannah on the comments about an investigation and the questioning "tactics" of the police that were overheard by our co-travelers.  Questions about how we got it done so quickly.  And herds of oxen and cows crowding the roads and making our trip back into town longer than the way out.  Interesting day for sure.
This entry sure is long.  Just a reminder that I can't tell a short story, I guess. As a last note, I'll ask that you please keep us in your prayers.  I am short with Savannah more often than I should be - going to blame it on lack of sleep (but probably an adjustment to this new lifestyle, among other things, contribute as well) - and have to apologize often. We are missing our family and friends very much.  We are still challenged with communication breakdown when we aren't in the office or at school.  We had to get Savannah some shoes and a belt for school tonight after the long car ride and the driver didn't know where to go.  I was ready for melt-down mode when we finally made it to the Nike store (where I paid twice as much as I would have in the US for her shoes!) and then found a place to buy a belt on the road home.  It is hard to go from being very independent, handling everything on a daily basis, to not have a clue where to go or how to get what we need for even some of the basic necessities.  So, yeah, still needing those prayers for both of us.
Love and hugs from India!

India, how do I love thee, let me count the ways...

Well, I am trying to make myself love it here.  But this week has been especially tough so I have decided to make a list and share it with you. I have been told by more than one person that later I will look back at everything that is going on, or not going on in some cases, and laugh.  So here's the list of things that are pissing me off or making me nuts or making me cry or all of the above - with a preface that this is going to be really whiney, but I figure once I get it out and move on I will feel better:

• My ATM card is still not working. 
• I still don't have 3G on my phone.
• The power was out for 3 nights in a row at our place and the lady that stays with Savannah tried to tell me but I didn't understand.
• The driver did not show up last week when he was supposed to. Twice in one day.
• 2 drivers showed up the next day. 
• The driver then showed up at 7 AM when I specifically said 7 PM. Evening. Night.
• The government put a 5 text message limit on prepaid mobile phones, directly affecting  communication with my child since...
• We can STILL not get Savannah and postpaid mobile phone.
• When I tried to talk to the guy from the post paid mobile phone company he could not understand me.
• I decided that my long distance relationship did not work out as we'd both hoped for this past weekend.
• The power goes out here ALL THE TIME. Most of the time back up generators run, but they do not operate the AC, washing machine and microwave. It is scheduled at our complex daily between 10-11 AM.  Today it was out for 11 hours.  Cranky Nikki did not sleep well for the third day in a row and was hot while getting ready for work which made for CrankiER Nikki (if that is possible).
• The water here is terrible and my hair is falling out in clumps.  Not sure if these are related, but guessing the heaviness of my hair is probably because of the water and the stress of this dang list is causing the wads I pull out of the brush daily. 
• Savannah's school was supposed to move from current location, Neelangari to Padur, where we live, in September... which is why we selected Padur.  They have postponed until December. Earliest.
• The driver's budget was made for her going to school in Padur.  I will be over budget very soon every month it does not move.
• Our container will not arrive Chennai until September 4. Then another week-ish for customs clearance and who knows HOW long to have it delivered.  I expected it August 24 based on incorrect discharge port information. It did not ship with Maersk Line.  I will address that with the relo department soon.
• I like the complex where we live but it is too far from everything.
• I sleep the weekends away because I am now acclimated to the night shift...

OK so now that all that is off my chest, I think I can move on.  Hopefully.  Here are some of the GOOD and POSITIVE things:

• I am now acclimated to the night shift with a sleep schedule. (Obviously this is good and bad.)
• I am LOVING my role at work!  It has really just started, but I am already enjoying it and really like the people I work with. 
• Savannah really seems to be enjoying school. 
• Savannah has made a terrific friend in Ila.
• Dynamo likes to sleep all day with me.
• Our landlord has been very helpful with everything we have needed AND he owns the on-site store so that's a big plus if someone's ATM card doesn't work and they need to buy food on the "hey you know me, I am the tenant in A1-603... put it on my, uh, tab" method.
• I am still so thankful we have Gideon from the admin team at work helping us out.
• I made a friend who lived in Chennai for 2 years a while back through another friend.  I am SO thankful for her listening ear and advice over the past week.  
• I am reminded daily how wonderful our friends and family are and how blessed I am to have them praying for us and cheering us on through notes of encouragement, texts, e mails, etc.
• Our WiFi has been working beautifully since we got it fixed the weekend after we moved in.
• We have US TV channels and get to enjoy shows like (for me!) Sons of Anarchy, Sex & the City and for Savannah all the CSI and Law & Order she can watch, and for us both, Friends, Rules of Engagement and more. --- Did you know there are, like, a dozen Next Top Model shows? I don't watch them, but they play America's, New Zealand's and Canada's ALL here!
• Coffee or tea is delivered to my desk (OK, everyone's desk) at work at 11 PM and 3 AM.
• I met 2 new ex-pats in the office tonight, a lady from Kenya and a man from Sri Lanka.
• I love our kitchen table, our curtains and our floors.
• We did not almost hit any cattle on the drive home from work this morning.
• My pants that were too tight when I left Houston are getting loose.
• I saw the most beautiful cloud/sunshine THING I have ever seen in my 35 years just the other day here.
• I know God has a plan for us.  I don't know what it is, but I am trying to deal with that part of it.
• My parents are coming to see us in October!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know it is important to focus on the positives in life, so I made sure there was at least one more positive than negative on that list.  I might have been reaching on some of those positives, and the list took me longer, but I refuse to give into the negativity on a long term basis.  Short term, yep, I am cranky and whiny and complaining.  Long term, though, we will master this "living in India" thing and be pros by the time we leave, and hopefully leave a little bit of Texas, and a whole lot of Christ's love, along the way.
Hope everyone has a great week and sending our love.

OK, OK, OK.

Just over 5 weeks here and I have already picked up this phrase, "OK, OK, OK."  I think in the US I said, "Gotcha" in the same scenarios, but my Indian colleagues repeat "OK" a few times to communicate understanding or "correct" in threes to affirm an answer.  I realized my triplicate use of "OK" when I was on the phone with a US colleague late last week and have noticed myself using the phrase a few times since then.  I am still trying to hear something Savannah has picked up, but have yet to catch anything.
The past week has been interesting.  Last Friday night I went with my co-managers out to dinner at Buhari Hotel in downtown Chennai (in India a hotel is a restaurant - who knew?) for some authentic south Indian cuisine to celebrate a colleague's confirmation (his treat - different than the US where we treat the honoree for celebrations... similar to birthdays where the person whose birthday it is brings in chocolate to share), which means the employee has been confirmed in his role with Maersk after six months. It's interesting, kind of like a temp to hire type scenario in the US, from what I gather.  The entire experience was funny. As you know, I work the night shift and my eating schedule (along with every other schedule of mine) is out of sorts, so I wasn't sure how "dinner" would go, but ate light before I came in and we intended on leaving around 9:30 to go eat.  Unfortunately, our departure was delayed due to a colleague having a medical issue that took our manager-of-honor down to the clinic with her to wait on family members (she was fine, thankfully!), so we did not leave until nearly midnight.  For dinner.  I was starving at this point.  And everything was closed.  So we drove around for a while (my gracious hosts played Hindi music and translated for me while they pointed out places of interest as we passed them) and finally arrived to Buhari close to 12:30 AM.  And I was the only woman there.  And the only foreigner.  Needless to say, I got lots of stares.  I have decided it's mostly entertaining to have all the looks.  I have decided that as Americans coming from a melting-pot society, we don't enjoy a curiosity factor that someone looks so different than ourselves.  I am always impressed when someone asks me where I am from and engages me in conversation, because usually it's just stares, pointing, and discussion about me in their native language.  The waiter asked where I was from and was very happy to hear the US, although he never said why it pleased him, but OK.  Go USA!  LOL  Anyway, I ate some red masala chicken, mutton and fish and a little bit of rice with prawn.  I also had a deep fried doughy something or other to dip and eat everything with.  It was pretty tasty, but I am going to have to work to avoid those carbs here like I did at home!!  And then, after all that, they talked me into eating this dessert (yeah, they really had to twist my arm...) called a falooda/faluda which was quite interesting.  I can't say I would order one on my own, but I'd probably share with someone if the opportunity presents itself again.  It was a fun outing and I am thankful these guys have decided to let me join their group because I am pretty sure I'd be lost without them :)

Faluda dessert

Speaking of this group, one of them was kind enough to find me some wine!  Some real, alcohol-infused WINE!  It's still in my fridge, unopened, but I sleep better knowing I have it in case of emergency.  haha  So now, if I can get my debit card working, I can pay him back and maybe not feel guilty drinking it.  It is weird to think that I will be enjoying a nice glass of wine as the sun comes up, instead of goes down, but, hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.  And if that means drinking before the lunch hour, so be it.

My debit card... and 3G for my phone... and seems to be lots of other conveniences are not so convenient for me these days.  We just got our washing machine hooked up yesterday.  Then on the first load, right in the middle of when I was cooking dinner, the power went out. This seems to happen periodically when I am trying to get ready for work.  And then you go to work with a dewy glow (read: sweaty-looking make up) because a fan in the dining area is just not enough when you're cooking on the stove on the far side of the kitchen.  I have been pretty grumpy this week because of this crazy infrastructure...  One night last week it took me 2.5 hours to get to work because of heavy rains in the afternoon that caused the 19 KM (10 mile) commute to extend nearly triple the norm.  And then last night my driver took off to celebrate the holiday and the substitute driver did not even make it to my place until I called about 5 times asking where he was and it was an hour and a half after I was supposed to BE AT WORK before I even left!  Sigh.  So I think God is teaching me patience.  I certainly don't have a lot of it... never have.  And I am not learning it happily (I am sure Savannah will attest to this).  But I am working on not being so frustrated and in so much of a hurry.  Mostly because I have learned that no matter how much of a hurry I am in, there are a billion Indians around me who are not in the same hurry, or even nearly as close to the same pace of my hurriedness.  So I may as well slow down and stop stressing myself out because it certainly isn't helping get anything done faster.

This week was a little tough for us not being back in the US, as we received news that Savannah's long-time friend, Alicia, lost her dad unexpectedly over the weekend.  Our hearts are heavy and we are sending lots of prayers for comfort, peace and understanding for the Steinley family, but sometimes a hug would help, and I know it's hard for Savannah not to be able to hug Alicia, squeeze her hand, and let her know she is there for her. This part is hard.  I know things will happen while we are gone, and it's not like we can really DO anything being nearby anyway, but we want to be nearby and show our love and support.  So we will try to do it through FB, Skype, e mails and texts until we can come home in December and give the hugs, I suppose.  We will ask for your prayers for the Steinley family as well.

What else? Savannah's new BFF, Ila, came to stay with us over the weekend.  I met her mom just for a quick minute, but intend to meet her for tea soon so we can visit and get to know each other. Her parents grew up here, moved to the US for nearly 20 years, then unexpectedly moved back almost a year ago when her father had a heart attack while they were here visiting family.  So Ila is an American girl at heart, an Indian girl by birth, and all teenager by personality. She's a very sweet girl and she's as silly as Savannah, so they get along famously. 

Wednesday was Indian Independence Day.  August 15.  Only since 1947 have they held Independence from Britain.  It seems crazy since I am used to American history - with our 1776 independence... just so different to realize this country was under British rule for so long.  I see the British influence in the e mails I read from my colleagues, which sound quite formal. I hear the British influence in conversations with words like flat for apartment, biscuit for cookie, mobile for cell phone, and so many more things I cannot think of them all now. But the country is so much poorer, dirtier and more antiquated than the UK.  Granted, I have never actually been to the UK, but I watched Love Actually, The Holiday, and Bridget Jones' Diary, so I consider myself an expert. OK maybe not, but I am going on the assumption that the power does not go out all the time and that cows are not laying all over the roads in London.  Just a guess, but Danielle W. or Kristin G., can you confirm that for me?  Thanks :)

On that note, it's almost 7 AM and I think I will crack open a nice Indian bottle of wine.  Well, I hope it's nice, anyway.  I'll let ya know next time.

Sending big love and hugs and thanks for the continued prayers for this adventure we are on.