My first 10 days in Bangalore have been wonderfully overwhelming. This peaceful sunrise and a glorious cup of McDonald's coffee that I brought with me start my mornings.
I've gotten all unpacked. I brought entirely too. much. stuff! My room is very nice. It's more like an apartment within the hotel. One bedroom, one large bathroom and a half bath, a living room and even a washing/drying maching (one machine that washes and dries the clothes). I have a full kitchen, and even though I've been to the grocery store twice, the fridge looks like that of a college kid minus the beer. I have some fake cheese slices, lots of water bottles and a slab of butter. I purchased some bread, but it crumbled immediately upon removing it from the packaging. I purchased imported cheddar and swiss cheese, and my dinners last week consisted mostly of cheese and crackers because, as anyone who knows me is aware, I don't really experiment with food. However, I'll expand my horizons as time goes on.
My first week at work was a long one. People here work all hours. In my group they come into the office between 10am-12pm and work until late to overlap with our desks in NY and TX. I go into the office by 9am and work until late because I can't seem to sleep past 5 or 6am and what else am I going to do that early in the morning in a new country? Work out? I think not. Perhaps next week. Tyler is a co-worker that is also on STA (short-term assignment) from Irving, and his being here before me has made my transition a bit easier. The guys in the office are GREAT! Everyone is very nice, and they have all made sure I have everything I need and that I am comfortable. The office park is very nice. There is a large food court that rivals any suburban mall. There is a KFC (no mashed potates & gravy??!!), a Chipotle-esque place called California Burrito, an Asian place, several Indian counters, a BASKIN ROBBINS (yay!), a Domino's Pizza and much more. There is also a cafeteria and a spot on the roof where you can get lunch, tea and coffee any time. People in the offices go out for tea mid-day - hot tea in 95 degree heat - and mid-day could be 3pm, 4pm, 5pm and so on. All of the buildings in the office park are named after famous golf courses. I work in Crystal Downs. The one next door is named after Pinehurst in NC. It really is a beautiful campus. There is a daycare in the center, and the firm I work for has a daycare in our building.
I met with the head of security for the firm here in Bangalore, and he educated me on safety (i.e. knowing my exits and fending for myself), proper attire (when to wear western clothes and when to cover up), etc. This really is a different world than the one we are used to. We lead very protected and sheltered lives in the US. The threat of terrorism is greater here especially for Westerners, but not so that we must stay locked indoors. Bangalore and India are generally very safe, but the potential threats are very different than those in the US. It is very interesting, and rest assured, not scary. I'm just more aware of my surroundings and my behavior (and my exits) than I've ever been.
Lillie, Tyler's fiance, has been a delightful tour guide. She has become a professional negotiator of rickshaw fares, and she has taken me to the grocery, a mall (of which there are many), a brewery (where I had the most delicious potato wedges), a temple and on a tour around Basavanagudi, and beautiful area about 30 minutes from our hotel by auto (rickshaw). Today, we are going to the grocery store again. I am taking my list with me, and purchasing food to actually cook! Yes, I will cook for myself, I think. Yesterday, Francis from our office and his lovely wife, Liya, took Tyler, Lillie and I to Grover Zampa Vineyard in Nandi Hills for a tour of the wine making facility. The growing season has passed, but the tasting with delicious cheeses and wines made us forget the vines were bare. We had a delicious lunch of Indian chicken and rice and veg soup. It was not too spicy and delicious. It was a beautiful place and a wonderful day. We then went through Nandi Village and after stopping to photograph the monkeys (MONKEYS!) sitting on the ledges and front stoops of the homes, we visited another temple dedicated to Nandi, the bull which served the lord Shiva. Liya told us all about the different gods and demi-gods in the Hindu faith that were represented there. Shiva, Brahma & Vishnu - the trinity. The stories she told are very interesting. She is Catholic but learned all of this from watching Hindu series (documentaries) on television. I'm going to try to find a book store so I can learn more. The temples are abundant here, and all are beautiful. After all of that, we stopped at an ice-cream shop in Indiranagar, a neighborhood near our hotel, and cooled off with delicious ice cream.
Today, Lillie and Tyler took me to the Forum mall to grocery shop. There are two groceries in this mall. Grocery stores here are about the size of my apartment, so don't think this is a Kroger at the Galleria situation. We took Uber to Koramangala, and as Lillie was exiting the vehicle, a Nissan Sunny, a rickshaw slammed into the door. The two drivers had a quiet discussion, there were smiles, so we now know they were scheming to get cash out of us. Tyler attempted to handle it by saying he should just go through Uber. The driver was getting upset. "This is a new car! Uber will not pay!" We didn't know what to do, really. The damage is minimal and will buff out with some rubbing compound and elbow grease (Daddy taught me that, btw). Do we walk away? We hear the police are no help in this situation even if they show up. So, thankfully, our guardian angel named Luis(?) came by to try to translate the discussion. He spoke to us with respect and kindness. He said the driver wants money from us. He told us the driver wants more than 1000 rupees, but he thinks that is too much and 1000 is the max. It would diffuse the situation and we could go on our way. 1000 INR sounds like a lot, that is less than $16 USD. So Tyler paid the driver the money, shook our angel's hand, and we went to Harry's and had a delicious lunch with buy one, get one cocktails. Those were the best cocktails EVER!
So, these first 10 days were exhilarating, overwhelming, a little scary, fun, exiting and beautiful. I cannot wait for next week.
Going forward, I'm going to include links to the photos I take because I get limited space on this blog for pictures. I'll try to have the sets correspond with these blog posts. You can click on slide show or individual pictures to see the description if there is one. I'm still working on this photo sharing site. I'll figure it out.
I miss you all! (especially my cat! love you, Patty!) xoxoxoxoxo Ang