Day 11 - The Last Day

I can't believe that it's the last day in the office and the second to the last day in India. This trip has been a whirlwind and oh so enjoyable.

The day was pretty typical. Into the office at about 10 a.m. Catching up on emails and visiting with the team. Mike and I took two of our TCS team members, Jitendre and Komal, out to lunch at Sam's Sizzler - or rather Jitendre took us as he treated us. That was so very nice of him! Sam's Sizzler is more like Chinese food meets fajitas. All the food comes out on red hot wrought iron pans and the food is 'sizzling'. The food was absolutely delicious and the company was marvelous.

After lunch, I had the pleasure of going saree shopping with Komal. We went into a few different shops. Each with a traditional saree buying experience - the women sit in chairs as the shop workers (mainly men) unfold and drape the beautiful sarees over large beds. The fabrics were beautiful, the bead work to die for. Every color and pattern imaginable. I was in heaven. I wanted to take one of each home. After a bit, I decided on two beautiful cotton sarees, one in a wonderful blue and teal flower pattern and the other in a stunning deep teal, navy blue and gold geometric and flower pattern. You are probably asking if I plan on wearing these sarees. I do hope to wear one at least once while I'm in the states - I may have to get my friend Jignasha to help me wrap it. I bought the other to use as fabric for something for my home. We'll see how it turns out. Overall, the experience was wonderful and I look forward to my next visit when I can go shopping again with my wonderful Indian friends.

Eventually we had to return to the office. I finally met the last two teams, the Wireless Flowshare team and the Advertising Insights team. As with all those I met before them, they were very kind and shared with me what they do to support our business. Each team is so dedicated to their work and to delighting our clients.

After a few more hours of work, I took some time to sit with some of the women on the team. I saw them gathered by their desks and inquired about what they were talking about. They said they were 'gossiping'. Perfect, I love gossip! Turns out their gossip was about sarees, when a woman can/should wear them and when not. This is perfect for me since I love clothes and I have a lot of opinions about when someone should wear something and when they shouldn't. ;)

Unfortunately, the day came to an end, and I had to say my good byes. I was gifted some beautiful jewelry by the women of the team. Tears started to well in my eyes so I needed to make a quick getaway. After a few words from Mike and me, we left the TCS office and the team for the last time. I will miss each and everyone of the Telecom team members - their smiling faces and wonderful attitudes. I look forward to the day I return and am reunited with them!! :)

After returning to the hotel, Schick and Kevin picked us up for dinner. One last scooter ride for me as we went back to the mall where Mainland China is for our last traditional Indian meal. It was absolutely delicious. While at dinner I became quite overwhelmed with sadness that this wonderful trip was about to end but also so thankful for the time I had in this mysteriously delightful country.

We said our good byes to Schick and Kevin - luckily I'll see them again in July in Chicago when they graduate from the Program, so it's not good bye for long.

Tomorrow we begin our journey home. Until then, Namaste . . .

Day 10 - Scoots & Hangovers

No, I'm not talking about my hangover (one of which I do not have). We reserved this day to go to an American movie in an Indian theater. But I'll get to that later. . .

The day started just like many before . . . I got barely 4 hours of sleep, Mike knocked on my door to go workout, I skipped working out and I tried to get a few more minutes of sleep (unsuccessfully).

It was a normal work day at the office. There are two things different about working in India: 1) the day starts later and goes later - most of the team doesn't come in until 3:30 - 7:30 pm and work into and through the night; 2) the time zone difference makes it difficult to work normally - I send a batch of emails during the day and then receive responses in the middle of the night. Both of these things make the work day quiet but is part of what is keeping me from a good night's sleep.

Mike was experiencing 'Delhi Belly' so we decided to head back to Little Italy for lunch. I decided it was time to risk life and limb by climbing on the back of Schick's scooter. Wow, I should have done that on day one. It is definitely the best way to experience the city of Baroda. Most people here ride scooters, so being on the back of one is normal and helps me blend in . . . kind of. It's pretty hard to blend in when I am still the only blonde I have seen in Baroda since I arrived. Schick mentioned that we were getting far more attention then he does when he is on his scoot alone. I kind of like it . . . does that make me vain? I'm not sure I should consider it flattering, I mean people look because I'm strange in comparison to the norm. But I'll take it as a complement and smile at everyone that looks my way. (This is the great advice I had been given by a wonderful Telecom team member who had come to Baroda earlier this year. Thanks Deborah!)

The EB Telecom team planned a potluck dinner today. Each member of the team brought in homemade dishes, just like in the US. I was amazed at the spread! Homemade dishes of all sorts - mostly favorites of each team member. There were veg dishes and non-veg dishes. Everything was delicious!!! I would have taken pictures but I'm not allowed to have a camera in the TCS building. :(

I sat with three intelligent and beautiful women from my team - Komal Shah, Archana Chauhan and Ketki Kulkarni. They told me about all the wonderful places I should visit in India on future trips here. This country has so much to offer - different religions, different cultures, different landscapes. I can't wait to make another trip to this beautiful place!

After dinner, we met up with the usual suspects - Schick and Kevin. They picked us up from the hotel on their way to the movie theater. We were heading to see The Hangover II in English. I rode with Schick on his scoot (I feel like it's a drug and I am full out addicted), Kev and Mike took a rickshaw.

The theater looked just like any theater in the US. They sell similar concessions. One difference, they have Tomato Chilli Popcorn. Had I not just eaten a huge potluck meal, I would definitely have tried it. Another difference - here there are assigned seats at the movie theater with different prices depending on where you sit. Schick picked a great spot right in the middle of the theater. There were some pretty hilarious advertisements before the meeting. One in particular for some kind of tooth care product is a favorite amongst the Indians and Americans alike. Once the movie started, there was non-stop laughter - it was a very funny movie. Half way through, at a very random moment, we took a 10 minute intermission. I'm familiar with intermissions at movies, they have them in Europe also. But there they try to find a good moment to stop the movie. Here they just stop it exactly half way through. Interesting.

After another exhilarating scooter ride home (it's even better at night because there isn't much traffic so I could look around more and Mike could open it up a bit), it was time for bed.

Namaste

Day 9 - Back in Baroda

It's hard to get back into a normal routine after such an amazing weekend. But fun ends eventually and work begins again. Mike and I were back into the office with training sessions, information sharing sessions, emails to answer, etc. Luckily, it was a pretty light day.

One interesting event occurred today. Mike and I were guest judges for Global Village. Global Village is an opportunity for TCS associates to learn more about different topics pertaining to the work they do for Nielsen. They build teams and then create presentations about a new topic each time. This time, each team had to research Advertising in the specific country they support and put together a presentation, along with visuals, to share the information they learned. There were teams from 10 different TCS process teams supporting different groups within Nielsen from Emerging Businesses (my group) to Retail Measurement in Switzerland, Germany and France.

We listened to each of the 10 groups present for about 5 minutes. We were asked to judge each presentation on Quality of Content, Creativity, Presentation and Quality of Visuals. Each team had a very unique take on the topic. We learned about 'hoarding' which is a new word to us but not a new concept. It basically means all the different eye-catching outdoor advertising along the street, sidewalk, etc. We also learned that Switzerland is the largest consumer of print media and that most Swiss people still get the newspaper and several magazines. We learned about the history and evolution of the Mall. It was informative and entertaining.

One of the teams representing Emerging Businesses did their presentation on the Super Bowl and tied it to the Indian Premiere League (cricket). They built a stadium with all the different types of advertising - on the field, on the big screen TVs, on the boards around the field. Each of them dressed in an American flag bandanna. One even dressed up like Ronald McDonald. They did a great job! I love my team!

After work, Mike and I took the leadership team to dinner. We went to a concept restaurant called Barbecue Nation. Upon walking into the restaurant, I thought I was home. It smelled like a backyard barbecue - all smoky goodness. We ordered some mocktails (remember Vadodara is a dry state) and then began munching on the fantastic grilled food - both veg and non-veg. The food was delicious and the company was excellent. We have a great leadership team here!

Kind of an uneventful day today but tomorrow will be full of new stories, I'm confident of it.

Namaste

Day 8 - On the 8th day we rested

We were all spent after our trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal. Mike and I had crammed as much into the first 7 days of our trip that we had forgotten to slow down and rest. Well, thankfully Monday was a US holiday, Memorial Day. We got up late and then went to the pool for a dip and sip!

We checked out and made our way to the Indira Ghandi Airport - we were going home.

Our trip to Delhi was so memorable! Great friends, great sites! The travel bug has bitten me very hard and I can't wait for my next adventure.

Until then, I have one more week (4 days) in India. We have plans each night including dinner with my team leads, seeing The Hangover II in an Indian movie theater, dinner with new friends and possibly paint ball. I will make sure that I have done everything possible in my visit here. It has already exceeded all my expectations. This is a trip I will NEVER forget. I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to take it. And to think I had avoided coming to India for years. I was an idiot. :)

Namaste

Day 7 - Monkeys & Monuments

After so very little sleep, the day we were traveling to see the Taj Mahal had arrived. I easily awoke at 5 am, giddy with excitement. We had ordered boxed breakfasts that were delivered at 5:30. I was ready to go by 6 am. I was the only one! I had to wake Mike up (luckily his room was across the hall and I didn't have to go far). I had to text Schick several times. And once the three of us were in the lobby with no sign of Kevin, Schick went up to wake him up. Apparently, Kevin had a really good time at the bar after we left. I believe he was still drunk when he made it down to the lobby.

We began our 4-5 hour journey. It felt like Delhi went on forever - it never felt like we actually left the city. The boys slept most of the way. I did not. I was in the back seat of the mini-van and felt every single bump in the road - and there are a lot of bumps in Indian roads.

About half way through our journey to Agra, we had to stop so our driver could pay taxes. While he was away, many locals with monkeys on leashes came up to our car. One of the monkey's leaped at our car, attaching itself to our window. Shortly after that, one of the owners tried to open the Kevin's car door, screaming 'Pictures. Money. Pictures. Money'. He was extremely aggressive and continued to try to get into the car. Kevin fought him off but it was a scary experience. Apparently, this happens to everyone at this spot. Our friend Nick had a similar experience when he and his father made the journey. I found out later, it's likely that I was the instigator. As you can see, when the monkey was latched onto my window, I took a picture. I guess the guy wanted me to pay for that picture. Oh well. No harm, no foul.

During the trip, we passed a lot of interesting sites, including several temples, an ashram with a giant physical representation of the Guru and many truck stops and bogodas.

Finally, we arrived in Agra and shortly after we got our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal in the distance. We met up with our guide Ishard Ali, where we left the comfort of our private car with driver and were thrust into chaos. Fortunately, being a white blonde continued to have its benefits. As we made our way through the crowds, it was as if I had put a spell on all of the Indians - they would stare and part letting us through rather easily (at least that was the case as we made our way onto the grounds of the Taj Mahal).

We entered through 1 of 4 gates onto the grounds. Everything at the Taj Mahal is perfectly symmetrical (all but one thing which I'll comment about later). At this point, we all were dripping with sweat and I was shaking with excitement.

As you look at this picture, notice the small domes above the arch. There are 11 on this side and 11 on the other side, representing the 22 years it took to build the Taj Mahal.

As we stepped through the gate, I couldn't believe my eyes. There it was. I had dreamed of this moment for years and here I was - gazing upon one of the Wonders of the World. I had to pinch myself to make sure it wasn't a dream.

I am so thankful we had a guide. He told us the entire story of the building of the Taj Mahal, which I'm going to try to summarize here for you. As we sat gazing at this glorious monument of love, I found myself crying with joy and heartache. It was such a moving moment - one I will never forget.

The Taj Mahal was built by one of the Mughal Emperors after the death of his favorite wife. He was married three times, but only one of his wives was his most favorite. She became pregnant 14 times, birthing only 6 live babies. During her 14th and last pregnancy, she became gravely ill. She sent for her husband, at which time she asked him to promise her three things.

1) Build a the most beautiful monument in her memory and the memory of their love
2) Never marry again
3) Take good care of their children

After a long time in mourning, the Emperor began to design and then build the Taj Mahal. It took 22 years, 212 artisans, 20,000 people and $14M in 1632 (imagine how much that converts to in modern currency).

During the building of the white Taj Mahal for his wife, he broke ground across the river on the black Taj Mahal for himself. He chose to make it black to reflect his incredible grief in losing his wife. Unfortunately, the black Taj Mahal wasn't built - only the foundation can be seen across the river.

Why, you ask? Because the Emperor's third child was an evil man. First, he killed his two older brothers so he could be Emperor. Then he imprisoned his father because he didn't want to spend money on the black Taj Mahal. Fortunately for the senior Emperor, from his place in the Red Fort where he was imprisoned for 7 years, he could see the Taj Mahal, the final resting place of his love. He gazed upon it everyday waiting for the day when he would rejoin his wife and be buried next to her in the magnificent monument.

I had mentioned that everything on the grounds of the Taj Mahal is symmetrical - everything but one thing. Since the Taj Mahal was built as the mausoleum for his wife, she is buried in the center of the dome. Because the black Taj Mahal was never finished, the Emperor was buried slightly to the side of his wife in the Taj Mahal.

Here are a few more pictures of this magnificent monument to love.

We left the Taj Mahal and ventured to a marble factory where the descendants of the original Taj Mahal artisans continue to create works of marble using the same techniques. It was amazing to see how they used simple tools to make the most beautiful work. I almost bought a marble table with flowers made of 'fire sapphires'. Unfortunately, the price was too steep for me and I will be leaving India without it. :(

We then went to a jewelry store to see examples of the Star of India. It just happens that the Star of India is my lucky gem (that and Blue Sapphire). After a lot of bardering, I purchased a gorgeous pendant with a Star of India - the designer threw in a chain for it (wink, wink). It is now my 'go to' necklace - I love it!

Our last stop before lunch/dinner was our guide's shop where Mike and I purchased a few more souvenirs. Our guide was a lovely man and really improved the quality of our tour of Agra. We then headed to a restaurant called Quality Restaurant. It wasn't that high quality. One thing on their menu was Chicken Wrists. Yuck! Turns out that's just what they call chicken wings.

As the day progressed, Kevin became less drunk and more hungover. By the time we reached the restaurant, he was so far gone that he fell asleep while the three of us ate. It was humorous because all the other patrons were staring at him and laughing, all while we sat there eating.

Finally, we began our journey home. All each of us wanted was a shower, meal and bed. Schick, Mike and I went had dinner in one of the hotel restaurants, blue ginger. We had wine, starters and dessert. It was a perfect ending to an amazing day! Thank you and a big hug for Schick, Mike and Kevin for sharing this memory with me. I will NEVER forget it!

Namaste

Day 6 Part 2 - Lap of Luxury

As I mentioned, after our full day of site seeing and shopping, we were all exhausted and just wanted to sit by the pool and sip cocktails. Since it was over 100 degrees, we decided to skip the pool and go straight for the cocktails. Luckily, the hotel bar, The Blue Bar, has an incredible outdoor lounge, complete with large bed sized couches.

Kevin commandeered a section right in the middle where the four of us lounged for the next 7 hours. We enjoyed specialty drinks during happy hour with names like Asian Smash (my favorite), Belgravia, and Blazing Saddles. Luckily we like each other and the conversation flowed easily as we lounged under the fans and basked in the glow of the sunset.

As it got darker, the bar got busier. It turns out that this bar/club was voted the best new hot spot in Delhi and it was clear by the growing number of young Indians in the club and the very long line of people trying to get in. As with pretty much everywhere we go, we were the only white people there and I was the only blonde. Every time I got up to use the restroom, it was like the parting of the red sea as I made my way. I realized that this is what it feels to be a minority - people staring at you all the time. Fortunately, my experience as a minority has been a good one - people give deference to me/us. It's not like most minorities, where people are watching them because they are afraid of the unknown. In our case, people want to see us, talk to us and strangely take pictures with or of us. It is a strange but not unpleasant feeling.

As the night progressed, Kevin made friends with a local guy who then introduced Kev to his sisters - Bromance and Romance all in one! One of the sisters lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, both Kev and I are from Michigan - such a small world. Kevin decided to stay longer when Schick, Mike and I decided we needed to go to sleep. Our driver was picking us up at 6 am for our trip to Agra and the Taj Mahal. We left the bar at 1 a.m. - another late night with little sleep.

Namaste

Day 6 Part 1 - Gummed by a Cobra

Did I mention that we were staying at a beautiful hotel in Delhi? Here are a few shots of my room. Talk about posh!

After a few short hours of sleep, we were all ready for a full day of site seeing in Delhi. We started our day at 11 am when our driver picked us up. There were a few destinations we had in mind, he had some additional ideas. Overall, the day was packed. We were all really excited - especially Schick!

Stop 1: Parliament Buildings

Delhi is the capital of India. The government buildings were absolutely stunning. All in red brick and decorated with elaborate stone carvings and wrought iron designs. From the main Parliament building you can see down to the India Gate (it reminds me of the Mall in Washington DC). 

Stop 2: India Gate

Each large International city has to have it's own arch. Delhi is no different. This arch is in the memory of soldiers fighting in mid-twentieth century. It is a huge monument with a smaller cupola on the grounds with it. All around the arch, there were people of all ages trying to sell their wares. Mike really wanted to buy a helicopter toy for his son Miles but opening your wallet in a crowd like that is just asking for trouble. 

As we were walking back to our car, a man to the left of Mike and I opened a rice cooker and much to my displeasure there was a small Cobra. Mike didn't notice until the Cobra launched at his ankle at which time Mike began cursing the likes I've never seen before. We continued on and the man followed us. Kevin had always wanted to hold a Cobra and since these Cobras are de-fanged when they are captured, he decided there was no time like the present. Schick and I watched from a good distance of about 20 feet while Mike took video. 

Stop 3: Humayun Tomb

This was a stop that we hadn't planned on making but N Singh suggested it. We were all pleasantly surprised by the grounds of this tomb. The tomb was built in memory of Mughal Emperor Humayun by his wife. There are several buildings on the grounds, including the main tomb and a tomb for the architect. While we were atop the Emperor's tomb, Schick almost died. Along the edges of the top platform, there are drainage trenches. Mike stepped into one, lost his balance and almost went over the edge - the drop would have been over 20 feet onto solid stone. Thankfully he caught himself; and thankfully I wasn't watching when it happened. The rest of the day, I was afraid of every step I took (and Schick took). 

Stop 4: Raj Ghat
Raj Ghat is a gorgeous park in the heart of Delhi where Mahatma Ghandi's remains have been laid to rest. People from all over the country make a pilgrimage to this park to visit the grave of the 'Father of India'. There were people from each of the different states - noticeable through their diverse dress and appearance.

Stop 5: Lunch

We stopped into another Havmor (it's a known entity) for lunch. Before we dined, we gave our driver money for lunch and released him to have his own meal.

Stop 6: High-end Market

Our driver must have thought we were high-rollers, after all we were staying at the Taj Palace and had a private driver for the entire weekend, so he took us to a high-end market selling hand woven rugs, gold, etc. Everything was out of our price range so we asked him to take us to a more reasonably priced market.

Stop 7: Delhi Haat - Local Market / Bizarre

Eureka! We found what we were looking for. A sprawling market with just about anything a foreigner would want. Kevin and I bought some scarves (I'm helping him shop for the woman in his family), Schick bought some tapestries, and I bought a bunch of beautiful gifts for my team in Florida. 

Stop 8: Home

By 6 pm, we were all exhausted and just wanted to sit by the pool and sip some cocktails. Look at this - could you blame us after all? :)

More to come in Part 2 . . . .