The road to our plant in Jejuri

Monday Feb 21
I love our drive to work. It’s long and rather exhausting because the road is pretty rough. But the scenery is so fascinating to me. The area is mountainous and rural and not nearly dirty and chaotic as delhi. It takes us an hour and 15 minutes to work and over an hour and a half home because of traffic. In order to start our interviews at 9 we have to leave the hotel by 7:30 in the morning. At least I can use the time to prepare for the interviews that day.

I am busier this time since I am the lead auditor and am also training Raf on supply chain topics. We had a good opening meeting on Monday. It was a packed room of at least 40+ people with only 3 females including me! I’m used to this and don’t let it intimidate me. The people are super nice and I am able to understand all of them, thank goodness! On our first day at the plant they presented us with a beautiful flower bouquet, now that's a first!

On Friday we were invited to join the production crew of 15 for a “sunrise meeting”. They spend about 5 minutes taking about the day’s schedule and then join hands as each of the workers give thanks and make a pledge for a productive day. Raf and I were included in the circle and held hands with everyone. Your left hand is turned upward as to receive and your right hand is turned downward as to give or pass along. Their pledges were in the local Marathi language but a worker would say something and making a pledge and then she would chant something and the others would repeat it. In the end they all say “jai hkl, jai jejuri” which means “go hkl, go jejuri”. How cool is that?! We should do this everywhere!.Maybe it will motivate some people.

Lunch is a fantastic affaire. There is a canteen here where they hire an outside company to cook the meals. It’s a sitdown meal where they serve you your meal. You typically get 3 dishes served in small bowls along with chapatti which is their local bread. It’s made of wheat and looks like a tortilla but freashly made and tastes way better. You tear off small pieces to use to scoop up the food..Raf and I use our hand to eat just like the local. The only thing is that I haven’t gotten the hang of using my forefinger to anchor the chapatti and the rest of the fingers to tear off a piece. You do not use your left hand! Instead I have to use a fork with my left hand to anchor the bread and tear off a piece with my right hand. We are in the state of Manarashtra and the food is different from what I ate in Delhi. Again most of the dishes are not any I have had in the states. The food is fresh and locally grown. Our lunches are vegetarian since most of the people here are vegetarians. I found that I did not miss eating meat. Raf likes it that there is always a sweet desert that is served along with the meal, versus after your meal. Our desert is a milk based sweet that a different color and flavor each day. I can’t describe it but it sure tastes good. Towards the end of the meal the server would ladle some rice to our plate and we get a small bowl of thin curry, almost like a soup. You pour this on your rice to eat. After your meal they put a small bowl of water with lemon so that you can rinse your fingers.. I look forward to our lunch everyday because it has been different everyday! It seems that there is always a colleague fasting and we learned that with their religion a person can choose to fast one day a week or a month. I will see someone at our table eating just a scoop of barley rice and a banana. I couldn’t believe it when they told me that there are over 300 million gods in India. They even choose a day in the year when they give thanks to the production machine, although I don’t think it’s considered a god! No kidding, one day a year food is laid in front of the production line and they give prayers of thanks. That’s crazy!

Exploring the hood on our first day

Sunday Feb 20

I was happy that this time around I was able to get a decent amount of sleep and got up at 5am. Maybe it won’t take me a week to get used to the hours. Rafael arrived at the hotel around noon and we decided to venture to the Central Mall which was a little further than where I went yesterday. It wasn’t so scary crossing the street this time because I had someone else with me. We had a heck of a time finding a restaurant and found out later that we were just going the wrong way. Had we turned left when leaving the hotel there would have been plenty! We walked around the perimeter of Korageon Park which was a very pretty large residential area lined with large rubber trees and bamboo. We had the world famous Osho meditation center and saw everyone wearing long red tunics which were the uniform of people staying at the meditation center. There were quite a few westerners. Finally found a nice peaceful vegetarian Italian restaurant nearby.

Late afternoon we went up to the gym with the intention of using the rooftop pool afterwards. I remembered the peaceful atmosphere of the pool when no one was in it the day before. Instead I saw a mob scene of young people and found out that on Sunday there is a brunch of unlimited food and alcohol all day on the rooftop pool area with DJ music. There were drunken kids everywhere smoking and drinking. Not my idea of a relaxing time! We did go back up that night to the rooftop restaurant to enjoy a nice meal. Damn but Raf can eat! I think he’s barely 30 and is very enthusiastic about Indian food.

And I'm back in India again!

Saturday Feb 19

This time my audit takes me to the southwest of India, a short distance from Mumbai. Pune is known as a university town and a little more prosperous. I didn't know exactly what to expect with Pune but from what I've read it will not be nearly as crowded as Delhi, thank goodness! I think I'm still a little traumatized!

It's a long flight this time. I had connections in Denver and in Frankfurt. The Pune airport was way smaller than Delhi. Our flight got in at 3:30 in the morning (1hour early) so the airport was almost deserted. Within half an hour I got my luggage and went through passport & customs.

I think my biggest fear coming here was the heat and humidity. It's 20 degrees warmer here than Delhi in the north. The heat is supposed to be unbearable in the summer. When I checked the weather I saw that it was already up to 90 degrees here. It actually felt nice when I got here so that was a big relief. I don't do humid very well and sweat like a pig.

It's only about 5km to our hotel and I immediately saw the difference. The buildings look old and run down but hardly any trash! There were a lot of big trees throughout. The scenery reminded me of Vietname. There was hardly anyone out so I was optimistic that the traffic won't be crazy like Delhi. Once again, heavy security to get into our hotel. At the gate the guard checks under the hood and in the trunk of our car, even though it was a car from the hotel! Then my bags and purse had to go through xray machine and I had to walk t hrough a scanner, exactly like the airport. My room was nice. Above I posted a picture of the red sunrise outside my hotel window, inside my room and yes that's a bathtub sitting out in the open so you can bathe and watch TV at the same time. Last picture was from inside the little tuk tuk. Which brings me to what I did today. First you have to know that I have this stupid fear of crossing a busy street. At home I hold on to Gary sleeve when we cross the street. In India Laszlo put up with the same.

On the plane from Frankfurt I sat next to an Indian lady who advised me that the best way to battle jet lag is to not sleep when I get to the hotel and to keep myself busy by going shopping. At breakfast I asked the concierge if there was a mall nearby and if it was safe to walk there. He assured me there are sidewalks and it's safe to walk around here. But when he gave me the simple directions all I heard was " you have to turn left and cross the street". I had misgivings already. I remembered Delhi. Even with a traffic light it was still too crazy to cross mainly because people don't follow any traffic rules here. When I walked outside the hotel I immediately saw that it was WAY busier than it was 4 in the morning! But as luck would have it, I saw a caucasian girl walking ahead of me and hurried to stay close behind her. Maybe she's going my way. Where else would a foreigner be going besides the mall?! My biggest fear was crossing the damn street. I was supposed to turn left and cross the street and was watching where the girl was going. I was distracted for a few seconds but it was enough for her to pull ahead and suddenly merged into the traffic to cross the street. I hesitated enough to be left behind. I was by myself and was too freaked to cross the street! Mopeds, cars and the tuk tuks were everywhere I was convinced I would get hit. I didn't want to look stupid standing there paralyzed with fear so I casually turn right so I didn't have to cross the street. I was only able to go one block on safe sideway before I was confronted by a busier street. Shit! I wanted to just give up and return to the hotel but would have been embarassed to return 5 minutes after I left! I then saw a waiting tuk tuk and got into it. I knew I was going a very short distance but who cares. THe guy drove me literally 500 yards but he got me across the street! He didn't care because I gave him 100 rupees out of guilt. The mall was litterally across the street even though I didn't see it before. Again, had to go through "airport security" to get into the mall. It's small but had enough shops for me to spend money. It was a much more fruitful shopping expedition than in Delhi. I bought some clothes for work and then found a nice traditional store where I bought a modern version of the saree and a punjabi. Both were beautiful and I have to think of occasions to wear them. The less fancy punjabi was nice enough to wear for a night at the theatre. I need to find a shop to buy a punjabi for Gary but haven't found it so far. After the mall I found a tiny little store next door to stock up on drinks and snacks. While inside I was eying the street wondering what to do. I could walk back to the mall entrance and see if there was a tuk tuk but the hotel was so close it would be embarassing. When I walked outside I saw there was a young guy waiting to cross the street. In a moment of genius I rushed up to casually stand next to him and followed him as he crossed the street. I made sure to stand on the right side of him so that if a vehicle hits us it would get him first! Can't wait for Rafael to get here tomorrow. I will be feel better with someone else to explore the neighborhood.

The hotel has some really nice facilities. They have a fantastic rooftop pool and bar. I did a workout at the gym and then had a great massage. I had a moment of fear when my masseuse hopped on the table on her haunches so she could apply more pressure on my back. I would have been out of there in a second if she started to walk on me! Actually she was so good I kept nodding off. I didn't want to fall asleep and miss the enjoyment of a great massage. For all I know she could be sipping a cup of tea while I snore away! Just kidding, she was really good. Afterwards they steered me into the steam room and shower and into a relaxation room with a cup of tea. Hopefully all this will help me sleep at a regular hour tonight!

India expectations vs actual, let's compare.....

Saturday Jan 29

I was thinking about my first entry 3 weeks ago on what I expected out of India and I think it was rather accurate. OK, so I didn't see a body being cremated by the river BUT I did see people carrying a covered dead body down a busy street! That's definitely not something you see any place in Phoenix! In all seriousness, now I understand why one of my colleague told me that even though India is not necessary a comfortable place to visit but I should go anyway and that it will be an experience of a lifetime. How true. Yes, it was dirty and chaotic. And yes it was a country riddled with poverty. But it was so much more than that. What you don't understand unless you are there is how strong and resilient these people are and how proud they are with what they have. Admittedly I was way outside of my comfort zone for most of the time. I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to be homeless and reduced to begging on the streets in order to feed yourself and your family. How demoralizing that must be. Yet these beggars become of the landscape. One day when Laszlo and I were having dinner at the fast food place down the street from our hotel we sat by the window and watched a beggar women stand outside the banquest hall next to our building. She looked sad and pathetic as she had her hand opened and outstretched to the people passing by. I watched as Indians coming out of the banquet hall would hand her coins without even looking or stopping.

One memory that stuck with me was last Sunday when I decided to go to the nearby mall for a couple of hours of mental break. I took the hotel taxi but on the way back I decided to be brave and take the metro back. After the short metro ride it's less than a mile from the metro station to our hotel so I decided to take one of those cyclos back. There were a dozen of them lined by the street but I locked in on this very fragile old man at the end. I already knew that these people are stronger than they look but still, I felt guilty that this man about my father's age wearing rags and flip flops was pulling my fat ass along the street. I know you are supposed to bargain your way through india but it just felt wrong to me. I gave him 100 rupees which was just over $2. This was small change for me but at least half a day's wages for him. Hard to explain why I actually felt bad when he looked so greatful for the 100 rupees.
Our final meeting on friday went well because we spent the day before negotiating all the difficult points. Going in we knew what we couldn't give up on but I think there was a good balance of compromise. I did amazingly well given my struggle with their accents. It takes a little bit of concentration and a lot of "sorry, can you please repeat?". There was one person that for the life of me I cannot understand. I'm looking at him as he might as well be speaking a foreign language! I think the problem is that they are talking without moving their mouth. I have good days and then I have days when someone is saying something to me multiple times and I just could not understand. I've been to many countries where people are speaking english with thick accents but india has got to be the worse.
Laszlo and Bea loves it when I correct their english and was greatful to improve it. However, they do expect a lot from me since I was considered a native speaker. In writing the report they expect me to catch and correct everything. Some of the times I had to talk them through what they really want to see and rewrite what they wrote. Still, I never said my grammar was perfect! I still get some corrections when germany does the review rounds and catches some spelling errors.
We had a good audit team this time and I was greatful to get to know Laszlo and Bea better. Everyone was easy going and hard working. It was really funny to watch my two colleagues interact. Laszlo is very slow and articulate in his speech. He is very clear and methodical. Bea is the extreme opposite. As a spaniard she is very fast in her speech. She is usually impatient for you to finish your thought and your speech. She knows she has to improve in this but it took some getting used to for me. Bea wants me to stay by the media harbour next time I am in germany. She lives nearby and would pick me up to go out. One of the bonus of this job is making friends from around the world.
After India I realize that there is so much you take for granted like basic hygiene! Living in the US when do you ever have to worry about brushing your teeth with bottled water?! or not being able to eat raw vegies? or the basic feeling of security. Sure, there's crime everywhere but when do you have to get in line to get patted down and get your purse checked just to go into a shopping mall?!
Anyway, my flight home was a long one. 15 hours from delhi to newark. At the airport they told me that flight from delhi was delayed 1.5 hours and since my connection in newark was 1.45 hours they were concerned about my connecting flight. If you do the math you would figure out that I was pretty much screwed. When I checked in they asked if I just want to rebook my connection for 3 hours later. I just wanted to get home so I told them that there was a chance that the time would be made up so let's see what happens. Turned out they did make up for some of the time but still, I had 45 minutes to go through passport control, get my luggage to clear customs, re-check my bags and haul ass to the gate. I figured it was a long shot and all the stars had to align but what the hell, worse case I have to get on another flight 3 hours later. Well the stars did align, kind of. 15 minutes were wasted waiting for my stupid suitcase even though I was the first one off the plane. When I re-check my bags I was expecting the guy to say sorry it's too late to check in bags for the flight, the guys took it and told me to run. Thank goodness it was at least in the same terminal (even though it was a big ass terminal) so I had a fighting chance. I was sweating by the time I got to the gate but at least I heard the sweet sound of "last boarding call for flight 1535 to Phx"!! It took me at least 15 minutes to cool down and stop mopping up sweat. Who cares, I was coming home soon!
Gary picked me up and we stopped in the house long enough to drop off luggage and change into hiking clothes. After sitting on a plane for 20 hours I was dying for some excercise, fresh air and sunshine! We did a nice leisurely hike at spur cross and enjoyed the nice weather. Afterwards we enjoyed a burger on the patio of a cave creek restaurant called "Earls Eats" while watching the harley davidson rumbling by. I realize that the simple things in life are usually the best things in life.
Back to India in 3 weeks!

A nice gessture of friendship

Monday Jan 24
This morning Lalita came in with a box of bangles for me and Bea. At the dinner Saturday night I happened to ask about the jewelery that Indian women wear at their wedding and it got around to the large number of bangles that the brides wear. Lalita then said to me that she would take me shopping for a traditional punjabi and saree this week but she would like to give me some bangles as a gift as a token of friendship. I told her she did not need to do that but I guess she didn't listen to me. She must have brought in about 150 bangles for us. They were not valuable in money because it was plastic but I thought it was sweet gessture. They were actually pretty cute and so colorful. Since we got so many we divided it up so that Laszlo can also take some for his daughters.

4 more days to go! I am missing my better half. On this trip we chatted daily through google gmail since my ipad was not functional in india. With this I was able to see gary because his computer had a camera. We'll have to see if I can install a web cam on my laptop for the next time.

Our big meeting is this friday and my flight leaves at midnight on friday. I am dying for a big salad since I haven't eaten any fresh vegies since I've been here! The food has been great and I haven't had any stomach problems, so far so good!

Dinner at The Great Kabob Factory

Saturday Jan 22
Yep, the name sounds pretty lame but we had a great time tonight. This is crunch time so I've been up writing the report since 5am. The president of the hnkl region invited us out to dinner tonight so it was a good excuse for a mental break. Supposedly this restaurant called the Great Kabob Factory at the radison hotel in Delhi is one of the best. Turned out there were about 20 other colleagues that joined.
I'm told that security is a big deal at big hotels so when our taxi drove in they check under the hood and trunk of the car. Then our purses had to go through an xray machine and we had to go through a pat down. Weird. Since this was such a fancy hotel I felt that I could be more adventurous and not worry about what I can eat. It was a fixed menu and so much fun. Waiters started bringing out sample sizes of kabob meat, one after another. It was mostly different flavored grilled chicken but there was also lamb chops and shrimp. Throughout the meal they brought different kinds of indian bread. THe naan was familiar but there was this yummy cashew bread. After the meat they brought us a plate of rice and lamb so tender it was falling off the bone. The dish also came with two bowls of dahl, one red and one yellow. I guess this is similar to lentil soup but it was the best I've ever tasted! I've had dahl in indian restaurants at home but this was different and much better. By then I was full but couldn't stop eating the dahl! Afterwards we were given an ice cream popsicle, tasted like it was made of condensed milk, really good.
During our meal we were treat like VIPs by our colleagues. Everyone took turns taking pictures with us, I was a little embarrassed by it! When I mentioned I really like the shrimps several of them told several waiters to bring me more.
At the end of the meal I was surprised when they gave us presents. Bea and I got a beautiful indian made wool shawl. Mine had beautiful intricate hand stitch designs on it, I loved it. Laszlo was presented with a nice tie designed by a famous indian designer. What a lovely group of people. I made friends with one of the office worker named lalita. She was so nice. When I mentioned that I wanted to buy a nice punjabi and saree before I leave she offered to take me shopping. When we were all talking what indians wear for wedding rings they told us there were also special wedding bangles. Lalita told me she wanted to give me a bangle as a present. How sweet. Vinod the plant mgr asked me how I liked india. I told him the truth, I loved it but the poverty really bothered me. It was so strange to see a nice building or home and right next to it are shacks. People walking around fancy clothes mixed with people in barefoot and rags. Vinod told me that "the fence is very high" about 30-40% of the population live in poverty and 30-40% are rich. If you are in that lower quadrant you can be making as little as 100 rupees a day, which equates to only $2.50! How sad.
Parveen the purchasing mgr invited us to his home for lunch or dinner next Wednesday when everyone is off for a holiday. He was very cute about it, saying that he would like to make us a traditional indian meal and that we will eat what they have, nothing fancy. I thought that would be fun but we'll have to see what our schedule looks like.
Back to writing the report!

Woke up to an earthquake!

In case friends & family hear of the news that there was an earthquake here, I thought to write a short note that it's fine here. It was a 7.4 earthquake but epicenter was in pakistan. The tremors were felt here but nothing serious. I woke up at 2:30 am feeling some shaking. It was so slight I wasn't sure if it was an earthquake or someone in the next room having a good time!
The shaking went on for a minute so I actually got up to look outside. I didn't see any collasping building so felt it was ok and went back to bed. The next morning I figured I dreamt the whole thing until I heard the guy at the next table during breakfast talking about the earthquake. His mom called him from the US when she heard about it. I sent a note to Gary to let him know I was ok and he didn't even know about it!