Large update

Told you I suck at blogs.

Okay so, I don't really remember all that's happened but I'll try...

Wednesday our boss didn't come to work, nor had he given us anything to do. So we didn't go. Instead we went here: http://www.thegreatindiaplace.in/ and it was wonderful.

Thursday we went to work and finally got some tasks. But they were very high level and left us a little confused. We were told to make a work plan which didn't take very long but really didn't get to dive into things.

Friday our boss wasn't there again so again we did not go but "worked" from home. And then the weekend started!

Friday afternoon we went into Delhi. We were staying at this hotel that was like down an alley so looked a little shady but turned out to be awesome. We met Lali (my sister's friend) and Vivake (Varesh's brother) for dinner and I had the awesomest veggie burger. The spot was so cool too, very modern/western/chill. They had a live band that was playing jazz music. Overall very cool. That day was Lali's birthday so we went back to her place for a pregame where more people joined. Then went out to this club/bar called Mannekin which is a fav for my sis and her friends. It was a ton ton ton of fun (see FB for pictures... eventually... very behind as I am just uploading graduation pics, whoops!). And I met some random girl who graduated from Penn in 200(something can't remember) in the bathroom!

Saturday, woke up a tiny bit hungover but overall fine. We rented a cab for 8 hours and went all over Delhi. We saw Jama Masjid, Humayun tomb, a really amazing Jain temple, Birla mandir, and then went to a really cool market called Dilli Haat. Overall awesome day but so ridiculously hot outside. Got back, napped, then when to someone's house. Played some beer pong and flip cup while watching the IPL match. Then went out to this dive bar which was hilarious. They were playing electronic music and it was like 100 guys and about 10 girls. And let me tell you guys in India have some very very interesting ways of dancing.

Next day went to an all you can drink brunch at this place called Indian Accent. Food was AMAZING. Just see this:

Yes that is pani puri with various panis. And yes that is pao bhaji with pao on skewers. And yes that is a rum ball on fiiiire. Incredible.

After brunch we went back to our home in Indirapuram.

Today was a very productive day at work. We actually started doing real work. The project we are working on is microfinance like but on a larger scale. Basically the organization is trying to invest in groups of 10-15 people who want to start a business together in villages. So our task is to start determining what qualifications are necessary for a group to receive such a loan. I'm getting to use Excel a lot which is fun. And it's very much open ended so we get to use a lot of our own creativity. Overall pretty interesting.

In other news... haven't been to the gym since Wednesday.. sadness. My shower got fixed though so now there is hot water and the shower head works! Super excited for that. Catie is coming here tomorrow, can't wait to see her! Going to either Agra/Jaipur or Rishikesh next weekend, so lots more fun to come.

That's all.. probably post in another week now.

The power's out

There is no AC. It's hot.

Day 2 of work

Today was another great day. Got to work around 9:30, got an intro to Drishtee and our project. Got assigned a task that probably takes 2 hour max. Got a day and a half to do it. Our boss isn't going to be at work tomorrow so we don't have to go either! Aka shopping day!! Super excited!

In other news, the gym is awesome. Personal trainer = the best. Also, to continue along the lines of my first post regarding showers here... I've misspoken. The shower at the gym is awesome. It's a hell of a lot better then my room shower and even better than my shower from Rodin. Thus the solution = shower at the gym. Given that all of like 3 other ladies come to the gym it's also super clean.

Funny story from the gym today - I go to the girls locker room after my workout and pull my stuff out when in walks some guy, hot trainer, the bathroom attendant, and one of the three other ladies that comes to the gym. First, hot gym trainer apologizes profusely for walking into the bathroom unannounced. Given that I was just standing at the locked, I didn't care, but it was cute. The other lady is hysterical because she wants to use the steam room but the bathroom attendant told her she has to go in w/o clothes. The lady is like "that makes me uncomfortable, What if someone walks in, what if someone sees me!" It was quite the show.

Anyways, that's all for today

What a great day

So after work we didn't have much to do. Jason was pretty tired (he slept in the airport the night before) so Geeta told us to go home early (around 4). Jason needed some things from the store so we went there after getting home. The top floor of this mall is a gym. Now we both want to do a little exercise this summer (after a year's worth of drinking it's incredibly necessary) so we went to find out about membership. We were able to negotiate them down from about 9000 rupees to 3500 rupees for 2 months. Also included are dance classes, aerobics, spinning, yoga, and best of all A PERSONAL TRAINER!! So we get the membership and about 2 hours we go for a workout. And we meet our personal trainer. Now normally I don't find men in the motherland all that attractive. But oh my god. This guy was buff and cute! And so incredibly encouraging (as I panted and sweat throughout the workout...great). And I asked him what people do for fun in Noida and he told me about the clubs they go to. Love.

Anyways, all in all a great first day. Really looking forward to the weekend in Delhi too :) YAY

Making Progress

Jason and I went to lunch with Geeta (the lady who is the recruiter.. who we've been in contact with) and two other young people (one who's the girl sitting next to me!). Both seem very cool and said they would take us out. They want to go to Agra with us too! I said I was vegetarian and the guy got excited and was like "Me too!" Then he asked me if I boozed, when I said yes he looked disappointed and the other two girls started laughing (i.e. they clearly do too). Geeta also made a comment about finishing a bottle of Vodka. This is going to be a fun summer :)

I realize this post makes me seem like all I want to do is drink. What I really mean is good to see not everyone here is ultra conservative!

First day of work

It is around 11:10am on my first day of work. The caretaker came to pick me up around 8:30. He started making me tea but I had already eaten my cereal. I conveyed this with hand motions as he speaks Hindi, and I do not (note to self: I should try to speak Hindi. It will probably get me far). We reached the office at like 9. Got a call from the lady that I was supposed to meet saying she was running 45 minutes late. Ah what to do for 45 minutes without internet? I should've brought a book but naturally forgot.

Anyways, then the lady came at like 9:45, we chatted, I met people, it was cool.

I am now awaiting Jason's arrival (the other Penn student that is working here).

Now for everyone's advice: The girl next to me seems young and cool (aka Westernized). I want to strike up conversation but i'm not sure how. It's been like 4 years since I've had to make new friends (read: i miss college), and I've never had to do it in another country. What do I say? How do we become friends? There are also about 5 other interns from some college in Mumbai. All boys. They seem to be a clique, but nice. How do I talk to them?

Oh the questions are flying...

My daddy left :(

I'm here. On my own. Now starts the real deal.

Miss you daddy!

McSpicy Paneer

Note the round off charge

India's Genius: The Shower

Okay so generally speaking I hate blogs. I never read them, I never write them. BUT I'm going to give it a shot. I will not be offended if you don't read it. It's guaranteed not to be entirely that interesting.

So the real stuff - Flight was good, reached here safely. Got picked up by the guest house care taker. Came to the guest house, fell asleep. Now awake. About to go look at some other guest houses, trying to figure out how to recharge our cellular. It's hot. Oh and I blew the fuse with my hairdryer. whoops

Now the cool stuff - My first post is dedicated to the showers of the motherland. Now if you have known me for long (aka Didi) I always have something to say about the showers in India. For some reason their shower heads never seems to spray in one direction. It literally goes everywhere creating the dilemma of where to stand. So I go to shower this morning and am I little confused as to how this particular one operates. First there is a bucket style faucet at the bottom. As you make your way up there are 6 sprayers at the mid-level (sprays at your butt and back). Then there is a hand sprayer (spraying all over the place as expected). And then there is a regular shower head (which sadly didn't work). So you might think this is completely inefficient and just weird. I too thought that. But then I showered and realized this is genius. I mean in America, what is ever spraying at your butt and back? Nothing! Indians are so smart.

Okay that's it :) Insightful I know. I've only been here for like 12 hours, what do you expect man? jokes. Peace