An Email That Said It All

Although it was said that sending emails and posting blogs at the same time (multi-media) is a good thing, I don't want to repeat. This is my summary email that I sent Monday night:

WEATHER: hot. Peg doesn't do heat well. Hot is only 90 degrees. I heard it was 106 in Calcutta. This is not debilitating. Places have AC, cars have AC. Harriet and her husband, Harold, and I went to Mysore on Sunday and learned how to travel. See sights early in the day and late in the day. Be inside sipping cold beer or Gin and Tonic during the hot part. I guess that is the time to shop or get a massage. :-) If one were a complete hedonist.

ACCOMODATIONS: I moved from the hotel where I was staying with H&H to the apartment where I'll be staying for the next 11 weeks. Suresh had arranged one close to IBM, but IBM is in the wilderness. The apartment was down a dirt road with construction (not heavy) on one side. The apartment was good, but the location was dismal. I have to consider the other people who will be staying there as well as myself. It was like in the middle of a field, for heaven sake. Where do you go for a meal and to shop?? So we moved closer to down town. The ride will be longer, so bring an Ipod. It has a pool, they deliver either continental or Indian breakfast and clean the apartment every day. AND it is very close to shopping and you can see other buildings.
All my Helpdesk family know what a complete non-techie I am. I was devestated last night that the wifi didn't work. But I was exhausted for some reason, so I watched TV and went to bed. Woke up at 4:30 and looked at the wifi. Even I know that you just can't have the damn thing plugged into the electricity. So I connected the cable from the modem to the wifi and gave it a try. Techies must just use logic to do all their miracles. I'm feeling more like one right now.

GENERAL WALKABILITY OF THE TOWN: Not good. I'm not a walker, so that is probably no loss to me. H&H hotel is on the prime shopping street of Bangalore, but you can't stroll it like we're used to. When we would arrive at the hotel, it was being plunged from chaos to serenity. There is a secret garden aspect to it. The apartments are similar, but from what I saw at 7:00 p.m., things seem much quieter here.

PEOPLE: Lovely, gracious people. Almost understandable. But when touristing, don't smile. Not smiling at everyone is nearly impossible for me, but when you do, they approach you with a hand out or something to buy. So I am wearing my hat pulled down and dark glasses. Every fiber wants to smile, but I'm getting better at Miss Stoic. And yet, when we were visiting the Sultan's Summer Palace, we met a great family. Most people who are not trying to get your money want to practice their English, learn more about this strange, large white woman. The family is from Coorg, where I want to visit. There were about 10 of them, obviously mom, dad, kids and other relations. The families are very tight here.
I have to reserve my chatting up to the drivers. Everything has a story, so it's good to have someone to tell you about it. We must be driven everywhere so we get an opportunity to chat.

IBM: We met the group that will be taking care of our calls. They have good English skills (althought I only met them once, we will have to see as we converse more.) I got to teach a class about The Times and newspapers in general. No one went to sleep. Always a good sign. IBM has two buildings. One is huge and has the eating and shopping areas. We are at the other one about 5 minutes away. The layout is lovely, but it is in the middle of that field. We will be very comfortable when we are in the building. It is modern, has a nice looking call center. And it was delightful to see Suresh and Teena again. Now they are in charge, whipping the newbies into shape. Harriet spoke and was very charming, making them all feel like a part of The Times. That is so important. They have to feel a part of the paper and know the urgency of what they are asked to do. I'm happy that I will be here 11 weeks to help make sure they understand that part of what they do.

SHOPPING: Not a shopper. Never have been. But I had a request for a sari and a pashmini shawl. Already purchased them. Now I don't have to do that anymore. But these are lovely things and I may use them to decorate my apartment until it's time to pack them up. Harriet kept telling me I need pictures and a rug. She and Harold bought a gorgeous rug. Spending loves company. I saw a gorgeous rug, too, and if I had a spare 5 grand, it would be mine. It was stunning. So is the 6x5 tapestry that I whimsically bought in St. Emillion. Although I know that Harold could have reduced that 5k to a much more reasonable fee, I am being strong. The new stoic Peg. Anyway, the beautiful colors of the saris and shawls will brighten up this place.

SLEEPING: Having trouble with that. I tend to wake in the middle of the night because I tend to wake in the middle of the night. Now I just get up and type. This will need to stop as I sort of faded in the middle of my discussion about the newspaper. Sort of like the newspaper, fading in the middle. But it is hard to realize we have just been here for 3 days. I'm sure I'll get the hang of this sleeping and waking stuff.

COMPUTING: By the miracle of Gtalk, I've been able to talk with Adrian and Karen. This is an amazing thing. We are half a world away and we can talk through the computer. I'm reading "Passage to India." I think the British would have gotten less freaky if they could have talked to family periodically.