Getting Ready for the First Day

My weekend has been very quiet.  I was able to catch up on sleep.  The Keys Hotel staff did not understand why I am up from 4pm to 7am IST.  I have told them that my work schedule is from 5pm to 3am IST.  The 5pm IST is pick up by taxi to get to work by 6pm IST.  This schedule is daytime in Westboro, MA.  Today, I woke up at 130pm IST to start my day. 

Hey Sophia - It is a beautiful 73 degrees F with a chance of thunderstorms.  For the past few days it starts off sunny and becomes overcast.  I know it is a little chilly in New England.  But for the relatives in Nebraska you have your first snowfall. 

I am so excited about the first day in the Bangalore office.  I finally get to meet all the people I have been working with for the past year.  Shibin has moved to this office from Mumbai.  Last time I saw him was in Westboro.  He came to US for the eClinicalWorks National Conference in Nashville.  It will be great to see him again.  The last day in the US Vance, Amit T. and Shibin cooked all the food they had purchased for Manny and I.  They did a great job. 


Bangalore is in process of building public transportation.  There are towers being built everywhere to hold the new train system.  I have been told the traffic is worse than Mumbai.  I cannot believe it.  I will find out today when I head to the office.  The office is 1.7 km or 1.99 miles based on Google Maps.  I have been told it will take one hour.  I live 17 km or 10.6 miles from the office in the US and it takes me 20 to 30 minutes.  I will update everyone on the first ride to the office.  Hotel to Office

The man who cleans the rooms on this floor finally was able to get into my room.  Today he called to coordinate the time to come and clean.  He is extremely nice.  He made a swan from towel and tissues.  I am pampered.  It reminds me of the Viking River Cruise.  The staff would have a new animal made from towels.  The man (I need to ask his name tomorrow) said he is going to create a greater masterpiece.  Ok!  He did not say masterpiece. 

I have finally upload some of the food.  It is so delicious.  The food is delicious.  Vishal V. the pictures are for you.  The spices are such perfect. 
This is only a few pictures of the food.  I never liked Paneer in the US, but in India it is superb!  Maybe it is the gravy or sauce.  The fresh made garlic naan is amazing!  It can only be made during the dinner time.  I will get more on the weekend.

I will upload more pictures later.

Since I am unable to watch my TV shows including the Red Sox baseball playoffs, I watch Romedy TV.  Today I watched Parent Trap from 1998.  It always makes me laugh.  Parent Trap from 1998 It is always a happy ending.  I can watch this movie over and over again.  

One more thing...I have to remember to walk on the opposite side of the hall.  I keep bumping or almost bumping into people.   I am a clumsy America!  

I am sitting in the lobby waiting for my taxi.  It is supposed to be hear at 5pm IST, but as we all know time for most everyone is relative.  I try to be on time all the time.  I have to remember to buffer the time by 15 or 30 minutes.  My excitement is building.  

It is 505pm and still waiting...Remember time is relative.  Do you think they forgot me?  Will I be late?  I hate being late...I wonder what I will have for Dinner!  For my breakfast I had Palak Paneer.  This is spinach sauce with cheese curds.  It is so good!  I have the remaining in my refrigerator in the room for later.  

The noise of Bangalore is not as loud as Mumbai at least from the hotel.  Once I get into the taxi it may be different. There is definitely honking.  

Still the taxi is not here...

The taxi is here!  Off for an adventure!

First days in Bangalore!

My day started at 530pm IST Saturday which is 8am ET Saturday.  I realized I slept for 12 hours.  My day really started in Boston at 630pm ET when the Van Service picked me up to get to Boston Logan Airport.  My flight on Emirates Air left late because 2 passengers did not show.  The airline had to remove the luggage belonging to them.  This took about 45 minutes.

I had the WHOLE 3 seats to myself.  It is unbelievable.  I was served a wonderful dinner, then time for bed.  I laid across all 3 seats and off I went.  I slept for 7 hours.  Awaking to quiet.  Everyone was sleeping as well.  There was a young mother with a 4 month old daughter and 2 year old son and her parents traveling to Bangalore as well.  The children were very well-behaved.

During the plane ride to Dubai I was able to watch movies.  What else it there to do on a long flight?  The first movie was Jumanji.  I love this movie with The Rock.  I watched this movie before I went to sleep.  After a great sleep I watched Hotel Transylvania 3 and Woman Walks Ahead.  All of the movies were worth watching.  On Rotten Tomatoes Woman Walks Ahead did not receive the best rating.  Manny and I were in the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota in July.  I can relate to this story.  It was very inspiring.  A young widow left New York City in the 1800s to paint Chief Sitting Bull.  The movie is based on a true story. 

Where am I now?  I am in Bangalore, India.  Actually I am in Whitefield section of Bangalore.  The Keys Hotel is very nice.  The staff are wonderful.  When I entered with my 2 large suitcases weighing 50 lbs (23kg) each, 1 small suitcase weighing about the same, backpack and purse, the guard did not run any of it through the xray machine. Yes!  Just like the airports.  I must not of looked too threatening.  I was tired and needed to get to my room.  I felt a little overwhelmed! 

Let's go back to the Bangalore Airport.  I need assistance walking long distances.  My name was on the list, so a young man brought me to the Visa area.  I stood answering questions concerning my visit since I am on a Business Visa.  The Visa Immigration person did not smile.  From my last visit I remembered to print the Keys Hotel and eClinicalWorks addresses.  She asked for both of them. After what seemed a very long time, I did not check my watch prior, so I cannot say how long.  Maybe 15 minutes including fingerprinting and picture taken.  My passport was stamped.  I am legal to go into India.  Next time I need to print a copy of my return flight.  I was asked for it, but did not have a copy.  Now back to the the gentleman was taking me to get my luggage.  He told me I will owe him 500 rupee.  I asked him why?  He told me that was the TIP for assistance.  That was IT!  I told him that a tip is given because of the extra care given to the customer.  Telling me I am to pay him 500 rupee when he is paid already was unacceptable.  I told him I will get my own luggage.  I know longer needed his assistance.  He changed his attitude and assisted me with my luggage.  I gave him 100 rupee.  I was going to give him more, but a tip is a tip.  I feel some guilt but he should not have demanded money from me.  I rolled the cart with all my luggage out to the waiting area and found my name.  I told Manny this story.  His comment was "The guy messed with the wrong American Woman.". 

There was a taxi driver and security guard waiting.  We got to the taxi and off we were.  My first observations of Bangalore is there are so many trees and bushes.  Not only palm or coconut trees there are so many other trees.  I need to ask the names of the trees.  This was early morning and dark.  I am back in the country where many trucks do NOT have lights in the back.  You have to watch carefully when driving.  The next thing was driving on the opposite side of the road, or if you live in India the proper side of the road.  The honking telling other vehicles and humans - I AM COMING AND YOU BETTER WATCH OUT!

We made it to the Keys Hotel.  I checked in and slept.  Now I am back where I started! 

After waking up I went for dinner (I wrote that at the beginning).  I have been watching A LOT of Romedy TV.  There are many great old movies.  Now I am thinking of Noor and his movie knowledge.  Last time I was in India, Noor introduced me to 2 great movies.  They are Shawshank Redemption and A Beautiful Life.  Shawshank Redemption is beyond my time limit for movies which is no longer than 2 hours 30 minutes, but do you do on a weekend at 3am IST?  You watch movies suggested by one of the greatest movie critics - NOOR!  Shawshank Redemption is a great movie.  Noor is now in New York City following his dream, but I hope he will suggest other movies for me to stream while I am visiting India.  Ironic!

I took the hotel taxi to Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church for 7am IST English Mass in Whitefield.  It was 5.5km from the hotel.  I was awake so it was a perfect time to go.  The church was full.  The music was amazing.  The Mass was in English.  The parishioners were welcoming.  The one person, Margaret Stella, gave me her number to call anytime for anything.  She is a widow and has her children.  I saw the love she has in her Roman Catholic Faith, her children and her city.  Her daughter, Laity (I may have misspelled it.), was selling homemade sweets after each Mass which brings money for the family.  I bought one of each to bring to work tomorrow.  While I was waiting for the taxi I listened to the next Mass in Tamil.  The music was beautiful. The Roman Catholic Mass is the same all around the world.  Even though I did not understand the words, the readings and prayers are the same.  Faith is beautiful!

I should update everyone on Manny.  He had the MRI Saturday morning.  He is off the crutches and using the walking boot only.  The Zumba friends have been there to assist him.  Olga drove him to the MRI and out to eat at the Crab Shack in Framingham.  I am so grateful for everyone taking care of Manny.  We will find out if the tendon on the bottom of his right foot is torn or detached.  Praying for a tear only.  Thursday he returns to Orthopedic Surgeon, who looks younger than our son Max.  You know what this means!!!  Manny and I are OLD.  The doctor has to be in his early 30s when trying to calculate the years of schooling and residency.  He was knowledgeable concerning the foot tendon and understanding about my trip to India.  Manny can drive but he should not unless absolutely necessary.  If he has to press hard on the break, more damage could occur to his right foot.

Before I sign off for the night or day depending on where you are in the world, I want to state I saw a COW in the road on the way to Church this morning.  Yes - finally!  It was a female in the street.

One more thing!  The electricity just went off.  It is back on again! Just a few moments of darkness.  Now off to the gym!  I need to keep up the routine I have at home.  I will eat breakfast at 7am IST, then go to sleep until 2pm IST.  Get up, coffee, Protein drink, blog writing, dinner at 4pm IST, finally pick up for work at 5pm IST.

48 hours and counting down to Bangalore!

It has been more than 4 years but I am heading back to India.  I will be flying on Emirates Air at 11pm on Thursday, 11 October.  The flight from Boston to Dubai is almost 14 hours straight.  Actually it is not straight!  The flight plan will take me over the Arctic Circle over Europe into Dubai.  Why would not the flight just go across the Atlantic Ocean???

Let's look back the past month...I flew to Long Beach, CA on 19 Sept ember returning home on 24 September.  I had a wonderful time with my daughter, Erika.  We had no real plans but did what we wanted.  The Mission of San Juan Capistrano is absolutely beautiful.  The swallows return to the Mission every year.  A song has been written and sung by many about this phenomena. Swallows Return to Capistrano  There were museums and historical sites around Orange, CA we visited.  It was short but had a wonderful time.

Last Thursday the flight to Nashville, TN left at 7am.  I was heading to Nashville for the eClinicalWorks National Conference.  I was delivering 2 presentations about our electronic medical record system used by providers.  The prep is always difficult.  There is never enough time to do everything.  I have a great time discussing all interfaces with all the practices.  Then POOF!  the presentations and conference is done.  I came home 8 October in the afternoon.  I quickly unpacked and had to wash all my clothes to prep for the next trip.  The BIG one!

I will be in Bangalore, India around 3am IST (India Standard Time) on 13 October.  Bangalore is 9-1/2 hours ahead of Boston.  For 3 weeks I will be working and playing in Bangalore.  I am so excited.  I cannot wait to see my coworkers.  I am so excited!

What am I doing in Bangalore for 3 weeks?  First and foremost - is to transfer my knowledge of Clinical Interfaces between medical practices and hospitals or laboratories.  I have been working in this field for more than 20 years.  I have so much to give to all my coworkers.  My teaching technique is slightly different.

On 3 November I will be flying to Mumbai.  Back to Mumbai for 8 days - not 30 days!  I will be in Mumbai for Diwali (Festival of Lights).  I will be working with my coworkers in Mumbai for the week.

I will be heading home on 11 November.

What do I want to do in Bangalore?
  1.  I want to eat the food.  Each region has specialties.  I want to eat!
  2.  I will be attending Roman Catholic Mass.  I am looking forward to experience Mass in Bangalore.
  3.  I want to meet my coworkers. I call many friends already.  I know I will make more friends after my 3 weeks.
  4.  I want to experience Bangalore and all the beauty!  There are markets I want to visit.

There is so much to do and so little time!

More to come with more experiences!

I am now sitting in Boston Logan Airport waiting for 2 more hours to board Emirates Flight!  You would not believe what has happened in the past 48 hours.  I could not post this entry the night I started it.  Why you may ask???

Tuesday night Manny is calling me from the basement of our home.  I open the basement door and find him with CRUTCHES!  Yes crutches and hopping on his left leg.  What happened is the first question?  He is a Zumba instructor.  While conducting his class he heard SNAP or CRACKLE or POP on the bottom of his right foot.  This is the driving foot.  He was in pain and could not put any weight on it.  He was able to get to the top of the stairs into the house.  I had to carry the crutches and his backpack up the stairs.  He got to the bedroom and laid down. 

Everything STOPPED for me.  I told him I would cancel the trip to India, but he said NO.  I had to get him dinner.  Ok!  Many know I do not like to cook, so I reheated food he had already prepared.  It was reheated with Love!  My packing and writing stopped.  The next morning I went to work, but left to bring him to his primary care provider.  Xrays were taken.  It was not broken.  From the beginning there was very little swelling or discoloration. 

Today, we went to Orthopedic provider.  He will an MRI next week.  The provider is concerned the tendon on the bottom of his right foot.  I left him tonight for 4 weeks using crutches.  He is a stubborn man.  There will be no Zumba for a while (I am not there so I hope he follows the provider's instruction.).

What is there to do in the Boston E Terminal?  NOTHING!  This terminal is so boring for an International Terminal.  I made through security in 5 minutes.  I sat an had Shepard's Pie and watched some of the American Football game.  Eagles intercepted the football on the first play from the Giants. 

More to come has my travel progresses.  

Sights seen in Mumbai...

I have some pictures from my time in Mumbai, India I wanted to share with everyone.

All the trucks in Mumbai have this on the back.  It is asking the drivers to HONK HORNS.  Interesting!

Paper is a luxury in Mumbai.  If you want a copy, just stop here on the side of the busy road and the JUMBO XEROX is available for a fee. 

Mount Mary's Basilica in Bandra.

There are NO LANES in Mumbai.  Say a Pray and drive!

The traffic does not change at night accept it is more frightening!

People walking in the traffic selling peanuts and anything else.

This is CRAZY!  The driver has a helmet.  The woman is sitting sideways holding a young child wearing sunglasses!  Sitting sideways...how is the motorcycle balancing?

30 Days have ended, but the memories made will be with me forever!

I woke up today in my own bed.  The temperature outside is 32 degrees F/0 degrees C.  This is a slight difference from my last post.  I no longer hear the honking horns, the jackhammers, the pigeons and crows and the pack of dogs. I hear the heater powering up to keep the house warm.  The view from the living room window has changed from sunshine and light breeze and the Boomerang to overcast skies and snow has high as my knee.

I ended yesterday's post about Mahesh Seafood Restaurant.  Shanawaz, Nitin, Amit and Amit (Hub Guy #2) and I went to Mahesh for my last dinner.  I went on my last auto rickshaw ride with Shanawaz.  I LOVE the auto rickshaw rides.  It is so much fun.  I understand when you have to use it all your life it is not as exciting.  The dinner was amazing because of the company and the food.  We had great conversation and Nitin spoke as well.  The last time we went to eat Shanawaz, Vijeta and I were so rude discussing Westboro and left Nitin out of the conversation.  This time we were talking about the past month and many other topics.  The food was delicious.  I had prawn and crab soup.  Yes - ME!  It did not taste like fish.  I had Pomfret filet with spices, Golden Prawns, chicken dish, roti and rice.  All of the food was delicious.   Thank you so much for the great food.  We took pictures outside the restaurant before taking the auto rickshaw back to work.

I want to start on the last Saturday morning in Mumbai.   Rohit and Ashish came to the apartment right after work.  Rohit had to drop off ALL the items he bought.  It was OVER 3 kg he promised.  I had to repack to accommodate the extra items.  Nothing was left behind.  We talked about the past month and what lies ahead in the future for both of them.  Ashish will begin off hours shift on Monday.  Taking a moment to evaluate life to plan the future is important for your success.  We said our goodbyes and I was in the apartment by myself.  I was going to see Ashish at the airport.
I had to repack to have the luggage under the weight limit.  I had to pull items in the put them in the bag to carry on.  My carrier suitcase was so heavy with Indian sweets.  I did not know how I was going to lift to the overhead luggage compartment.
The sun was up and Ritika came to the apartment after her shift.  She is a wonderful woman.  I love talking with her.  Shahbaaz came to the apartment to say goodbye as well.  I was happy to have people with me instead of feeling sad about leaving Mumbai and happy about being home with Manny and Max. A month ago I would not have felt the same.  I liked being alone. I have come to enjoy the company of others.  All of sudden Swapnil from Admin was ringing the doorbell and taking my luggage to the cab.  The last few hours went so quickly.  I took a moment to have my last look of a month's worth of memories.

We were off to the Mumbai Airport in the cab.  The traffic was at a stop, then after all the horns honking the traffic began to move.  We turned onto the road I had been on so many times.  I did not realize the airport so close to the apartment.  As we are driving and I see the airport sign, but the cab is pulling over and turning off the vehicle.  What!  Yes - the Mumbai Traffic police had pulled him over.  Is it me?  There were no flames on the side of the car like Shanawaz's car.  Swapnil jumped out of the cab to see what is taking so long.  There was a problem with his cab plate.  I was so concerned about getting to the airport. This stop took about 15 minutes.  Off we go to the airport which was a left turn from where we stopped.  The Mumbai airport is beautiful with palm trees and beautiful architecture.  The International Departures is all new.  There was no traffic when I was dropped off.  I gave hugs to Ritika and Swapnil.  Ashish has come to say good bye to Vijeta and I.  He gave me a rose (live) to remember him by.  (FYI...the rose is still alive.)

Ashish and I had time to talk about a lot of things.  We were laughing a lot.  A security guard came by asking Ashish if he was trying to take advantage of the "foreigner".  Does Ashish really look like a person who would be a criminal?  Vijeta came but she had to wait for her parents.  I decided to check in and get through Immigration.  My final farewell to Ashish with a hug and telling him to take care of himself and keep enjoying life.  I was in the airport.  I checked in and 3 bags checked.  The counter person let me check the 3rd bag for free.  I was so happy since it was so heavy.  I got through Immigration.  NOTE:  You need the address you stayed in India for Immigration.  Thank goodness I had kept the paper with the address.

I was waiting at the gate and decided I was hungry.  I had not eaten since dinner at Mahesh's.  I had some protein. I went shopping.  I bought 4 elephants and other items before getting on the airplane as well as a clothe bag with elephant print and purple lining and handles.  The airplane was running late but on I went and sat in the row with a gentleman from Newton, MA.  He asked me what I was doing in Mumbai for a month and where I worked.  He knows Girish Navani (CEO of eClinicalWorks).  The flight was full and the plane was crowded.  It was a 9.5 hour flight.  The gentleman sitting with me was told in Mumbai that he would not make the connection flight to Boston, so the British Airlines changed his ticket to Sunday at 4pm with a hotel stay.  I told him I was checked through to Boston.  As the plane was landing in Heathrow, the crew mentioned that the Boston connection can be made and all the people including the ones moved to Sunday were moved on it.  We were in Terminal B and had to go to Terminal C and through Security.  We all made it.  Thank goodness.  There was only 45 minutes between the flights.

The plane to Boston was wonderful.  The seats were wider and the newer.  I slept most of the 7.5 hours.  I had one serving of white wine for dinner.  The flight was not full so there was no one in the center seat.  There was more room in this plane.  The flight attendant carried my laptop bag and new elephant satchel.  I am very impressed with the crew of British Airways.

US Customs was quick and all my luggage made it to Boston.  One of Vijeta's pieces of luggage stayed in London.  I opened the doors to the main waiting area of Terminal E and there was Manny.  I was so happy to see him.  I have missed him more than I thought, but when I was in Mumbai no one allowed me to be sad because they had plans for me.  Max came home around 12 midnight.  Marian High School Drama team placed in the top 3 to move to the next round of competition in 2 weeks.  Max won 1st Place in set design as well.  I was so happy to see him.  He has a couple of tough weeks at school.  I will be speaking to Erika tonight

As we were driving home there was no traffic, no horns, no people crossing the busy roads and driving on the other side of the road.  I had my seat belt on and the air was cold.  It was so quiet.  This morning Manny, Max and I walked outside to get to my minivan to go to Mass.  I did not hear the pack of dogs, crows, pigeons, horns or jackhammers.  I heard beautiful song birds singing in the trees around my home.  It was so quiet.  The snow on the ground and the birds singing.  The air was crisp and cool.

I have finally unpacked everything.  Manny and Max liked my shirt collection.  We will be ordering more shirts from the Men's Store in Mumbai.  Sharmeen was a great person to go with for the men's shirts.  I was so happy they liked the shirts.

My kitchen is beautiful.  It should be finished by end of this week.  The painting will be done tomorrow. Please follow this link to check before and after.  Manny and Max did a great job making decisions during the process.  http://oreosdeepthought.blogspot.in

My final thoughts about this trip was summoned up at Mass today.  The reading from Isiah was about God's Love even though you may feel no one love's you.  I was worried about meeting all the people in Mumbai and what would they think of me.  Would the accept me for me?  I had felt the love and kindness from everyone.  Everyone I encountered made sure I had my needs met.
The Gospel from Matthew talked about not to worry about the basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing because God always provides for you.  I have been requesting to go to Mumbai for 2 years.  I have worried that I would never go even though I prayed to have this opportunity.  Once I had approval and the plans were being made I was so worried about living accommodations and food.  My apartment was beautiful.  The food was amazing.  The only item I did not like was a red candy with cumin in it. (Vance thank you for the candy.)   It was horrible.  My favorite food was chicken crispy.  I am thankful to everyone in Mumbai and in Westboro.

I will be going back to Mumbai in the future.  Thank you for great memories.  I loved everything.
Auto rickshaws, the terrace, the traffic, the horns, the crows and pigeons, the watchmen at the apartment finally waving and smiling at me, the people at work.  I know I missed items and people.  I did not mean to but there is so much to write.

THANK YOU for reading my blog.  I have enjoyed my 30 days in Mumbai.

Trying to remember everything

What can I say about Mumbai?  I can say that I have many coworkers who have become my dear friends.  I sit in the apartment A504 and look at the Boomerang 7th floor with the best thoughts.  I never dreaded going into work because the people made me apart of the family.  The sun is rising which I rarely saw since I would be sleeping by 7am IST.  The rooster already crowed.  The traffic is blazing with the horns warning other vehicles "Here I come and watch out!".  I have gotten used to the pack of dogs fighting in the dark and the crows and pigeons.  Mumbai is a place to find the most gracious people.  From the watchmen at the gate of the apartment who all smile and wave when I wave at them to eCW Mumbai family.  The watchmen wave and smile as I entered and left the apartment grounds.

I had forgotten to mention Siddhesh in my last post.  Also known as "Sophia's Sidd".  He sits quietly at the opposite end of the pod.  He is has a great smile and laugh.  Siddhesh is ready to assist anyone and can come back with a zinger.  I apologize for not mentioning you early.  I would watch him when the teasing would start.  He would sit back and laugh.  Keep the techs in line!  Always keep smiling.

The IPM team bought a cake and Ritika gave me an elephant.   Prasad asked me what my favorite part of the experience was.  The IPMs are a team.  They work and play together.  They are always talking to each other.  If someone is stuck, another IPM would be right there to help on calls and other issues.  All of them are hardworking but fun-loving.  They have given me a renewed breath of fresh air.  It was a pleasure to work with them in Mumbai.  I will always be available to them for anything.  I have enjoyed getting to know them.  I think they know me very well now.  Thank you for the delicious cake and the wonderful memories.  Good Luck to the list of candidates for the new TL positions.

Ritika is an amazing young women.  I will always remember her eyes.  She was beautiful eyes.

After 16 months working with Ashish we have parted ways.  I will miss him so much.  I would spark and call him every day asking about him.  He has become a wonderful friend.  I know he left me win at table tennis today.  Thank you!  Next time I will be better at it.  I know you will do well on the off hours shift.  Remember the following words - EXCUSE ME - PLEASE - THANK YOU - BE NICE.  I will miss working with you.  I have been spoiled and I have spoiled you.  Thank you Mom for the new Indian outfit.  It is beautiful.

Rohit is a good friend.  He was willing to go to Mass with me on Sundays.  He took me to his home to meet his family.  His mother and 2 grandmothers were gracious hostesses.  The food on that day and every day Rohit brought dinner was amazing.  Your sister, Rachna, is a beautiful young woman.  She will be a great success.  Rohit keep growing and always look for the good.

It has been great to meet the "real" Shanawaz.  I have always had great respect for him.  He is a great father and husband.  Now I realize he has a great sense of humor and will tease anyone.  He was teasing me.  I loved the auto Rickshaw rides.  Thank you for taking time to show me a great time.  We went to Mahesh for dinner.  It is a seafood restaurant with Amit (Hub Guy #2), Nitin and Amit T.  It was great time.  The meal was great. Shanawaz needs to take time to stop checking his emails on the blackberry, so do I.  Thank you for letting me into your life.

Noor is a quiet man.  He comes in and always tired.  He has a great sense of humor.  I know he will miss Ashish since they sat next to each other.  Noor knows everything about the Oscar's.  His knowledge of movies it astounding.  I have watched many movies because of his recommendations.  Noor is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve.  He will help anyone without hesitation.  He taught me Hindi with the assistance of others.  He is a great table tennis player.  You are a great friend.  Remember to watch "Mr. Holland's Opus" and the other great movies.  I hope to see you in Westboro this year.

Rushab is an unforgettable person.  He is Chicago Sri's tech.  I don't know why he wants to have other punch people, but I did punch (softly) Shanawaz and Rushab.  He is always smiling.  In an early post I had written he was "devilish".  I stand by this comment.  He works so hard, but has fun.  He is a better singles table tennis player than doubles.  He beat me many times.  Your smile will be a great memory.

Shahbaaz is Shahbaaz.  He is a very caring person.  I have enjoyed his company.  I wrote enough about Shahbaaz.  I am done!

It is getting tougher to focus!  I have been up since 1230pm IST yesterday.  It is 815am IST 1 March.

I will write one more post when I am awake.  I will tell you about Mahesh's Restaurant.

Off to the airport!

Lifts, buttons and thoughts of Mumbai

It is my last full day in Mumbai.  It is a beautiful Friday afternoon with the sun shining and a light breeze blowing the trees outside my living room window.  Again I am waiting for Ashish, but have heard from him.  He will not be coming.  I have to find something to eat since I only have oranges, coffee and Lichi juice left in the apartment.

I am packed.  The one suitcase is at the maximum weight.  The second one is almost there.  I have not packed my carry on suitcase yet.   I will not sleep until I am on the plane tomorrow afternoon at 2pm IST.  I should be landing in Boston on 1 March around 10pm EST.  I cannot wait to see Manny and Max.

For the past month I have watched the people at the lift bay.  It is so funny to watch them.  I have been working on the 7th floor of the Boomerang building.  As I enter the building, I put my purse, laptop bag and any other bags on the x-ray machine.  I walk through the metal detector and pick up my stuff.  Off we walk to the next security check.  The security guard uses his badge to open the gateway to get to the lifts.  At the lift bay there are 8 lifts, but we always have to wait.  I watch the people come and press the "UP" button and press it again and again and again.  Finally, an lift opens and we step in.  If we are lucky the lift door will close and stay closed, but most of the time it will open and reopen.  Finally we are on the way to the 7th floor sometimes with a stop at the 5th floor for some of the people.
Turn one way and you go to the terrace and the other way through the glass doors onto the floor.

When leaving it is so funny watching everyone.  Many of the people press the "UP" and "DOWN" buttons multiple times when we want to go "DOWN".  We stand and wait.  New people come to the lift bay and start the process all over. An lift door opens for "UP" we walk in and press "G" for Ground Level.  The door closes and opens again.  Now we are supposed to go down.  No!  Someone else pressed the down button so the door opens again.  This can occur multiple times before the lifts starts heading down.

This happens all over the world, but I think about people always in a hurry.  The people are rushing to get to the ground floor to get to the transportation waiting to drop them off at or near their homes.  They head to the back of the building and wait.  I see many people standing and waiting outside of the vehicles.  They are waiting.  There are groups of people standing and waiting, but everyone was in a hurry to get there.  I see it in the Mumbai traffic.  Everyone is honking and maneuvering around other vehicles to get to the next traffic jam.  Everyone is rushing to stop.  Then the traffic starts to move slowly and the maneuvering to be in front begins again.

When I was in the US Army, the one phrase said all the time was "Hurry up and Wait!"  The people of Mumbai live this to the fullest.

For Dinner I brought Shanawaz, Sameer, Amit, Noor, Vijeta, Ashish, Rohit and Shahbaaz to Mainland China.  The deal was everyone had to attempt to eat with chopsticks.  I eat with chopsticks every time I go a Chinese or Japanese restaurant.  I showed them how to use the chopsticks.  It was funny to see them try.  It was great to see them try.  There were pictures taken but no one has sent them to me so I will have to post later.
Eating with chopsticks causes people to slow down.  Everyone here eats so fast.  I showed them how to eat rice with chopsticks.  We had a great time laughing and talking.  I still eat slow compared the group.  Shanawaz made a comment that I become like the other in the group teasing others.  Yes!  I feel very comfortable with everyone in Mumbai.

Let's discuss Shahbaaz!  He is a very happy young man.  He is also an interesting young man.   I told him I was gong to bring some people to eat at a restaurant.    (Shahbaaz is very slim, but he eats A LOT.)  I kept telling him I do not plan anything.  I just go. Shahbaaz works the off-hour shift.  He is supposed to leave at 830am EST/7pm IST.  So, I told him that I want to go to Mainland China and I am paying.  Everyone has been paying for everything for me.  They kept telling me my money is not good here.  I wanted to treat them.  Shahbaaz stayed at work then came out with us.  I could not believe it.  We left the restaurant around 130pm EST/12 midnight IST.  He had to be ready to be picked up by transport in less than 5 hours.  His home is 1 hour from the restaurant.  My question is "Why would you wait for free food?".  He did this when the techs bought dinner for all of us.  Maybe he likes the people and wants to be with us.  I just do not understand why he would not want to go home and see his family and get some sleep.  Yet, I am glad he came, because I enjoy his company.

Shahbaaz - Thank you for the gift!  

The IPMs are so funny.  In my first week I would come in and sit at my "pod" space and the IPMs would say "Hi".  After my first training with the group they opened up and began talking to me.  I have enjoyed talking and laughing with all of them.  Ananth has been a great "secretary".  He is a great friend.  He has always been here to help me with anything I needed.  Prasad, Vinayak and Royson are great TLs.  I have enjoyed talking with them.

The IPMs are a great group of people.  They are always willing to assist one another.  It is so great to see the teamwork.  They work very hard.  They laugh!  I love the laughter and teasing between the people.  I have joined in as well.  Namrata and Ritika sit in front of me.  I have come to know them very well.  Maya is beautiful.  She is always dressed perfectly.  I  have had so much fun working with all of them.  I had a great time training while playing a game.  They are very competitive people.  They want to learn new things and I am so happy.  My deal with Ananth when I was training him is whatever I learn you will learn.  This deal is the same with all the IPMs.  Knowledge gives you strength.  In April the whole team will be on 1 floor again.  The company is growing.  The whole team will be together.

Vance and Ankit have the best seats.  They sit in the back and watch everything going on.

Thank you for accepting me into your group.  I had the best time.  I love the laughter!
I want to thank everyone who has made me food.  Imran, Franky, Rohit - Thank you.
For my vegetarian friend - Ritika - for ordering Butter Chicken for me.

Back to the techs...

Today is the last day Ashish and I are tagged as IPM and Tech.  We have been together for 16 months.  I have enjoyed our partnership.  He is the magician.  He can vanish and reappear in seconds.  He understands me and I understand him.  He is moving to off hours. I hope he enjoys the change and the new challenges.  As Shanawaz has told me many times - "Stop spoiling him."  I understand what he is saying now.
As of Monday, Madhura and I are tagged together.  Madhura has the best smile.  We have laugh together to the point I had tears in my eyes.  I know we will have a great time working together as a team.

The techs are amazing.  They work so hard and have time to enjoy each others company.  I have learned so much from all of them.  I am amazed watching them work on the HL7 interfaces.  As am IPM I attempt to explain the issue.  They have to take my explanation, understand my thought process and investigate the issue.  As many people who know me...many of my thoughts are not always in a logical sequence.  When I am tired or overwhelmed, they are down right confusing...even to me.

I have so much fun getting to know all of them.  I work with Shanawaz and his team consisting of Ashish, Gaurav, Rushab, Madhura, Vishnu, Prashant, Sameer, Abhi, Shahbaaz and Amit.  In the past month I have had the best time with all of them.  They are a great time.  Rohit is kind person.  He has so much knowledge about PM interfaces.  He works so hard.  Mozzam and Faresh's teams are fantastic.  Prithvi is TL in training.  He will be a great TL.  In Westboro I rarely interact with them, but now I have great new friendships.  The Interface trainers are a band of 4.  Kavita, Sharmeen, Shubro (SHU - BRO) and Franky.  (Hey - you still need watch "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit".)  I know where to go to get questions answered about the interfaces, since they train the practices daily.

I am honored to have been able to meet all of the people.  To have the people take time out of their busy schedules to take me out and show me Mumbai.  I feel part of the Mumbai family.  The people are so wonderful.  I will always remember Ritika's smiling eyes.  Sharmeen's beautiful smile.  Shanawaz's smile and the twinkle in his eyes when he is teasing someone.  Noor and his purple water bottle with so many plastic cups and his deep love for his grandmother.  Prashant, Vishnu and Gaurav are the quietest people.  They love to laugh!  The hub guys - Sameer, Amit, Abhi and Shahbaaz - are amazing.  Franky's hairstyle and now the men in the group are trying to copy him.

Joshna from the SAAS team is a beautiful young woman.  I was so excited to meet her.  She made me and others special treats.  I enjoy working with all the SAAS team and I am so happy to put a face to a name.

The Admin Team has been dealing with me since January.  Getting my plane tickets, the apartment and dealing with my questions.  Once I got here, they have picked up  and dropped me off every work day.  Whenever I have called the Admin team they are ready to assist me.  Nilesh, Sarvesh and Swapnil have been so wonderful and patient with me.  Thank you for every thing.

I know I will be missing mentioning so many people. I have enjoyed be getting to know all of them.

My thoughts of India before I had come here.

1. Mumbai is not a safe place.  Everyone kept telling me to be extra cautious.  Never go anywhere alone. - I have gone no where alone, but I am happy about this because I have enjoyed the people who have accompanied me.  I have never felt unsafe here.  Everyone has been so protective of me.

2. Mumbai is so overcrowded.  The only time I have felt overwhelmed with crowds is attending the Kala Ghoda Festival.  I had Ashish, Rohit, Mukul, Shahbaaz, Prashant, Amit and Vijeta always around me.  Mukul was going to wait with me in the female line to get into the festival.  I know people planned excursions when the crowds were less.  I have a fear with crowds since the car accident, but I had no fears in Mumbai.

3. Mumbai is dirty and polluted.  I had brought a prescription inhaler with me because I was told the air quality was so bad. At first I noticed the trash and pollution in Mumbai.  When you stop looking at the surface and begin seeing the beauty of the surroundings and people, the exterior does not matter.  I never used the inhaler.

4. Being loud and outspoken - I and others were concerned about my personality in Mumbai.  I was told by others that I will need to tone my personality down.  I have found that the people in Mumbai are as happy about living life as I am.  There was no change required.  I am who I am.

I will continue my thoughts before I leave for the Mumbai Airport...