india
- Sitting around doing nothing, by yourself, in an unfamiliar place is a lonely task. I was in tears missing my family on Monday morning when I saw that my 6-year-old had written me an IM overnight saying (her usual) “addie hi dad”. Hadn’t been that homesick since my first night at college.
- It’s a lot better when you can spend your days working. Feels like I have purpose and a good reason for coming over here.
- The people over here at our India Design Center are fantastic. Friendly, asking good questions, making me feel very welcome. I love it. I even got assigned my own office for the week!
- It was amusing to come in early this morning and see several folks decorating the cubicle of a co-worker for her birthday today. Balloons! Streamers! Some things are apparently the same everywhere.
- It’s kinda weird watching Monday Night Football on Tuesday morning while you’re getting ready for work.
- I’m not used to talking all day, every day. This trip is exhausting not just from doing all the teaching, but from being “on” all the time. I’m an introvert. This isn’t easy.
- I’ve watched Indian TV a little bit, but mostly now I’m leaving it off. It’s just too jarring and unfamiliar. Instead, I’m catching up on Seasons 1 and 2 of Breaking Bad.
- Half-way done with teaching now. Two more days of class, one day of meetings, and then I go home. Can’t wait.
India Trip, days 5 and 6
I think it’s a fair guess that I’ve never spent 4 days talking non-stop for 8 hours each day before. My throat is feeling the effects of it. Amazingly, I still have a voice.
Last night one of the managers of our Indian facility took me and another guy from Iowa out to do some shopping and then to a team dinner of Indian food at a nice hotel. The hotel restaurant was so full that they had our (long) table set up poolside by their indoor pool. I’m kicking myself now that I didn’t take a picture of it. The shopping shall go undescribed to maintain some sense of anticipation for those receiving gifts.
Tonight I took the hotel’s “free shuttle” to the nearby shopping mall to see what a western-style Indian shopping mall looked like. The “free shuttle” ended up being a three-wheeled motor rickshaw… quite an experience, even for just the mile between the hotel and the mall.
Tonight I have the joy of packing my bags in preparation for heading home. Tomorrow I check out, go to the office, then back to the hotel and start on my way home. I can’t wait.
Just for the record, here’s me after completing my fourth day of teaching.
India Trip, Days 3 and 4
Some thoughts from days 3 and 4 (Monday and Tuesday) of my India trip: