Making new friends and dancing before work!

I discovered a bakery down the street from where I stay called "Ofen: Delectably European" so I decided to see for myself it really was delectably European. Baked goods are not the same as home, they are still mostly good, just different. I've been eating omelette's for breakfast from the guesthouse most days and I just couldn't bare to eat one more. So I decide to hike to Ofen in the 40 degree heat. I think I went a little crazy with the purchases, as I bought cinnamon cake, a chocolate croissant, a cinnamon bun and peanut butter cookies!! Yes, peanut butter cookies. It's the first time I've seen these here, and I was so happy to see these delicious baked goods that I bought more than I can eat. I also bought a cafe latte and am now sitting happily in front of the computer at the recruiters office sipping the sweet drink and eating the croissant, which was quite good! My appetite has changed a lot since being here , the heat causes me to never really want to eat, and when I do, I eat very small portions as everything is so rich that you don't need much. I've lost a couple of kilos since arriving (about 4 pounds), so I'm not complaining. OK, I just tried the peanut butter cookie and it is most definitely not peanut butter (hmmm maybe they mis-understood me). They have cumin seeds in them, and although quite tasty, I'm disappointed.

OK, enough about food. This week has been great. So many things have happened, but mostly I have met so many people and made some new friends. Work is also great, and I am loving the freedom I have to be creative and control what I want to train the agents on. Right now I am working on a PowerPoint presentation explaining car culture to them, and why cars are so important to Americans. The portfolio I work on in the call centre is an American auto club, thus the need to have them have this understanding. Also, I am finally used to the "graveyard"shift, and I find myself really loving it. I get to sleep around 4:30am and sleep until about 12:30-1pm (it's hard to wake up with the heat), and then I have all day to get things done while shops are open. Plus all the people I am meeting are on the same schedule as I am. So things with work are great, and people there have been so helpful! Getting to know everyone's name has been a challenge, but if I ask people to write their name down for me, or if I am able to see it on their name badge then I can memorize it. I try to learn 5 new names a day.

Travelling and working in India has been a completely different experience, meeting Indian people and really getting to know them has been an eye opening and educating experience. Two people I have met and have become close to, is Shimul, and her boyfriend Sreeram. They met at work 2 years ago and now are trying to get married. They will have to convince her family who have been actively looking for proposals for her. His family already approve of the marriage and so when her family arrive from Delhi in 2 weeks to visit they will have to convince them. Sreeram has gotten a new job with Google India to show his dedication to her family. When I travelled through India I never really had a chance to see Indian couples, and to hear about dating. Most of the places I visited were smaller villages where that idea of love marriage and dating is still a very foreign idea. I've also met another couple at work where she is 10 years his senior (unheard of here). But it has opened my eyes, as my ideas about India were very narrow. That culture still exists, but you can see this generation pushing for change. Independent India is a young country, and it is only 60 years free from British rule. Think back to what the United States was like 50 years after independence. There was slavery, corruption and even arranged marriage. India will get there, in the next generation or two, things will be different, ideas will be more modern, but I hope it doesn't become too westernized. The world would be a very boring place is every country was the same.

Last night, there was a dinner for all the trainers from my company. There seem to be a lot of outings for group morale, and it has been a great way for me to mingle and meet people. So before work around 7:30 Shae, and Tim, the two other expats headed to BNC (Bottles and Chimneys) and Indian pub for what I think is a small get-together and dinner. They expect about 90 trainers and of course, although we arrive about 30 minutes after the set time of 7pm, we are still early! We must get used to IST or "Indian stretchable time." If someone says dinner at 7pm, show up for 8pm. It takes a lot of getting used to, as I am about as punctual as you can get. But I do like the go with the flow attitudes here, it is definitely a change from the crazy fast-paced, stressful lives we live in North America. So, it's around 8:30pm now,and the music starts getting louder and louder, and Tim decided he feels like dancing. No one is on the dance floor, but he insists, that people will start to dance once we go and start things up. My friend Shimul, and R encourage me to join them, and expat S. even decides to give it a whirl. So we go and after a few minutes the dance floor is packed. And boy do Indians take their dancing serious. It is funny because men made up the majority of the people on the dance floor. So anyway, after about an hour of dancing, we ate a delicious dinner (mutton curry, potato curry, and spinach curry and naan bread), most of head headed back to work. Some went home. I chose to go back to work, as Shimul was having a cake for Sreeram as it was his last day of work. He will start with Google in a weeks time. So I went back to work, but all we really did was have cake upstairs on the roof, then go to this restaurant that serves a buffet until 2am. It turned out to be a really fun evening! Tonight, Shimul, Sreeram, expat S., Timothy, and probably another friend I met named A. will go for a sizzler dinner tonight. Yummy!!

In other news, I went to see an apartment yesterday,and I had no idea what to expect, and was quite glad to be involved in the selection process. The place was huge. Two bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, a kitchen and 2 balconies. It was in an old building, but was very secure, and I liked it. Ranjana, told me that once she finalized things I could move in by May 5th. They are going to paint it and fully furnish it for me. After living in a place the size of a closet in Korea, I am quite surprised and content with what will likely be a comfortable living situation. I'll also have a washing machine, and a place to hang my clothes outside on the balcony! I don't much like dryers anyway. So I think next weekend, I will take a small trip to Hampi to visit K. Shae is thinking of coming with me, as she has never been. We have a holiday next weekend so it is a good time to go. Although I hear Hampi is scorching. I am excited to see my old friends, and to see K's family again. His brother's wife is expecting her baby any day now, and it will be exciting to be there to see the new baby.
Hope everyone is well and enjoying the spring weather and hockey play-offs!! Miss you all!