I am back now, and am finally able to find time to post more about the trip.

EOY Party

The Endo of year party was excellent. The employees put on a wonderful show of dances, songs, and even a fashion show. Later the rewards ceremony fort the EOY awards was great to see the many successes through the year. I was happy and surprised to get my name called for the Extra Miler of the Year award. After the awards ceremony, the disco dancing began. It was great fun to dance for the next 3 hours. When 12 hit and the DJ quit for the night, everyone ate dinner. I went for the kebobs again, and had a good portion of desserts. The management and I then sat over dinner to have a good chat about all sorts of things. It was tough for the night to come to an end.

Delhi

I went to Delhi at 9AM on Saturday. I planned to ride a tourist bus for 300 Ruppee that would take 8 hours and drive us to 12 sites. when we finally got to the bus company, they said there was no tours today. They then offered to drive me around for 1300 Ruppee. I instead went with my drier to the India Gate, the Red Fort, and the Lotus Temple. It was a fun day and very interesting to see the sights. I was ready to get back to the hotel by about 2 PM.

Jaipur

Sunday I went to see the palace and fort in Jaipur. The cab got to the hotel at about 6AM. We arrived in Jaipur around 10. Here I saw several camels pulling wagons of crops. When at the palace, there were many painted elephants taking tourists up to the palace. the palace was several centuries old, and was still beautiful to see. It was hard to believe that people were able to build such things without the heavy machinery we see used today. A tour guide took me around the palace and explained the many parts inside. We went into a temple inside the palace where women were chanting and singing similar to hearing people do the hail marys at church. We later went to a government owned store to purchase several items to take home.

Later I went to the Amber Fort on the mountain. I did not want a guide here, so I went on my own to take pics. Agin it was stupendous.

Work

The last day of work was Monday. It was hard saying goodbye. The employees made the trip enjoyable for me, and I would really miss them.

It is now the 8th of December. The weather has cooperated every day of my stay. It has been in the 70’s daily. I have the same pattern daily for the most part. I wake about noon India time, go to the gym, clean up, head for dinner at Geoffrey’s pub, take a 30 minute or so nap, and then head to work. I then get back around 4AM and do it all over again. The work week consisted of setting up times to meet each individual team to deliver a seminar I pulled together. I was able to spend about 1 hour with each team. Each group had great questions, and they were eager to get more perspective about how to do their job better. They also were inquisitive about Americans and our culture.
The news here is similar to our news, and story headlines try to get the wow factor. One story that really stood out was labeled “U.s. Supreme Court says it is o.k. for American authorities to Kidnap.” Just seeing the headline I thought “what the hell is this about.” I read on, and it only turned out that the Supreme Court says it is o.k. to detain suspected terrorists. It is no wonder that people want to know more about our psyche. If I received news like that, I would be afraid to go to America.
While doing a seminar with the first group on Thursday, Abhinav called me to go to a special dinner for a couple hours. I bounced some appointments around, and rode over to a restaurant with Ashish. We would not be returning to work this night. We all chatted about the normal things through the dinner such as family; work, where people were from, etc. Someone told me also the reason for the spiciness of the food is to help kill the bacteria that many get the “Delhi Belly” from. I must admit that around Monday, I felt the Delhi Belly, and have not been able to kick it since. I was drinking the filtered water, and ate dinner in the cafeteria Monday, and my stomach started turning. I hope I won’t need to use the antibiotic I have, but will decide once I know I have enough doses to use it through the end of the trip. Allison also invited me to go with her to the Garden of the Five Senses on Friday at 9:30. I was able to get to bed by about 2, and was awaken by a call from Brenda about 7 am. I decided I wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, and ran off to the gym.
Allison and I left for the Garden of the 5 Senses around 10. It was about a 45 minute drive into Delhi. The driver had to stop and ask direction to the garden 4 or 5 times. It was fine, as it gave me a chance to snap some photos of monuments and of some people. We chatted about how much of the properties lacked the normal maintenance in order to keep them from depreciating. Getting to the Garden, we both felt we were in a different world. It went from the grimy feel of the city, to a park that the air felt clean and free of the dust around the city. The hustle and the bustle of the city were vacant from the park. There were school children in their uniforms learning, young adults wooing each other, and even in an outdoor auditorium there were actors taping. We visited some of the gift shops in the park, and both noted the premium prices on some of the goods there. There were high areas of the park where you could see over the hills and trees of the area. On one of the highest elevations, you could see the apartments that many did not have windows and even walls were missing. They did not seem to be condemned though. We talked about how they are building all of these neat structures, but then the maintenance is not done.
It is Saturday, and I will be going into work to make up for leaving early on Thursday. Anuj and I are rescheduling our trip to the Taj Mahal until next week. Tomorrow I will be shopping for items to furnish the apartment with. I also plan to hit shopping for things to bring home. I have not been able to get any postcards yet, and that also is on my list of things to do. My cab driver arrived at 4:30, an hour and a half early. I went to the room, gathered m y things, and off to the office. Inderjeet is having a party at his house after work, and I am looking forward to get together with his management team.

my first week was great. While at work, they time passed very quickly. I was able to meet all the Team Leads, and about 90% of the account managers. They had man yintersting stories and many questions for me. I felt bad throughout the week that it was necessary to keep asking names as I was una\ble to remem ber everyone as I wished. On Friday night, Allison James took several of the top performers and the TLs out for dinner at the Trident Hotel. The athomosphere was absolutely fabulous. Manju (an AM I have had much contact with) helped me to order and explanined things about ordering that I was unfmiliar with. During the dinner, we all had great conversateion around questions we had and questions they had for us.
My favorite dish is the kebobs. They serve chicken or lamb kebobs with onions, tomato, jalepeno, and a mint sauce. I visted the Kebob Factory restaurant on Thursday, and I was able to taste several variations on the Kebob. They bring each kebob out on its own, and keep bringing the kebobs out based on your appetite. The waitress asked me if I want them spicy, and I informed her I enjoy spicy. I heard her telling the chef “he likes spicey.” After eating about 8 kebobs, whe asked me if I was ready for the main course. I told her I thought the kebobs were the main course, and that I was full. The Kebobs were great, and there was no way I could go further. She asked then about dessert. I told her I was dieting from sugar, and she proceeded to twist my arm to have some India ice cream. It was delicious. Very creamy and served on a stick similar to our MN state fair. Then out of nowhere another waitress brought 3 more desserts out. I did not want to offend, and I tried each one. The first reminded me of baklava, the other 2 similar to a cake doughnut with different frosting and syrups. (Screw the diet)
Kebobs are my favorite dish. I enjoy the spices added to each of the kebobs, whether it is chicken or lamb. The beer is tasty too. Fosters is a popular beer produced in India. Even though it is thought as Australian, it is brewed in India. Castle beer, though a Johannesburg beer is also brewed in India. The third beer Is Kings. All three are lagers, and they all hit the spot.
I get home from the office around 5 am India and Abhinav picks me up around 4 pm. It is easy during the week since I don’t have time to miss the family and other things in the U.S. I get back to the hotel; watch a movie, and then sleep. I wake up about noon in order to get to the gym. I then can work out for about 30-45 mins, and then can stretch out in the steam room. It is nice to be able to do this without feeling guilty about the missed time with the kids. I have hit the gym every day since being here.
Saturday was nice. Allison, Manu R., and I went to the shops near the hotel. There we checked out a Spencer’s market where they sell groceries and spices. We then went upstairs to a furniture store for the apartment. The salesperson was a merchant marine, and he was able to give info on how things can also be shipped to the U.S. They have a factory outlet inside Delhi that will customize items we are looking to use in the apartment. I plan to visit the factory later this week. After this, we went to look at the apartment. It was very nice. It is about 3500 sq foot. It has several balconies in which to oversee the courtyard or other parts of the complex. The 4 rooms offer a good area to add the furniture we are looking for. The 5th room is perfect for a pool table and a bar area. The kitchen and living area are nice, and I would love to help in furnishing those rooms as well. We went down to the gym, and there are ample machines to keep in shape while in India.
We later went to meet Tora and her husband for an Asian/India mix. The spices are great. When I visited Indian places in the U.S., I found the food very bland. Here, the food is spicy and hard to put down. Even when you ask for extra spice, the beer cools down the spiciness to a degree that the palate finds acceptable.
Today is Sunday. My alarm went off at noon as usual. I turned it off, and woke around 7pm. This is the first time I remember waking after 14 hours of sleep. I wanted to go into Delhi in order to see things, and felt bad that I was unable to do so. I went out to hit the gym and saw Allison going to meet Rajiv. I then hit the gym and drank down my protein shake. I later went to Geoffrey’s in the Palms club, and then went to the bar in the Park Plaza. The bartenders at Park plaza had several questions for me, and they were very curious about American lifestyle. We chatted until closing time, and now I sit in the room ready for tomorrow.

11-28
I went to bed about 4am and then awoke at about 9:30. I left the curtains up a bit as I did not want to oversleep due to darkness. I called the desk to get an iron and ironed everything so I would be ready for the next several days. I got so busy that II forgot to go down to eat, so I instead ate a couple of the protein meal supplements I made for the trp. I finally felt caught up around noon, and decided to clean up and tour the area. The gym is nice, as it has cardio and resistance equipment, and the locker room has both a Steam room and Sauna. Abhinav called me and he would be here about 4:30 to pick me up. I was feeling groggy, so decided to take a nap. The eye mask helped to get me relaxed enough to nap until housekeeping knocked. She showed me that there is a do not disturb light, and I was able to sleep til about 4:15.
My first day in the office was good. Abhinav and his wife (I think her name is Charu, and will verify again) picked me up from the Palms at about 4:30 pm. It was about a half hour to 45 minute drive to the office. She works on the way to the office, and we missed the turn twice due to all the buses that were lined up along the way. I sat in the backseat until we dropped Charu off, and then Abhinav invited me to the front seat. It is like a roller coaster, the front is the most exciting part of the ride. When we arrived to the office, the guards greeted us with salutes. It was neat to feel the respect they gave us. When inside, Abhinav gave me an overview of the office and introduced me to Manu Rikhye. It was great to meet him after all this time of corresponding via email and phone. After our chat, Abhinav showed me to the 4th floor conference room that I will call home for the next several weeks. They are doing a lot of construction, and there is a crack cut into the wall to make room for a fire escape that will go from the top of the building to the bottom. When it got dark, it gave the mosquitoes a way into the building. Admin is great, and they sent people up to spray to get rid of them.
It was good to see my friend Himesh, and he took me on the office tour. He introduced me to the GMs on the shift. I met a lot of people and felt bad as I mixed up names with faces. I finally met Ashish and he told me to call to St Cloud. I updated Jay, Rick, Cheryl , and Amy of things, as they were meeting in Jay’s office.
The day went quick as I was in a feeling of catching up through the day. At about 1 AM I went out on the floor and met many collectors. Several of them I had direct contact with over the past several months, and we chatted on the floor about how the month was going and about questions they had after talking to several consumers. Pooja Bisht informed me of a birthday for one of her collectors. We went to the cafeteria to celebrate, and sing the traditional birthday song. Deepak G. informed me of a tradition of spreading cake around the birthday boy’s face, and proceeded to do so. The cake was wonderful, and I indulged sparingly to try to keep with my diet. After cake, Sachin and I played a game of 9 ball. He ended up winning at the end of the game, and it was tight throughout the match
I was able to finally meet Manju, a collector that I worked with in the first group of 5 collectors in the test program for Increasing Cash Average. Since that time, we have had several chats to chart her progress, which has been superb. It was great to finally meet her, as she held me accountable through the months to keep checking in for any questions or words of encouragement . We also chatted about the neat Henna tattoo she received at her niece’s birthday.
I could not believe it was already 4AM at that point, and I proceeded to my office to get ready to leave. The day went by very quick. I got back to the Palms at about 5 am and went to sleep soon thereafter. I set the alarm for noon as I had done the day before, and this time I did not wake until the alarm went off.

I decided to hit the gym today. The equipment is state of the art as it is in the U.S. health clubs. I did a half hour workout on the elliptical trainer, and then took a steam. It felt good. Afterwards I cleaned up and went to the hotel restaurant (Geoffrey’s). I tried the lamb kebobs, and they were great. They were about the size of country sausages, and they were 3 times the depth. The plate made them look small, yet I felt full when I was done. I tried the Castle Lager, and it was very tasty. It is a South African beer.

I decided today to hit the gym. The equipment is state of the art as it is in the U.S. health clubs. I did a half hour workout on the elliptical trainer, and then took a steam. It felt good. Afterwards I cleaned up and went to the hotel restaurant (Geoffrey’s). I tried the lamb kebobs, and they were great. They were about the size of country sausages, yet 3 times the depth. The plate made them look small, yet I felt full when I was done. I tried the Castle Lager, and it was very tasty. It is a South African beer.
I am getting ready now to go into the office and set an agenda for the next several weeks.

India trip

1. India Trip
   
   Day one started at 10 am in St Cloud MN. Brenda, Patrick, Joscelyn, and Zack took me to the STC airport, and they stayed with me until it was time to board the plane. It was a tough good bye, as we were able to spend a couple hours together before it was time to leave. I strted in the smalles plane I have flown in, a saab turbo-prop.
   
   From there I flew to MSp. I had 3 hours before boarding, so I went to the sports bar nearest the gate to watch the Vikes beat the Giants. I noticed there was a currency exchange on the way, and I stopped there to purchase all the ruppees they carried. I was able to purchase 800 rupee for $28.69. I then proceeded on to watch At the 4th quarter of the game, I went to the gate and boarded shortly thereafter. The plane was full. It was a good ride to Amsterdam, except that I was unable to get any sleep. I read a lot of my new book Splinter Cell, watched the movies The Beach and Oceans 12. I examined the maps on the display in front of me, and listened to the Sansa I gave Brenda for our anniversary. It was nice to be able to do things we plan to do for relaxation but seem to run out of time.
   It was raining in Amsterdam and the reality was setting in that I would not be able to see my family for the next month. I had a 4 hour layover in AMS, and was growing tired around 7am AMS time. I went to a café in the airport and tried a coffee. They brew their coffee there similar to Espresso. It comes out frothy. I drank this with no sugar or cream. Although it was strong, it was smooth to drink. In the Café people were able to smoke. It was odd to see smaking there and then no smoking 20 feet away from the café, yet the café was an open area. At 9:30 I went to stand in line for the flight that was to board at 9:50. We then boarded the biggest plane I have been on, a 747-400.
   The flight to India was nice. The TVs were not as accessible to watch, but there was an inflight movie. The flight meal was a vegetarian India dish that was tasty. I was able to finally get some sleep. Each time I woke up I thought I had been sleeping for several hours. I used the blanket and pillow that Todd and Stacey got me for the flight to get comfortable.
   When I awoke with an hour or so left in the flight, I began conversing with the person sitting next to me. He was flying from Toronto to visit his family in India. He works at Citifinancial, and was interesting to talk with. We talked about taxes, politics, the jobs, and about thedifferences in our medical systems. He pointed out that in Canada they are frustrated in the long waits . An ER visit you can wait 6 or more hours to get in. If it is non life threatening, you can wait months to get in. He mentioned it took 6 months to get into his optometrist.
   The India airport was very busy. People were going everywhere it seemed, yet all were herding to the immigrations area. Single file lines didn’t seem to be the norm in the airport, as people al sort of clumpted in and went through to get to customs. It was a short wait, as there were several customs agents working. It took about 30 minutes. Rick’s advice to go straight to customs helped, as there was a long line that formed behind. I filled out the form in line, while I saw many people filling the form out prior to lining up.
   After getting through cumtoms it was time to find my luggage. Here the philosophy of fend for yourself was evident. Everybody crowded the baggage Carousel , and it seemed that nobody was picking up bags. Slowly but surely, bags started to move to their owners. Over the next 45 minutes or an hour, I was growing anxious about whether my bahs made it to their destination. I was able to halp a few people tackle their bags and pull them off the carousel. Finally I saw what looked to be my bag, yet it had a white powder substance all over it. When I smelled the familiar scent of Gold Bond powder, I realized it was indeed my bag. I assured the crowd next to me that it was foot powder, as we all came from Amsterdam. My second bag was not near this bag, and when the carousel stopped, I was worried. I then spotted what looked to be my bag. I then focused better to see that the same zipper on that bag was broken.
   I had my luggage, my carryons were secure, and I was now ready to get to the hotel to clean up. 24 hours of flight does not do well for one’s hygiene. I noticed the Duty free shops, yet thought I would wait to visit them on the way back. I also noticed a couple currency exchanges. I thought it was fair that $1 buys 38.60 ruppee. I purchased $3860 ruppee, and felt rich. I later calculated to find out they gave me a better exchange then the US. I then went out to find hundreds of cab drivers with signs. My Driver was half way through the line, and I was relieved to have seen the sign. It was confusing to get out to find him again as there was a lot of commotion. When I finally got through, he took the luggage and we found the car.
   The drive was very interesting. Due to their English influence, they drive on the right side of the road. I had been told that they don’t follow the lines as we do, and this was now a reality. The car in front of us saw the line as a way to center her car, while others were using the solid line of the shoulder to pass. I was surprised an impressed to get to the Palms Hotel.
   

Pre India

Only a week away. I am excited to take the trip, and anxious. I started packing. Doctor visit for vaccines next week.