India: Between Iraq and a Hard Place

It's been almost a month, and that seems to be about as often as I get around to updating the blog. One thing that's certainly not new -- I've been keeping busy!
First things first: Here are links to new photos! Some real keepers in here ...

Mysore: Hometown Expeditions

Back to Goa!

Taj MaHOLY COW!

This past month has seen some cranky days, as plans and promises keep falling through on the business side of things. To say the least, those of us still here have learned an exorbitant amount regarding an overseas worklife. Cultural differences and language barriers have more recently been astoundingly good at keeping a slew of things from getting done right, or with any sort of efficiency. But this is why we came here, isn't it? To learn and understand; to work through and find a way to manage business and projects on a global scale -- to flatten the world. And in the end, we'll only gain from it.

It's winter here in India, which means our beautifully sunny 80 degree days have turned to beautifully sunny but pleasantly breezy 70 degree days, and significantly cooler nights. It's surreal to think that the U.S. is right now a frenzy of Holiday shoppers, Christmas lights, festive window displays and SNOW! I miss it all like crazy. But it's also kind of interesting to witness the season without all that. We'll see if my materialism fades.

Recent news:
-Andy came to visit! He managed to cover ridiculous amounts of the country in just 3 weeks, and besides his individual ventures we both went to Goa (again, for me -- had to share the beauty of the Arabian Sea), and then on to Delhi and Agra to see the Taj Mahal. And what a wonder it is. It's quite cool, and the smog is so thick it makes the Taj look like a castle set amidst a pristine misty fog, just like in a fairytale. But once you arrive in Agra, upon breathing you come to understand that no, it's not so magical after all, and instead of excited tingles, it causes a slight burning sensation in the eyes.


But India is India, and it will always have a flair like none other. It is beautiful and ugly. It's dirty and ... dirty. But mostly it is so very colorful, in such amazing ways that couldn't be replicated in any other place but right here, with this culture and congestion and noise and constant, constant movement. Wow, check out this sentiment! Might it have something to do with the fact that I have about 10 days left in the country? Mayhaps, mayhaps. But I won't be home until January 6th or 7th, due to an upcoming 12-day hurrah in THAILAND!

-A Merry Thai Christmas: On December 21st I'll be heading to Thailand for several days of sun and exploring a whole new country. Christmas Eve, which just so happens to be a full moon, will be spent on Ko Samui at the famed Full Moon party on the beach, followed by Christmas day on ... the same beach. Then it's off to a couple different national parks (one of which is underwater!) and Phuket -- one of Thailand's most toured spots and also the island that took a mighty blow from the tsunami in 2004. We'll end up in Bangkok for New Years eve. Not bad. Then it's back to Bangalore to grab my stuff, say goodbye to India, and hop on a jet plane to the U.S. of A.

Rice to the challenge

This is legit, folks. Every time you get a vocab word right, 10 grains of rice are donated to help end hunger. It's free, yes. Have fun!

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

Thanks for passing this on, Lizzie!

Wish you were here

Contrary to what you may have heard, I am still present on the earth. No, really. I'm here. The reason for my not updating the 'ol blog in, oh, just over 2 months? India is big. Really, it's very large, and when you're trying to learn software programming AND tour a very large country in the short span of six months, certain things are priority ... like actually seeing the country. And not getting fired. This can be tricky.

But yes, here I am again. Since I last wrote, I've been on some sort of excursion nearly every weekend, many of them beach-centric. It's been delightful, and that's quite an understatement. If you're really interested in just what these trips entail, the best way to find out about them is to look at the pictures I've posted.

But that point brings me to another, actually. For a while here things were crazy. By that I mean I've never been so horribly bogged down with concept-learning. Like, EVER. I've since moved on to a less intensive training that doesn't lead to me wanting to rip out my eyeballs, but up until a couple of weeks ago, life was rough. Some friends and I have compared this experience to switching back and forth between finals week and spring break ... EVERY WEEKEND. For months. Just think of that. That means that in the span of one month, we have studied, crammed, stressed, and partied like rock stars four or five times as much as most college students do in one semester. And it happens several months in a row. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration. But that's honestly what it felt like.

On top of that, I've been dealing with some losses back home. It's been interesting dealing with tragedy from so far away. A big part of me realizes that I actually haven't dealt with it much at all, that it might resurface as part of the wave of reverse culture-shock I'll get once I'm not on a 12-hour time difference. But time will tell, right?

To keep things short (I've already neglected to keep them sweet), here are links to photo albums from the past 2 months. They really do say more than I have the energy to type here.

(I am no longer posting albums to Picasa. Facebook has won out. :) But anyone can view these, Facebook member or not!)

Indian Octoberfest ... You do the math

Octoberness in India

Fashion Shows and Festivals

"I didn't know it would do that"

Diwali in India


Enjoy, everyone! As always, I would love to hear from you guys! Thanks to those who keep me posted and let me know when the Rockies get swept in the World Series. ;)

It's been a long time gone

Amazing things keep happening over here on the other side of the world, and I can't help thinking that it has something to do with the fact that ... well ... it's the other side of the world.

The updates I have to share are far from slim, which, ironically, is why there haven't been any updates. It is a busy, busy time.

What I do have to say up front is this: culture shock is no myth. It's actually pretty fascinating. I've gone through some interesting phases in my feelings toward India and this experience as a whole. It has ranged from my initial excitement and thrill with every new scene, all the dirty way to some nasty thoughts, generalizations, and downright bitterness at the fact that "oh my gosh, this country is not catering to ME. Why would they do that?!" Sad, isn't it? A little disappointing that I would actually feel so selfish. But somehow, by some miraculous act of God, within the past few days, that has all changed into a feeling that is so much better because it is, for lack of a better word -- ACTUAL. And now I love India. For being what it is, for having all these incredible differences, and yet being so similar to every other culture at its very core.

I think I have settled into what I would call an acceptance phase. I don't mean that in a negative way at all. Every time I leave campus I see something totally new that I would never, ever see back home. And that is exciting, whether it's a woman designing a carpet of flower petals into an intricate design on the floor, or it's a hole in the floor with a cockroach trying to fly out at me... and I am somehow supposed to pee in it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Class has not been a piece of cake for me, and this is good. I like a challenge. I have failed 2 tests. I have sat for hours on end staring at a function and not getting why the hell its existence is necessary. But for each of those failed tests, and every minute I've spent saying "F--- this!" I have only come to understand more than I did before about computer science. But I am not going to lie. There have been moments in which I have ventured into that realm of "maybe I just can't do this." But only moments. And fleeting ones.

On a totally unrelated subject, I recently had another such fleeting moment in which I had a strong desire to stop eating meat. That desire frightened me so much that I actually ordered a side of bacon and sausage at my next meal. On top of a club sandwich that came with chicken, egg, and ham. But then it came back, that desire -- and I "accepted" it, if you will. And now I am a veggie. This may not last, but it's been a few days so far and I kind of like the new thought process it involves. India is the easiest place in the world to go veg, I think, so it hasn't been a big struggle. I'll let you know when I start protesting leather and grow dreads.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple weeks ago, the chief mentor and founder of Infosys, NRN, came to speak on campus. He also met with just us from the U.S., which is incredible. This guy is really cool - he's the Bill Gates of India, and is so highly respected, that to talk with him like he's someone from HR was really kind of incredible when I think about it. Then last week there was a writer from the New York Times here. He interviewed a few from our group and took pictures during our class session, so I'll post the story once it's out.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many a photo has been taken in recent weeks. I'll let the captions tell the stories, but to sum it up:

-A group of 11 of us spent our 3-day weekend at a marble beach house on the east coast of southern India in a town called Mahabalipuram. This town was struck hard by the 2004 tsunami but has recovered marvelously. We saw temples, cows, temples, beaches, cows, etc... It was an awesome time.
http://picasaweb.google.com/debbie.thiegs/Mahabalipuram

-Last weekend some of us went on a day trip to check out two nearby waterfalls. I took a good tumble and messed up my knee and wrist, but I also got to sit in a giant woven basket while a guy rowed us over to the falls. It's neat, sitting in baskets is. Oh. We also visited a temple.
http://picasaweb.google.com/debbie.thiegs/TheKegTheFalls9207903PM

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other upcoming news:
I'm going to an Indian wedding! Last weekend I was in town at the tailor's shop getting some pants and a shirt made (from scratch -- this is the way to do it, I'm telling you). While waiting for the boys to finish up, myself and my friends Sarah and Ruth sauntered into a jewelery shop where we met Bhajana - our new best friend. After chatting for a while, Bhajana informed us that she was getting married on September 14th to an Indian guy from Houston. Then she invited us, just like that. In India, this type of spontaneous invitation is not uncommon, and often it is more a courtesy than an ACTUAL invite. But Bhajana took down our e-mails, our mailing address, and within one day we got a detailed invite to the wedding, complete with contacts and a detailed description of the culture of weddings in her family. Two days later we got official invites in the mail. It has silver lining. :)

This weekend I'm going white water rafting. And visiting a temple. How did I ever not love it here?

"Why is this in my FACE?!"

Here is an awesome video montage created by one of the guys in our group. This should give you an idea of some of the everyday scenes/ experiences one gets living in India. About 1/4 of my face is in it -- can you catch where?

Enjoy!