So... I really don't have much of interest to report. I have been at work or home pretty much the whole time. The people at the office are very friendly. I don't know any of them very well yet, but they take good care of me. If I need a driver to go somewhere, I'll tell a girl here... she calls the company, and I have my own private driver ready to take me anywhere I need to go. Right now, I'm kinda alone here though. Dave has left to go on a vacation, and will be gone for a week. And so with my very helpful Indian friends here to aid me... I get to fend for my self. Not very many people here speak English. Where I work, most of them do, and some do quite well. But even those who are fluent are hard to understand at times. It is hard to know how much they understand you too. They always nod their head like they understand... but it often becomes obvious that they don't. For example, while I was in the car, I told my driver that after we reached our destination, that I would need to go back to work. He replied "20 minutes". I can only assume that he thought I was asking a question about how long it would take to get back to work when I was done. All the same, he took me back to work. It does remind me of being in Korea a bit though. However, I could understand the Koreans' English better than I can the Indians' English. It is really quite hot here. The office is constantly in the low 90s. Something that I struggle with a bit. But thankfully, there is a nice guy who comes around every so often with a ice cold bottle of water for me. I'm not sure what his job really is. It seems to be "errand boy", but I'm not sure. Anyways, I hope you are all doing well. I'm looking forward to more cultural experiences here to share with you, but I think out of concern for me, I'm kind of sheltered from the culture in many ways. For example, for lunch today, they are ordering in a pepperoni pizza for me. It should be here shortly. I should say though, that nothing American here is truly American. Just like Indian food in America isn't truly Indian.
Love you all!
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3 comments:
You sound a little down, but that is totally understandable. I'm very glad that the office people are nice. Maybe before too long you'll be able to understand them better. I know when I used to talk to Indians from Dell on the phone, it was hard to understand them. Does work pay for all of your taxi rides and food? Love Ya, Mom
haha, that is funny. They sound nice- definitely not neglectful. If you get the chance to see the sights or go somewhere, take it, even if you don't know anyone to take with you. I will try to get out more too. Sometimes that is hard for me too though because we have to have three people with us at all times if we go out, for safety.
Work does pay for pretty much everything. I was specifically told by Sri, the general manager and owner here, that I was not to pay for any of my meals, but that I was to let whomever I was with to take care of them. Mom also asked about whether Taxis were paid for... the one time I have been in a taxi, it was paid for by the company. But most of my rides are with a driving company. The driving company is more like a "Driving Ms. Daisy" driver than a taxi driver. The cars are nicer (normal enclosed cars) and the driver is usually one the same one. The driver speaks some English, but I don't think most taxi drivers would understand a word from me. I guess the drivers get paid salary, and not per ride. I'm not sure exactly how that works, but there is no money exchange when I come or go. The taxi drivers also drive around in these little 3 wheeled cars. Getting into one, and riding around almost reminds me of getting into a bumper car. It was kinda fun too. ;-)
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