Happy New Year!

You guys are probably wondering where I've been in the last 2.5 months. Well Brandon came to visit me for three weeks in October. We had a great time, went to Goa (I will write more about this in detail) and Brandon got a taste of what it's like to live in Bangalore. After that we both flew back to the US and ever since November I have been back home in Portland, with a side trip to So. Cal, Ohio, and Wisconsin. I have to say that it's been quite a treat to be back home for a while. It was so easy to assume the life that I had here. Every now and then I think about Bangalore and my feelings towards it. It comes in waves...one day I am excited to go back and other days I just want to stay here with Brandon and eat at the $1 plate sushi restaurant that we both enjoy once a week. But who knows what will happen in 2005. It's still a little fuzzy. I am anticipating the second wave of culture shock that I will encounter when I return to Bangalore, which will be in three weeks.

The fun begins.....

Auto Rickshaw race down MG Rd. w/Aussies & Brits!

Cecilia, Jay, Meera at Spinn

Lounges & Discos

For the first 4 months my night time social life was non existant. Okay, so I went out a few times but I really didn't meet too many interesting people to have conversations with. I met a couple "good" friends to go out with but still even together it was hard to socialize and meet new people. I found that the group of people who go out to pubs & discos to be very exclusive. This relates back their tight, closeknit family ties. It is a very family oriented culture. This sense of family closeness is transferred easily into strong friendship ties. But as a person on the outside, it's difficult and it feels very unwelcoming at times. It seems that the whole nightlife scene here is quite the opposite from the western world. I remember back home in the States it was very easy to meet new people to chat with and even become future friends with. In fact, that's how I pretty much met everyone I know back in Portland. Here it seems, people come in their own groups and pretty much socialize within their own groups only. I've tried to chat a few times but not much success. So after a while this gets very boring and frustrating.

Then something happened! Just last weekend, my friend Meera and I decided to check out iBar, a lounge in a 4 star hotel. I thought it was time to meet some foreigners and heard that they can be seen here often. We get there and what do we see? The whole place is packed with westerners!!! JACKPOT!!!! I was very excited and so happy! We met a couple of Brits, Aussies, and So. Africans and spent whole weekend partying with them. We even raced in an autorickshaw on the way back to the hotel and cut off a vehicle. I will never forget that. It was hilarious! It was definitely the best weekend of my time here in Bangalore. It was fun learning about their culture, poking fun at each other's and they were fairly curious as to what an American was doing in Bangalore alone! I don't think they were expecting to meet an American such as me. My social life felt so revived. Another door has opened in my life. It's exciting to find that the world is still very large. I want to stay overseas now for a few years and see what else is out there.

Life Goes On

Latest picture of me!!!! My hair is long now!!! Okay, so it's been a while since I've written in here. A really long time. What have I been up to? Nothing too exciting really. My life is just moving forward now. I've been to a few clubs, one foam party, and I spend my time getting groomed at the beauty salon and getting massages.

Kylie is getting bigger now. And she is not a pomeranian as I was told here. There is a common misconception about Pomeranians. I don't really think most people here know what a Pomeranian really looks like. What Kylie turned out to be is a German Spitz. The Pom and Spitz both come from the same breed and Spitz puppies look identical to Pom puppies. So I think that's where the confusion comes in. But she is turning out to be a complete sweetheart and I love her dearly.

Brandon will be visiting soon, in about two weeks, then after that I will fly back with him and Kylie back to the States for two months. I look forward to coming home for a while. That's pretty much it. I will write more after B2 and I come back from GOA later this month!!!! :)

Cece & Miss Kylie Kotton

For the love of music

People listen to their choice of music for years on end not just because it's their favorite music or the music of the present day is terrible (ok sure this is probably true too). But it brings back feelings of youth, happiness, hopefulness, a sense of nostalgia for the innocent years. Our music keeps us young, carefree and passionate. There's a deep connection between important events and the music of that time, it triggers memories of all emotions from sadness to happiness. We often do not explore and listen to new types of music because automatically there is no sense of connection with the new music. Our subconscious mind looks for familiarity for a sense of belonging. Music is a reflection of our life, our soul, our love, emotions, friends, family, everything important to us. So next time your parents or siblings are listening to that awful music of theirs, ask them why they love it so much, there might be a story behind it. Music is deeply connected to our overall psyche, enjoy it, love it, embrace it. It is a powerful entity, it can unite as well as divide. But you can make it your own. Music is your choice.

Home sweet Home!

I have finally hit that stage where I am just super homesick these days. It's been three months since I left PDX. I don't know what it is but I suppose it's a natural part of being away from home. I never experienced this when I went to college because I went to school close by and I lived at home. But this feeling is definitely alive and kicking. I am handling it by decorating my apartment with cool stuff!!! I must say it is fun to go shopping for the home. What else is a girl supposed to do? :) I am coming home in November and will be there until the 2nd week of January 2005. I can't wait to see Brandon and I can't wait to go snowboarding on Mt. Hood!!!

Burningman

I can't believe that I am missing Burning Man right now. For those of you who don't know what it is, it is an amazing celebration of life, art, humanity, love, friendship, altered states, strangers, fire, dance, music, out of body experiences, shock, happiness, sadness and survival out in the Black Rock Desert near Reno, Nevada. My friends have been going for the last 8 years and I have been there only twice. I wish I was there now. But I look forward to hearing everyone's stories when I return to PDX in November. :)

I turned on the registration feature for the comments on this blog. After the TOI incident I got way too many comments that I felt got out of hand. And also, why it seemed like a nice gesture at that time I re-read the article and realized some things were taken out of context. This blog is meant for my friends and family back in LA/PDX and it is not a public forum. Any comments from unknown people will now be deleted. Sorry to be a bitch but it's annoying to have people arguing about petty things on my blog.

Just great...Kylie just learned how to bark and barked at me today. Where does she learn these things from? :) She's starting to look like a little fox!

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday it was India's 57th birthday and today it's my 27th birthday! I would also like to wish Madonna a happy birthday too! I have no plans yet but I am sure I will find something to do to celebrate. Maybe I will treat myself to a 6 hour Ayurvedic spa & massage treatment. Sounds nice, heh?

The Dark Side

The dark side of living here...and I literally mean dark side is the common power outages that happen on my block. So far I've had a total of 10 hours of no power spread over three days this past weekend. Its been raining quite a bit so I am sure that is the cause of the power outages. That is troubling for me. I don't mind if its just 15 minutes to 1 hour of no power but 2, 3, or 4? Especially since I work from home in the evenings it is not very convenient. I am going to look into getting an 6-8 hour power inverter or a generator. I need to prepare myself for these things, which also reminds me that I need to get more candles. It always happens when I am at home of course. I never know what to do when the power goes out. The ironic part is someone asked me if I've experienced terrible power outages yet and for the last two weeks of living in this particular apartment I actually haven't. I believe that person jinxed me so from now on there will never be a mention of power outages here...okay? When something like this happens, if it's daytime then I usual read a book. But at night when there's not enough light from the candles I just sit there with Kylie and we'll play puppy games in the semi-darkness. Or I just reminisce about my 24 hour power supply back in the States and how this never happens there.
Just one of those days.... :)

Happy Independence Day! :)

The Times of India

What a delightful surprise to read a mention of my blog on the Times of India! How cool is that? The Return of Goras written by Chidanand Rajghatta, talks about my transition to Bangalore within the last couple of months. It has also been a real pleasure reading comments from Indians from both local and international locations. I appreciate the insights you all have been offering. I am looking forward to many more great experiences here. Thanks for the wonderful article Times of India! It's like an early birthday gift for me! I turn 27 tomorrow! :)

First two months of hell is over!

Okay, so the transition to Bangalore wasn't all that easy. The first two months were hell and sure there were good times but who says that moving to an "emerging market" is ever easy! My team mate just came back from a 4 week business trip to PDX. After seeing the "lifestyle" there she highly commends me for my acceptance and patience of the life and culture here in Bangalore. Its funny to hear her say that she is homesick for Portland....I am too! After all I did exchange my life in Portland for a life that is the complete opposite of what I have always known. But now that I have moved into my own apartment, furnished it, found tofu, garlic powder, diet coke at a market just two minutes away, enjoying my 5 minute commute to work; I feel like I am now finally starting to feel and flow with the rhythm of life here. That is a beautiful feeling. But I do miss my everything & everyone I left behind in Portland and SoCal. I try not to think about it too much...and that helps.

Soooo....I live in a very nice neighborhood in Bangalore. I consider it to be the NW 23rd of Bangalore...I think all the yuppies live here. On my street there is a really good market, fruit stands, chinese restaurants, juice stands, etc. I have everything there. Then just 10 minutes away, there is a street called CMH Rd. where there are more restaurants, music stores, international markets, clothing stores, coffee shops (the favorite coffee shop here is Coffee Day - there is no Star Bucks here), etc. Its like NW 23rd & NW 21st....minus the infrastructure though. Well actually the infrastructure in this part of the locality is fairly good compared to other parts. But I LOVE it here! Its a central location and very close to the major points of the city. I also don't drive. I take the public transporation, either an auto rickshaw (a three wheeled auto) or city taxi. You can find autorickshaws everywhere...each morning I just walk out onto my street and a 50 feet away there is always one waiting. I take that to work...and 5 minutes later I am there. It is very convenient. Its nice not having to drive.

My apartment is a modest 1 bedroom apartment on the first floor of an independent house. My rent is around $155/month and it was unfurnished. What that means...there is no fridge, stove, washing machine, etc. I had to get all those things myself. The stove is gas powered. I had to purchase a gas cylinder that hooks up to the stove and I have to get it refilled every month. It was pretty fun furnishing my own place.....I've never had my own washing machine before and now I do. I got some really cute furniture here for very good prices. I will take some pictures of my place and post some up soon. I also went to a club two weeks ago and had a blast! I will write more about that later.

Sleepy PDX

Is anyone from PDX reading this? What happened to my Portland friends??? I miss you guys! I can't even tell if anyone is reading this blog. Where are the comments? Only people from Bangalore and my fam are posting comments. Let me hear PDX roar!!!!!

Home Free!

Quick update: I've moved to my apartment and I am swamped with work. Kylie is getting bigger and she's learning how to potty outside. She's now around 7 weeks old. I will have more updates this weekend.

Monsoon Sickness

I woke up on Thursday morning with a really bad sore throat.  It didn't bother me much until this morning. I woke up with a slight fever, throat and neck completely inflamed, vision a little blurry and some pressure around my forehead.  I could hardly get up without feeling worse so I stayed in bed all day trying to recover. I decided to call a doctor. Its very unusual for me to call a doctor immediately but since I was living in a different country I thought I would be on the safe side at first. I called the reception to call a doctor. The doctor came and did a check up. The doctors here actually do house visits. That was great! Because I did not want to have to ride the bumpy roads just to get to one. The cost was $11 for the house visit (for the BEST doctor) and $3.33 for the medicine she prescribed. Wow! I was really impressed...I was feeling extremely sick and a couple of hours after I took the medicine I was feeling almost 80%. I was able to get up, my headache went away, and my swollen throat eased up. I was so amazed.  This is the fastest recovery to any sickness I've ever encountered.

Bangalore Thomas Guide

The most invaluable item I have purchased in Bangalore so far is a 100 page detailed city map.  I had come across it while shopping in a small bookstore at a department store called Bangalore Center on MG Road.  If you know me, I love studying city maps. It is an important way for me to understand the way cities were built and why they funtion the way they do today. And its also the fastest way for me to integrate and orient myself with the city. Most Bangaloreans have never even seen this city map. I am very excited to have one in my possession and I plan to study it well. They should give this book to people that have newly relocated to Bangalore because this is not a very easy city to remember street names. In fact, there really aren't street names on the streets - its just not intuitive to find. In order to find out what street you are on, you need to look at the business signs because some of them have the whole address printed on the sign.  It really makes locating businesses/homes a little difficult. I read that Bangalore was built piece by piece. Each locality back then was built by a different ruler. So that's why the city layout is so complex. 
 
Looking at a Bangalore map reminds me of looking at a the cracks on a dry bed desert floor. There's no structure to follow the streets just kind of run into each other at various angles and some of the continuous streets' name changes at every other intersection. A typical Bangalore locality will be either a "indian name" Nagar or something else, then it will be in "indian name" Layout or a 1st, 2nd or 3rd Stage. There's even a 1st - ? Cross or a *.* Main Rd. Kinda confusing huh? I used to freak out with the complexity of the addresses but this new map will quell my fears. Other nice things about the map is I get to see where all the parks are. Bangalore has a lot of parks and it even includes landmark names, which is super important because landmarks are used in finding places.

So by the time you visit me in Bangalore, I will be able to give you a personal tour. :)

Pampered!

I have been here for a little more than one month now. Since I've arrived I have not cooked, cleaned my temp apartment, done my laundry or driven myself. I don't even pick up after myself anymore. I even have small groceries like water, diet coke, bread delivered to me. I have people here that do all that for me. I feel so spoiled but its just a daily part of life here to have hired help. The apartment I am staying in is a full service apartment. Think living in a hotel every day. Its just like that. In effect, I now have more time to do things. But what? I have no personal chores anymore. I suppose its more time to do fun things that I like to do. I am still trying to figure out what that is here in Bangalore. I should really start enjoying getting massages and facials every week. I can get used to that pretty quickly. :)

Darn rains!

Due to the heavy down pour (its rains like someone turned millions of faucets at full power) we've been having for the last few days I am unable to move into my apartment this Thursday, I have to wait until July 20th. No progress has been made. It is so frustrating! I just want to settle already. How hard is that????

Meet the Family!

After getting to know my driver Prakash for the last three weeks, he invites me to meet his family in the outskirts. He lived in a village near the Iskcon Temple in the NW part of Bangalore. I had just bought Kylie and thought it would be a nice gesture to meet his family. So after we got Kylie Prakash took me to his home. It took about 30 minutes to get there from central Bangalore. He lived in a very narrow street of about 30 homes where more than 60 families lived. There were dogs, goats, children, and adults, roaming the street. Each person we passed peeked into the car curiously. The street fit the car but another one would have caused issues.

We got to his house and he opened the door to a 12x12 room that contains a TV a small bed and a hindu altar - next to it was the bedroom and kitchen. His house was very small for the amount of people that lived there. His parents were sitting on the floor making paper incense holders for the Pooja (meaning prayer) and to sell to people. When they see us they quickly put their work away. Prakash proudly tells me that this is his mom's own business. The people will come to their place to make the purchase. She doesn't go door to door selling the items. The family didn't know that I was coming and Prakash was scolded for not calling them before. I meet his parents, his beautiful wife, two little girls, and Julie the Pomeranian, and two baby goats and the mommy goat. Sorry I cannot remember their names - I am seriously a tough time remembering names here...they are not the normal names I am accustomed to.

Since we just got Kylie, Prakash offers to give her a bath. So he asks his mom to bathe the puppy. Prakash leaves then comes back with shampoo....its not a bottle of shampoo but one of the sample sized ones. I say to myself "doh", how can I let them use that for a puppy? I made a mental note to replace that shampoo. So I watch Kylie getting her first bath...she is yelping at the top of her lungs. But when it is done Kylie is clean and beautiful.

I take a look around in the back yard, it is a good size. There is an Indian toilet outhouse and a clothes washing basin. The goat and her family also lives back here. Back inside, they offer me some food. I washed my hands properly and then was given a very huge plate of rice and dahl. The quantity of rice was enough to feed 3 more people...at least according to me. I became worried because I knew I could not finish it all. And all I kept thinking about was the scene in the Temple of Doom where Indiana Jones, the Kid, and Willie find themselves in India and they were being offered some food by the village women. Willie wouldn't take the food and Indiana says..."Eat it. This is more food than what some people eat in a week..."

So then I tried my best to eat up everything on the plate. They brought out more food, spicy, egg omellotte, and more dahl. My stomach was about to burst and then Prakash only finished half of his plate then he gave it to his wife. That was my chance to hand my plate to her also! After lunch, they served me some hot Chai tea, which was absolutely delicious. Chai is definitely my favorite tea here.

After lunch, the grandmother was smiling and staring at me. Then she started to say something in Kannada. Prakash said that his mother wanted me to try on a Saree and take pictures. She wanted a picture for herself. So I said I would love to try on a Saree. So the grandmother smiled happily and took me to the other room to change. The wife and mother then brought out their collection of Sarees. They were so colorful and elegant. I chose a dark red colored one. So they wrapped me up in the Saree, put a bindi and kum kum powder on my forehead and took pictures. Prakash told me that his mother said I looked like a doll and I am nice to look at. I thought that was funny. I am happy to be his grandmother's doll for the day. She also asked me if I can take one of her granddaughters back to the States.

Once the excitement was over they show me family and wedding pictures, then we watched TV for a little while. Cable television service here costs around Rs. 200/month, which is around $4/month. There wasn't much communication...they didn't understand any English and I of course couldn't speak Hindi or Kannada but I could tell that my presence for those few hours made it an interesting day for them. Prakash says that I was the first foreigner his mother has ever met. His whole family was very sweet...this was a memorable experience for me.

Happy One Month!

It has been one month today since I first arrived in Bangalore! One month has really gone by quickly. To celebrate my first month I went out with a couple of work friends to a pub called 13th Floor. I must say that I was very impressed with the place. The pub was on the 13th Floor of a business center called Barton Center on MG Road. The decor was very much a posh bar that you would see in Los Angeles or San Francisco where you go to want to be scene. If I didn't know any better I would think I was in Skybar over looking Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. It had a very mod style and of course because its India the service was quite excellent. The place was pretty hip and it had a nice outdoor seating area where you can view the Bangalore skyline. The drinks were pretty tasty, I don't quite remember how much they cost. It wasn't that I was drunk but I just didn't pay any attention to it. There was a good mixture of male and women but of course the men still outnumbered the women by far. The only thing that I must complain about though is the music. They were playing late 80s early 90s music. And it was too loud. Its very hard to have any conversations. Throughout the night the music just gets louder and louder. I wonder why the pub owners prefer this. It definitely kills conversations.

Earlier in the day I met with up some people from Oracle. Remember my first day in Bangalore? How I heard electronic music coming out of a hall at a club resort? Well I finally met the people in charge of the party and had a great conversation with them. Yes I had found the scene my first day but it was just a matter of time getting introduced to them. I am pretty excited about the future party scene...it is definitely underground here, they don't even know who many of the famous DJs that we know about - in Bangalore it is still in its infancy stage and I am curious to see how they have fun here. They mentioned that Goa still has the best parties in India! How exciting! Slowly but surely my social life is becoming alive again!

I am so little and cute!

I am Kylie Kotton!

Cecilia and her new buddy - Cotton?

Head bobble.....

I just noticed that I have picked up the Indian head bobble. When you speak to any Indian whether you are asking them a question or just chatting about anything, they do this thing that looks like a head bobble to me. It baffles me! The first time I saw it I was thrown off a bit. They will tilt their head to one side, I think to the right and then slightly go to the left with a couple more "bobbles" You know those ceramic figurines that people have in the cars where the head is attached to a spring and it bobbles left to right when you move it? That's what it looks like to me. And slowly everyday I catch myself doing it too. I find it amusing and I laugh to myself when I do it. I think when they do this head movement, most of the time it means they are agreeing with you. I figured out when they tilt it to one side, they are saying yes. I haven't figured out what the gesture is for no. I think it is the same as ours. You gotta love it! :)

My first shuttle bus ride....

I took the Intel shuttle bus for the first time to work today. I waited with a colleague who just joined Intel on Monday. The stop was right in front of a Fiat car store, just a short 5 minute walk from the Intel guest apartment. We were waiting along with other employees from Infosys, Cisco, Dell who also were getting picked up. We were the last ones to be picked up and the shuttle was late due to the ruckus at the main intersection. Apparently the street at the Texas Instruments main intersection had collapsed. The city had been working on it for the last two weeks. They were adding a drainage system. I used to go through this intersection on my way to the Airport Rd. office. And each morning I would watch the workers while stopped at the light. There were around 15 male and 5 female workers. The males were working underground and the females would carry the bricks or dirt to the men. They carried it on top of their heads. I have seen this many times and it looks very graceful but its ironic because the work itself is not. The ladies have very strong backs. At any given time, there would be at least 5 people at street level watching the workers below. The division of labor here is very apparent, each person only does one task to allow for more jobs to be created.

Okay, so the drive to work was not very bad at all. It took 30-40 minutes from Koramangala to Whitefield International Tech Park. The distance was something like 25 km - I am not really sure. There were not any distance signs on the way. But still I was pretty surprised that we got to work around 8:40 am. On the way to work, we take Outer Ring Rd. (kind of like a highway), on this road you can see everything, from shanty towns, multi-plex cinemas, open grassland, old business buildings, to nice, newly built apartment buildings, to international business parks, and also the construction of new business parks, etc. Next to the new buildings being built there are rows and rows of shelter made out of corrugated metal. At first I thought they were shanty towns but was later told that they are the temporary homes of the construction workers. Rather then sending them home, they stay nearby in them. I can see them walking from the shelters to the construction zone with their necessary tools. I wonder if they are allowed to go home at all and what about their families? How do they eat? What do they sleep on? I haven't been inside one and I am not sure if it will be pretty.

But anyway, the bus ride to work made me feel like I was in school. There were over 30 buses at the parking lot dropping off employees. It is a different feeling of working for a multinational company in a developing country. I can't describe it yet because it is a new feeling for me. I can't discern whether it is positive or negative yet but it is definitely new. Perhaps this is what it felt like for workers 50-60 years ago in the States? I definitely felt like I was in a time warp. Or a different dimension. Its very exciting to be a part of this emerging market. Corporate culture seems to be very new here...everyone is excited to be earning a good salary, working for a large MNC, wearing their badges, mingling with co-workers, there's so much energy and life...its so hard not to get sucked in. It is just so different and exciting!

Sugar Free? Help me!

Can someone from home please send me some Crystal Lite or Diet anything because there is no such thing as Sugar Free here!!!! When I ask for diet they think I am a diet freak. But I am not...I just can't handle so much sugar intake!! Please please help!!!

My address is:

Cecilia M. Villalon
Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd.
ITPL Whitefield Rd.
Discoverer Building - 2nd Floor
Bangalore 560066

Duty Not Free!

If you ever decide to move to India :), make sure you don't bring anything from home!! Well, at least any electronics, cd-rs, dvdr, household appliances, headsets, digital cameras, SLR camera, printer (even used), spices, food, electric fan, vitamins, medicine, new or used ANYTHING (to be determined at inspection)!!! Because they will charge you a heavy duty on it...at least 40%. Clothes, books and used "other" (to be determined at inspection) are free. It really sucks! My total duty bill came out to be over $250. And what's even worse is that because my shipment stayed there an extra two weeks (it arrived very early) I was charged a demurrage (holding) fee per day. So on top of the duty bill, another $300 demurrage fee was added on.

REALLY SUCKS!!!! I was a little ticked off because the packers mentioned that I would only be charged a duty on large household goods like television, washing machine, fridge, microwave, etc and not small items. And I did not bring any of those. They must have changed the policy en route to India. So I thought I wouldn't have to pay so much. So after my bill I decided to not feel so bad about it and it just accept it because there was really nothing I could do. Just then my relocation rep told me that the company was going to pick up my bill. That was a huge relief! India is constantly surprising me with everything.

Finally! A picture of me! Yes I am really in India!!!! I went on a day trip today to a city 3 hours SW of Bangalore. This is the Mysore Palace, Tipu Sultan's home back in the 1700s! Tipu Sultan was the king of So. India during that time. Its a beautiful palace and it lights up at night - with over a million light bulbs, very Burning Man 'esque. Tipu's great-great-great grandchildren still live somewhere in the palace.

Karnataka Parliament - This place is huge. Its like a mile long. And they are building another new one right next to it. I caused quite a bit of stir when I was taking this picture. A man selling postcards came up to me. A crowd started to form while I looked at the postcards. I didn't really look like a foreigner - they were just curious I suppose.

Iskcon Temple

Iskon - beautiful Hare Krishna temple. Hare Krishna was founded in the United States in 1966. It is based on Vedic scriptures and they chant and worship the Hindu god Krishna. I had to take my shoes off before I entered this sacred realm. They don't allow pictures inside so I will have to best describe what I saw inside.

Before you reach the Darshan (place of worship) you hike up granite stairs and go through three small shrines. Then when you reach the main Darshan there are three idols of Lord Krishna made out of brass.



Each one has a lei of flowers and it is decorated with sparkling rhinestones, elaborate jewelry and the male/female idols are wearing elaborate beautiful Indian dress. When you look up at the high vaulted ceilings, there are amazing paintings by Russion artists of baby Krishna and his mother Yasoda Krishna during their life span.

I had to walk towards a table where they were taking donations and they asked for Rs. 150. I had no idea what was happening. They gave me a piece of paper where I had to write down my families names and birth sign. I paid then they gave me the paper and a jar of sweets called Prasadam - a holy meal. I have never been inside a Hindu temple before so this was very new to me. I was then led to the front of the Darshan where a devotee took my paper and started chanting to the Krishna deities. He was throwing flower petals and chanted for about 10 minutes. He placed the paper in front of the deity and chanted some more. After he placed a candle in the front to signify the end of the prayer. I assumed that he was praying for good health and life for the people listed in the paper. It was interesting and afterwards I spoke to a devotee about their religion - very informational and not fanatical at all. He was an Indian and spent some time working for a MNC in Colorado Springs, CO. I was thrown off a bit...I am starting to really believe that this is a small world. I left the temple feeling more enriched and cultured. :)



Yasoda and baby Krishna and a jar of Prasadam

Working out here has been a little challenging. Back in Portland, Brandon and I used to work out at least 4 times a week. So I consider myself pretty fit. I have stopped for the last two weeks since I got here. The first time I attempted I was able to work out for only 30 minutes before my heart rate shot up through the roof, my head started to get dizzy, my vision turned foggy and blurry and I almost felt like puking. All I did was ride a bike with resistance at level 2 and did some bi-cep curls. That was horrible. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I thought it was all the pollution I was inhaling and that it was already affecting my health!!! But then Brandon mentioned that Bangalore must be at a higher elevation than Portland. I came to learn that Bangalore is around 3,500 ft. above sea level and Portland is only around 175 ft. above sea level. So I have resorted to doing pushups, situps and squats at home until I acclimate.

The value of money......

My driver was telling me today that the construction men working on the road earn Rs. 100/day, which is $2. The women earn Rs. 60/day, which is just a little over a $1. In 30 days, that is $60. For me $60 translate to at least 6 cocktail drinks in one night at a bar, a pair of new Nike shoes, a nice designer perfume, broadband connection for one month, 1/3 of my groceries for one month, anyway you get the picture. I am still trying to figure out Bangalore and cost of living. So far, there are things here that are very cheap and very expensive. I have looked at various things such as refrigerators, televisions, bed frames, stereos, mobile phones, security deposit for apartment, and it just doesn't add up with what people here are making, even in the IT field. Almost everyone here has a mobile phone but the thing is, you have to pay full price for a mobile phone, either in cash or credit. For security deposit you have to pay a total of 10 months rent in advance. Where do people get the money? I asked my co-workers about debt and they said practically everyone here is in debt. I guess its the same back in the States too but after just getting out of debt it just horrifies me to rely on credit without any cash to back it up. Most people here would probably never be able to repay back their credit in a lifetime. Doesn't that scare them? I was constantly worried about money when I was in debt. I am so puzzled.

Just floating by.....

Not much has been happening this week so it is making me homesick. Just waiting to take training courses at work...not much friends to go out with yet at night. I am still not comfortable with going out at night because I still don't really know my way around. AND I don't have my own vehicle where I can just drive around, I have to take public transportation such as auto-rickshaws. Those can be tricky because I've been told that I have to be careful with them. If they know I am not from the area they will take me for a ride around town just so they can charge me more. So I really do have to start dressing like a local and maybe picking up their way of talk so I don't get taken advantage of. I am having two salwar kameezes made so hopefully that will help me look more like I am from here. I am getting more and more used the Bangalore and I really can't wait to finally move into my new apartment. Everything here really takes a long time to do, its really amazing how things still function here. I just don't get it! Being from the States I am very used to everything being INSTANT! I thought I was already a very patient person but this place is really testing me. Hopefully something exciting will happen this weekend! I am planning to go to Mysore and hope I will have a friend to go with me!

Does anyone here go out to discos?

Can someone from Bangalore, tell me where the fun discos, pubs are? I heard this is a pub city but where are the pub going crowd hanging out? I tried to scout them out on MG Road but either they were super shy or they really didn't go out at all. Or perhaps I was just to straightforward in my questions and shocked that I would ask such questions. I was a little disappointed. I am ready to meet some cool people and show me how the Bangaloreans party! Particularly the trance going crowd! :) I know you are out there!

Indian Colloquialism

Some new terms I have learned. Can anyone guess what they mean?

1. freaking out with friends
2. fashion inners
3. arranging furniture
4. turning on geiser in shower
5. there is no gas in the soda pop

I will write more as I come across them.

Super Speciality hospital in Puttaparthi - This is a hospital (healing temple) on the way to Intel's Whitefield ITPL Tech Park location. It is a considered a very special hospital, a place where healing amongst the patients occurs faster because of its divine influence. The hospital also offers free medical care for all needy and suffering people. The hospital was built by Sai Baba, supposed to be the most powerful incarnation of God on this earth. He has a very famous ashram in Whitefield, very close to work. I would like to visit it sometime. And experience the divine myself.

Yahoo! is in Bangalore! I am no longer surprised as to who is here. They are all here. Notice Yahoo! in Kannada (language of Karnataka)....to the right.

Oh My Geiser!

I took my very first hot shower today since I have been here. Its been warm enough that I didn't need hot water other nights or mornings. Well, actually I just didn't know how to use the shower. There is a geiser that I have to turn on to heat the water and I just found that out. It was quite a lovely shower. :)

The latest fashion wear in Bangalore. All the hot men here where this. :) I will be buying a few for Brandon to wear for me.

Mahatma Gandhi Rd and Brigade Rd. - This is where all the major shopping can be done. This place is huge!!! And lots of people!

I bet you didn't think there would be buildings like this India. Yeah....watch out Pearl District! Beautiful brand new apartments in Langford Town. The $300+/month apartment is in here that I am dying to have!!!!

Starting to feel at home....

I think I found a place to live! It is really nice and very cute! And its in the locality that I want to live in. Its close to work, pubs, clubs, restaurants, and shops! And its cheap! Around $330/month for a 1300 sq. ft. two bedroom apt. The interior is so beautiful. Think of Portland style of 20s architecture with a hint of British influence. I am very excited to have seen it. I was told that I should negotiate the rent even lower...like around Rs. 12,000, which comes out to $266/month. So, okay I will try...doesn't hurt to ask right? That's how I got here!!!!

Yes, India is very cheap but like the States – there are certain things that are cheap or expensive. Today, I was looking at liquor like vodka, more specifically Vanilla Stoli (forgot the name brand) but it would normally cost $20 in the states, here it costs $6. Cable television here is around $2-$4/month. I bought lunch at the Intel cafeteria on Monday for $0.90 (and yes it was a meal!). A pair of nice jeans here cost $10…clothes are also cheap and the quality is amazing!!!

I still can't get over the MNC's (multi-national companies) buildings here...its very western architecture mixed right in with shanty towns or old, dilapidated looking buildings. I just saw Dell yesterday and today I saw HP. VERY WEIRD. Its all here in India! There are also tons of people here….close to 7 million.

I have impressed quite a few Indians here with my knowledge of Bangalore - research helped. Impressed that I know the street names and even some landmarks - and also a few of the major stores here. After 6 days just being here, I am starting to feel comfortable and at home. That just amazes me...and I am even starting to do the Indian head nod from left to right. Next thing I'll be picking up some salwar kameezes to wear.

Too Sexy?

I am a little embarrassed to watch American movies or television shows in Bangalore because there are many kissing, touching, or sex scenes. We don't realize it because its so normal for us. But in Indian Hindi movies or television shows they don't show very much affection between the opposite sex. If they do, its quick kisses on the lips and there is no emphasis on the action. American films just look so pornographic here. Those type of scenes really stick out. And it makes me feel like I am watching embarrassing scenes with parents.

PDX Blues!

I just met a co-worker today at Intel that also just arrived from Portland, OR. She made me homesick. We spent 10 hours at NEO (Neo Employee Orientation) today. I already knew most of the material. I am tired. I am homesick. I miss Brandon. So what's going on in Portland this weekend?

Shopping is an Experience!

After breakfast, I met an American couple from NY, one who is working at the Goldman Sachs Bangalore office and her partner was just tagging along. They are staying in the same apartment complex that I am in and have been in Bangalore for one month now and they are in love with the whole city. They took me along on a mini tour of Koramangala (the locality we are staying at) and MG Road/Brigade Rd. (main drag for shopping, eating, pubs, etc). I was very impressed with the quality and price of clothes whether it was western or traditional sarees/salwar kameez. $$$$ here can go a very long way. I must say that I am now excited to find my own place and start decorating it. We walked into a few home stores and found beautiful glass tables for $50, decoration pieces for $4-$20, silk curtains/sarees for $10+.

You can even get pure pashmina embroidered shawls with beautiful intricate designs from Kashmir for around $150. The pashmina embroidered shawls take a month to create and each has a unique design. You can't really find these in the states. Plus, the whole shopping experience for pashmina shawls can be quite an experience. We were in the store for an hour and the sales guy bought us tea and told us stories. By the end of the sale we already knew how many generations of his family that have been running this store, who makes the embroidered shawls (says its a 75 year old man), and we learned that there are no elephants in Kashmir even though he sold many elephant statues in his Kashmir store. India can be quite strange.

After that ordeal, the ladies took me to a Coorg restaurant called Coconut Grove. Coorg is a another city in the state of Karnataka. Every meal I have had so far is a memorable experience. I had this dish that was spicy fish tamarind & coconut-based sauce with yummy coconut peppered rice. Oh my GAWD! I am in food heaven! I thought I would miss the ethnic diversity in Los Angeles!

I think I am coming down with a cold already. Sucks! I hope it is just that and nothing more.

The Best of Both Worlds

I consider myself lucky to have Asian features because I do not stick out as much in Bangalore. In fact, I can walk down the streets unnoticed and no one really bothers me, regardless of my western clothes and Adidas running shoes. Its really nice to have this anonymity. It would probably get annoying if people came up to me all the time. I guess I wouldn't be able to handle being a famous person. I get the occassional stares or double takes...I can sense that they know I am not from here and can see they are trying to figure out where I am from. Without opening my mouth to speak, I can be from anywhere in SE Asia, as well as look Nepalese or be from the NE region of India, where I heard there are people "that look like me". Once they hear my American accent though, they hear dollar signs.

Club Cabana - With only 12 hours of being in Bangalore, Cecilia is welcomed by soothing beats down tempo. I ask the women in my team if they knew what kind of music this was. And one of them says "rap". I thought to myself, okay, she won't know who Paul Van Dyke is then. But later, more electronic sounds were coming from a different ballroom at the Club. I quickly run to the soothing sounds to find a couple of Indian guys setting up music for a party. I ask one of them what this music was and he says trance! I said "YES!!! Tell me more!" And well, they told me where the clubs that play progressive house/trance. We exchanged cards, they are from Oracle and they know how to party. (I hope.) Let's see how its done Indian style!

Of course the bus is aptly named Rajesh. We drove for an 1 1/2 hr North of Bangalore to a resort called Club Cabana where we spent the day playing ice breaker games (language is not an issue at all - their accent takes getting used to but for the most part we understand each other), watching them fight because they keep changing the rules (where are the processes?), eating, watching the local monkey family play on the trees, eating, more ice breaker games and fighting, more eating, bowling to sappy love songs from the 80s/90s, and then of course ending our day with a late afternoon chai tea.

Oh my god...South Indian food is so yummy! Its definitely nothing like the Indian food we find in the States. This IS more spicy, more flavorful but less rich and more sharp in taste. I will like this very much!

As the sun sets in Bangalore, it's rising in a near but distant Portland.....

I think about how Portland is just waking up while I am just heading home in the dark in a rented tourist bus that the Bangalore Intel IDS team got for the Team outing event today. It is really weird....to think that the other side of the world is REALLY that different. I really can't compare Bangalore to Portland or to any other city in the States. But its so hard not to compare this new culture to what I am so used to back in home. I shouldn't and its unfair to. I have only been in Bangalore now for the last 16 hours and the amount of emotion I have gone through, I hope will be the toughest roller coaster ride of this year. I felt I had made a mistake and wondered what I had just put myself through for the next year. Was I really ready for this? I don't believe there is ever adequate preparation for decisions like this one and the most important thing that you have to have is the ability to accept, adapt, and stay sane regardless of how upside down your current environment is.

I wanted different and yes I got it. But was I truly ready for it? Maybe, maybe not. I don't think I could have done more to be prepared. I just really had to dive into it. India is very much alive. She is filled with irony and extremes of the opposite ends. Here, when you see something unusual you have to basically accept it when in other realities it just couldn't happen. So yes, cows do roam the streets as they wish. They are everywhere. They just hang out and sit there...walk around, stop traffic, hang out with other cows, moo at people, spend time at Hindu temples, and even hang out at the entrance to the freeway. Nope, its not BUMs hanging out with signs asking for money, its a cow with bells wishing you a safe journey before you get onto the ramp and speed drive like crazy.

This is definitely not a vacation.

Incredible India

Incredible India. That's what she says! I feel like I am in the Philippines!!!! I am in Mumbai. Its so HOT and HUMID here! (and kinda stinky). I sweat everything out!!! Its so colorful...lots of saris and salwar kameezes. Anyway, its not as bad as I thought it would be. No masses of beggars waiting outside...but of course it is 2am in the morning...but it could be worse I suppose. Next stop bangalore..then I am at my new home. I am amazed that I can access the internet from the domestic airline. Its 50 rupees/hour. That's around $1.05/hr. I had a very nice man help me out from BOM intern'l airport to domestic. Baggage claim was pretty chaotic...there was no order at all. In fact the whole process at the airport was non-existant. Lots of pointing and very laid back attitude. Putting your bags through x-ray was really just a waste of time. No one was even scanning. They look at you funny when you ask a question, or maybe they are just looking at ME funny. Most of the Indians I've encountered are kind of confused as to why I am here. Oh well...next stop Bangalore.

Made it to Amsterdam!

7:35AM, June 10. Its weird thinking that the West Coast is falling asleep now. After 11 hours of flight and 8 hours of a baby kicking the back of my seat (very cute:(), I am now sitting at Schiphol Airport, paid $12/day wireless connection. I am tired. Excited. Missing Brandon. Next stop, Mumbai.

Holy Cow!!!!

Just two more days to go!!!

No go!

Okay, all my stuff is gone. American International Relo movers came yesterday and my stuff will probably leave before I do. I won't make it on my flight to Bangalore tomorrow. My visa application has not been processed yet. I knew this would happen. I tried to be optimistic but knew that there wouldn't be enough time. It looks as if some of my supporting letters quite possibly got lost in the courier land. I will most likely leave the country next week. Sucks! I was looking forward to finally leaving despite the cold feet I have been experiencing. Oh well. At least I get to hang out in Portland with Brandon a little longer.

It gets a little hard to breathe sometimes when you are just so nervous. How do I calm my fears? I am feeling a little stressed out already. Its Friday and my mom arrives tomorrow and before I know it, it's time for me to go. How do I tell myself that everything is going to be just fine? I will really miss Portland, my family in Southern California and especially Brandon.

Messages from Bangalore

Sharing some emails from pen pals in Bangalore :) My new friends are very sweet! (un-edited)

Hi Cecilia,
Thank you very much for your e mail.
At the moment, Bangalore has a very pleasant weather and, I am sure that you will enjoy it, which probably will suit you anyway!

Southern India almost always has a much better weather and less polluted when compared to the likes of North India. However, I do not know whether you have visited India before. If this is your very first visit to India, for a start, you might find it culturally shocking, and also the sea of people...! But, you will surely get to know of the various traditions, practices etc being followed here. Of course, you will also love the spiritualistic part of life here..I am sure!

And, what about the food here...its gorgeous, you will love all the authentic Indian Spicy Food! and you can enjoy your Beer as well... :)

You will never be among strangers here. Bangalore is one of those cities in India where you are treated in a very homely manner, people are quite hospitable and will go out of their way to please others, especially westerners just like you. I hope to tell you more once you reach Bangalore!

Activities, you can do whatever you want to, like long-walks, visiting places (there are lots of historical, ecological places that you could visit)based from Bangalore, and of course, you are surely invited to visit my own home for some sumptuous south Indian Food.

I work as an Associate Consultant for a UK based software company called RebusIS that recently opened their branch office in Bangalore.Previously I was based near New Delhi.
I will obviously look forward to having our first "Masala Chai" !

I wish you a pleasant journey to India and once again, extend you a very warm welcome.
PS. once you arrive at the Bangalore International Terminal, please do not worry about the huge crowd at the Customs/Immigration counters...There are not too many, anyway you will be glad to know that there are no mosquitos anymore :) The Airport has now been re-furbished and quite nice too, although a bit small for an international Airport.


Have a good day.

Regards,
Gopal

Hi Cecille,

Thanks for your reply and good to know that you will be in Bangalore very soon. Intel is a very good and well known company in Bangalore and is one of the top MNC's in Bangalore. India itself is a beautiful place with diverse cultures, religions and languages. The languages spoken in Bangalore are hindi, kannada, tamil and english.

Bangalore is now becoming too crowded, especially the traffic. It has got a good weather and now a days it is raining quite bit. Bangalore is known as the garden city as it has got a lot of nice gardens. Bangalore is also called the pub city as there are a lot of pubs in bangalore. Bangalore is also known for different kinds of hotels and restaurants, mainly chinese, thai, indian, mugalai, andhra you name it you find it here including the KFC and the pizza hut.

New comers like you should be careful while travelling after 9 in the evening and should avoid travelling alone. The auto or taxi drivers will try to fleece you when they know you are new to the city. By the way where will you stay in Bangalore ? Otherwise the people are very friendly and will help and assist you when ever you need it.

My sister lives in Portland but don't know where exactly as I have not been there and my other sister lives in Dallas. She too is coming to india next week. I would like the idea to share a cup of "chai" with you and exchange cultures. My sisters name in Portland is Jennifer and the other is Matilda who stays in Dallas. Good to know that you are from Philippines as I had a friend too who was from Philippines.

Take care and hope to see you. If you need any help in Bangalore you can contact me on 98440-15737 and I work for a mobile service provider company called Spice Telecom.

Bye for now,
Best wishes,
Richard

New beginning's for everyone in my life.......

This year has proven itself to be a new beginning for everyone close in my life. My father's wife Amy, my step mom, is going to have a baby girl! Can you believe that??? - I will be at least 26 years older than my new sibling. WOW! My mom and Johnny bought a beautiful house in Bakersfield, CA. And they have two cute little rat terrier dogs. Brandon just moved back up to Portland and started a new job. Then there's me, in less than a week I will be in Bangalore, India! What in the world will I be doing there??? Have I ever been there? No. Do I know anyone there? No. Oh well...I hope the food will be good. More later....But congratulations to everyone's new beginning!

Good Times in Vancouver, BC

Gingers - Vancouver, BC

Gingers is a must see club! It's right below the Ramada Inn on Granville St. As you immediately walk in you know that you just entered the land of beautiful people. The wait staff was gorgeous and there was plenty of eye candy walking around. The music was fabulous and everyone looked like they were having an awesome time! We were here for a "holiday" called Irf Day. Silly Brandon and friends get together once a year, at a different location, to celebrate and party for a friend of their's named Irfaan. Irfaan is an interesting fellow who doesn't smoke, drink, or do anything that is against his religion. So, what a better excuse for his friends to do all that for him? :)


Cecilia, Surbhi (our new friend), and Brandon at Gingers in Vancouver, BC. Very cool place, lots of cute people and yummy drinks.