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.