5. 1 full tank of petrol for my Scooty, 150 Rs.= $3
4. 2 fresh tandoori rotis from a nearby dhaba (roadside restaurant), 6 Rs.= 12¢
3. 1.5 kg papaya 2x the size of my head (i swear), 15 Rs.= 30¢
2. 10 kurtas + 2 pairs of linen pants perfectly ironed (in less than 5 hours), 22 Rs.= 44¢
1. eyebrow threading at a parlor next door to the office, 10 Rs.= 20¢
(Yes, her husband was just in the local jail for a suspected rape case, but, um, compare this to the $30 I once spent at an SF parlor...)
...I'm definitely ready to earn in dollars/pounds/euros...but spending in them? Not so sure...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Top 3 things I miss about America...
(right now)*
3. Lines.
In America, we taking waiting for line in granted. From a young age we learn that cutting in line is wrong and just.plain.mean. We see a line and we stand in it. Sometimes we even mistake a few people in a cluster and stand behind them thinking it is a line and not wanting to appear rude and cut in front of them, even when they are actually just a few people standing around in a cluster and in fact, not in a line. Well, in India, that's not quite the case...
So, a few weeks back I was at the Delhi domestic airport en route to Raipur (after an intense 20 hour train ride from Jaiselmer and a stressful dining experience at Mcdonalds, but I'll save that for another list) and was surprised to see how busy it was at 3 in the afternoon. I found out that a flight to Leh had been delayed for 2 days (eek!)and was finally ready to take off so there were lots of excited passengers eager to get home. I was told by a kind man from Kingfisher Airlines to move to a line towards the right reserved for all other flights, as the two lines on the left were reserved for Leh passengers. I waited patiently and after about 15 minutes, I noticed that I hadn't moved one foot, but the crowds were almost gone. I looked around in panic as my flight was to take off in just 45 minutes and quickly realized that I was being cut. And, not cut by just anyone. I was being cut by Uncles aka old men who really should known better...OK, enough was enough. Here I was, standing in line in the airport in the capital city of India...this just wasn't right!
"UM excuse me. Fifteen Uncles just cut in front of me! What is this? What is going on?"
Blank stares.
"Where are we right now? Are we in Delhi or this some kind of village?"
More blank stares.
"This is exactly why India is so behind in the world!!!"
Silence. I moved closer to the ticket counter.
"Excuse me M'am, why don't you do something about the line. There isn't one!"
"Sorry M'am, there's nothing I can do about it. But, why don't you come up to the counter and I'll issue your ticket for you."
"But, but, but that's not a solution! That's just furthering the problem!"
"M'am, do you want me to issue your ticket or not?"
"Um, sure."
Needles to say, in typical Indian fashion, cutting begets cutting, cheaters will prosper and chaos will never be put in order.
2. Friendly and efficient customer service.
The other day I had an issue with my Bank of America credit card...so after putting it off for a few days in fear that I would be transferred to an Indian call center, I decided to call BofA. It turns out that "Gladys" was the nicest and friendliest and most helpful customer service person.ever. Despite my argument that the awful Internet connetion in India in combination with the very confusing time difference did not allow me to pay my bill on time, my claim for reversal of my late fee was denied...OH, but it's totally ok. Why? Because it took me only one phonecall, the conversation was in perfect English, AND it lasted for less than 3 minutes without me being put on a hold, tranferred or passed around to 5 different people. I almost called BofA back again with a fake problem, just to chat...
1. Clean feet.
I have a perpetual layer of filth on the bottom of my feet...and no, it's not from the wheels...it's from the DIRT! I read in the local newspaper the other day that 45% of the dirt in Chhattisgarh is DUST. Yes, i'm 95% sure that that statistic is made up, but still, DIRTy!!!
*Taco bell technically is not mentioned in this list above, but let it be known that it holds a space at the top of every list.
3. Lines.
In America, we taking waiting for line in granted. From a young age we learn that cutting in line is wrong and just.plain.mean. We see a line and we stand in it. Sometimes we even mistake a few people in a cluster and stand behind them thinking it is a line and not wanting to appear rude and cut in front of them, even when they are actually just a few people standing around in a cluster and in fact, not in a line. Well, in India, that's not quite the case...
So, a few weeks back I was at the Delhi domestic airport en route to Raipur (after an intense 20 hour train ride from Jaiselmer and a stressful dining experience at Mcdonalds, but I'll save that for another list) and was surprised to see how busy it was at 3 in the afternoon. I found out that a flight to Leh had been delayed for 2 days (eek!)and was finally ready to take off so there were lots of excited passengers eager to get home. I was told by a kind man from Kingfisher Airlines to move to a line towards the right reserved for all other flights, as the two lines on the left were reserved for Leh passengers. I waited patiently and after about 15 minutes, I noticed that I hadn't moved one foot, but the crowds were almost gone. I looked around in panic as my flight was to take off in just 45 minutes and quickly realized that I was being cut. And, not cut by just anyone. I was being cut by Uncles aka old men who really should known better...OK, enough was enough. Here I was, standing in line in the airport in the capital city of India...this just wasn't right!
"UM excuse me. Fifteen Uncles just cut in front of me! What is this? What is going on?"
Blank stares.
"Where are we right now? Are we in Delhi or this some kind of village?"
More blank stares.
"This is exactly why India is so behind in the world!!!"
Silence. I moved closer to the ticket counter.
"Excuse me M'am, why don't you do something about the line. There isn't one!"
"Sorry M'am, there's nothing I can do about it. But, why don't you come up to the counter and I'll issue your ticket for you."
"But, but, but that's not a solution! That's just furthering the problem!"
"M'am, do you want me to issue your ticket or not?"
"Um, sure."
Needles to say, in typical Indian fashion, cutting begets cutting, cheaters will prosper and chaos will never be put in order.
2. Friendly and efficient customer service.
The other day I had an issue with my Bank of America credit card...so after putting it off for a few days in fear that I would be transferred to an Indian call center, I decided to call BofA. It turns out that "Gladys" was the nicest and friendliest and most helpful customer service person.ever. Despite my argument that the awful Internet connetion in India in combination with the very confusing time difference did not allow me to pay my bill on time, my claim for reversal of my late fee was denied...OH, but it's totally ok. Why? Because it took me only one phonecall, the conversation was in perfect English, AND it lasted for less than 3 minutes without me being put on a hold, tranferred or passed around to 5 different people. I almost called BofA back again with a fake problem, just to chat...
1. Clean feet.
I have a perpetual layer of filth on the bottom of my feet...and no, it's not from the wheels...it's from the DIRT! I read in the local newspaper the other day that 45% of the dirt in Chhattisgarh is DUST. Yes, i'm 95% sure that that statistic is made up, but still, DIRTy!!!
*Taco bell technically is not mentioned in this list above, but let it be known that it holds a space at the top of every list.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
a list defending lists
top 5 reasons why all my future blog posts will be in lists...
5. If I didn't start to write in lists, Rick would steal my idea and claim it as his own...
4. My previous blog posts that have been lists have generated wayyy more hype (aka comments) as compared to my other blog posts (note: this comparison is in no way scientific)
3. Internet connection/speed in India...ahem, Bhilai...need I say more?
2. What's not to love about easy to read (and easy to write) blogs?
1. I'm really really good at counting backwards
5. If I didn't start to write in lists, Rick would steal my idea and claim it as his own...
4. My previous blog posts that have been lists have generated wayyy more hype (aka comments) as compared to my other blog posts (note: this comparison is in no way scientific)
3. Internet connection/speed in India...ahem, Bhilai...need I say more?
2. What's not to love about easy to read (and easy to write) blogs?
1. I'm really really good at counting backwards
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
spelling "F"
after almost 6 months of living in Bhilai...I finally learned how to spell the name of the State...
C.H.H.A.T.T.I.S.G.A.R.H.
not
C.H.A.T.T.I.S.G.A.R.G.H
C.H.H.A.T.T.I.S.G.A.R.H.
not
C.H.A.T.T.I.S.G.A.R.G.H
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