Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tweets from India


Here I've gathered together all my tweets from during my India trip (www.twitter.com/cybersooz). Here are the highlights of the 5 weeks in tiny snippets:



Fantastic send-off party at work with rasmalai, doi, and Indian music... think everyone's trying to put me in an India mood! Thanks, CUE!

10/15/2009 10:47

Cool: Free wireless in the Emirates terminal at JFK! (1st free wireless I've encountered in years! And so the journey begins!

10/17/2009 21:56

Emirates flight attendants wear red pillbox hats and diaphonous scarves that drape from hat to neck: http://bit.ly/1Fqgtc

10/17/2009 22:01

Why don't airlines put outlets in seating areas? Vexes me every time! Why can't travelers have wireless and power at the same time?

10/17/2009 22:04

At ultra-swanky Dubai Aiport after 12.75 hour flight from JFK... phew. 777 is pretty comfy for sleeping, though... One more flight to go!

10/18/2009 12:42

Dubai Airport has free wireless + "Life is Good" battery charging stations = life is good, indeed!

10/18/2009 12:42

Didn't have time to get back online in Dubai, then net access wasn't working 4 me in India till now... will pick up tweets where I left off.

10/19/2009 15:35

Impressive Latte Macchiatto at Dubai Airport, bought Arabic lounge CD, browsed camel-themed & other Arabic handicrafts: http://bit.ly/sVh7a

10/20/2009 01:36

Posted bunch of new blog entries: http://bit.ly/1WxUn (Will start India posts today; too little time!)

10/21/2009 23:58

3am Monday: arrived at Ahmedabad, India after ~16 flying hours + 25.5 hrs total travel time

10/22/2009 04:50

3-4am: Had to pass an H1N1 screening by medical personnel & get thru Indian customs & wait long time for luggage - then taxi to Hotel Ginger

10/22/2009 05:02

4:30am: Met NGO coordinator; received Indian cell phone & Internet instruct'ns; got to sweltering room & couldn't figure out A/C or Internet

10/22/2009 05:04

11am Monday: Met my international team of IBMers (Team Rangoli); had orientation by our NGO coordinators + team-building exercise

10/22/2009 05:05

Mon.PM: team learned to hire rickshaws; death-defying rides to restaurant for traditional "Gujarati Thali" - small dishes on metal platters

10/22/2009 05:16

Mon. PM: Rickshaws to Old City: small spaces, 1000s people, traffic chaos, street markets, sweltering heat... sensory overload!

10/22/2009 05:18

Mon. PM: Team removed shoes & went into a temple (half the group guarded shoes while other half went inside - we've seen Slumdog M. :-)

10/22/2009 05:19

Friendly, inquisitive people in st markets; sometimes women/children beg "dollar dollar rupee rupee"; others fascinated by our foreign group

10/22/2009 05:22

Animal survey, 1st 2 rickshaw rides: stray dogs, mini-donkeys painted w/ pink spots, camel, group of sacred cows eating garbage, 1 elephant

10/22/2009 05:29

Gujarat is celebrating Diwali (Festival of Lights, big as Xmas for us) + Gujarati New Year -- lots of shops closed & people off on holidays

10/22/2009 05:29

Mon. PM: Went w/ Annamari (Finland) & Mapje (Holland) 2 Himalaya Mall next 2 hotel; Mapje bought stylish Indian outfit (her luggage is lost)

10/22/2009 05:54

Mon. evening: team took rickshaws 2 'Law Garden' - checked out colorful Gujarati clothing markets on perimeter, saw camel & donkey rides

10/22/2009 05:56

Mon. evening: temps cooled off to ~90; huge Punjabi Thali platters at "Honest" restaurant chain for < $2; toured handicraft fair + carnival

10/22/2009 05:58

Huge Mystery: Ahmedabad = 9.5 hr later than EDT, yet I DON'T have jetlag?!! Why? I always have jetlag when I go to Europe (6-hr diff)

10/22/2009 06:39

Tues.: 9-person CSC team met our 4 diff. NGO clients: Sewa, Indicorps, Ashoka, Tribal Dev't Dept. of Gujarat - great intros to their visions

10/22/2009 17:42

Tues. PM: Colleague Per (IBM Denmark) & I talked to our client, Tribal Dev Dept of Gujarat, on their vision for a rural ecotourism program

10/22/2009 17:43

Our task this month: Develop plan for a rural ecotourism program involving Gir National Forest (last abode of Asiatic lion) & tribal Siddhis

10/22/2009 17:45

Tues. night: IBM team walked to Vastrapur Lake (hotspot w/ street carts & ppl strolling); ate dosas at restaurant w/ outdoor seating

10/22/2009 17:49

Locals fascinated by us 9 foreigners: 2 US, 2 German, 1 Dutch, 1 Hungarian, 1 Finn, 1 Malaysian, 1 Dane - esp. tall blond Stefan & Annamari

10/22/2009 17:52

We're an oddity: Women tell their children to touch us, man hands Dominik his baby for a photo opp, little girl offers Stefan & Per cookies

10/22/2009 17:54

Wed.: 1st day at our office in Ghandinagar, govt. district 1/2-hr away - met w/ Secretary of Tribal Development (a top official of Gujarat)

10/22/2009 18:28

It's a festival week in Gujarat: Diwali (Festival of Lights) & New Year; many ppl are on holiday & newspapers don't print for 3 days

10/23/2009 13:53

In car on way to Gir Forest in India - several days of research in the lion park & surrounding tribal villages! Not sure of 'net access...

10/25/2009 03:29

@pbeaulieu Check http://bit.ly/1WxUn (slow with the posts/photos though) - very little time to keep up, but trying!

10/25/2009 03:33

Wed. 10/21 AM: Commute to office via highway: Chaos of cars, rickshaws stuffed w/ 7 ppl, motor scooters, water buffalo herd crossing street!

10/26/2009 10:58

Trying to get caught up w/ my time-lagged tweets (from the Gir Forest of India) - let's see if I can bring y'all up to date!

10/26/2009 12:34

Wed. 10/21 noon: TDD driver took me + proj partner Per to S. Indian Sankalp rest'nt; check Per's Super Paper Masala Dosa! http://bit.ly/S1Yx

10/26/2009 13:53

Wed. 10/21 PM: Our Team Rangoli went to another Sankalp rest'nt in Ahmedabad; this time I had Super Paper Masala Dosa: http://bit.ly/2g3r7D

10/26/2009 14:05

"Paper Masala Dosa" = crepe-like cylinder w/ spicy potato filling. Menu has 4' version! Sankalp holds Guinness record: http://bit.ly/269X3v

10/26/2009 14:17

Thurs. 10/22 AM: Driver picked us up in SUV 4 commute 2 TDD office, Gandhinagar. Saw leafy neighborhoods, posh homes (likely guv officials)

10/26/2009 14:28

Ghandinagar, where I work, is the capital of Gujarat and the 2nd planned city in India.

10/26/2009 14:30

Thurs. 10/22: Driver took us to InfoCity: cappuccino @ "Cafe Coffee Day" & Chicken Tikka sub @ Subway - American sandwich, Indian filling!

10/26/2009 14:37

Thurs. 10/22 PM: Our TDD client, Pallavi, is arranging for us to travel to the Gir National Forest next week on a fact-finding mission!

10/26/2009 14:38

Thurs. 10/22 PM: On ride home, traffic worse than I've ever seen; ppl say it's because holidays are over & people have returned to the city

10/26/2009 14:41

Thurs.10/22 PM: 9-IBMer team met to recap our days w/ clients; then Arjun (local pt person) took us all to 'FabIndia' for clothes shopping.

10/27/2009 21:47

Thurs. 10/22 PM: Almost whole team bought nice Indian clothes except for me (even most of the men)! I'll have to keep looking...

10/27/2009 21:48

Thurs. 10/22 PM: Arjun took us to outdoor restaurant specializing in Parathas (filled flatbreads) - delicious! Whole team is into lassis too

10/27/2009 21:49

Fri. 10/23 AM: TDD door guard greets me w/ grin & "Good morning Miss Susanne"; think I made a fan when I snapped his photo the other day!

10/27/2009 21:51

Fri. 10/23 AM: Meeting w/ Secretary of Tribal Dev. Dept. re: Siddhi ecotourism proj; met woman pitching him handicrafts to empower villagers

10/27/2009 21:54

Fri. 10/23 AM: Sec'y sent us to meet head of Gir Foundation (bio/eco research); discussed nature interpretive training for Siddhi tribals

10/27/2009 21:59

Fri. 10/23 noon: Lunch at the Sankalp South Indian restaurant in Info City again; this time I had a flat kind of dosa - yum.

10/27/2009 22:00

Fri. 10/23 PM: Treat: VIP tour of Indroda Nature Park: crocodiles, aviary w/ parrots, amazing Bengal tigers + leopard, impressive dino park!

10/27/2009 22:03

Fri. 10/23 PM: Team ate dinner short walk from hotel; 1st time we've had meat dishes in heavily veg Gujarat. Can't say I've missed it.

10/27/2009 22:04

Sat. 10/24 AM: Big team-building day! Up at 4am; team met at 4:30am: private driver/van to Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary 60km away by dawn.

10/27/2009 22:05

Sat. 10/24 AM: Met by dozen lake boatmen; Annamari negotiated them down a bit on boat prices; they rushed us to boats, saying "hurry hurry"

10/27/2009 22:07

Sat. 10/24 AM: Serene tour of lake; saw flamingos, egrets, and sunrise. Our boatman let me "drive"! http://bit.ly/2H296o

10/27/2009 22:47

Sat. 10/24 AM: Asked driver to stop @ village: villagers faced w/ 9
foreigners suddenly dropping in; may as well have been aliens from Mars

10/29/2009 15:19

Sat. 10/24 AM: Village: nice Hindu temple, primitive dwellings. Kids excited 2 have photos taken; invited into home to see woman bake bread

10/29/2009 15:20

Sat.10/24 AM: At the village: http://bit.ly/1JRSmn

10/29/2009 22:12

Sat. 10/24 AM: Toured Sarkhej Roja, ca. 1451 Islamic tomb/palace/mosque near Ahmedabad; kids followed, kept asking for 'ball pen'

10/29/2009 22:14

Sat. 10/24 AM: Delightful mother & child at Sarkhej Roja; the woman
asked my name. The pretty little girl is Aminah: http://bit.ly/2kxn8c

10/29/2009 22:15

Sat.10/24 PM: Visited Adalaj Stepwell - gorgeous uniquely Gujarati architectural phenomenon blt by Queen Rudabai 1499: http://bit.ly/HkfP5

10/29/2009 22:17

Sat. 10/24 PM: Team next went to Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, Gandhi's home base for many yrs: http://bit.ly/2OiNsQ

10/29/2009 22:31

Sat. 10/24 PM: Bought some Indian tops @ Himalaya Mall next door! Next: team dinner across street, then collapsed after long, full day

10/29/2009 22:32

Sun. 10/25 AM: Typical Indian breakfast @ Ginger Hotel: papaya, Nescafe instant coffee, dosa with sambar dipping sauce, lentil pancakes

10/29/2009 22:34

Sun. 10/25 10AM: Driver & TDD consultant Ajay picked up Per Jorgensen (DK) & me for 7-hr journey to Sasan Gir, last home of Asiatic Lion

10/29/2009 22:37

Sun. 10/25 AM: Well-paved 4-lane hwy went thru pharma high-tech triangle, then out to flat countryside - farmland for crops & cattle grazing

10/29/2009 22:38

Sun. 10/25 PM: Stopped at Chouki Danni, a Rajasthani-themed vacation park, for lunch -- part of our research into ecoparks/attractions

10/29/2009 22:39

Sun. 10/25 3PM: Stopped at roadside near Junagadh for fresh coconut water from street vendor: man hacks top off coconut & sticks in a straw

10/29/2009 22:40

Sun. 10/25 PM: Near Junagadh, the flat Gujarati landscape transforms into an area of some high hills/mountains with temples at the top

10/29/2009 22:40

Sun. 10/25 PM: Last half-hr of journey is harrowing: farm vehicles, trucks, motorbikes, livestock, villagers on road after dark w/ no lights

10/29/2009 23:12

Sun. 10/25 PM: After 9 hours, arrived @ Sinh Sadan Forest Lodge @ entrance to jungle. Built 1911 by a Nawab. Spacious, but quite dirty.

10/29/2009 23:16

Sun. 10/25 PM: At reception, heard lion roar! Lodge ppl say it's ailing lioness kept in enclosure - not expected 2 survive. Heartbreaking.

10/29/2009 23:18

Sun. 10/25 PM: Sasan Gir main drag: stalls, few restaurants, cows. Found place 2 eat but cows doing cow stuff outside = nervous re: food.

10/29/2009 23:21

Sun. 10/25 PM: Gujarati Thali was good. Still nervous about livestock doing their business right up to open-air restaurants though!

10/29/2009 23:21

Sun. 10/25 PM: In the jungle, the mighty jungle The lion sleeps tonight... A-weema-weh A-weema-weh....

10/29/2009 23:28

Sun. 10/25 PM: Sasan Gir Forest is last abode of the Asiatic lion. Once found across much of Asia (& used by Romans at Coliseum), 359 remain

10/29/2009 23:28

Mon. 10/26 around 5AM: Awakened by sounds of jungle concert: Birds heralding dawn, insects chirping, and the lioness roaring/growling

10/29/2009 23:30

Mon. 10/26 AM: Met with Forest Lodge officials; talked to influential community leader Ami Doshi who set us up with a guide to the area.

10/29/2009 23:30

Mon. 10/26 PM Our guide, Bharadbhai, takes us around to many hotels/safari camps in area so we can survey owners re: tourism

10/29/2009 23:31

Mon. 10/26 PM: Saw ~15 monkeys hilariously romping around lodge grounds! Now I know why parents say "stop monkeying around." A joy to watch!

10/29/2009 23:32

Mon. 10/26 PM: Took monkey photos until one menacingly bared his teeth at me - made me back off, fast! One baby monkey was a real clown!

10/29/2009 23:34

Mon. 10/26 PM: The monkeys were a delight - could have watched them monkey around for hours! Lounging monkey: http://bit.ly/3ySGe8

10/30/2009 01:08

Tues. 10/27 6 AM: Stood in line to get permit for Gir Forest & to arrange jeep. Foreigners pay lot more than domestic (2K Rupees vs. 400).

10/30/2009 01:09

Tues. 10/27 6:45 AM: Open jeep safari through Gir Forest, home of last 359 remaining Asiatic lions (up from 15 in early 1900s b4 protection)

10/30/2009 01:31

Tues. 10/27 AM: Peacocks, birds, Chital (spotted deer), horselike Blue Bulls, termite mounds, Maldhari (cattle herder) village- but no lions

10/30/2009 01:36

Tues. 10/27 AM: Male Chital (spotted deer) in Sasan Gir Forest: http://bit.ly/4vrIyN

10/30/2009 02:07

Tues. 10/27 AM: Maldhari woman (Maldharis are cattle herders who co-exist with the lions, inside the Gir Forest): http://bit.ly/28axVb

10/30/2009 03:47

Tues. 10/27 PM: Continued survey of budget hotels, farm lodgings, high-end resort & upscale tent safari hotel. Lunch @ Amidhara resort.

10/30/2009 03:49

Tues. 10/27 PM: Fishing port Veraval: colorful, chaotic, smelly, rough (w/ stray sickly dogs): http://bit.ly/1ba6yl & http://bit.ly/2KehTg

10/30/2009 04:37

Tues. 10/27 PM: Also saw huge ship-building going on; large vessels being built of teak wood: http://bit.ly/1RIi6c

11/1/2009 11:59

Tues. 10/27 PM: Drove to Somnath to see famous Hindu temple on the coastline; my first time seeing the Arabian Sea: http://bit.ly/Y5UQ4

11/1/2009 12:06

Tues. 10/27 PM: Met w/ woman who's Mamlatdar (officer in exec charge of a taluka, collection of towns) to discuss rural ecotourism vision.

11/1/2009 21:23

Tues. 10/27 PM: "Kathiawari"-style thali dinner @ remote, generator-powered, safari-style farm hotel w/ tents -- part of our research

11/1/2009 21:23

Wed. 10/28 AM: In wee hours, heard footsteps. Woke w/ fright & wondered if there were intruders. Then realized it was coming from the roof!

11/1/2009 21:24

Wed. 10/28 7AM: More noise; ran outside 2 see monkeys running along roof & grooming each other: http://bit.ly/3vBSmb & http://bit.ly/ycnvg

11/1/2009 21:48

Wed. 10/28 AM: Met w/ AKRSP NGO (Aga Khan Rural Support Programme) re: livelihood enhancement programs they are doing w/ Siddhi tribal ppl

11/1/2009 21:51

Wed. 10/28: AKRSP guys went w/ me & Per to 2 pure Siddhi (descendants of African slaves) tribal villages & 1 mixed village to interview ppl

11/1/2009 21:53

Wed. 10/28 PM: At Jambur, met town matriarch Hirbai Lobi - inspiring leader, many awards 4 her efforts 4 her tribal ppl: http://bit.ly/Hv4wf

11/1/2009 22:07

Wed. 10/28 PM: Hirbai gave tour of her Siddhi village: mud homes, mosque, schoolhouse, water tower, preschool, even computer center w/ 2 PCs

11/1/2009 22:15

More about this impressive village matriarch Hirbaiben Lobi:
http://bit.ly/3ihgHD

11/2/2009 06:13

Wed. 10/28 PM: Next stop: Siddhi village Sirvan. Poorer. Mud huts w/thatched roofs - but some have satellite dishes! http://bit.ly/2QBveH

11/2/2009 08:48

Wed. 10/28 PM: Next, Surwa which has some Siddhi families. Met man who rec'd/improved 2 acres, took us 2 see his fields http://bit.ly/1NQH3P

11/2/2009 16:34

When going pt A to pt B, one sometimes faces water buffalo horns
http://bit.ly/2N2xaP, sometimes water buffalo butts! http://bit.ly/2WfWH5

11/2/2009 16:37

Thurs. 10/29 AM: Open-window bus thru Devalia - 16km 'zone' inside Gir Forest where 15 lions kept - saw 3 lionesses! http://bit.ly/2kOlzA

11/2/2009 22:30

Thurs. 10/29 PM: 7-hr drive from Gir Forest to Ahmedabad. On way, our driver was hit in face by 2 policeman 4 crossing ambiguous barricade!

11/2/2009 22:33

Thurs. 10/29 PM: To pass overturned truck on your side of hwy: cross median 2 wrong side, drive wrong way for 2 km, then back to your side!

11/2/2009 22:34

Fri. 10/30: Work-from-hotel day, writing up Gir Forest visit notes. Break for lunch at Himalaya Mall McDonalds: Chicken Maharaja Mac!

11/2/2009 22:37

Fri. 10/30 PM: CSC team of 9 left in van w/ private driver for Udaipur in Rajasthan for weekend trip. Took about 4.5 hrs.

11/2/2009 22:39

Fri. 10/30 night: Team relaxed w/ drinks on rooftop terrace overlooking Lake Pichola, w/ illuminated floating palaces. http://bit.ly/4CvISy

11/2/2009 22:45

Sat. 10/31: Hired English-speaking guide: Hindu Jagdish Temple, City Palace complex, boat ride on lake to Jagmandir island, Nehru Garden

11/2/2009 22:48

Sat. 10/31: Udaipur = nice change from Ahmedabad: much less traffic & chaos, breathable air. Only downside: lots of touts hard-selling wares

11/2/2009 22:51

Sat. 10/31 PM: Lake Palace hotel features in Bond film 'Octopussy'.
Beautiful sunset from rooftop terrace, Tiger Hotel: http://bit.ly/CoVC7

11/2/2009 22:58

Sat.10/31 PM: About half the team went to a "Haveli" near our hotel for a fabulous Rajasthani folk dance show: http://bit.ly/3ASMis

11/3/2009 22:34

Sun. 11/1 AM: Explored Udaipur on foot, then drove N to temple complex ruins @ Eklingji - like out of Indiana Jones! http://bit.ly/4kE6BX

11/3/2009 22:46

Sun. 11/1 PM: More walking exploration of Udaipur (photos/shopping); got pooped on by pigeon & team had to clean it out of my hair (thanks)

11/3/2009 22:48

Sun. 11/1 4 PM: 5-hour ride back to Ahmedabad; arrived late at night

11/3/2009 22:53

I've had a cold for several days, so has Per. Eva also not too well... and 4 members of team have had 'Delhi Belly' (I've escaped so far)

11/3/2009 22:54

Mon. 11/2: TDD Client holiday today, so Per & I worked all day from hotel.

11/3/2009 22:55

Much progress encapsulating lessons from visit 2 Sasan Gir & forming recommendations. Learning LOT from Per re: consulting methods.

11/3/2009 22:58

Tues. 11/3: Worked today at TDD office in Ghandinagar. Lots to do for next week's final deliverables.

11/3/2009 22:59

Tues. 11/3: I was shocked to find this little guy using the toilet at work as his personal swimming pool! http://bit.ly/k72G8

11/4/2009 14:28

Tues. 11/3 PM: Rangoli team indulged its meat cravings at BBQ Nation -- after eating all-veg-all-the-time for weeks: http://bit.ly/4DWrjn

11/4/2009 14:34

Wed. 11/4: Lizard still in toilet @ office; offered him rescue twig when I realized he couldn't get out. Think he made it outside again ok.

11/4/2009 14:37

Wed. 11/4: Interim reviews w/ Tribal Dev Dept client. Here are 2 lovely ladies, Pallavi & Aashiya, from TDD: http://bit.ly/3TbSkL

11/4/2009 14:42

Wed. 11/4 PM: Sari, anyone? Huge selection at handicrafts/clothing emporium: http://bit.ly/v4A25

11/4/2009 14:57

Very good thing I'm taking my malaria meds faithfully; the only night I opted 4 sandals (in Udaipur) each foot/ankle got 20++ moquito bites!

11/5/2009 02:02

Saw monkeys on the commute to work today! The driver stopped so I could snap a couple pics: http://bit.ly/3myoCo

11/5/2009 22:13

Traditional Gujarati dinner w Team Rangoli & Arjun - sat on ground, ate food on banana leaves: http://bit.ly/1av6NC and
http://bit.ly/3IgAY8

11/5/2009 22:44

Laptop is not liking the heat in India... had spontaneous shutoffs 3x now (I think due to overheating)... unhappy laptop = unhappy Susanne

11/6/2009 11:48

New blog post re: my CSC India team: http://bit.ly/4miR9S

11/6/2009 11:49

Long day of work today: deliverables due to clients next week + final presentations + 2 IBM PR-related presentations = lotta work!

11/6/2009 11:50

Presented @ IBM India Press Conf today re: CSC projects; waiting to see if articles hit the India press tmw. ~1 million photos shot of team.

11/9/2009 07:33

Our IBM CSC work for Gujarat Tribal Dev. Dept. made it to front page of Times of India! http://bit.ly/1Udkm

11/10/2009 05:07

David Letterman is on Indian TV at 1 am; wonder how well his humor translates?

11/10/2009 14:33

Made it nearly a month w/ no stomach issues, but now hit w/ Delhi Belly & fever (and a flight to Bangalore tomorrow).

11/11/2009 11:54

Friday daytime: Toured various cool IBM labs in Bangalore, which are right next to Microsoft & Yahoo.

11/14/2009 13:07

Fri. PM: IBM India threw big CSC wrapup party/event in Bangalore. Had to give an intro to our team. Our Rangoli Team's video was a HUGE hit!

11/14/2009 13:09

Today, flew Bangalore to Delhi, met private driver for 5-hr drive to Agra. Saw grey ghost of Taj Mahal in the dusk/fog/smog - incredible.

11/14/2009 13:09

Super-excited about visiting Taj Mahal! Weather here in Agra is bad though (grey, might rain), so there won't be real good pics :-(

11/14/2009 13:11

Visited Taj Mahal at dawn yesterday -- breathtaking... words simply cannot do it justice. Taj slowly vanished into mist/fog like a ghost.

11/16/2009 13:26

Also visited Agra Fort (incredible) and Fatehpur Shikri, fascinating abandoned town built by Emperor Akbar ~1570

11/16/2009 13:31

In Jaipur, Rajasthan today... rode an elephant uphill to Amber Fort -- not as easy as I expected!

11/16/2009 13:33

The elephant sneezed twice -- spewing big sneeze drops all over me, my glasses, my camera lens - yikes!

11/18/2009 08:05

Jaipur's Amber Fort was amazing: red sandstone battlements, courtyards, mosaics, mirrored palace rooms.

11/18/2009 08:17

Had huge Rajasthani Thali (stainless tray with little dishes, from soup to dessert) for lunch: http://bit.ly/33D0NN

11/18/2009 08:27

Explored bazaars of Jaipur afternoon: kilometers of stalls with aggressive vendors -- have to steel yourself for the experience beforehand!

11/18/2009 09:09

'Madam, madam, pashmina, wall hanging, saree? What you like? Come inside, just 1 minute, free to look. Give me 1 min" (Repeat 500x = bazaar)

11/18/2009 09:11

Tues.: Drove to Jodhpur via Pushkar -- spiritual town popular w/ hippies. Lots of flies, touts,& 'priests' wanting money for blessings.

11/20/2009 14:32

Wed.: Day in Jodhpur - amazing medieval Fort of the Maharajas - spectacular!

11/20/2009 14:33

Thurs.: 10-hour train ride on Indian Railways back to Ahmedabad. Very tiring, but not as bad as we had feared.

11/20/2009 14:33

Today: Last day in Ahmedabad, last day in India! Lots of shopping! Fun and stress. Looking forward to being home, but not the 24+-hr trip!

11/20/2009 14:33

See y'all back in the good ol' US of A!

11/20/2009 14:34

At Dubai airport: 2.5 hrs behind me & about 15 hrs of flight time ahead of me. 30-or-so hrs of travel time in total! On no sleep :-(

11/20/2009 22:44

The wall clocks here are Rolex brand! That's Dubai Airport for you....

11/20/2009 22:45

Thought I could spend a flight delay browsing flickr, but UAE disagreed: http://bit.ly/5aWThx

11/20/2009 23:01

Wondering which of these categories UAE considers Flickr falling into: http://www.etisalat.ae/assets/document/blockcontent.pdf

11/23/2009 08:06

Missing my daily zoo fix: no camels, monkeys, water buffalo, cows or elephants around! So quiet too: no millions of ppl or blaring horns!

11/25/2009 10:36

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Monday, October 19, 2009

Mon. Oct. 19: Meet the Rangoli Team




(Credits: Team photo from Annamari Soikkeli; Rangoli team logo by Susanne Hupfer; Team wheel graphic by Dominik Lanzenberger.)

Our CSC Team -- officially known as "IBM Corporate Services Corps India Team 4" -- has known one another virtually (via phone, emails, instant messages) for about three months, ever since we found out when and where our assignment would be. Since mid-July, we've been meeting every week by phone with our team facilitator, Charles Howell, who's been guiding us through various exercises and assignments that needed to be completed before the team's in-country phase. We've also had "homework" assignments -- about 60 hours' worth of learning modules -- that we finished prior to coming to Ahmedabad.

What kinds of things did we learn about in our pre-country work? History, economy, dress, food, and sights of Gujarat, and Ahmedabad specifically; cultural awareness and cross-cultural sensitivity; health and safety considerations for India; IBM's business operations in India; corporate social responsibility; theories on how to best effect social change; consulting methodologies, high-performance teaming; and much more.

One of the key aspects of the CSC program involves learning how to work effectively in a distributed, global team of IBMers, representing varied ethnic and professional backgrounds. Our team is a mix of older and newer IBMers (ranging from 2 years with the company to 20); men and women; consultants, researchers, QA specialists, and project managers from various parts of IBM (from Research to Services to Software Group). We come from around the globe, and bring a range of motivations for wanting to participate in the CSC program and apply our skills to social service work in a developing country.

Here's our melting pot of a team, with links to where you can find their blogs describing our team's CSC experience from a variety of perspectives:

A couple months ago, we collectively decided that "CSC Team 4" was too bland and boring a name for our fantastic team. After debating a few options, the team decided to call itself the "Rangoli Team." "Rangoli" is a famous Indian art form in which elaborate sand paintings are created on the floor (typically outside homes) by carefully arranging colored sand. We concluded that "Rangoli" is a good name for our team, since Rangoli sand paintings can be quite complex and are only successful through the careful coordination and collaboration of the various artists, working in harmony with one another. We are hoping our team of 9 will embrace this spirit of collaboration to create some great results for our CSC clients!

The team met for the first time in "real life" on October 19, after 4 hours or so of sleep after touching town in Ahmedabad in the middle of the night. It was very exciting to meet the actual people that go with the voices we've become so familiar with these past three months! I feel we're already friends, and I'm looking forward to getting to know these colleagues much better over the next month.

On our first day in India, our team had a couple hours of orientation in which we did a couple team-building activities and in which we learned how to handle everyday matters here (e.g. how to use our cell phones, how to get on the Internet, intricacies of getting laundry done, etc.). Next up: the ultra-practical lesson by Arjun, our local logistics person, on how to hire and ride a rickshaw!
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Mon. Oct. 19: Diwali & the New Year






It turns out that we've arrived in the middle of a big festival
week in Gujarat. The Hindu holiday of Diwali (Festival of Lights) began the day before we arrived; this holiday is as big in India as Christmas is in the U.S. Moreover, on the second day of Diwali, the Gujarati New Year begins as well. We've learned that each of the 28 states of India has its own date for its New Year, and this happens to be when Gujarat celebrates. Also part of the multi-day Diwali celebration is "Brother-Sister Day" ("Bhai Bij") -- when sisters visit their brothers and present them with a red-and-yellow string "Rakhi" bracelet, signifying their sincere wish for their brother's wellbeing. The brothers tie these on, and also receive a spot of red "tikka" on their foreheads, promising that they will take care of their sisters in any time of need.

Many people are on holiday this week. Lots of stores are closed, and even the newspapers stopped printing new editions for three days! Many buildings -- even some petrol stations -- are decorated with lights, and there are fireworks going off every evening -- sometimes even in the middle of the street. Locals keep telling us that the city isn't as busy as usual due to the holiday, as many people are away on vacation, but I can't even comprehend that the chaotic mix of people, vehicles, and animals could possibly increase.
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Mon. Oct. 19: Running the Flu & Customs Gauntlet

3:00am. We stepped out of the plane into the hot, humid, languid Indian night air, and a bus transported us a short distance to a small arrivals building, which reminded me of a spartan 1960s-era civil facility. I could see hordes of mosquitoes swarming in the lights of the facility, and was glad I'd started my Malarone anti-malarial prescription the day before.

The mass of people from the plane squeezed into one line to get through the terminal door, and then we were funneled into an impossibly narrow, loud, chaotic space to wait for customs. We shuffled along slowly to make progress in the line, but by the time I got to the front of it, clutching my "flu survey" (a sheet of H1N1 symptom-related questions we had received on the plane: Are you sick? sneezing? feverish? no, no, no) I was told I needed to get out of the line and push my way over to visit the medical personnel lined up a few feet away, who were apparently clearing people before customs.

I made my way sideways to a Dr. with a mask on, and a stethoscope on his folding table. He eyed my form and then eyed me suspiciously: "Are you feeling well? Any symptoms?" I replied, "Yes, just fine. I'm completely healthy, no symptoms" and then he asked me to open my mouth so that he could shine a flashlight into it from two feet away (not sure how much that diagnostic would tell him). Only then would he sign off on my form.

Later, when I compared experiences with my Corporate Service Corps (CSC) team members, I don't think anyone else had had the flashlight experience. Our NGO coordinator suggested maybe the medical Dr. was just using the flashlight on the girls, but I had seen him ask an Indian gentleman for the same.

After getting the doctor's signoff on my H1N1 form, it was back to the other line, to wait for a bureaucrat to stamp my customs form. Then onto baggage claim, which took quite a while, and then out the other side of the building by 4am, where I was cheerfully met by Arjun, a very nice young man who is the coordinating NGO's local in-country logistics specialist. He had just met four other arriving members of our CSC team (Annamari, Rich, Soon, Per) and sent them off in a taxi to the hotel just 10 minutes before. He also procured a taxi for me, and instructed the on-English-speaking driver to take me to the Ginger Hotel in downtown Ahmedabad, about 30 minutes away.

As we drove the night streets of Ahmedabad's outskirts, I could see that vendors were already setting up various carts along the side of the road. There was still a bit of traffic at 4am, but I ever could have imagined the utter chaos that streets become during the day...

I met Gavin, our DC-based NGO coordinator, at the Hotel Ginger, and he set me up with my Indian mobile phone and wireless access info. When I got to my room (rather spartan, but very clean and comfortable), it must have been 95 Fahrenheit in there. I couldn't figure out how to work the A/C or the Internet, so I finally decided at 5am to try to sleep by the breeze of the ceiling fan.
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Sat. Oct. 17 through Mon. Oct. 19: What Day Is It Anyway?







(See more photos at: Susanne's India Adventure)

Saturday mid-afternoon I began the long journey to the Asian subcontinent. I started out from Connecticut (where I'd gone the previous day), taking a shuttle bus to JFK in New York. After about 4 hours, I was at JFK and standing in a very long and slow-moving check-in line at the Emirates airline. I don't know why they don't have check-in kiosks, which every other airline I've traveled with in recent
years has.

The Emirates terminal at JFK is quite nice, with good amenities (even free wireless Internet access, which is rare and greatly appreciated). The flight attendants wear beige pantsuits and distinctive red pillbox caps with diaphanous scarves that drape from the hat to their necks. By 11:00pm, we were en route to Dubai on a modern, fairly comfortable 777. (I was unfortunately stuck in an interior seat, though; I'll never know why Expedia put me through the process of selecting a seat at reservation time if it was a meaningless exercise -- I didn't even realize that my online seat selection hadn't worked until I got to the check-in.)

Emirates has a few really big pluses. Their onboard entertainment system is second-to-none: you can dial up hundreds of TV shows and movies at your leisure. As far as food and service go, this is flying the way it used to be in an earlier era: You receive beautiful printed menu cards listing the delicious food options; you get abundant amounts of gourmet-level food -- with real flatware, no less; and you're even presented with steaming hot facecloths from time to time for freshening up.

Here are the menus I received while on board:

Dinner
Appetiser: Tuna Nicoise - Classic salad with potato, green beans, tomato, olive, and seasoning

Main Course: Yoghurt Chicken - Tender pieces of chicken cooked in a rich yoghurt and spice sauce, served with kaju mutter and saffron flavoured rice, or
Barbeque Beef - Classic marinated beef with a smoky barbeque sauce, sauteed fresh green beans and roasted potato wedges

Dessert: Mango Mousse - Topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut
Cheese and Biscuits
Tea or Coffee
Chocolates

Breakfast
Orange Juice
Fresh Seasonal Fruit
Scrambled Eggs - with mixed peppers and onions, golden fried potato cubes, baked beans and grilled tomato half with herbs, or
Sambar and Idli - Steamed rice cakes, served with a flavoured vegetable stew and fresh coconut chutney
Tea or Coffee

Sounds quite delicious, doesn't it? It was! This is no rubbery airline food, it's up to par with decent restaurant fare, and it is plentiful.

After about 13 hours of flying time (taking us over my suburban Boston home area, the Canadian Maritimes, Ireland, Wales, Frankfurt, and eventually even Baghdad!), we landed at the Dubai International Airport. The 777 even has a live camera mounted in front of the aircraft, which broadcasts images to the screens in the cabin; you could see the plane approaching the runway, and the white stripes of the landing strip as we touched down and slowed.

The Emirates new Terminal 3 is glitzy, posh, and modern, and a shopper's paradise, featuring every luxury brand imaginable (in jewelry, electronics, handbags, and the like). If you're a fan of "Bling," this is the airport for you. I had an amazing Latte Macchiatto at Segafreddo, with a head of milk foam the likes of which I've never seen before. I also had fun browsing an Arabic handicrafts store, which features carved wooden camels, felt camels, paper mache camels, glass camels -- they love their camels! Americans have chocolate Easter eggs; Arabs have chocolate camels! The picture also shows an interesting variant on the Matrushka nesting doll concept: a nested Arab family!

An 11:00pm Emirates flight out of Dubai took me straight to Ahmedabad, India in another 2.5+ hours. At 3:00am local time, I stepped out of the plane and into another day (Monday) and into another world...



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Friday, October 16, 2009

Friday Oct. 16: 15 Minutes of Fame



Earlier this week, a reporter from Boston Business Journal interviewed some CSC participants from the Boston area, including me. We had a nice phone conversation on Tuesday, and the BBJ sent a photographer to take pictures of Erica Topolski (CSC Ghana, 2008), Marc Herman (CSC Brazil, 2009) and me.

Today, the article appeared; a portion can be seen here.

I think it's a nice writeup, although I'm don't think I exactly said that I was nervous about applying my skills to the rural ecotourism project I will be on. Granted, all the CSC projects are challenging assignments and quite a stretch from our regular everyday jobs -- by design -- and we're anxious and motivated to bring our skills to bear in the best way possible. I'm sure the project will be incredibly challenging, but I'm also sure our team will rise to the task.

Here we are posing with Erica's mementos from Ghana. Marc's wearing the official soccer shirt he brought back from Brazil.


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Thursday, October 15, 2009

Thurs. Oct. 15: Frantic Last Minute Preparations


My long-awaited flight to India is in just two short days. Despite three months advance notice of the assignment, and my efforts to prepare during that whole time, I'm still not ready! Work has kept me super-busy the past two weeks, and in my limited free time I've been going through the learning materials every Corporate Service Corps team member is required to complete before their in-country experience. It hasn't left much extra free time to get supplies in order for the trip. Let's see...
  • Passport - check.
  • Indian visa (rather involved procedure that required letters from executives in US and India) - procured.
  • Multiple vaccinations for various diseases found in the subcontinent - completed.
  • Malaria medication - obtained.
  • Mosquito net, face masks, industrial-strength Deet products, hand sanitizers, guidebooks - all purchased.

What's left? Taking care of bills, household chores, backing up my computers, setting up webcams and Skype, making sure bills will be paid, cleaning up my home, and, finally, packing. With age and experience, I would have thought this kind of packing and
preparation would get easier... but it's actually getting harder. I feel much more stressed this time than before any other trip. Maybe it's the length of the trip, or the rather esoteric supplies and complex preparation required... but I'm extremely stressed out right now. I've talked to some other folks getting ready for their CSC assignments, and it seems this is a common experience in the days leading up to departure...

Above are my baby Siamese kittens, "helping" to pack my suitcase! I'm sure they've left me some cat hairs to remember them by while in India.

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