I don't have a digital camera (though I may buy one after payday) so no pictures yet.
The guys I work with are quite nice. There are a few women at the office too, but none on the team I work with. The two other senior members of the team, Dharmendra (DJ) and Sidharth (Sid) usually have lunch with me around 10 or 11pm. We eat at the canteen at work. At first everyone was shocked I was eating there and not ordering out like the other western workers have done. "You like Indian food?" "Is it too spicy?" "Have you ever had it before?" There is one other guy from the US here right now named Howard. He said "They're letting you eat here?" Apparently they told him not to eat at the canteen (even though he does eat Indian food) because they thought he might get sick. I don't know, but I've been OK so far, and the food is free. and tasty for cafeteria food.
I even ate at the street stalls at Chowpatty Beach. Had yummy pani puri. Wasn't sure what I was getting into. I was going to go sit down, but the guy indicated that I needed to just stand there. He took a puffed dough thing, popped a hole in the top, stuffed it with stuff, put some juice stuff in it and handed it to me. I took a bite--bad idea, quite messy. Once I had finished that one, he made another. and another. after 3 or so, another guy in the stall took the next pani-puri and made sure he had my attention before popping the whole thing into his mouth. Ok, so now I knew the proper way to eat it. Less messy, but difficult to chew with my mouth so full. The guy handed me a few more. Finally I put up my hand, no more, but he indicated I still had two more. So I ate them. All for just 12 rupees. (less than 30 cents).
At lunch the other day, I asked Dharmendra about the Chief Minister (CM) vs governor because I was getting confused reading the local papers. He helped me out with that, then said he'd followed the U.S presidential elections this year and learned some of the terms. "But tell me, what is the difference with popular and elector?" Fortunately a couple years ago I had learned about the electoral college and was able to explain (sort of) the system, if not the rational for it. "Oh, so that's why Ohio was so important." He thinks it's good that the US has only two parties. In India if one of the major parties wants to get something done, they have to make compromises with the smaller parties.
Sid and DJ both live in northern Mumbai, near the national park (one of the few in the world with an urban zip code). They said the leopards occasionally get out and roam their neighborhood. yikes.
I find myself speaking differently here. Not with an accent (yet) but just more formally. Occasionally "what's up" or "how's it goin" slips out, but usually I don't use any slang. I haven't yet started doing the head thing, though sometimes I've felt like I was on the verge of doing it without even meaning to. Sort of a side to side shake nod bobble thing which means ok, or yeah yeah, or I'm listening, maybe even a full-on yes. I'll likely be doing it by March. Although the other day I noticed Dharmendra actually nod his head, probably because I nod my head so much. Didn't realize I did it that much til I started working here. He's explaining stuff to me and I'm all nod, nod, "uh-huh", nod "ok, uh-huh" nod nod "right, ok" nod. Gee, I should just bobble my head instead.
A company car drives me home early each morning. It's strangely silent. There's no traffic. All the taxis are parked along the road--all along the roads. it's amazing how many of them there are. It's strange to be out while everyone else is sleeping. I know they're sleeping because I see them all on the streets. Many many homeless people.
Monday before work, I met a woman, Subha, from Chennai in town for an AIDS conference. She used to teach at Columbia University in New York and now heads an umbrella organization to help out all the various NGOs in India working on AIDS issues (www.saathii.org). She gave me some names of organizations to volunteer with here. She also knows some folks in Mumbai who are into hiking and will put me in touch with them. I haven't been running again since the first couple days I was here. My knee started hurting. It got better and I was going to run Tuesday and Wednesday mornings with Subha while she was in town, but she was busy getting her lectures ready and I was feeling a sick and stuff, so we didn't go. I don't know, the 7K thing might not happen.
On Marine Drive is a place to try para-sailing --"First time in Bombay". I considered it. Then imagined my body in that water and thought better of it. Not the cleanest stuff around.
I'm not drinking much booze here. Just not likely to go out for a beer after work at 5am. However, last weekend Zoey, Bria and Amanda were all in Bombay passing through on their way south to Karnataka, so I managed to go out drinking with them. We even went to a night club with a family friend of Amanda's who lives here and writes for the Wall Street Journal. He said the scene was a new thing. The kind of people out that night wouldn't have been out ten years ago. The elite have always gone out, but there is a new middle class emerging now with all the BPO companies. They're making around $400/month and can afford to go out on the weekend. The music was pretty good (though too loud for the speaker system they had), mixing american hip hop with hindi beats--mostly it worked. Upon leaving, I learned that it's illegal for places to stay open past 12 or 12:30, so at 2am we had to "sneak out" down the back stairs, through a kitchen and out the back door. Phew, no cops.
Earlier that evening we went to the movies. Saw an old hindi classic hit from the 50s or 60s. It's been colorized and re-released. It wasn't subtitled, but was entertaining anyway. I couldn't last the whole 3 hrs though because I was too hungry, so I left during intermission. We went to the movies again on Sunday night. Saw an English language one. Even this shorter movie had an intermission. They always start movies with the national anthem, the audience stands. We saw Vanity Fair. It was OK. I hadn't known before that the director of it was Mira Nair (Mississippi Masla, Monsoon Wedding, and others). If you haven't yet seen it, rent Monsoon Wedding. I liked that one.
Speaking of weddings, driving around at night, you can see so many places really decked out for big ol' weddings. Last weekend was supposed to be quite an auspicious time for them. But I'm still seeing the lights and such, so I guess wedding are still happening even on these less auspicious days. Probably quite the party.
Went to the movies again this weekend. Howard and I saw Ocean's Twelve. My choices of movies are limited. I wanted to see Khamash Puri (I think that's the title) it won some awards at film festivals, but the version shown here is not subtitled. I can watch a bollywood blockbuster without knowing the words, but the more serious films, well I'd like to understand the dialogue.
Oh here's another interesting thing I see a lot. Two wheelers -- either scooters or motorcycles -- with the whole family on board. Dad driving. mom side-saddle on back cuz she's wearing a sari, older child in front of dad, small child on mom's lap. All riding along through the crazy traffic. Mom's scarf dangle in back, dangerously close to the wheel and maybe she's using one hand to talk on a cell phone. And yet, it seems to work.
Well, time to do a little meditative hand washing of my clothes. Next week I'll go find the laundry place that Bria and Zoey scouted out for me (the hotel charges way too much).
Hey, it's close to over, but Happy Channukah. There's an area of the city of Kochin (in the southern state of Kerala) which has one of the oldest Jewish communities in India (from about 2000 years ago). I may go to Kerala between Christmas and New Year.
Long update. Soon, I'll have nothing more to say. It'll all seem like normal boring stuff, but for now it's still new. Besides, what else am I going to do in the middle of the night, watch tv?
