Haikus - Or - Brevity and Banality

"Don't use seven words when four will do."
~Ocean's Eleven

"Brevity is the soul of wit."
~William Shakespeare

I have been getting numerous complaints that I haven't been blogging enough lately. But I only have so many earth shattering, ground breaking epiphanies to share you know! I really do enjoy blogging, but it does take a good deal of thought and time to actually create a post of substance, interest, and moderately well chosen language. Hopefully I have succeeded with my readers on at least one of these levels. Please consider this my plea of quality over quantity. And at this point you're probably thinking, "Wow, does she have anything to say today? Hurry up, you quoted brevity and this is the longest rant about nothing I've ever read! I think she keeps filling up space just for the heck of it! Oh my gosh, I think I'm right...I think I'm right."

Anyway....poor jokes aside now, as much as I can manage anyway, no guarantees....

To change up my post for today a bit, I have written a bit of poetry here I will divulge. I have a few other poems that I will try to upload later, but they are not public worthy yet, so stay tuned for those at a later date. Below are some Haikus I have written about various personal experiences in India thus far. Haikus generally have a 5-7-5 syllable line system, which is what I followed, and don't usually rhyme. They're meant to be short and, hopefully, sweet. I'm learning how to praise myself from some expert self-praisers in the office, so I will say these are unprecedentedly ingenious (HA, okay, that's a joke for those who know what I'm talking about, don't want to set expectations too high for these). At any rate, enjoy!


India Haikus

I played a new game
Called Caroms at the office
Think I 'hit it' off

Aaj, I hear "Issko!"
"Ye!" and "Kyon?!" being shouted
Caroms is intense

If I say a phrase
In Hindi to my colleagues
They go into shock

When I hear Hindi
Now I can respond wisely
"Mai samjhi naheen"

Take care on the street
And be sure to watch your feet
- Or you'll be smashed

One night a lizard
Was crawling on my wall and
It is not my pet

If you think my jokes
Are bad - they are nothing to
PJ's here - I swear

One day it was wet
I wore yellow leggings out
That was a mistake

Are you tired of my
Haikus yet? Are you? Are you?
This is the last one

*For non-Hindi speakers, any of the words that you don't recognize are Hindi. If you're curious look 'em up! :)


Simply a list of all the foods and sweets (mithai) I can name at the moment that I've tried:
Chapati (home made tortillas), Rice, Dhal, Aloo Paratha (Potato Paratha), Gobhi Paratha (Cauliflower Paratha), Samosa, Curd (sort of like yogurt), Curry, Kadai Paneer, Dosa, Idli, Lassie (dairy yogurt like sweet drink), Gulab Jamoon (sort of like doughnuts in syrup), Lady's Fingers (actually a vegetable used in a lot of dishes). I will definitely have to figure out how to cook some of this food when I go home!

Places I've tried that are also in America:
McDonalds (called McD's casually here), Subway, Pizza Hut, Quiznos. All have many more vegetarian options that the scanty 1 or 2 options in the US, I'm very jealous of the wide variety of veg options at all restaurants in India.


Soon I'll also post some clothing photos of what I've been wearing here. So, "Keep a weather eye on the horizon." ~Pirates of the Caribbean


Here are photos of a few food labels:

Nutrition labels in India are pretty scanty for a thoroughly nit-picky, scrutinizing American label reader like myself. This peanut butter jar is actually a fairly comprehensive Nutrition label for India. Vitamins and minerals are rarely listed, which always are on American food items, along with calories, fat, sodium, cholesterol, fiber, protein, and more. People don't really care about reading Nutrition Facts here, and don't count calories the way some Americans do, which fits with the whole "Que Sera Sera" attitude (Spanish for "Whatever Will Be Will Be" from a song). It also took me a bit to figure out the calories label, because on some foods it's not listed at all or it will be listed only as "Energy." Ohhhh, it's energy (or kcal as it can also be labeled, the same unit as the Calories that are tracked on American labels), it's good for you, it's not calories to be avoided, okay, I can dig that. 

Thums Up, a popular soda in India.

Here's a little "Where's Waldo." Can you find the nutrition facts? 

Oh, here it is! This tiny little box.

Some chocolate cookies, or cream biscuits as I believe they are called here.

And, fancy that! Chocolate is energy, too! I can get used to this (although my waistline might differ).

"There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate."
~Charles Dickens

Happenings

"There are two great days in a person's life - the day we were born and the day we discover why."
~William Barclay


Sometimes I feel like it is difficult for me to write, because I want whatever I write to be extremely good (even if it's not I try). I can compare this feeling to a quote from Elizabeth Bennet speaking about Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, that I am "unwilling to speak, unless [I] expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to posterity with all the eclat of a proverb." Haha, alright, so an exaggeration, but still a good comparison. Has anyone noticed I will bring up Jane Austen at every possible opportunity? 


Friday night I went out for a double birthday celebration with work colleagues at a place called F9. Another nice spot, with great outdoor seating and good food and drinks. Somehow at every out of office gathering with my coworkers singing seems to usually commence at some point, and hookah is brought out. I was even entreated to sing a bit, and for that I apologize that I'm really not a very good singer. Although, it would be fun to play a tune on my guitar if I had it here. It's nice to see people more relaxed out of the office. 


A few dessert places I have had food from are Naturals (my favorite ice cream here), Cream Stone, and The Chocolate Room. I've also had food from more American places, like Quiznos, Subway, and Pizza Hut. Although the food options at these places have much better vegetarian options than in the US I must say! There is more than one sub at Subway and Quiznos that is vegetarian (the rest in the US always have meat), which I have to say is nice for a change, and they use really good spices in them.


It's a real task trying to keep living quarters relatively bug-free here. It still grosses me out when I find bugs I've never seen before. Since I grew up in a colder climate, I would say Minnesota's bug situation is very mild compared to many places around the world. Here there are more bugs, larger bugs, grosser bugs, and then there's the lizards, too. Did I mention bugs are everywhere? 


I've had some very interesting conversations with people here about marriage. And it almost blows my mind how different the concept of marriage is in India. It's not the norm to have a love marriage, and arranged marriage is by far most typical. This is gradually starting to shift, I think love marriages are becoming more acceptable by families, but the current social norm is an arranged marriage within your own caste. The urban cities are more liberal minded in this, but I've heard situations can turn violent in rural areas if a woman marries a man below her caste without her family's permission. It is expected that by the time a girl is about 26 and a guy about 30, that their families should look for a someone for them to marry (it used to be that couples would get married much younger I've heard). It is not expected that a couple "fall in love" before they get married, but they will be able to meet several people that their parent's find and approve of, and then if they talk and like each other, then they might get married. I've heard a few stories of people who have wanted to get married to someone that their parents don't approve of, and it kind of breaks my heart that that means they can't get married, or if they do risk being cast away by their family. I think that the status of women has really become much better in India now, as it is very common for females to go on to higher education and work, and in my office there are a lot of women working. I've also heard that Hyderabad is one of the safer cities to be in India, people have told me Delhi is unfortunately not very safe. But it is also fairly common, although becoming less so, that women will not work after they are married, or not be permitted to work by their marriage contract. Here's my opinion on all this marriage business from Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter by JK Rowling: "It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!"


But I have also tried to explain that there is almost the opposite pressure in America on marriage, although I would say it's more accepted not to get married at all in the US than India. There is an expectation that people will find a perfect love marriage, and then live happily ever after. This "fairy tale" fantasy is exactly how many Americans want marriage to be. And there is still pressure from families to get married and raise a family with an acceptable partner, with similar beliefs, values, education, etc, except that it is up to you to find your own partner. But there are also fewer demands and expectations from the couple's families on the marriage. Still, I'm not sure if the US has it exactly figured out if you look at the 50 percent divorce rate or so. Everywhere you go, there are societal pressures to live a certain way, it's just that those societal pressures are different depending on the culture, although I would say the US has a little more leniency on this issue.


I also learned this weekend that up until about 15 years ago it wasn't very common for people to have a landline phone unless they were rich (remember this was before the mobile phone sprung into popularity). I was talking to someone who had never used a phone until about 8th grade (or 8th class as they say here). I really can't imagine that, as having a phone has been commonplace for everyone in America for decades. But now, basically everyone in India has a cell phone, and minutes are extremely cheap, so having a mobile is very affordable. 


Last week I visited a coworker's house that was pretty amazing, encompassing white marble, glass,  spectacular chandeliers, custom artwork, and a lift. This was one of the most amazing houses I've been in in the US or India. It was a fun girls night with a couple coworkers. First we got fed with home cooking until we were stuffed, then watched a Hindi movie called "Kaminey" (in English "The Scoundrels", I watched with the subtitles so I could understand it) which actually surprised me how good it was. I was expecting what I conceive of as a Bollywood movie with singing and dancing. This was more of an action movie with a great plot, which also had some singing and music in it. I also learned from this movie that a "crore" is 10 million. In India, the numbering system is different than in the US, and makes more sense to me once I looked up how the commas work in India's numbering. 


US: 
10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore
100,000 = 100 thousand = 1 lakh 

India: 
1,00,00,000 = 1 crore (100 lakhs in a crore)
1,00,000 = 1 lakh


Someone asked me if people have heard of India in the US, and really, I hope expectations about the US's global knowledge aren't that low. Yes, I believe nearly everyone in America has at least heard of India, even if they don't know much about it, I mean, the country does have the second largest population in the entire world!


Cheers for now.


"Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."
~Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling

What's Your Sign?

Truthfully, this post is not related in the slightest to America's cheesiest pick-up line, "What's your sign?" but it is about signs and other random photos I've taken in the city.

There are traffic rules? Who knew. 

"Clean and Green" 

Common movie advertisement posters. 

Pretty store front 

Awesome architecture. I've also seen a lot of multilingual signage, such as is written here, showing both Telugu and English writing (perhaps even Hindi or others, a little hard for me to differentiate...). 

Yummy ice cream parlor. I've been to Naturals, Cream Stone, and Chocolate Room so far, all very tasty. Naturals is my favorite of the three, their ice cream has the best flavors, so good!

 Not the most exciting national park I've ever seen, but I they did have some nice quote signs. Still nice to see a little bit of nature, I do like seeing nature.

I love that Robert Frost's poem was here. 

"I'm a peripheral visionary - I can see far into the future just way off to the side." ~Steven Wright

"'So I said to the hitchhiker, 'What do you do?' He said 'I'm a student'. I said 'a student of what?' He said he was studying journalism and photography, so I said 'that's funny, I'm actually writing a short story about a photographer who went completely insane trying to take a close up photo of the horizon.'"

~Steven Wright

My First Diwali - Festival of Lights

Diwali in India is like Christmas in America. It is the largest Hindu festival celebration of the year, and largest celebration in India. Called Diwali, or Deepawali, it is the Festival of Lights, and the name translates to "row of lamps." It celebrates the return of Lord Rama, and celebrates the victory of good over evil.

"Rangoli" artwork in colored powder is typically at the end of a home's driveway, I saw many displays in front of the gate. It is created as a sacred welcome for deities into a home. Hanging yellow and orange flowers on houses, cars, doorways, and gates is also very common as an offering to the gods, as is the powder. Hindus have millions of gods, I was quoted 38 million, but people only worship a few of their own choice. I have also been told that Hindu gods are like one god in various forms. 

Even Harley-Davidson dressed up for Diwali.

Many houses and buildings will put up strings of lights for Diwali as Americans do for Christmas (in America we would call these lights "Christmas Lights"). 

Crackers (or Fireworks in America) are a big part of Diwali at night. From about 7-11 pm these were going off constantly all over, made quite a racket, too. People light off crackers outside their homes, and there is a continuous display going on from everyone participating, pretty cool to watch from the roof of the hostel. In the US, we have fireworks, but I would usually just see a 15-20 minute public display when there is a community showing. Here, it is an all night affair, the sky was ablaze with light, and much more common for people to light off their own, so they were being lit off from every direction. Some guys from the hostel picked up some crackers and were lighting them off, but, I decided a couple sparklers were enough for me on the participation end...

This is a Lakshmi-Pooja offering, a form of worship. This particular offering is praying for Lakshmi, Goddess of Money, pictured in the center of the tri-figure image. All of these things are offered so that a person will become prosperous in the future. Diwali is considered a good day to bless certain items so that they may prosper, it is also considered somewhat of a New Year. Many families will set-up offerings like this in their homes, and they will pray to it as a form of worship, and it is also customary for families to go to Temple on Diwali, as Christians would go to Church on Christmas Day or Eve. 

Small clay lamps like this are filled with oil and lit to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. 

Traditional Indian men's wear, worn by a hostel mate. I believe it is called a sherwani, but a simpler version is kurta pajamas if it is a plainer garment. Many offices also had employees wear traditional clothing before Diwali, and people will often wear new clothes and jewelry, and buy quite lavish clothing. The sharing of sweets also is a big part of Diwali.

The office seemed a bit quieter today with some people taking a holiday day or two around this time before and after Diwali.

Well, maybe that was kind of boring for my Indian friends, as they already know about Diwali, but hopefully it was interesting from a newbie Diwali celebrator's point of view. On a side note, I first heard about Diwali on the American TV show "The Office," an absolutely hilarious show for those that haven't seen it, I know most people I've met in India haven't heard of it because it isn't aired here.

Happy Diwali!


"There is a force in the universe, which, if we permit it, will flow through us and produce miraculous results." ~Mahatma Gandhi

P.S. Please inform me if you notice a detail of my blog might not be right on this post or future posts, I try to fact check everything, but, wouldn't want to get anything important wrong! Thanks to those that already have! I love getting feedback from my viewers.

Musings on Acclimation

"How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live." ~Henry David Thoreau

The Inorbit Mall decorated with festive hanging lanterns.

I'm not used to sharing this much of my life for so many to read, but it's actually been very therapeutic to share my strange, difficult, surprising, interesting, and amazing experiences that have happened since I've been here. And, I try to keep my blog as honest a depiction of what is going on as possible, I won't attempt to gloss over all the challenges, because I've had both wonderful and difficult experiences. I used to think that showing your own difficulties and challenges lessened others' opinion of you, but now I think that it makes you seem more human, because we all have our own struggles we face, and I won't pretend I don't have mine as well, it is more important how we deal with them and to remain optimistic. Actually, I believe India has allowed me to be more honest with myself, although it can still be hard for me to open up to others. And it is exactly these challenges that I believe continually make me a stronger person. India is a very confrontational culture, challenges hit you head on, and you have to deal with them whether you want to or not. Yet, the good has far outweighed the challenges, once I have started to understand this new world that currently surrounds me, I have grown fond of it. Every day I have the opportunity to learn something new. I am continually learning and growing, and asking questions all the time, I love asking questions about anything and everything, gradually becoming acquainted with this country on a deeper and more personal level. I also love wearing kurties and leggings to work, and I love learning Hindi. Traveling here has given me confidence that I am capable of doing things on my own, and it is a very empowering feeling of self-confidence, although I've also had the help and support of many wonderful people I've met here. I've heard that once you can travel to India, you can travel anywhere, and I'd believe it.

I have often found that people have a tendency to devalue that which they are not willing, capable, or don't take the time to understand. Just because things are different, doesn't make them better or worse. We are predisposed to like our own ways the best, to like things how we were raised, but does that mean everyone must live exactly as us? Isn't that a part of what makes the world wonderful? Different cultures, traditions, and lifestyles are what make the world interesting, wouldn't it be boring if we were all the same? One of my favorite parts about India is learning about how it is culturally different. 

When I decided to go to India, I often got these responses: "Wow that's great!" or, "India, huh, are you sure about that?" Sure it took preparation, lots of preparation, it's not a rash decision to be made, and it has taken time to adjust once I came, but I would tell anyone if they are debating whether or not to travel or study abroad, do it! You won't regret it, but you might regret not ever taking the opportunity. I can now admit that on my first day of work when I was being introduced to the marketing and design teams in my office, that I couldn't even understand their names, let alone remember them. But this, too, has become easier over time. And I still do stupid things, like today I accidentally misinterpreted an auto cost of 50 rupees that heard 15 instead of 50, because I thought it was a sharing auto and it wasn't apparently, and the auto driver spoke next to no English, and my Hindi numbers are limited, although this will motivate me to learn more...But, if you're not making mistakes, you're not learning anything new, right?

Learning some basic things has made me feel like a child at times, such as feeling like I am learning how to eat. Since foods, their names, and how they are eaten is different, this has taken practice. Chapati, which is like tortillas in America, are not filled like a burrito and wrapped up. Rather, chapati is eaten torn off in small sections and scooped in curry or chutney, and I've by now got the hang of it. This is kind of how Americans would eat chips and salsa, except you don't tear the chips. Rice is mixed with dhal, a kind of liquid with spices and chopped veggies and oil I believe. Usually the rice is mixed and eaten with your fingers, although some do use a spoon. I still use a spoon for this because that's how I'm accustomed. I have also learned how to order my lunch in Hindi by now. At first I couldn't handle very spicy foods, but as I try more little by little, I am growing very fond of Indian food. American food may even taste kind of bland by the time I go home. The parathas are my favorite thus far, so delicious, but they are by far the best when you eat them fresh and hot! But food is also very heavy since most things are cooked in oil. Someone told me that people didn't eat that much cheese because it was high in fat, but I'm wondering, if everything is cooked in oil what's the difference? I was asking people at work why there isn't very much information listed on nutrition labels, and they said because Indians weren't concerned with that, and if you find out how many calories are in Indian dishes you won't enjoy them! Seems like a good mindset to me. Additionally, people at work are the best food sharers I've ever met.

"The caged bird sings with a fearful trill

Of things unknown but longed for still

And his tune is heard on the distant hill for

The caged bird sings of freedom."

~Maya Angelou

"Laugh at yourself, but don't ever aim your doubt at yourself. Be bold. When you embark for strange places, don't leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory." ~Alan Alda

P.S. I bought pens here and they said on them, "Made in Germany," and I thought it was ironic, go figure, huh?

USPS Mail & 5280 Feet

Yay!!! A couple of truly wonderful friends from the US of A sent me my first piece of mail in India which I received tonight via the US Postal Service. I can't even believe it. It was so great to have a few pieces of home sent to me, a few items and letters. Just grand, it really was a wonderful end of my day, and came at just the right time in my week.

My sketch from last weekend

I was told by many Indian friends to listen to Bryan Adams because he's "SO good!" and he seems pretty famous in India because he toured here. So, I looked him up, and I actually have heard his music before just didn't remember his name. The closest I can compare him to is either Celine Dion or Michael Bolton, in the genre of cheesy romantic 90s music. But, to each his own.

Also, this is totally random unrelated to India, but in researching the Bryan Adams bit, I came across this image of Michael Bolton, in his 90s hair glory. Then I thought, that reminds me of that self portrait of Albrecht Durer, a North Renaissance artist in the early 16th c. Just me or is there a resemblance?

Moving on. Now that I've gotten used to using the auto rickshaw system (called autos or ricks), I know what I need to say to be able to fetch my own auto. Basically, I need to communicate 3 things: sharing/metered auto, location, and price. I've also found that by speaking at least a minimal amount of Hindi the auto drivers are more reasonable, and realize I'm not completely ignorant about how autos work and pricing. Since I obviously look like a foreigner, they're very likely to try to jack up the price of a ride if I don't know how much it should cost. For example, a ride home from the office should be about 40-50 rupees if it's a personal ride, but often I'll be quoted 80-100 rupees, which I can try to negotiate for half or 2/3 the cost but is still more than what I should be paying. Now that I know how to take the sharing auto home, that is about 10 rupees on the part of the route I take. I get autos stopping by me when I am walking on the street all the time because I stand out, and they probably think that I'll pay more for a ride.

My line of questions to get an auto:
1) "Sharing?" (With sharing autos you pay per seat and ride with others, they have certain routes they follow so you need to know which one you're getting on. With metered autos they can take you anywhere but are more expensive)
2) Give location I want to reach. They will respond with a form of verbal or nonverbal yes or no to this if they're going there or willing to go there.
3) "Kitnaa?" ("How much" in Hindi. I have also learned to count up to 10 in Hindi in case they don't speak English, as well as various other small phrases to help me out). Once they answer this I decide if the price is right. If it is I get on if not I walk away and try another auto.

So, on to another topic: the Metric System. Pretty logical system right? And so easy to convert units, I mean, it really couldn't get any easier. 10 millimeters in a centimeter, 100 centimeters in a meter, 1000 meters in a kilometer, etc... In India, this is the measurement system that is used. Commonly distances are given in kilometers, speeds in kilometers/hour, weights in kilograms, and it is what everyone refers to. Although, I kept hearing the term "lakh" which I had never heard before, and apparently it is a unit of 100,000 that is used commonly in India.

So, why doesn't America use the Metric System? Excellent question. I was trying to explain the Imperial System's units to someone here (now basically the "American" System), and I'll do my best to give my readers the basics for those unfamiliar with it. As for common lengths and distances, there are 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard, 5280 feet in a mile. Usually for driving, distances are in miles, speeds in miles/hour, car fuel efficiency miles/gallon. A person's height is in feet and inches, weight is in pounds. As for common liquid measures and weights, there are 8 ounces in a cup, 2 cups in a pint, 2 pints in a quart, 4 quarts in a gallon. Seriously, I even have a hard time remembering it at times, because it is the least intuitive system that could possibly be devised. The only time I've ever used the metric system on a regular basis is in Science classes, and Track and Cross Country running.

Also, as readers may have seen me post both F and C temperatures, because the US is one of the few countries to still use F, as most have switched to C. Kind of interesting.

Fun little map I found online of countries that don't use the metric system, shown in red (the only 3 are USA, Liberia, and Myanmar), go USA!

Theek hai, Chalo Bye.

"On the other hand, you have different fingers." ~Steven Wright

Innopark's Anniversary Party Celebration

My team and I at the party.

So, on Friday Innopark celebrated their 7 year anniversary. Quite amazing actually, the company has grown from a few people to 200 since the inception. Everyone was invited to celebrate at News Cafe, a restaurant/pub/club in the Inorbit Mall. It was a good time. Starting off with a presentation from one of the founders; food, drinks, cake, socializing, music, pictures, and dancing followed. There was a theme for wearing Innopark's colors, so most were dressed in black, red, or white. I enjoyed the night out with my colleagues, they're pretty entertaining. I've gotten complements from co-workers on my India dressing, apparently I wear India clothes well! That seriously makes my day when I hear that. And I learned at the party that house lizards can lose their tails as a defensive mechanism, and then re-grow them (speaking of which had a couple of these guys on my wall last weekend). Really hoping I don't find tails in my room...

Many of my colleagues have told me that Hyderabad has really undergone quite a rapid change over the last 5-10 years. Many of the shopping malls have been built very recently, and the culture is becoming more Westernized. It seems that this has also had a dramatic impact on India's culture in the major cities. It's very normal for people to wear either traditional Indian dress or Western clothing. The rural areas I am told are still very different than urban. It is hard seeing the kind of poverty that some people live in, which I've never experienced before in America, and the trash on the streets. It's very common to see dogs, chickens, and cows feeding on a garbage dump area that I walk past on my way to work, and the smell is not so pleasant.

I'm attempting to try not to worry as much about things when they aren't going according to my plans, which can be difficult when things get more complicated than I think they should be, and yeah, it's not fun, it can really suck, but that's life. And when something doesn't go right in a foreign country, it's just that much more difficult to deal with because I'm not as knowledgeable about how to go about resolving an issue. But, I think it's making me a stronger person, and I'm learning I have some really awesome people here who will support me in whatever I'm going through.

I thought I would list a few common phrases that I hear all the time that I've gotten used to. So, here's my cliff notes version of Indian English mixed with Hindi:

1) "Cool." Used a lot like sounds good. Everything is cool.
2) "Good, good." Also, "acha," which means means good in Hindi.
3) "Sorry?" Said a lot when you need something repeated or you don't understand something.
4) "Theek Hai." Hindi for OK. Hear this all the time.
5) "Haan" and "Naheen." Yes and no in Hindi.
6) "Kyaa?" What?
7) Answering anything with a side to side bob of the head.

I also seriously think Indians speak more English slang than Americans do. And, though I keep mentioning Hindi, I should point out that there are many other languages people speak here besides. Telugu is very common, as the state language, but I know people in Hyderabad that speak other languages such as Urdu, Bangalore, Oriya, Marathi, and more that I can't remember. It's just that usually Hindi is the commonly used alternative language to English that I've heard in the office. On a random note, someone mentioned they were a Bong the other day, and then clarified that it meant they were a Bengali (a part of India), yeah, I didn't know what to say at first to that. If you're American you'll probably understand my confusion.

The following are the top questions I always get:
"Where are you from?" (People always wonder if it's the US or UK)
"How many people are in your family?" (4, in case anyone is wondering)
"How tall are you?" (a little over 5 feet 7 inches)

Last week we were sharing some jokes in the office, and I taught a couple famous American jokes. I'll mention one: Q: "What's black and white and read all over?" A: "A newspaper" (when telling the joke the confusion is that everyone will think "read" is the color "red." I also had to teach what a knock-knock joke was, because people thought all that was to it was "Knock-knock, who's there?", and that that's all the joke is! So, I felt it was my duty to set the record straight. Here's an example of a knock-knock joke:

Person A: "Knock-knock"
B: "Who's there?"
A: "Boo"
B: "Boo Who?"
A: "Don't cry, it's just a joke!"

Okay, kind of stupid, but anyway, you get the point. I still like them.

On another note, people here get upset with me when they ask me if I know certain American singers/movies/celebrities, etc, and I say I've never heard of them. They're like, "What? We need to educate you on your own culture!"

Thought another temperature comparison would be interesting, so I included both F and C temps for Hyderabad and St. Paul, Minnesota. It's already getting chilly in MN, and this is nothing yet! Hyderabad is still quite warm, hot summers but nice winters.

Well, that's about it for now.


"Rule number one is, don't sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it's all small stuff." ~Robert Elliot