Sunday, January 24
You know how when you are on a cruise, you never know who you might end up sitting next to at breakfast? Well, that was this morning at the hotel. Last night was the hotel’s grand opening and there was a GREAT party that lasted well after I went to bed at 3 am, so the hotel was booked to full capacity last night. Making the breakfast buffet this morning also packed.
When Dorreen and I met up for a bite before another day of shopping, there was only one table available and it was really for about eight people. Dorreen and I were sat on one end, another lady on the other, and a gentleman in the center. Pretty soon, the four of us were chatting it up.
The lady was from Germany and is traveling all over India for work. She works for a Germany car company called Continental. I’ve never heard of it, but didn’t mention that part to her. The rest of her collogues had gone to the Taj today, but she wasn’t feeling a 100% after the party last night and opted to stay at the hotel.
The gentleman, who is also from the States, Chicago to be exact, is here for work too. His collogues had gone to the Taj as well and he stayed behind. He was an interesting fellow and after a few minutes told us he was a bus door salesman AND India has a huge market for bus doors! I about shot coffee out my nose trying to not laugh. I mean, really, just the doors?? I wanted to ask what there slogan was, “You bring the bus, we got your door” or “Fold’em, Roll’em, Open’em wide?”
After breakfast, we went to go to Delhi Haat, a craft fair sort of market. The whole way there we were looking at the buses to see if we saw ones that needed doors. Actually, it seems there might be a market for bus doors. We didn’t see very many buses that still had doors. Now the question is, do his bus doors come in “extremely dented” so they match the rest of the bus?
Ok well only two more weeks to a I get on plane! Until tomorrow…
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 15 days…
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Day 141: A Shirt Full of Sunglasses
Saturday, January 23
Well today was an adventure as every shopping trip is! We went to another open market place that I haven’t been to before. I would tell you the name of it, but seeming as Dorreen and I refer to it as “the market that starts with S and ends in nagar” that really isn’t an option!
I was able to get a few good deals on some jewelry and other souvenirs. I bought Devin a “real” (I doubt it) Italian leather belt for Rs. 100. I didn’t real plan on getting one, but when I got him down from Rs. 600, it seemed wrong to just walk away. Plus, it really is a nice belt, even if I don’t believe it to be really from Italy. The best moment of the day came about mid day however.
Unfortunately, an easy way to make a few extra bucks is to steal goods from an actual vendor and sell them to passerbies. And of course since you didn’t have to pay for them, anything is a profit. Now, if I could have shaken my morals, I could have walked away with a killer deal!
Anyway, Payal and Doreen were looking in a stall at some jewelry. I wasn’t really interested and it was pretty crowded, so I was just standing outside people watching. This guy walks up to me, looking in both directions as he did, and drops his eyes to his side. I follow his gaze out of sheer curiosity to see a very nice pair of Ray-ban’s. Based on the way he was acting, I was pretty certain he had jacked them from some else. So I asked him, “Who’d you steal those from?” He laughed and continued showing me all the great attributes of the sunglasses. I’m not expert, but I’m 95% sure they were actual Ray-bans and not a knockoff.
I couldn’t really just walk away and leave my friends, and he wasn’t scary or pushy so I let him show them to me. Honestly, they looked pretty nice, but again those darn morals got in the way, even when he came all the way down to Rs. 150 (~$3). I started looking for a way to get out, so I pointed at my glasses on my head and said I don’t need another pair. I’m not sure what he thought I was saying, but the next thing I know, the man was lifting up his shirt and pulling out a whole bunch of different shapes and colors! And this whole time I thought he just had a little middle age belly going on!
At this point, I lost it and began laughing so hard I think the entire market shut down for a second to figure out what was wrong with the crazy American! Here I thought he had jacked a pair or two and was trying to make a quick buck. The next thing I know he is pulling out different styles from everywhere. He didn’t steal a pair, she ripped off an entire store!
Anyway, while I did buy lots of different things, stolen sunglasses was not one of them!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 16 days…
Well today was an adventure as every shopping trip is! We went to another open market place that I haven’t been to before. I would tell you the name of it, but seeming as Dorreen and I refer to it as “the market that starts with S and ends in nagar” that really isn’t an option!
I was able to get a few good deals on some jewelry and other souvenirs. I bought Devin a “real” (I doubt it) Italian leather belt for Rs. 100. I didn’t real plan on getting one, but when I got him down from Rs. 600, it seemed wrong to just walk away. Plus, it really is a nice belt, even if I don’t believe it to be really from Italy. The best moment of the day came about mid day however.
Unfortunately, an easy way to make a few extra bucks is to steal goods from an actual vendor and sell them to passerbies. And of course since you didn’t have to pay for them, anything is a profit. Now, if I could have shaken my morals, I could have walked away with a killer deal!
Anyway, Payal and Doreen were looking in a stall at some jewelry. I wasn’t really interested and it was pretty crowded, so I was just standing outside people watching. This guy walks up to me, looking in both directions as he did, and drops his eyes to his side. I follow his gaze out of sheer curiosity to see a very nice pair of Ray-ban’s. Based on the way he was acting, I was pretty certain he had jacked them from some else. So I asked him, “Who’d you steal those from?” He laughed and continued showing me all the great attributes of the sunglasses. I’m not expert, but I’m 95% sure they were actual Ray-bans and not a knockoff.
I couldn’t really just walk away and leave my friends, and he wasn’t scary or pushy so I let him show them to me. Honestly, they looked pretty nice, but again those darn morals got in the way, even when he came all the way down to Rs. 150 (~$3). I started looking for a way to get out, so I pointed at my glasses on my head and said I don’t need another pair. I’m not sure what he thought I was saying, but the next thing I know, the man was lifting up his shirt and pulling out a whole bunch of different shapes and colors! And this whole time I thought he just had a little middle age belly going on!
At this point, I lost it and began laughing so hard I think the entire market shut down for a second to figure out what was wrong with the crazy American! Here I thought he had jacked a pair or two and was trying to make a quick buck. The next thing I know he is pulling out different styles from everywhere. He didn’t steal a pair, she ripped off an entire store!
Anyway, while I did buy lots of different things, stolen sunglasses was not one of them!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 16 days…
Day 140: Two Down, Two to Go
Friday, January 22
Well, I made it through week two! The kids are making great progress and asking good questions. I’m really proud of how far they have come in these past two weeks. When we first went live, I was truly concerned that four weeks was not going to be enough time for floor support. However, now that we are halfway through our time together, I think they will be ok.
After work, two of my co-workers headed to the mountains for the weekend. I was invited of course, and wish I could have gone, but I wanted to go get some shopping done and I’m running out of weekends. Plus, it would be a lot of hours in a car and I’m not so good with curvy mountain roads. So I decided to stay behind.
Tomorrow I’ll be going shopping with a couple other coworkers and that should be fun. I have a whole list of things I would like to pickup. And of course I’m looking forward to haggling down to the price I want to pay. Oh I’ll miss that back in the States! Anyone think I could start a trend at Target? Hehehe!
Ok well, I’m out for tonight, I’ve got an early day tomorrow!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 17 days… Getting Excited!
Well, I made it through week two! The kids are making great progress and asking good questions. I’m really proud of how far they have come in these past two weeks. When we first went live, I was truly concerned that four weeks was not going to be enough time for floor support. However, now that we are halfway through our time together, I think they will be ok.
After work, two of my co-workers headed to the mountains for the weekend. I was invited of course, and wish I could have gone, but I wanted to go get some shopping done and I’m running out of weekends. Plus, it would be a lot of hours in a car and I’m not so good with curvy mountain roads. So I decided to stay behind.
Tomorrow I’ll be going shopping with a couple other coworkers and that should be fun. I have a whole list of things I would like to pickup. And of course I’m looking forward to haggling down to the price I want to pay. Oh I’ll miss that back in the States! Anyone think I could start a trend at Target? Hehehe!
Ok well, I’m out for tonight, I’ve got an early day tomorrow!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 17 days… Getting Excited!
Day 139: Things I’m looking forward to coming home to…
Thursday, January 21
So it seems that making top ten lists are my new favorite thing to blog about. Just call me Letterman and enjoy! ;-)
10) My own desk! As silly as this might sound to some people, I love working. As much as I love training all day, I miss getting my hands on something. I miss the sense of accomplishment that comes from having a mile long to-do list and crossing it all off one by one.
9) Giving back my Blackberry! I know my husband will be disappointed to hear this, I’m pretty sure he thought I would come home so addicted I would agree to get them for us! No such luck! I spend entirely too much time on Facebook and email because of this thing! LOL!
8) Driving! Don’t get me wrong, all the catnaps in the car as someone else drives is nice. But I look forward to being a little safer, I mean slower, in control of my own travel experience. I also look forward to being able to control the temperature in my car! Oh and driving on the correct side of the rode…
7) Biscuits! Ok actually this one comes as a surprise to me as well. Seeing as I don’t really eat biscuits that often at home, who would have thought I’d miss them this much! But, when there is no way, no substitute, nothing similar, a small craving turns into a burning need faster than you thought possible! Plus, I didn’t get my fix at Christmas and I’m not going to make it eleven more months till my next Christmas breakfast!
6) The rest of my cloths! I’m so sick of wearing the same cloths. I want my huge closet full of all different clothes in prints and colors. I look forward to have more than four pairs of shoes to choose from too. And even though I always the same earrings and necklace, I look forward to the choice to wear some of my other jewelry!
5) My phone! I miss being able to pick up the phone whenever I want to call whoever I want. I miss being reachable by all my family and friends too. Oh and I miss text messages! And the simplicity of a phone that is just a phone!
4) Mexican food! Bring on the tacos, fajitas, burritos, chips, and salsa! For a food type that I would typically have some form of once a week at home, I miss it! While Indian food defiantly has the spice I love so much, the curry just isn’t the same as good ole cumin and chili powder!
3) Brooks and Addy! I miss my sweet puppies so much! I can’t wait to take them for walks, play ball, and just love on them as we snuggle on the couch. They are so sweet and now that they are over a year old and will have spent three months with Grandma Dee, the trainer, let’s just hope they are a little better behaved. (Devin's note- a 'little' better is the key word here...)
2) Friends and Church! I miss my church family! I miss being in the Lord’s house and worshipping with fellow believers. I can’t wait to see all my friends that God has blessed me with in KS. They have all been so supportive and taken such good care of my hubby. I can’t wait to catch up and hang out!
1) Devin! Really, did you think anything else would be number one! ;-) I can’t wait to be back in the arms of the world’s most amazing man!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 18 days… Whoa!!
So it seems that making top ten lists are my new favorite thing to blog about. Just call me Letterman and enjoy! ;-)
10) My own desk! As silly as this might sound to some people, I love working. As much as I love training all day, I miss getting my hands on something. I miss the sense of accomplishment that comes from having a mile long to-do list and crossing it all off one by one.
9) Giving back my Blackberry! I know my husband will be disappointed to hear this, I’m pretty sure he thought I would come home so addicted I would agree to get them for us! No such luck! I spend entirely too much time on Facebook and email because of this thing! LOL!
8) Driving! Don’t get me wrong, all the catnaps in the car as someone else drives is nice. But I look forward to being a little safer, I mean slower, in control of my own travel experience. I also look forward to being able to control the temperature in my car! Oh and driving on the correct side of the rode…
7) Biscuits! Ok actually this one comes as a surprise to me as well. Seeing as I don’t really eat biscuits that often at home, who would have thought I’d miss them this much! But, when there is no way, no substitute, nothing similar, a small craving turns into a burning need faster than you thought possible! Plus, I didn’t get my fix at Christmas and I’m not going to make it eleven more months till my next Christmas breakfast!
6) The rest of my cloths! I’m so sick of wearing the same cloths. I want my huge closet full of all different clothes in prints and colors. I look forward to have more than four pairs of shoes to choose from too. And even though I always the same earrings and necklace, I look forward to the choice to wear some of my other jewelry!
5) My phone! I miss being able to pick up the phone whenever I want to call whoever I want. I miss being reachable by all my family and friends too. Oh and I miss text messages! And the simplicity of a phone that is just a phone!
4) Mexican food! Bring on the tacos, fajitas, burritos, chips, and salsa! For a food type that I would typically have some form of once a week at home, I miss it! While Indian food defiantly has the spice I love so much, the curry just isn’t the same as good ole cumin and chili powder!
3) Brooks and Addy! I miss my sweet puppies so much! I can’t wait to take them for walks, play ball, and just love on them as we snuggle on the couch. They are so sweet and now that they are over a year old and will have spent three months with Grandma Dee, the trainer, let’s just hope they are a little better behaved. (Devin's note- a 'little' better is the key word here...)
2) Friends and Church! I miss my church family! I miss being in the Lord’s house and worshipping with fellow believers. I can’t wait to see all my friends that God has blessed me with in KS. They have all been so supportive and taken such good care of my hubby. I can’t wait to catch up and hang out!
1) Devin! Really, did you think anything else would be number one! ;-) I can’t wait to be back in the arms of the world’s most amazing man!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 18 days… Whoa!!
Day 138: A Thousand Tomorrows
Wednesday, January 20
I love Karen Kingsbury! Big surprise I know, LOL! Anyway, I just finished my latest reading endeavor, A Thousand Tomorrows by Kingsbury and as expected, I loved it!
While the Rodeo has never been a huge point of interest for me, I found myself totally captivated by the story of Cody Gunner as he deals with the angry he’s had since he was a little kid watching his daddy drive away forever by lasting eight seconds on the back of a deadly beast. Cody uses his built up anger to become one of the best in professional bull riding, but no one really knows him. He keeps everyone at arm’s length, much like barrel racer, Ali Daniels.
Ali has her own secret in the rodeo arena. She too doesn’t get close to anyone and spends most of her time with her horse, Ace, or in her trailer with her mom. She is at the top of her game much like Cody and has no intention of letting anything change that.
A Thousand Tomorrows is the story of these two loners finding a friendship that blossoms in to so much more than either of them every thought their life could include. While this is no doubt a love story, it is by no means only a love story. Kingsbury does a great job showing the importance of forgiveness and acceptance, as well as meaningful friendships and trusting in God’s plan.
Unlike many of Kingsbury’s books, this one doesn’t have any scripture references, which is one of the things I love best about her books. But even without those, she does a wonderful job bringing Godly truths in a more subtle way. Yet again, Kingsbury knocks it out of the park for me!
With Love,
Eli
PS Happy Birthday Amy Lynn! I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for your big 3 - 0! I love you so much though!!
Countdown to Home: 19 days…
I love Karen Kingsbury! Big surprise I know, LOL! Anyway, I just finished my latest reading endeavor, A Thousand Tomorrows by Kingsbury and as expected, I loved it!
While the Rodeo has never been a huge point of interest for me, I found myself totally captivated by the story of Cody Gunner as he deals with the angry he’s had since he was a little kid watching his daddy drive away forever by lasting eight seconds on the back of a deadly beast. Cody uses his built up anger to become one of the best in professional bull riding, but no one really knows him. He keeps everyone at arm’s length, much like barrel racer, Ali Daniels.
Ali has her own secret in the rodeo arena. She too doesn’t get close to anyone and spends most of her time with her horse, Ace, or in her trailer with her mom. She is at the top of her game much like Cody and has no intention of letting anything change that.
A Thousand Tomorrows is the story of these two loners finding a friendship that blossoms in to so much more than either of them every thought their life could include. While this is no doubt a love story, it is by no means only a love story. Kingsbury does a great job showing the importance of forgiveness and acceptance, as well as meaningful friendships and trusting in God’s plan.
Unlike many of Kingsbury’s books, this one doesn’t have any scripture references, which is one of the things I love best about her books. But even without those, she does a wonderful job bringing Godly truths in a more subtle way. Yet again, Kingsbury knocks it out of the park for me!
With Love,
Eli
PS Happy Birthday Amy Lynn! I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for your big 3 - 0! I love you so much though!!
Countdown to Home: 19 days…
Day 137: Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse….
Tuesday, January 19
The fog was even worse tonight than it was last night! YIKES! I beat we say 20 cars parked on the side of the road with their flashers on. I’m not sure how the driver was able to continue, I was scared to death! It took about four times as long to get home tonight in comparison to the average night. I’m so ready for the crazy fog to go away. Really, the air is so thick you have to drink to get any oxygen! Enough about the nasty fog….
So my day was pretty much the normal kind of day I’ve gotten used to having. I spent my workday racing around, answering questions, explaining workaids, and trying to ensure everything is being done to company standards. I think I ended up with about 25 emails throughout the day about different payors, getting clarification about how they should be worked.
Luckily, I’m actually floor support for my old billing center in Jackson, and since this is the process that I do back home, I know a little bit about some of the payors. It helps, but for every payor I know, there are at least 5 I don’t. It’s a process and I’m learning as much as the folks here, so it’s a good thing I suppose.
I still haven’t heard about the promotion I put in for. As of the last time I checked, they had not made a decision and would let me know either way. That was about three weeks ago, so I’m trying to decided if I should check back again. I don’t want to be a nuisance, but I’m so ready to know one way or the other! LOL! I think I’ll sit tight for a bit longer, maybe I’ll hear something tomorrow! We shall see…
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 20 days…
The fog was even worse tonight than it was last night! YIKES! I beat we say 20 cars parked on the side of the road with their flashers on. I’m not sure how the driver was able to continue, I was scared to death! It took about four times as long to get home tonight in comparison to the average night. I’m so ready for the crazy fog to go away. Really, the air is so thick you have to drink to get any oxygen! Enough about the nasty fog….
So my day was pretty much the normal kind of day I’ve gotten used to having. I spent my workday racing around, answering questions, explaining workaids, and trying to ensure everything is being done to company standards. I think I ended up with about 25 emails throughout the day about different payors, getting clarification about how they should be worked.
Luckily, I’m actually floor support for my old billing center in Jackson, and since this is the process that I do back home, I know a little bit about some of the payors. It helps, but for every payor I know, there are at least 5 I don’t. It’s a process and I’m learning as much as the folks here, so it’s a good thing I suppose.
I still haven’t heard about the promotion I put in for. As of the last time I checked, they had not made a decision and would let me know either way. That was about three weeks ago, so I’m trying to decided if I should check back again. I don’t want to be a nuisance, but I’m so ready to know one way or the other! LOL! I think I’ll sit tight for a bit longer, maybe I’ll hear something tomorrow! We shall see…
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 20 days…
Day 136: Fog, Fog Go Away (A 'lost' Blog)
Monday, January 18
And don’t come back any time soon! No really, the fog season here is CRAZY! It is so foggy when we leave work most nights that you can’t see three feet in front of you. I give it to the drivers; they seem to be use to it and are able to get us safely back to the hotel. They go slow, turn on their flashers, and have the route memorized. I would stay home if it meant I had to drive in this nonsense!
The fog is what delayed Devin’s flight so much, but I’m being told that fog season is ending now and my flight should not be a problem. Cross your fingers this will be the case! While an extra night in India won’t be so bad, sleeping in the airport is not how I would like to start my long journey home.
Speaking of coming home, three weeks from right now I should be sitting in the Chicago airport, waiting to board my plane to home sweet home. As much as I’m ready to be back in my house, with my hubby and puppies, and drive my car to my office, I have made so many amazing friends. I’m really not looking forward to the goodbyes. Goodbyes are not a strong point for me. In fact, I pretty much stink at them!
Well, I think I’m going to call it a blog. I have a grilled cheese sandwich waiting to be eaten and a good book ready to be read. Until tomorrow…
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 21 days…
And don’t come back any time soon! No really, the fog season here is CRAZY! It is so foggy when we leave work most nights that you can’t see three feet in front of you. I give it to the drivers; they seem to be use to it and are able to get us safely back to the hotel. They go slow, turn on their flashers, and have the route memorized. I would stay home if it meant I had to drive in this nonsense!
The fog is what delayed Devin’s flight so much, but I’m being told that fog season is ending now and my flight should not be a problem. Cross your fingers this will be the case! While an extra night in India won’t be so bad, sleeping in the airport is not how I would like to start my long journey home.
Speaking of coming home, three weeks from right now I should be sitting in the Chicago airport, waiting to board my plane to home sweet home. As much as I’m ready to be back in my house, with my hubby and puppies, and drive my car to my office, I have made so many amazing friends. I’m really not looking forward to the goodbyes. Goodbyes are not a strong point for me. In fact, I pretty much stink at them!
Well, I think I’m going to call it a blog. I have a grilled cheese sandwich waiting to be eaten and a good book ready to be read. Until tomorrow…
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 21 days…
Day 135: T Minus Three Weeks (A 'lost' Blog)
Sunday, January 17
I’m not sure what my deal is, but I’m so ready to go home it makes me no fun to hang out with. Well, maybe it just makes me have no fun…
I’m ready to get back to my life, my hubby, my puppies, my church, my office, my life! I’m not sure what the deal is, but whatever it is, I need it to go away. Three weeks is a drop in the hat in compared to the 11 I have already been in India, and I still want to have fun with my new friends.
That is the weird thing about all this. I never in my life thought I would fly to the other side of the world and find friends that I’m this close to. I really thought I would fly over here, do a job, see some sights, and fly home unchanged. I realize, now, that is not the case.
I’ve seen the poorest of poor among the BMW drivers with their Gucci bags and D&G shoes. I’ve seen one of the Wonders for the World, TWICE! I’ve touched fine marbles and dirt floors. I’ve used fancy toilets and a hole in the ground. I’ve stood on top the oldest fort in India and beside the world’s largest cannon and cried when I could do nothing to help the children running between cars to beg. I have worshipped in a small little church with a handful of fellow Christians and found myself rejoicing in the good God can do with my lost Bible. I’ve made friends I’ll never forget and would always be welcome in my home!
My heart has been touched, permanently, by this country. I will always remember my time here as a blessing. I am forever grateful for the amazing country I call home and my family and friends that have continued to love and support me, even from the other side of the world. I’m ready to come home and share all that I have learned. I’m ready for a chance to live a more thankful life in the land of plenty!
Well, what do you know, I’m not nearly as grumpy and sad! With a thankful heart I’ll call it a night! And no worries, I’ll be boarding a plane, USA bound in three weeks from right now!! ;-)
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 22 days…
I’m not sure what my deal is, but I’m so ready to go home it makes me no fun to hang out with. Well, maybe it just makes me have no fun…
I’m ready to get back to my life, my hubby, my puppies, my church, my office, my life! I’m not sure what the deal is, but whatever it is, I need it to go away. Three weeks is a drop in the hat in compared to the 11 I have already been in India, and I still want to have fun with my new friends.
That is the weird thing about all this. I never in my life thought I would fly to the other side of the world and find friends that I’m this close to. I really thought I would fly over here, do a job, see some sights, and fly home unchanged. I realize, now, that is not the case.
I’ve seen the poorest of poor among the BMW drivers with their Gucci bags and D&G shoes. I’ve seen one of the Wonders for the World, TWICE! I’ve touched fine marbles and dirt floors. I’ve used fancy toilets and a hole in the ground. I’ve stood on top the oldest fort in India and beside the world’s largest cannon and cried when I could do nothing to help the children running between cars to beg. I have worshipped in a small little church with a handful of fellow Christians and found myself rejoicing in the good God can do with my lost Bible. I’ve made friends I’ll never forget and would always be welcome in my home!
My heart has been touched, permanently, by this country. I will always remember my time here as a blessing. I am forever grateful for the amazing country I call home and my family and friends that have continued to love and support me, even from the other side of the world. I’m ready to come home and share all that I have learned. I’m ready for a chance to live a more thankful life in the land of plenty!
Well, what do you know, I’m not nearly as grumpy and sad! With a thankful heart I’ll call it a night! And no worries, I’ll be boarding a plane, USA bound in three weeks from right now!! ;-)
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 22 days…
Day 134: Another Tearful Goodbye (A 'lost' Blog)
Saturday, January 16
So today I put yet another friend back on a plane, USA bound. Linda was the twelfth person for me to put on plane since I arrived in India. She was also the seventh person to arrive after me and leave before me. I’m going to have to start to really deal with loneliness. Linda was my buddy. We had lunch together most days and shared a cab for work.
I rode with Linda to the airport to drop her off and say goodbye. It was the first time I have actually been to the airport since I arrived in India. I didn’t think I would be sad, but I was. I even teared up a little bit and for those of you who know me at all, that is a big deal! I never cry! (Devin's note- yeah, right!) I think it was just the overwhelming desire to get on a plane myself. As much fun as I’ve had, as much as I love India, I’m ready to go home!
When I got back to the hotel, I called a good friend of mine back in Jackson and had a nice long chat. Thanks to Mama Rickett, I am not nearly as sad. It really does amaze me how a good conversation with a great friend really can make your day. Thanks Mel!!
Ok well, I’m out for today! I’m totally into my next book and it’s a Kingsbury so you know I love it! Later guys!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 23 days…
So today I put yet another friend back on a plane, USA bound. Linda was the twelfth person for me to put on plane since I arrived in India. She was also the seventh person to arrive after me and leave before me. I’m going to have to start to really deal with loneliness. Linda was my buddy. We had lunch together most days and shared a cab for work.
I rode with Linda to the airport to drop her off and say goodbye. It was the first time I have actually been to the airport since I arrived in India. I didn’t think I would be sad, but I was. I even teared up a little bit and for those of you who know me at all, that is a big deal! I never cry! (Devin's note- yeah, right!) I think it was just the overwhelming desire to get on a plane myself. As much fun as I’ve had, as much as I love India, I’m ready to go home!
When I got back to the hotel, I called a good friend of mine back in Jackson and had a nice long chat. Thanks to Mama Rickett, I am not nearly as sad. It really does amaze me how a good conversation with a great friend really can make your day. Thanks Mel!!
Ok well, I’m out for today! I’m totally into my next book and it’s a Kingsbury so you know I love it! Later guys!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 23 days…
The 'lost' Blogs: Day 133: Remember Me?
Friday, January 15
The most recent books in my Indian reading spree was Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. If you have never heard of Kinsella, she is the author of the books that inspired the movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic.”
Remember Me? is the story of Lexi Smart, a young women in London, who wakes up to find out she has no memory of the last three years of her life. The last thing she remembers is a night out with her three best friends when her teeth were crooked, her hair frizzy, her clothes cheap, and her body on the soft side. She wakes up in the hospital after a car accident and has no clue how she became the complete opposite of all she remembers. Her teeth are perfect, her hair shiny and beautiful, her clothes designer and two sizes smaller, and her friends are nowhere to be found. Added to that, she’s married to a super cutie who also happens to be a millionaire and you got yourself an incredible story line.
The book is Lexi’s journey through self discovery and second chances. The mystery of how she maked a complete 180 from who she remembers being to who she is told she is today keeps you turning the pages. And the underlying story of falling in love all over again with the man you have always loved adds a little romance to make this book have a little of everything.
Kinsella did an incredible job keeping my interest and left out any uncomfortable love scenes. I will say I’m glad this was something I actually read instead of listening on tape. There were several words that I just had to skip over. But other than that, over all, a fantastic book. Go pick this one up! Good times!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 24 days…
The most recent books in my Indian reading spree was Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. If you have never heard of Kinsella, she is the author of the books that inspired the movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic.”
Remember Me? is the story of Lexi Smart, a young women in London, who wakes up to find out she has no memory of the last three years of her life. The last thing she remembers is a night out with her three best friends when her teeth were crooked, her hair frizzy, her clothes cheap, and her body on the soft side. She wakes up in the hospital after a car accident and has no clue how she became the complete opposite of all she remembers. Her teeth are perfect, her hair shiny and beautiful, her clothes designer and two sizes smaller, and her friends are nowhere to be found. Added to that, she’s married to a super cutie who also happens to be a millionaire and you got yourself an incredible story line.
The book is Lexi’s journey through self discovery and second chances. The mystery of how she maked a complete 180 from who she remembers being to who she is told she is today keeps you turning the pages. And the underlying story of falling in love all over again with the man you have always loved adds a little romance to make this book have a little of everything.
Kinsella did an incredible job keeping my interest and left out any uncomfortable love scenes. I will say I’m glad this was something I actually read instead of listening on tape. There were several words that I just had to skip over. But other than that, over all, a fantastic book. Go pick this one up! Good times!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 24 days…
The 'lost' Blogs: Day 132: So Tired!
Thursday, January 14
Ah! I have no idea why, I’ve been sleeping a good eight every night. I haven’t gotten back into the habit of sleeping twelve hours. And yet, I’m so tired! At work, I felt like I was going to fall asleep if I sat down.
Other than being exhausted, today was a good day. Nothing terribly exciting, but sometimes that’s a good thing….
I realize this is short, but based on the title alone, I don’t think anyone will be too surprised! Good night folks! ;-)
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 25 days…
Ah! I have no idea why, I’ve been sleeping a good eight every night. I haven’t gotten back into the habit of sleeping twelve hours. And yet, I’m so tired! At work, I felt like I was going to fall asleep if I sat down.
Other than being exhausted, today was a good day. Nothing terribly exciting, but sometimes that’s a good thing….
I realize this is short, but based on the title alone, I don’t think anyone will be too surprised! Good night folks! ;-)
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 25 days…
The 'lost' Blogs: Day 131: A Whole Lotta Love…
Wednesday, January 13
As my time in India is quickly coming to a close, I thought I’d take a few minutes to talk about the top ten things I love about India. So here goes…
10) The food! While the food does not always settle quite like I would like it to, it almost always taste delicious. I love all the spices and flavor and the way nothing, not even the rice, is bland.
9) The job! I had no idea how much I love training other people until I came to India. I love talking someone through the process and getting them to think through the knowledge they have to come up with the correct answer. I feel like such a proud mama when the light bulb goes on and they finally understand something they’ve been struggling with.
8) The hotel! Ok I realize that I haven’t given the current hotel the most rave review, however, I will say things have gotten a whole lot better. And even at the worst, I still have had excellent customer service and have always been well taken care of.
7) Naan! Yes, I realize I already mentioned the food, but this yummie bread gets a category all to itself. Make it butter, garlic, or good ole plain, I don’t care, I love it all!
6) The traffic! What’s not to love? Even though it takes you an hour to get almost anywhere because of it, the adventure that it insures is always a blast! Not to mention, where other than in Indian traffic can you be offered some Jack Daniels from the three guys riding a single motorcycle.
5) Jaipur! I’m sure you all are sick of me ranting and raving about this single city, but I love it! Its rich history, beautiful architecture, and royal style just make it one of those places I can’t get enough of!
4) The fabrics! Everything is made out of bright, colorful patterns that make you happy to look at them. I love how it doesn’t matter that your sari is hot pink, your blouse red, your sweater orange, and your shoes Oscar green. Everywhere you turn, you can see all colors of the rainbow!
3) The culture! There are not many places in the world that you will find a stronger sense of family than here in India. I love the importance placed on honoring your father and mother and elders in general. It’s amazing how much people with sacrifice for the betterment of their family, even when it’s not what they would ideally do!
2) The shopping! Shopping has always been something I enjoy, but being the penny pincher that I am, I always struggle with the prices of things. Here in India, if I don’t like the price you state, I tell you so and offer you what I’m willing to pay. I love the back and forth of haggling that comes with shopping in India. Not to mention the prices that make anything in India at least half as much in the States, in many cases even more than that! And the number one thing I love about India…
1) The people, of course!! Seriously, I can’t believe how polite, kind, and loving they all are. I have been treated like part of the family since I arrived and as my time to head home quickly comes, I can’t even begin to think how I’m going to say goodbye.
Yes, this truly has been an amazing experience that I will remember and cherish as long as my memory holds out. Until tomorrow….
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 26 days…
As my time in India is quickly coming to a close, I thought I’d take a few minutes to talk about the top ten things I love about India. So here goes…
10) The food! While the food does not always settle quite like I would like it to, it almost always taste delicious. I love all the spices and flavor and the way nothing, not even the rice, is bland.
9) The job! I had no idea how much I love training other people until I came to India. I love talking someone through the process and getting them to think through the knowledge they have to come up with the correct answer. I feel like such a proud mama when the light bulb goes on and they finally understand something they’ve been struggling with.
8) The hotel! Ok I realize that I haven’t given the current hotel the most rave review, however, I will say things have gotten a whole lot better. And even at the worst, I still have had excellent customer service and have always been well taken care of.
7) Naan! Yes, I realize I already mentioned the food, but this yummie bread gets a category all to itself. Make it butter, garlic, or good ole plain, I don’t care, I love it all!
6) The traffic! What’s not to love? Even though it takes you an hour to get almost anywhere because of it, the adventure that it insures is always a blast! Not to mention, where other than in Indian traffic can you be offered some Jack Daniels from the three guys riding a single motorcycle.
5) Jaipur! I’m sure you all are sick of me ranting and raving about this single city, but I love it! Its rich history, beautiful architecture, and royal style just make it one of those places I can’t get enough of!
4) The fabrics! Everything is made out of bright, colorful patterns that make you happy to look at them. I love how it doesn’t matter that your sari is hot pink, your blouse red, your sweater orange, and your shoes Oscar green. Everywhere you turn, you can see all colors of the rainbow!
3) The culture! There are not many places in the world that you will find a stronger sense of family than here in India. I love the importance placed on honoring your father and mother and elders in general. It’s amazing how much people with sacrifice for the betterment of their family, even when it’s not what they would ideally do!
2) The shopping! Shopping has always been something I enjoy, but being the penny pincher that I am, I always struggle with the prices of things. Here in India, if I don’t like the price you state, I tell you so and offer you what I’m willing to pay. I love the back and forth of haggling that comes with shopping in India. Not to mention the prices that make anything in India at least half as much in the States, in many cases even more than that! And the number one thing I love about India…
1) The people, of course!! Seriously, I can’t believe how polite, kind, and loving they all are. I have been treated like part of the family since I arrived and as my time to head home quickly comes, I can’t even begin to think how I’m going to say goodbye.
Yes, this truly has been an amazing experience that I will remember and cherish as long as my memory holds out. Until tomorrow….
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 26 days…
The 'lost' Blogs: Day 130: Windfall
Tuesday, January 12
Sorry for the lack of book reviews. Between Devin being here, being sick, and starting a new process I got a little behind on my reading. However, I’m back and better than ever! Well, at least back…
Windfall, by Nora Roberts, is actually two shorter books in one. The first story, Impulse, was way to Harlequin like for me, and just when there started to be more of a story, the book ended. Luckily, it was only around 100 pages and not something I was forced to consider as too much of a waste of time.
The second book, Temptations, turned out to be really good! Which is a good thing, I was about to give up on Nora as an author after two of her books didn’t leave quite enough to the imagination in some areas!
Temptations is about a socialite princess, Eden, that met an untimely fall from royalty when her rich father passed away and turned out to not be so rich after all. After selling off the family estate and most of her personal belongs, she invested what little was left into an all girls summer camp with her best friend. Luckily, she was great with numbers and had been raised around horses and thus was the camp’s accountant and equestrian instructor.
Eden of course also served as the one of the camp staff responsible for keeping all the girls in line, so when a few of the camps most mischievous campers wonder into the neighboring apple orchid to climb a few trees, Eden is the one to go looking for them. Eden finds the girls up in a tree, munching apples. With orders to report to the kitchen for mess hall cleanup duty as punishment, the girls are sent back to camp.
Eden has to climb the tree to collect a hat left by one of the girls and once up in the tree branches, decides to take a little personal time to relax and reflect. Eden’s whole life has changed overnight, she lost her only parent, her social standing has plummeted, and her fiancé dumped her because of it all. Lost in her own train of thought, enjoy a crisp, fresh crisped apple, high up in a tree top is how Chase, the orchid owner, finds Eden. And so begins the story of a women finding her own place in the world, a man learning how to help her, and two of them discovering a love neither of them knew existed.
This is a sweet story that keeps you turning the pages to see what Chase will try next. It’s a light read, but filled with life truths about the importance of money, or lack thereof, and the meaning of true love. I give Temptations two thumbs and a recommendation to enjoy!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 27 days…
Sorry for the lack of book reviews. Between Devin being here, being sick, and starting a new process I got a little behind on my reading. However, I’m back and better than ever! Well, at least back…
Windfall, by Nora Roberts, is actually two shorter books in one. The first story, Impulse, was way to Harlequin like for me, and just when there started to be more of a story, the book ended. Luckily, it was only around 100 pages and not something I was forced to consider as too much of a waste of time.
The second book, Temptations, turned out to be really good! Which is a good thing, I was about to give up on Nora as an author after two of her books didn’t leave quite enough to the imagination in some areas!
Temptations is about a socialite princess, Eden, that met an untimely fall from royalty when her rich father passed away and turned out to not be so rich after all. After selling off the family estate and most of her personal belongs, she invested what little was left into an all girls summer camp with her best friend. Luckily, she was great with numbers and had been raised around horses and thus was the camp’s accountant and equestrian instructor.
Eden of course also served as the one of the camp staff responsible for keeping all the girls in line, so when a few of the camps most mischievous campers wonder into the neighboring apple orchid to climb a few trees, Eden is the one to go looking for them. Eden finds the girls up in a tree, munching apples. With orders to report to the kitchen for mess hall cleanup duty as punishment, the girls are sent back to camp.
Eden has to climb the tree to collect a hat left by one of the girls and once up in the tree branches, decides to take a little personal time to relax and reflect. Eden’s whole life has changed overnight, she lost her only parent, her social standing has plummeted, and her fiancé dumped her because of it all. Lost in her own train of thought, enjoy a crisp, fresh crisped apple, high up in a tree top is how Chase, the orchid owner, finds Eden. And so begins the story of a women finding her own place in the world, a man learning how to help her, and two of them discovering a love neither of them knew existed.
This is a sweet story that keeps you turning the pages to see what Chase will try next. It’s a light read, but filled with life truths about the importance of money, or lack thereof, and the meaning of true love. I give Temptations two thumbs and a recommendation to enjoy!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 27 days…
The 'lost' Blogs: Day 129: My Day as an Indian Princess
Monday, January 11
Today was Go Live for the new process I will be working for my remaining time in India. Go Live had already happened for the process that I originally came for so this was my very first one to be involved with. As I said yesterday, I bought a traditional sari to wear today and spent my day dressed as a princess!
It all started with a call to the front desk of the hotel for help in getting my sari draped. Now, Indian women are able to do this themselves and do not require any safety pins or such to hold the dress in place. I, on the other hand, ended up having a total of three helpers and seven pins to turn me into a sari wearing beauty! LOL! Oh, and it took about 45 minutes for the sari to be draped properly. Part of the problem is I’m about a foot taller than the average sari wearer, and a good ten inches taller than any one of the three that helped me get dressed.
Once the sari was on, the bendi placed, and the bangles shoved onto my big ole American hands, it was off to work. From the time I walked out of my room, till the time I returned over 10 hours later, it was one compliment after another. A few of my favorites…
The two grandmotherly ladies in the lobby of the hotel gushing at how well I “carried” the sari and telling me I looked like a queen.
The guard at the gate at work who speaks VERY little English saying “Stunning” and smiling really big while I signed in. Side note, this was the first and only English word I have ever heard him say in the ten weeks I have been here.
One of my good female friends from work telling me she was jealous, she’s been trying her whole life and can’t pull off a sari as well as I did. And my all time favorite…
Our driver that picked us up after shift telling my co-worker that was already in the car “Wow, beautiful” as I was walking to the car and grinning like a school boy the whole way back to the hotel!
Needless to say, this was the best confidence builder I’ve ever had. I might just take up wearing a sari everyday! Oh wait, I don’t typically spend 45 minutes getting ready, shower and all….
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 28 days…
Devin's note: I'm not sure how I feel about these other little Indian people calling my wife 'stunning' and 'beautiful'. I mean, she is. But someone may get hurt here!
Today was Go Live for the new process I will be working for my remaining time in India. Go Live had already happened for the process that I originally came for so this was my very first one to be involved with. As I said yesterday, I bought a traditional sari to wear today and spent my day dressed as a princess!
It all started with a call to the front desk of the hotel for help in getting my sari draped. Now, Indian women are able to do this themselves and do not require any safety pins or such to hold the dress in place. I, on the other hand, ended up having a total of three helpers and seven pins to turn me into a sari wearing beauty! LOL! Oh, and it took about 45 minutes for the sari to be draped properly. Part of the problem is I’m about a foot taller than the average sari wearer, and a good ten inches taller than any one of the three that helped me get dressed.
Once the sari was on, the bendi placed, and the bangles shoved onto my big ole American hands, it was off to work. From the time I walked out of my room, till the time I returned over 10 hours later, it was one compliment after another. A few of my favorites…
The two grandmotherly ladies in the lobby of the hotel gushing at how well I “carried” the sari and telling me I looked like a queen.
The guard at the gate at work who speaks VERY little English saying “Stunning” and smiling really big while I signed in. Side note, this was the first and only English word I have ever heard him say in the ten weeks I have been here.
One of my good female friends from work telling me she was jealous, she’s been trying her whole life and can’t pull off a sari as well as I did. And my all time favorite…
Our driver that picked us up after shift telling my co-worker that was already in the car “Wow, beautiful” as I was walking to the car and grinning like a school boy the whole way back to the hotel!
Needless to say, this was the best confidence builder I’ve ever had. I might just take up wearing a sari everyday! Oh wait, I don’t typically spend 45 minutes getting ready, shower and all….
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 28 days…
Devin's note: I'm not sure how I feel about these other little Indian people calling my wife 'stunning' and 'beautiful'. I mean, she is. But someone may get hurt here!
The 'lost' Blogs: Day 128: My New Sari!!
Sunday, January 10
So ever since I found out I was coming to India I have wanted to purchase a sari. For those of you who aren’t sure what a sari is, it is the wrap around dress that is traditional India formal wear. Typically, they are worn with a mid-drift type shirt underneath, no matter your age. But for me, I want what’s called a “long” blouse. In other words, a shirt that doesn’t show off my entire midsection. But these have to be stitched and I don’t have time for that, unfortunately…
So after yesterday’s less than productive shopping day, I was on a mission. I was well rested and prepared for it to take all day if needed. But I was NOT coming back to the hotel without something traditional to wear, even if it meant I had to get a kurta and tights!
We went to one of Delhi’s many amazing markets and Payal, one of the wonderful ladies from here, took me to a sari shop. I had decided that I should get a black one with silver sparkles. I figured that since I didn’t have time to have a blouse made, but I had a black shirt I had brought with me that would work, this was my best color choice. And the shoes I bought when Devin was here are silver, so that would be one less thing to worry about. It wasn’t what I thought I wanted, but it would have to work.
Anyway, so Payal tells the shop attendant what I’m looking for and he pulls out five choices! I must admit I was a little shocked. I’ve looked at tons of sarees since being in India and I have NEVER seen a black one before. Granted, I thought I wanted a bright pink or turquoise one, so maybe I just hadn’t been shown a black one before, thus I really thought it was a long shot to find one that would work with the things I already had. But here I am looking at a pile of choices and I see THE one! It was like shopping for a wedding dress when you look in the mirror and realize this is the dress you’ve dreamed about since you were a little girl! LOL, ok maybe not quite that dramatic, but anyway…
Before the attendant can pull out any more out, I ask to see the one I’m already in love with. Luckily, this is a fixed price store so there is no harm is letting it be known that I like the piece! He drapes it on me (this is how you “try on” a sari) and I look in the mirror with awe! It’s draped over my blue jeans and t-shirt and I still haven’t felt this pretty since my wedding day!
I couldn’t believe we found the PERFECT sari at our first stop, in the first group he shows me! And, even though it’s not what I thought I wanted, it really is exactly what I want! (Devin's note- that is how my wife is all the time...I gether what she SAYS she wants only to find out what she SAYS and what she MEANS are not the same. So confused...)
After spending the rest of the day hunting down the perfect earrings, bendi (forehead sticker), and bangles to complete the outfit, it’s off to the Hard Rock for dinner with my Indian family and back to the hotel. Tomorrow is going to be a huge day with the Go Live and such. I need a good night’s rest so we will call it a day!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 29 days…
So ever since I found out I was coming to India I have wanted to purchase a sari. For those of you who aren’t sure what a sari is, it is the wrap around dress that is traditional India formal wear. Typically, they are worn with a mid-drift type shirt underneath, no matter your age. But for me, I want what’s called a “long” blouse. In other words, a shirt that doesn’t show off my entire midsection. But these have to be stitched and I don’t have time for that, unfortunately…
So after yesterday’s less than productive shopping day, I was on a mission. I was well rested and prepared for it to take all day if needed. But I was NOT coming back to the hotel without something traditional to wear, even if it meant I had to get a kurta and tights!
We went to one of Delhi’s many amazing markets and Payal, one of the wonderful ladies from here, took me to a sari shop. I had decided that I should get a black one with silver sparkles. I figured that since I didn’t have time to have a blouse made, but I had a black shirt I had brought with me that would work, this was my best color choice. And the shoes I bought when Devin was here are silver, so that would be one less thing to worry about. It wasn’t what I thought I wanted, but it would have to work.
Anyway, so Payal tells the shop attendant what I’m looking for and he pulls out five choices! I must admit I was a little shocked. I’ve looked at tons of sarees since being in India and I have NEVER seen a black one before. Granted, I thought I wanted a bright pink or turquoise one, so maybe I just hadn’t been shown a black one before, thus I really thought it was a long shot to find one that would work with the things I already had. But here I am looking at a pile of choices and I see THE one! It was like shopping for a wedding dress when you look in the mirror and realize this is the dress you’ve dreamed about since you were a little girl! LOL, ok maybe not quite that dramatic, but anyway…
Before the attendant can pull out any more out, I ask to see the one I’m already in love with. Luckily, this is a fixed price store so there is no harm is letting it be known that I like the piece! He drapes it on me (this is how you “try on” a sari) and I look in the mirror with awe! It’s draped over my blue jeans and t-shirt and I still haven’t felt this pretty since my wedding day!
I couldn’t believe we found the PERFECT sari at our first stop, in the first group he shows me! And, even though it’s not what I thought I wanted, it really is exactly what I want! (Devin's note- that is how my wife is all the time...I gether what she SAYS she wants only to find out what she SAYS and what she MEANS are not the same. So confused...)
After spending the rest of the day hunting down the perfect earrings, bendi (forehead sticker), and bangles to complete the outfit, it’s off to the Hard Rock for dinner with my Indian family and back to the hotel. Tomorrow is going to be a huge day with the Go Live and such. I need a good night’s rest so we will call it a day!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 29 days…
The 'lost' Blogs: Day 127: Oh my, WOW!
Saturday, January 9
So I’m totally on the hunt for a traditional outfit for Go Live on Monday for the new process I’m going to be working. I really wanted to find a sari, but was willing to take what I could get. Unfortunately, I didn’t even really have a chance today, even though this is what we were supposed to be shopping for today.
I meet up with all the other work folks that are here and several of the local friends we’ve made for a fun filled day of shopping. First, we drove all over Delhi to a friend’s cousins house to pick up some kurtas (Indian tops) for one of the other ladies. Then, after fighting traffic to the other side of Delhi, we meet up with the other car of folks and I witnessed one of the CRAZIEST things I have ever seen.
Now, remember, I have two holes in each ear and a hundred years ago I got my belly button pierced. But in all above cases it was with a needle or piercing gun and a lot of antiseptic was used. Oh and I was sitting/laying down.
So today, two of the ladies decided they wanted to get some piercings done. Keep in mind that nose piercing is more common than not in India and two holes in each ear is what most girls have before they learn to walk. Anyway, so we go to the shop where this kind of thing is done here and it’s just your normal ole jewelry store, India style. Interpret, crowded, tiny, and a shoved in a hallway! There are three guys behind the counter helping whoever shoves the hardest to the front.
So the lady I’m with makes it to the front and tells the guy she wants to get her nose and inner ear pierced. By inner ear, I mean that tiny piece of ear that kind of sticks out over the ear opening. The guy has her pick out the stud she wants for her nose, cuts the long stem with a pair of wire cutters, dips it in some kind of Vaseline looking stuff, AND SHOVES IT THROUGH HER NOSE!! No chair or nothing, he just leans over the counter and pops the stud in. Then, he takes another pair of pliers that look like the ones my dad once used to rewire things, and twist the stem inside her nose so it doesn’t fall out.
I am not grossed out easily, but this was more than I wanted to see. I knew I didn’t want to see how he got the hoop through her “inner” ear. I went down stairs and hung out with the rest of the group. Evidentially, the ear thing hurt worse, she threw up! Glad I stepped out!
Well, needless to say, I think I’ll come home with the same number of holes I left with! LOL!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 30 days…
So I’m totally on the hunt for a traditional outfit for Go Live on Monday for the new process I’m going to be working. I really wanted to find a sari, but was willing to take what I could get. Unfortunately, I didn’t even really have a chance today, even though this is what we were supposed to be shopping for today.
I meet up with all the other work folks that are here and several of the local friends we’ve made for a fun filled day of shopping. First, we drove all over Delhi to a friend’s cousins house to pick up some kurtas (Indian tops) for one of the other ladies. Then, after fighting traffic to the other side of Delhi, we meet up with the other car of folks and I witnessed one of the CRAZIEST things I have ever seen.
Now, remember, I have two holes in each ear and a hundred years ago I got my belly button pierced. But in all above cases it was with a needle or piercing gun and a lot of antiseptic was used. Oh and I was sitting/laying down.
So today, two of the ladies decided they wanted to get some piercings done. Keep in mind that nose piercing is more common than not in India and two holes in each ear is what most girls have before they learn to walk. Anyway, so we go to the shop where this kind of thing is done here and it’s just your normal ole jewelry store, India style. Interpret, crowded, tiny, and a shoved in a hallway! There are three guys behind the counter helping whoever shoves the hardest to the front.
So the lady I’m with makes it to the front and tells the guy she wants to get her nose and inner ear pierced. By inner ear, I mean that tiny piece of ear that kind of sticks out over the ear opening. The guy has her pick out the stud she wants for her nose, cuts the long stem with a pair of wire cutters, dips it in some kind of Vaseline looking stuff, AND SHOVES IT THROUGH HER NOSE!! No chair or nothing, he just leans over the counter and pops the stud in. Then, he takes another pair of pliers that look like the ones my dad once used to rewire things, and twist the stem inside her nose so it doesn’t fall out.
I am not grossed out easily, but this was more than I wanted to see. I knew I didn’t want to see how he got the hoop through her “inner” ear. I went down stairs and hung out with the rest of the group. Evidentially, the ear thing hurt worse, she threw up! Glad I stepped out!
Well, needless to say, I think I’ll come home with the same number of holes I left with! LOL!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 30 days…
The 'lost' Blogs: Day 126: Only a Month…
Friday, January 8
First and foremost, Devin is back in the States! He should be home safe and sound by the time I wake up in the morning. It was amazing to hear his voice again and a huge sigh of relief to have his phones working again. I’m a little upset with Verizon. They told us our phones would work fine internationally, and well, they don’t.
Devin did have quite a different story from the duty manager at the airport though. Evidentially, Devin was never offered a hotel room and in fact was told that he could not leave the airport at all. India has a very strict security policy. Once you go through “customs,” they won’t like you back out unless it on an airplane. I was asking my Indian friends how this works if there is an emergency and you need to leave, they said there is no exceptions! Crazy, but ok…
Well, tonight was my last as collections floor support. Monday, I will be switching to another process and a whole new group of people to meet! I love meeting people and I’ll be working on the same process I do at home so my knowledge base is a little better too! I’m actually really excited about it. Plus, starting this process marks the beginning of my last month in India. Actually, I head back to the States a month from today! ;-)
Please don’t be mistaken, I have LOVED my experience, but after putting Devin on a plane, I’m ready for my turn. Who would have thought that I would be homesick AFTER my wonderful hubster came to visit me! LOL! Oh well, my days are numbers and I’ll be back in his arms soon!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 31 days…
First and foremost, Devin is back in the States! He should be home safe and sound by the time I wake up in the morning. It was amazing to hear his voice again and a huge sigh of relief to have his phones working again. I’m a little upset with Verizon. They told us our phones would work fine internationally, and well, they don’t.
Devin did have quite a different story from the duty manager at the airport though. Evidentially, Devin was never offered a hotel room and in fact was told that he could not leave the airport at all. India has a very strict security policy. Once you go through “customs,” they won’t like you back out unless it on an airplane. I was asking my Indian friends how this works if there is an emergency and you need to leave, they said there is no exceptions! Crazy, but ok…
Well, tonight was my last as collections floor support. Monday, I will be switching to another process and a whole new group of people to meet! I love meeting people and I’ll be working on the same process I do at home so my knowledge base is a little better too! I’m actually really excited about it. Plus, starting this process marks the beginning of my last month in India. Actually, I head back to the States a month from today! ;-)
Please don’t be mistaken, I have LOVED my experience, but after putting Devin on a plane, I’m ready for my turn. Who would have thought that I would be homesick AFTER my wonderful hubster came to visit me! LOL! Oh well, my days are numbers and I’ll be back in his arms soon!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 31 days…
The 'Lost' Blogs: Day 125: Where in the World is Devin San Diego?
Thursday, January 7
Warning: Technically this blog starts on the 6th, but it’s the only way the rest of it will make sense.
So I just finished reading Devin’s version of the past few days. Let’s just say he seriously down played my illness. I was bed ridden expect for my runs to the only other room in my hotel home. My entire body ached all over and I had a terrible fever. I missed work yesterday and knew I needed to go in tonight. I kissed Devin a teary good bye and headed to work with a couple crackers and some chicken broth that seemed to be staying inside.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last long enough for me to make it through my entire shift, so I headed back to the hotel.
On the way home, it was so foggy I began to worry about Devin’s flight. I had some friends make some calls and found out his flight indeed was delayed. Since it was delayed over ten hours, my friend, Prashant volunteered to try and go get him from the airport since I’m still feeling rather yuckie. Keep in mind that neither of Devin’s phones would pick up service here in India and thus we had no way of letting him know we were trying to pick him up.
Well, Prashant gets to the airport and the airline tells him that all passengers have been sent to a local hotel. Ok, no worries, Prashant heads to the hotel to see if they can find him there. The hotel says he hasn’t checked in. Prashant heads back to the airport, only to be told by the airline that Devin never checked in! I’m absolutely freaking out! My hotel is saying they dropped him at the airport, the airport is saying they don’t have him, and I’m just feeling worse and worse with every passing minute.
Prashant, being the superman that he is, spent the next few hours working through the airlines, security, and finally to a duty manager at the office to find Devin. After six very long, very nerve wracking, hours, we finally were told Devin choose to stay at the airport and was asleep in the transit area.
I’m not totally sure if this is the truth, or just what poor Prashant is being told in an effort to get him to leave the airport and quit bugging everyone! I have no choice but to hope for the best and trust the Lord that Devin is ok… (Devin's side note- I was in the airport, NOT Asleep and was never told anyone was looking for me!)
Later in the day…
So after spending hours myself with all the different airlines, and getting nowhere, it was late enough to call Aunt Fay. And of course, Aunt Fay saves the day! She finds out that Devin’s flight from India is indeed taken off and is Germany bound. The problem, the flight from Germany to the US that he is suppose to be on will have left by the time he gets there so we have no idea when he will be back in the US. Nor do I have any idea when I will be able to talk to him again.
Now its Facebook’s turn to be the superstar! I happen to get on fb during my lunch break at work and there is a message from Devin!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is spending the night in Germany and will be leaving for the US tomorrow! Praise the Lord! I still can’t actually talk to him, but at least I know he is safe and homeward bound, now I just have to be patient and wait for my turn….
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 32 days…
Warning: Technically this blog starts on the 6th, but it’s the only way the rest of it will make sense.
So I just finished reading Devin’s version of the past few days. Let’s just say he seriously down played my illness. I was bed ridden expect for my runs to the only other room in my hotel home. My entire body ached all over and I had a terrible fever. I missed work yesterday and knew I needed to go in tonight. I kissed Devin a teary good bye and headed to work with a couple crackers and some chicken broth that seemed to be staying inside.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last long enough for me to make it through my entire shift, so I headed back to the hotel.
On the way home, it was so foggy I began to worry about Devin’s flight. I had some friends make some calls and found out his flight indeed was delayed. Since it was delayed over ten hours, my friend, Prashant volunteered to try and go get him from the airport since I’m still feeling rather yuckie. Keep in mind that neither of Devin’s phones would pick up service here in India and thus we had no way of letting him know we were trying to pick him up.
Well, Prashant gets to the airport and the airline tells him that all passengers have been sent to a local hotel. Ok, no worries, Prashant heads to the hotel to see if they can find him there. The hotel says he hasn’t checked in. Prashant heads back to the airport, only to be told by the airline that Devin never checked in! I’m absolutely freaking out! My hotel is saying they dropped him at the airport, the airport is saying they don’t have him, and I’m just feeling worse and worse with every passing minute.
Prashant, being the superman that he is, spent the next few hours working through the airlines, security, and finally to a duty manager at the office to find Devin. After six very long, very nerve wracking, hours, we finally were told Devin choose to stay at the airport and was asleep in the transit area.
I’m not totally sure if this is the truth, or just what poor Prashant is being told in an effort to get him to leave the airport and quit bugging everyone! I have no choice but to hope for the best and trust the Lord that Devin is ok… (Devin's side note- I was in the airport, NOT Asleep and was never told anyone was looking for me!)
Later in the day…
So after spending hours myself with all the different airlines, and getting nowhere, it was late enough to call Aunt Fay. And of course, Aunt Fay saves the day! She finds out that Devin’s flight from India is indeed taken off and is Germany bound. The problem, the flight from Germany to the US that he is suppose to be on will have left by the time he gets there so we have no idea when he will be back in the US. Nor do I have any idea when I will be able to talk to him again.
Now its Facebook’s turn to be the superstar! I happen to get on fb during my lunch break at work and there is a message from Devin!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is spending the night in Germany and will be leaving for the US tomorrow! Praise the Lord! I still can’t actually talk to him, but at least I know he is safe and homeward bound, now I just have to be patient and wait for my turn….
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Home: 32 days…
Monday, January 11, 2010
Day 124: The Doctor is in
Wednesday, January 6
Another day, and I still have a sick wife. Today is my last day…I actually leave for the hotel at about 10 pm to catch my 2 am flight.
Since she still isn’t better and now hasn’t eaten in 3 days, we decided to call the doctor. He makes hotel room calls here, and informed us he went to school in Moscow. Not sure how comforting that is…
He was here about 5 minutes, asked a few questions, gave my wife a shot in the rear end that now has her seeing flying monkeys and pick elephants, and sent out for a script. When they delivered it to our door they said it was charged to the room…and when I saw the price I just about died! 20,000 rupees for these drugs! Plus the doctor Visit and shot…
And to top it all off, I found out that KC is about to get hit with snow, so I may not be able to even get home. This has been a great trip but certainly isn’t ending as I’d like. I have to leave my sick wife in a foreign country by herself and have a good chance of being stranded in an airport of the first time in my life. Oh, God, help! No, seriously!
The next blog will be from Eli when I am hopefully back to the States. I know she has some interesting news to share about work… Well, India has been fun. Now it’s off for home, wifeless .
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 1 day…
Added Note from Elizabeth:
Luckily, Devin can’t read Indian numbers and the meds were 200 rupees, not 20,000. Devin also forgot to mention that in the few minutes the doctor was here, he said I have food poisoning, I think! His English left quite a bit to the imagination! ;-)
Another day, and I still have a sick wife. Today is my last day…I actually leave for the hotel at about 10 pm to catch my 2 am flight.
Since she still isn’t better and now hasn’t eaten in 3 days, we decided to call the doctor. He makes hotel room calls here, and informed us he went to school in Moscow. Not sure how comforting that is…
He was here about 5 minutes, asked a few questions, gave my wife a shot in the rear end that now has her seeing flying monkeys and pick elephants, and sent out for a script. When they delivered it to our door they said it was charged to the room…and when I saw the price I just about died! 20,000 rupees for these drugs! Plus the doctor Visit and shot…
And to top it all off, I found out that KC is about to get hit with snow, so I may not be able to even get home. This has been a great trip but certainly isn’t ending as I’d like. I have to leave my sick wife in a foreign country by herself and have a good chance of being stranded in an airport of the first time in my life. Oh, God, help! No, seriously!
The next blog will be from Eli when I am hopefully back to the States. I know she has some interesting news to share about work… Well, India has been fun. Now it’s off for home, wifeless .
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 1 day…
Added Note from Elizabeth:
Luckily, Devin can’t read Indian numbers and the meds were 200 rupees, not 20,000. Devin also forgot to mention that in the few minutes the doctor was here, he said I have food poisoning, I think! His English left quite a bit to the imagination! ;-)
Day 123: Rethinking the hotel
Tuesday, January 5
Well, the biggest event of today was the fact that in taking a shower the drain worked even less than normal, and the whole bathroom flooded!
My wife is sick in bed and can’t eat anything that doesn’t come back out within minutes. I don’t feel great but am better than she is. I decided to go down to lunch and found hair in my lamb dish, which only made me feel worse. I’ve decided that tomorrow I am going to see if I can talk to Matthew, the GM here, and give him some friendly advice to make things better, or soon they won’t have any guests in the place at all!
The hotel itself looks quite nice. But they polish it with diesel fuel, so the whole place reeks. And then the bathroom issues and the food, I know this isn’t America, but this is an American brand!
Well, Eli is sleeping and I’m going to watch some of 24, season 7! I love this show and am so glad to finally have a chance to catch up. Tomorrow is the last full day, so hopefully it will be a great one!
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 2 days…
Well, the biggest event of today was the fact that in taking a shower the drain worked even less than normal, and the whole bathroom flooded!
My wife is sick in bed and can’t eat anything that doesn’t come back out within minutes. I don’t feel great but am better than she is. I decided to go down to lunch and found hair in my lamb dish, which only made me feel worse. I’ve decided that tomorrow I am going to see if I can talk to Matthew, the GM here, and give him some friendly advice to make things better, or soon they won’t have any guests in the place at all!
The hotel itself looks quite nice. But they polish it with diesel fuel, so the whole place reeks. And then the bathroom issues and the food, I know this isn’t America, but this is an American brand!
Well, Eli is sleeping and I’m going to watch some of 24, season 7! I love this show and am so glad to finally have a chance to catch up. Tomorrow is the last full day, so hopefully it will be a great one!
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 2 days…
Day 122: Hotel Days…
Monday, January 4
Today Elizabeth and I slept in, had lunch, and then she went to work. Really, that was it until about 11:30 pm. I spent my time alone doing some reading and some school work—I’m working on my masters for those of you who don’t know. Well, sometimes I am working on it, sometimes I am ignoring it!
Then about 11:30 I started to feel a bit funny and soon got a call from my wife, wanting to know how I felt. Turns out she, too was feeling less than well. Soon she’d returned to the hotel and we decided to be miserable together.
So now that we’re medicated up, it’s off to bed.
An impressive day, I know!
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 3 days…
Today Elizabeth and I slept in, had lunch, and then she went to work. Really, that was it until about 11:30 pm. I spent my time alone doing some reading and some school work—I’m working on my masters for those of you who don’t know. Well, sometimes I am working on it, sometimes I am ignoring it!
Then about 11:30 I started to feel a bit funny and soon got a call from my wife, wanting to know how I felt. Turns out she, too was feeling less than well. Soon she’d returned to the hotel and we decided to be miserable together.
So now that we’re medicated up, it’s off to bed.
An impressive day, I know!
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 3 days…
Day 121: It DOES Rain in India!
Sunday, January 3
Today we rose early, but not for church. That’s right, I’m playing hookie while in this country! Don’t tell. ;-)
Our early departure was to the city of Jaipur, one of my wife’s favorite places. I can see why. Once we made it there (after 6 hours of driving) we went to the Amber Fort and saw the world’s largest cannon. The Fort was hundreds of years old and was really cool, except for the trash that is everywhere and the smell of pee that we couldn’t get away from. The fact that it was raining was a serious drag, because it made wandering around much harder and very smelly (due to the sewage and trash)...But, I was glad to know that even in India, it does rain some!
I did like the experience of Indian driving on a one lane road winding up and then back down the mountain, which is to say I’m thankful we didn’t roll off the mountain!
Once in the city we hit the streets, enjoying a native meal and seeing a few sites. The beggers where everywhere and followed us constantly, wanting money. I thought about offering a few of them jobs, just to see how they’d respond, but thought better of it.
Shopping was another experience. In one store, I was looking at a very nice piece of jewelry that I was willing to pay a fair price for…but the guy gave me this ridiculous amount and I said no. He tried to sell me on how nice it was, etc…and I told him he was crazy and turned to leave. That’s what you do here, you get the price and when you don’t like it, you leave. If they follow you, you know the door is open to haggle.
Here it was, and the man told me that ‘For you, I will give you my best price!” My response was why hadn’t he given me that first, to which he said with complete honesty, “You are an American in India!” I wanted to laugh so hard at his comment.
By the time we were done, I had negotiated a price that was 60% less than his initial offer and was exactly the price I was willing to pay. I left happy and he left richer. After that, I stood back mostly and watched my wife work her magic as she got gifts for people back home and trinkets to remember our time here.
After the shopping, we took the long ride back to the hotel, which I am beginning to wonder about… the shower doesn’t drain, the sink doesn’t drain, the toilet bowl leaks, and I honestly think there is a security camera in the air vent!
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 4 days…
Today we rose early, but not for church. That’s right, I’m playing hookie while in this country! Don’t tell. ;-)
Our early departure was to the city of Jaipur, one of my wife’s favorite places. I can see why. Once we made it there (after 6 hours of driving) we went to the Amber Fort and saw the world’s largest cannon. The Fort was hundreds of years old and was really cool, except for the trash that is everywhere and the smell of pee that we couldn’t get away from. The fact that it was raining was a serious drag, because it made wandering around much harder and very smelly (due to the sewage and trash)...But, I was glad to know that even in India, it does rain some!
I did like the experience of Indian driving on a one lane road winding up and then back down the mountain, which is to say I’m thankful we didn’t roll off the mountain!
Once in the city we hit the streets, enjoying a native meal and seeing a few sites. The beggers where everywhere and followed us constantly, wanting money. I thought about offering a few of them jobs, just to see how they’d respond, but thought better of it.
Shopping was another experience. In one store, I was looking at a very nice piece of jewelry that I was willing to pay a fair price for…but the guy gave me this ridiculous amount and I said no. He tried to sell me on how nice it was, etc…and I told him he was crazy and turned to leave. That’s what you do here, you get the price and when you don’t like it, you leave. If they follow you, you know the door is open to haggle.
Here it was, and the man told me that ‘For you, I will give you my best price!” My response was why hadn’t he given me that first, to which he said with complete honesty, “You are an American in India!” I wanted to laugh so hard at his comment.
By the time we were done, I had negotiated a price that was 60% less than his initial offer and was exactly the price I was willing to pay. I left happy and he left richer. After that, I stood back mostly and watched my wife work her magic as she got gifts for people back home and trinkets to remember our time here.
After the shopping, we took the long ride back to the hotel, which I am beginning to wonder about… the shower doesn’t drain, the sink doesn’t drain, the toilet bowl leaks, and I honestly think there is a security camera in the air vent!
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 4 days…
Day 120: To Dance on a Woman’s Grave
Saturday, January 2
Well, this was quite a day, but it was all in a short spurt. The Taj was very interesting and an inspiring sight to see. However, when we left for what should have been a 5 hour drive, the fog was so thick that visibility was only a few meters in front of us…so it took more like 7 hours to get there.
However, once there I understand why this place is one of the 7 wonders of the world! It is beautiful and grand. I’d always thought it was a palace, which in a sense it is. The place was built by one of the last emperors of India when his favorite wife (note favorite, not only) passed away giving birth to their 14th child! The building is made of pure white marble and precious stones and took 30 years to complete, all being done by hand!
Friends, they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore!
After the structure was completed, the emperor had the hands of all the craftsmen cut off, so that they could never build something more magnificent! Now that is a bad deal, in my opinion.
Inside the Taj itself, there is no artificial light. Everything comes from natural light outside…so if you go at night, don’t expect to see much. In the corners have these giant areas that are cut out, almost like dinning rooms. People in line where getting up there to take pictures and Elizabeth wanted me to get up there and dance with her.
Apparently, I am no longer in the running for husband of the year, because I refused! The reasons are these: the place is a tomb, not exactly somewhere I want to be celebrating. Secondly, there were a lot of armed guards, and I am a larger (even larger compared to these small people) white American. I could just envision being thrown in prison for defiling a historical landmark. Although, now that I think about it, there was one corner where the natives where dropping their pants and leaving their mark on the site, so maybe a little dancing wouldn’t have been so bad!
Afterwards we did a little shopping, which is much different than home, and rode our camel wagon back to the car for our long drive home.
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 5 days…
Well, this was quite a day, but it was all in a short spurt. The Taj was very interesting and an inspiring sight to see. However, when we left for what should have been a 5 hour drive, the fog was so thick that visibility was only a few meters in front of us…so it took more like 7 hours to get there.
However, once there I understand why this place is one of the 7 wonders of the world! It is beautiful and grand. I’d always thought it was a palace, which in a sense it is. The place was built by one of the last emperors of India when his favorite wife (note favorite, not only) passed away giving birth to their 14th child! The building is made of pure white marble and precious stones and took 30 years to complete, all being done by hand!
Friends, they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore!
After the structure was completed, the emperor had the hands of all the craftsmen cut off, so that they could never build something more magnificent! Now that is a bad deal, in my opinion.
Inside the Taj itself, there is no artificial light. Everything comes from natural light outside…so if you go at night, don’t expect to see much. In the corners have these giant areas that are cut out, almost like dinning rooms. People in line where getting up there to take pictures and Elizabeth wanted me to get up there and dance with her.
Apparently, I am no longer in the running for husband of the year, because I refused! The reasons are these: the place is a tomb, not exactly somewhere I want to be celebrating. Secondly, there were a lot of armed guards, and I am a larger (even larger compared to these small people) white American. I could just envision being thrown in prison for defiling a historical landmark. Although, now that I think about it, there was one corner where the natives where dropping their pants and leaving their mark on the site, so maybe a little dancing wouldn’t have been so bad!
Afterwards we did a little shopping, which is much different than home, and rode our camel wagon back to the car for our long drive home.
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 5 days…
Day 119: Experiencing India
Friday, January 1
It’s a brand new year! How exciting to be starting it off with my wife in a brand new country. As I write this, I realize it is actually just now becoming the new year in the good old USA, but this day has already been busy.
I had the honor of meeting Elizabeth’s favorite driver, Ashok, who gave me a grand tour of the city of New Delhi. I got to see the president’s house…which is about as big as the town I grew up in by itself! Seriously, this place isn’t like the White House. It’s more like Fort Knox with architectural charm. The building was amazing and made of stone. Near it was the Parliament building, which makes the Capital look something like a play house. I must give kudos to the people here, they know how to build on a grand scale.
Leaving the seat of power, we traveled to a monument called the India Gate. It’s their war memorial. To get to it, we first had to park and wade through a bunch of kids trying to sell us junk. There was also a real life snake charmer. I would have taken a picture, but he would have required payment for that…which I wasn’t willing to give. It would have only encouraged the ‘entrepreneurs’ to sell harder, knowing we had cash on hand.
My favorite part of the experience was crossing the street! With no real traffic laws (just suggestions) we couldn’t just wait for the light—people ignore that here if they don’t feel like stopping. So both going to the gate and coming back we dodged traffic. I wish I could say it was with speed and grace, but I was too afraid of becoming a hood ornament to have paid much attention to the way we looked!
After an early dinner it is now off to an early bedtime. We have to be up at 4am to head to the Taj!
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 6 days…
It’s a brand new year! How exciting to be starting it off with my wife in a brand new country. As I write this, I realize it is actually just now becoming the new year in the good old USA, but this day has already been busy.
I had the honor of meeting Elizabeth’s favorite driver, Ashok, who gave me a grand tour of the city of New Delhi. I got to see the president’s house…which is about as big as the town I grew up in by itself! Seriously, this place isn’t like the White House. It’s more like Fort Knox with architectural charm. The building was amazing and made of stone. Near it was the Parliament building, which makes the Capital look something like a play house. I must give kudos to the people here, they know how to build on a grand scale.
Leaving the seat of power, we traveled to a monument called the India Gate. It’s their war memorial. To get to it, we first had to park and wade through a bunch of kids trying to sell us junk. There was also a real life snake charmer. I would have taken a picture, but he would have required payment for that…which I wasn’t willing to give. It would have only encouraged the ‘entrepreneurs’ to sell harder, knowing we had cash on hand.
My favorite part of the experience was crossing the street! With no real traffic laws (just suggestions) we couldn’t just wait for the light—people ignore that here if they don’t feel like stopping. So both going to the gate and coming back we dodged traffic. I wish I could say it was with speed and grace, but I was too afraid of becoming a hood ornament to have paid much attention to the way we looked!
After an early dinner it is now off to an early bedtime. We have to be up at 4am to head to the Taj!
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 6 days…
Day 118: First Impressions
Thursday, December 31
This is Devin, coming to you live from India. Elizabeth has asked me to blog for the next few days, mostly because she can. It is true that when I arrived she scared the devil out of me by jumping out of the closet in the dark. I’d just gotten into the room and was waiting for my bags, I was tired from the long flights and had walked from a lighted hallway into a room that was black, except for a few candles. Seeing the candles lit, I knew she was in the hotel somewhere, because they were tee light candles, so they wouldn’t have lasted very long. But I figured she had gone down to greet me and we’d missed each other on the elevators… Alas, she was in hiding trying to send me to an early grave.
After some sleep (I won’t bore you with the details of unpacking, etc…J) we awoke on this, the last day of 2009, with the intention of seeing the sights of New Delhi. However, we soon discovered that some of Elizabeth’s co-workers had decided to go around the schedule and head out to party without telling anyone, effectively stranding us at the hotel. I didn’t think this was so bad, after all the Marriott is a nice brand and this hotel is so new it still shines!
Together we enjoyed a meal downstairs, where I met Matthew, the GM of the hotel. He is a very nice man and took some time to get to know me, suggesting we see Delhi together if time allows. Then Elizabeth gave me a tour of the hotel. The pool is awesome and has a natural overflow which turns into a waterfall. It is very neat. However, while 60 degrees is not cold compared to Kansas and the foot of snow, it is too cold for me to venture out in my swim suit!
In the evening Elizabeth and I rode to work so that I could meet the crew. I won’t pretend to say I understood most of their names, but they were all very nice. Traffic wasn’t nearly as bad as my wife has made it out to be, although she said that I’ll know what she means at some point!
We returned to the hotel and had a nice dinner. The hotel had a New Year Buffet which was fabulous! Some of the best tasting treats my mouth has ever enjoyed. There was lobster ravioli, some excellent grilled fish, lamb which just melted in my mouth… I could go on, but for your sake I won’t. After dinner we went up to the hotel club, which was playing music. Being New Year’s Eve we decided to be customary and have a drink to toast the last decade. Now, for those of you who tend to be more prudish when looking at the lives of your pastors and families, I do mean “A” drink. Unless water counts, too, in which case I had more like 5 drinks!
After welcoming 2010, it was off to bed, which I will say the second night was not as comfortable as the first!
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 7 days…
This is Devin, coming to you live from India. Elizabeth has asked me to blog for the next few days, mostly because she can. It is true that when I arrived she scared the devil out of me by jumping out of the closet in the dark. I’d just gotten into the room and was waiting for my bags, I was tired from the long flights and had walked from a lighted hallway into a room that was black, except for a few candles. Seeing the candles lit, I knew she was in the hotel somewhere, because they were tee light candles, so they wouldn’t have lasted very long. But I figured she had gone down to greet me and we’d missed each other on the elevators… Alas, she was in hiding trying to send me to an early grave.
After some sleep (I won’t bore you with the details of unpacking, etc…J) we awoke on this, the last day of 2009, with the intention of seeing the sights of New Delhi. However, we soon discovered that some of Elizabeth’s co-workers had decided to go around the schedule and head out to party without telling anyone, effectively stranding us at the hotel. I didn’t think this was so bad, after all the Marriott is a nice brand and this hotel is so new it still shines!
Together we enjoyed a meal downstairs, where I met Matthew, the GM of the hotel. He is a very nice man and took some time to get to know me, suggesting we see Delhi together if time allows. Then Elizabeth gave me a tour of the hotel. The pool is awesome and has a natural overflow which turns into a waterfall. It is very neat. However, while 60 degrees is not cold compared to Kansas and the foot of snow, it is too cold for me to venture out in my swim suit!
In the evening Elizabeth and I rode to work so that I could meet the crew. I won’t pretend to say I understood most of their names, but they were all very nice. Traffic wasn’t nearly as bad as my wife has made it out to be, although she said that I’ll know what she means at some point!
We returned to the hotel and had a nice dinner. The hotel had a New Year Buffet which was fabulous! Some of the best tasting treats my mouth has ever enjoyed. There was lobster ravioli, some excellent grilled fish, lamb which just melted in my mouth… I could go on, but for your sake I won’t. After dinner we went up to the hotel club, which was playing music. Being New Year’s Eve we decided to be customary and have a drink to toast the last decade. Now, for those of you who tend to be more prudish when looking at the lives of your pastors and families, I do mean “A” drink. Unless water counts, too, in which case I had more like 5 drinks!
After welcoming 2010, it was off to bed, which I will say the second night was not as comfortable as the first!
With Love,
Devin, on behalf of Eli
Countdown to Devin leaving: 7 days…
Day 117: He’s Here!!
Wednesday, December 30
India is now my favorite place in the world! My sweet Devin is finally here. He arrived at the hotel a little after midnight. I was able to go into work at 3 this afternoon and get off at 11pm allowing me to be here when he arrived. I’m very sneaky though and he had no idea I was here!
I had gotten Devin a bottle of his favorite, impossible to find in the States, cologne as a Christmas present. I had it wrapped and sitting with a little note, apologizing for not being able to meet him until after work. I also said there was another surprise in the closet.
Unfortunately, somehow Devin missed the note and the fact that I was in the closet. He couldn’t figure out how to turn the lights on and all the candles I had light all over the room wasn’t enough light for him to see the present and note. I’m in the closet listening to Devin talk to himself about how he can’t turn the lights on, trying not to laugh hysterically, and hoping he finds the note soon. I didn’t know what I was going to do if he didn’t find me. It was getting hot in the closet and I couldn’t exactly jump out and shout surprise. I’d give the poor fella a heart attack!
Well, finally, he decided to explore the room, however, he still hadn’t seen the note, and therefore had no idea I was in the closet. He opened the door to the closet and looked like he seen a ghost!! It was one of the funniest things I have seen in a long, long time! He jumped about three feet in the air with his hands in front of him like that was going to protect him from the boogieman in the closet!
Luckily, the boogieman was his wife and once the shock wore off, our India adventure began! Well, I’m off to spend time with my Hubby Wubby Doodle Bear!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Devin: 0 day… YAY!!
India is now my favorite place in the world! My sweet Devin is finally here. He arrived at the hotel a little after midnight. I was able to go into work at 3 this afternoon and get off at 11pm allowing me to be here when he arrived. I’m very sneaky though and he had no idea I was here!
I had gotten Devin a bottle of his favorite, impossible to find in the States, cologne as a Christmas present. I had it wrapped and sitting with a little note, apologizing for not being able to meet him until after work. I also said there was another surprise in the closet.
Unfortunately, somehow Devin missed the note and the fact that I was in the closet. He couldn’t figure out how to turn the lights on and all the candles I had light all over the room wasn’t enough light for him to see the present and note. I’m in the closet listening to Devin talk to himself about how he can’t turn the lights on, trying not to laugh hysterically, and hoping he finds the note soon. I didn’t know what I was going to do if he didn’t find me. It was getting hot in the closet and I couldn’t exactly jump out and shout surprise. I’d give the poor fella a heart attack!
Well, finally, he decided to explore the room, however, he still hadn’t seen the note, and therefore had no idea I was in the closet. He opened the door to the closet and looked like he seen a ghost!! It was one of the funniest things I have seen in a long, long time! He jumped about three feet in the air with his hands in front of him like that was going to protect him from the boogieman in the closet!
Luckily, the boogieman was his wife and once the shock wore off, our India adventure began! Well, I’m off to spend time with my Hubby Wubby Doodle Bear!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Devin: 0 day… YAY!!
Day 116: Anticipation…
Tuesday, December 29
Anticipation is an interesting emotion. It leaves you unable to sleep and eating a challenge. When it’s something you dread, time fly by. However, if you are in my shoes, and you are so excited you can hardly think, it makes time stand still. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve looked at a clock only to discover that a mere five minutes have passed, not the hour I was sure was gone, Devin and I would be able to retire! LOL!
Speaking of Devin, he is somewhere over the Atlantic as I type. He should be landing in Frankfurt in about five hours. After a couple hour layover, he will be boarding a plane, Delhi bound! He is set to arrive in Delhi at 10 pm local time tomorrow night. Only a few more hours…
I usually work from 6:30pm till 3:30am. However, tomorrow, I’m working from 3 pm till 11pm, but Devin doesn’t know this! I’m hoping that I will be able to get to the hotel a minute or two before him and surprise him when he comes into the hotel room! When I landed in India, it took about 2.5 hours to get to the hotel from the time I got off the plane. In other words, my plan should work! I’ll let you l know tomorrow!
Ok well since I am going into work three hours earlier, I have to get up three hours early so I got to call it a night! Or at least try to go to sleep! Good night!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Devin: 1 day… WHHHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA!!! :-D
Anticipation is an interesting emotion. It leaves you unable to sleep and eating a challenge. When it’s something you dread, time fly by. However, if you are in my shoes, and you are so excited you can hardly think, it makes time stand still. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve looked at a clock only to discover that a mere five minutes have passed, not the hour I was sure was gone, Devin and I would be able to retire! LOL!
Speaking of Devin, he is somewhere over the Atlantic as I type. He should be landing in Frankfurt in about five hours. After a couple hour layover, he will be boarding a plane, Delhi bound! He is set to arrive in Delhi at 10 pm local time tomorrow night. Only a few more hours…
I usually work from 6:30pm till 3:30am. However, tomorrow, I’m working from 3 pm till 11pm, but Devin doesn’t know this! I’m hoping that I will be able to get to the hotel a minute or two before him and surprise him when he comes into the hotel room! When I landed in India, it took about 2.5 hours to get to the hotel from the time I got off the plane. In other words, my plan should work! I’ll let you l know tomorrow!
Ok well since I am going into work three hours earlier, I have to get up three hours early so I got to call it a night! Or at least try to go to sleep! Good night!
With Love,
Eli
Countdown to Devin: 1 day… WHHHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA!!! :-D
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