First Day in India

Hey Folks,

Well, I've made it ok. Last night the plane finally got in around 3:30 am, and sure enough two of the R&H guys were right there to pick me up. Both were really friendly and I'm looking forward to getting to know them. One of the guys in training at R&H India, Satish, really spent a lot of time getting me acquainted and setup in my new digs.

Before I forget, I wanted to mention something about the trip over. One of the funny things about the flight is on Emirates airlines (which was quite delux) they had free on demand movies. I got to catch one called 'Outsourced', which was a really charming little film about a guy who's entire department is outsourced to India, and he has to travel here to train the new Indian call center. They were rather on the money so far about a few things, such as the number of people at the airport, and the fact that anyone coming from the US will probably look like hell, when they first arrive. It's worth a watch. 

So by the time I finally got to bed, it was around 5:30 am local time. It's been quiet so far today, which is fine because it allows me a chance to rest up and reset my clock.  However, it's possible the new cell phone isn't working... ;0)

Btw, the R&H India cell phone they've given me for my stay is 9701055048. From the docs I found online,  you'd have to dial something like

 011+91+9701055048

to get it to ring on the cell here. I'm going to try to skype myself and see if I can get that to work. If you have access to Skype, try giving that a ring and see if you can reach me. Remember though, India is 12.5 hours ahead of the US.

The digs here are comphy. It's a spacious 2 bedroom apartment with one bath, high ceilings, and fans throughout. Luckily they also have a very dependable wi-fi access. For some reason the iPhone isn't able to get online, but luckily the laptop has no trouble. I'm trying to get used to the small differences, like learning to use the 'induction heater', which is really a fancy hotplate, and learn to turn on the on-demand water heater.

Here in the news it's all about the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Apparently the home minister (I'm guessing the secretary of the interior) has stepped down as a result. Also, like 911, they had warnings of the attacks in advance, even through US channels. Of course, none of that actually resorted to preventative action...

One of the first, funny things about the place is the honking. Like in Italy, it seems like the driving here is more about negotiating the shared space, and those dotted lines on the road are really just suggestions. Honking is the tool used to tell people you're on the left, on the right, coming up from behind, or about to turn a corner. So the first thing I heard when I finally woke up is all the honking in the background. Reminds me of once when I was in NYC and staying at Lutz's apartment in midtown. Tho, midtown was much, much louder.

One last note, seems I picked up a couple of hitchhikers in my luggage on the way hear. Philomus and Wings must have snuck in when I wasn't looking. And while I was either making

coffee, or in the shower, that bear made his own Blog! Can you believe it? Philomus never ceases to surprise.