Please please extend my visa...

I originally got a 1 year work visa in India.  I got the visa from the Indian embassy in NYC.  It was a very straightforward process.  I sent ~8 documents to the embassy along with my passport, and they immediately sent my passport back with the visa.

Now I need to extend the visa, as I plan to stay here longer into 2012.  However, once in India, the process needs to happen at the local offices here, and the process is not so simple.  Everyone has heard of the horrible bureaucracy in India, and of the corruption as well.  I did my homework and went to the immigration office with all my documents in order.  They still sent me away saying that my documents were insufficient.  They don't believe that I am a permanent employee here, they require my contract dates.  They also require proof of address, so I brought my lease agreement, which is good until Feb2012.  They told me I need a lease renewal agreement.  How stupid, to require proof of where I will be living 3 months from now???  This should not be required, and my landlord has moved to New Jersey, so I can't get these notarized docs so quickly.  I think they purposefully ask for unreasonable things so that they can take bribes.  I will be very upset if I can't continue my work here.  I am learning so much and enjoying this time in India immensely.

Its a small (pharma) world, and Goa

My company is a CRO/CMO (contract research/manufacturing org), so we get a lot of client visits (current and prospective clients).  It amazes me how many visitors work with people that I have also worked with.  It is a much smaller world, in this industry, than I would have figured.

I just met a Genentech guy who works with my ex-Pfizer friend Jack.  I have met Pfizer Animal Health guys who worked with me and Dennis/Sunil from PAH Kalamazoo.  My former Merck colleague Pete joined a company in NJ, and his new boss came to my company.  Also one of my current colleagues previously worked at my old Merck site.

I have surprised myself recently with my schmoozing ability.  At first I hated the client visits, I just wanted to get back to the "science", project work.  But lately, it has become more fun to do the business activities.  Chatting it up about industry trends, "oh I also know so-and-so person", considering project costs and profits, all have gone from dull to interesting for me.  Who would have thought?

On a separate note, now that SNOW has come to Philly, I am not feeling homesick at all.  Weather is beautiful here.  My hindi is improving.  All in all, I am pretty happy here these days.

Went to Goa for Diwali.  What a lovely place.  Heavily influenced by Portugal, which is still apparent in the arcitechture and prevalence of christianity (including lovely old churches).  It is so christian that you can actually eat beef here!!  But I did not.  I ate some great fish curry though, a nice alternative to my usual diet, as quality fish is hard to come by in Ahmedabad.  The beaches are great, but not as good as Carribean.  I also helped teach my friend Vipin how to swim.  Can you believe only a small portion of the Indian population knows how to swim?  It was funny for me to teach a grown man to tread water.

Our beach hut, right on the water

Virus!

I still have not gotten sick here in India (except when I drank old milk), which defies all logic.  One would have thought that the kind of "bugs" here would be new to my immune system, and I would spend my first year getting sick all the time.  However, not even one cold or flu.  Even in the US I got sick at least twice per year, so it is a big surprise.

Before coming to India I got all sorts of vaccines and warnings (don't eat street food, don't eat cut vegetables, only drink bottled water, use insect repellent).  I have not followed any of these warnings.  This is my home now, I can't live in a bubble.  I was beginning to think that all the warnings were due to paranoia and hype.

As it turns out there were thousands of malaria cases in Ahmedabad during Aug/Sep.  My coworker's grandfather got malaria (mosquito borne).  My friend here got Chikungunya (insect borne) this week.  A coworker in Indore got typhoid (water borne) in August, and is still suffering with fever and joint/organ pain.  An expat from Denmark in my area got Dengue fever (insect borne) this month.  These are all well-off people, who live in similar neighborhoods/flats as me with similar lifestyles/eating habits.  In fact my eating habits are probably worse as I eat street food with abandon.

I am not sure if I am willing to change my lifestyle, but I may opt to at least get my immunizations up to date next time I visit US.

Not kidding, I just not now got bitten by a mosquito...

Udaipur, Navratri, and other...

ANOTHER festival, Navratri, where I celebrated at coworkers home.  Basically 9 days of dancing with very gaudy traditional costume required.  It was fun to shop for the dress at the outdoor markets, with my indian girl friends driving a hard bargain for me (2500 rupees down to 700).  My coworker's wife and sister-in-law helped me dress and let me borrow jewelry.

Also travelled to Udaipur, Rajastan by bus for a weekend adventure.  Pics of both below.  I do love India, but I can understand from a blog reader's point of view that all these trips and festivals must look the same...

As I was coming home from Navratri celebration last night, my bike stopped working.  It was 3 am, but there were lots of people on the road due to the festivities.  As always, people immediately stopped to help.  I thought I was out of petrol, but my spark plug was malfunctioning.  People here are good at knowing how to fix things with the most basic tools, and I was on my way in no time.  However, even with a bike tuneup being done recently, I have constant trouble with my bike.  It is fun to have such an old bike.  I kind of like taking it to the shop all the time, as it gives me a way to be involved with the real people of india.  However, I am worried for my safely on the road.  I really need a more reliable bike.  But what if I leave this place in 6 months?  Should I really buy a new bike now?

Ganesha Chaturthi

Yet another festival in India.  It only surprises me where there is a day without a festival in India.

I won't get into the religious details or significance, but this was the culmination of a 10 day celebration of the Hindu God Ganesha.  My friends (like many Hindus) made a temporary temple for Ganesha in their home.  On the last day, they perform a ritual in the home (all the neighbors were invited).  Then make the procession (on tractors) to the river with the idol, with ample stops for drumming/dancing/eating sweets/playing with colors (like in Holi), then release Ganesha into the river.

It was loads of fun!  I saw a couple of other westerners there, but I was the only one that came with a group of Indians.  It is better to participate than just observe, especially with such a fun group of friends like I have.

Back to RTO

As you know I got my permanent Indian license for car which was valid for 20 years.  They gave it to me based on my US drivers license (no driving test needed).  They actually weren't supposed to give me 20 year license, it was only supposed to be for the duration of my visa, until Dec 2011.

 

Today I just wanted to take bike test and add bike to the license.  But they realized the 20 year expiry error and took my license away.  Now i start fresh with learner's license only, and even after I take driving test, it will have to get renewed every year.  Sure this is no big deal if I leave in 2012, but if I stay longer...

 

I was better off having the car license for 20 years.  No cop would have noticed that I don't have the bike certification.  But I will have to go back to take the bike test in 1 month, then get a permanent license valid for only one month.  Ugh.

 

I meant to spend only 2 hours at the RTO, then go directly to work.  I ended up having to be there from open to close.  It was raining and I spent the whole day is soaking wet jeans (yes I illegally drove my bike to the RTO).

 

On another note, I met a nice family while spending the whole day at the RTO.  I stopped at their home on the way back for coffee and offerings to Ganesh (Hindu festival going on now).

 

There I met a guy whose job interested me very much.  He works in a call center, but not a legitimate one.  Everyone knows about internet scam schemes, well I met someone involved in this.  This guy's "company" has a website that americans think is a payday loan site.  Americans fill out form for loan, but get rejected, meanwhile their SSN and other personal/financial details have been collected.  Several months later, they get a call from a "debt collecter" saying that they owe money for payday loan, and they get threats of credit score cuts, seizure of assets, etc.  The american thinks that they have been a victim of ID theft.  They usually choose to pay off the small amount ($200-500) rather than take the case to court.

 

I was not surprised by this scheme, but rather surprised that a very kind person was working for such a company.  He has moral issues working at this job, but stays there because no other jobs are available.

 

I don't have a good lesson for this story.  Only to say that no one is 100% good, and sometimes we compromise our morals and justify our actions...

I love you, Nan

My grandmother (Nan) has fallen very ill.  It is very sad for me to be so far away.  Nan was very special to me growing up.  She made me appreciate fresh fruits and vegetables (growing as well as eating), and taught me discipline in doing my schoolwork.  She tried to teach me cooking, canning, and sewing, as she was a master - but I was a hopeless student.  I know I couldn't do anything if I was there with her now, but I would like to be there anyway.  At least to give support to my Mom...

On a lighter note, I have made a travel list with the help of my friends and coworkers.  I refuse to return to US until the list is complete.  I won't be able to see every single thing in each location, but better to see many places in this part of the world while I have the chance.  Once I'm back in US, I can't just hop to Jerusalem for a long weekend...  Here is the list.

India

Goa

Kerala

Jodhpur/Jaipur

Udaipur

Jaisalmer

Asia

Bangkok, Thailand

China

Nepal

Jerusalem, Israel

Cairo, Egypt

Singapore, Malaysia

Said goodbye to another coworker.  This time one of my favorite analytical chemists in my group.  Here are some pictures from the goodbye pizza party.  These are all guys in my group.  It was my first time meeting most of their wives.  It is too bad we had to wait until someone left the group before gathering socially with family.

Mumbai!

My fears were unfounded, as I predicted - I should have gone to Mumbai for the full weekend as planned.  I would have enjoyed it even by myself.

Yes Mumbai is huge and crowded, but it is a modern city.  Compared to Ahmedabad, it is a breeze to manuver as an American, as long as you have enough time to sit in traffic for a bit.  Signs (e.g. auto stand from airport) are well marked in english, and the lower working class seems much more comfortable with english than in Ahmedabad.  Westerners are more prevalent, so I was not stared at.  Mumbai seems lively and interesting.  A good place to live... ????  Only thing I wonder if it is too westernized.  I came to India to experience something completely different.  If I just want a great city, I can return to Philly.

I arrived during Janmashtami (Krishna festival, see pics).  There was a celebration close to the company guesthouse that I was staying.  I walked over and observed.  They make a human pyramid to break a hanging pot.  It is fun for all, despite some people getting hurt falling from failed human pyramids (I saw a nasty broken ankle).

My work function the next day was good too, but no one wants to hear about corporate yadda yadda.

Crowd observing

Another pyramid about to start.  Not much to see here except the awesome stache on the guy in the lower right corner

 Some red liquid poured from the broken pot onto the kid, now we celebrate!

Mumbai?

I am very dissapointed with myself.

I have been looking for an opportunity to get to Mumbai.  Any opportunity.  As I said before, it is a lively world-class city, and may be somewhere that I'd like to live before my stint in India is over (if it has an end anyway).  However, I don't want to consider moving there without visiting first.  Many Indians have warned me against moving there due to traffic/crowds/high cost of living.  However, I know that my preferences and interests often leave my Indian friends a little stumped, so I have decided to make up my own mind.

Lucky me got the opportunity, and an opportunity at no cost to me.  I have a work meeting at our Mumbai site on Tuesday.  With Monday being a holiday, that meant I could spend the long weekend in Mumbai, and flights would be paid for.

Unfortunately I don't really know anyone in Mumbai.  There were a few friends of friends, and one aquaintence, but nothing panned out.  I moved to India by myself, so I shouldn't be afraid to do some sight-seeing by myself.  But it seems that I have just run out of energy.  I am sick of being out of my element, being stared at, and of being unfamilar with my surroundings without the communication skills to figure out what to do.  I am very comfortable now in Ahmedabad.  But when I do NEW things, even here, I like to have someone with me to help.  Even if I was with another confused American it would be ok, that way I have someone to talk to and laugh with.

Not to mention Mumbai monsoon is much worse than Ahmedabad, and I hate rain.

So I will fly into Mumbai Monday night, do my work, then return immediately.  I regret my decision already.  Hopefully I will return soon, with a friend, after monsoon is done.

Weekend Trip #2

Trip 2:  Nainital

Yet another hill station!  For someone who prefers city vacations to nature vacations, I sure have been to a lot of hill stations (to my american friends, hill station = mountain resort).  This was a trip planned by my friends, so I didn't get any say in the destination.  I was just happy to tag along and see something new.

Just getting to and from Nainital is a blog worthy tale.  First took a sleeper train ticket from Ahmedabad to Delhi.  Almost missed the train due to late friends, heavy rain, heavy traffic, and an auto that broke down halfway to railway station.  The good auto driver helped us by running into traffic to flag a new auto.  Because it was a holiday weekend (India independence day), there was crazy traffic on the drive from Delhi to Nainital.  The 5 hour journey took 10 hours.  The crazy driver hit 3 other cars during the whole trip, at least making the journey interesting (and scary at times).

On the way back, heavy rains caused a sink-hole on the small road that our hotel was on.  We actually saw a car attempt to drive through the sink-hole (it was filled with water and fooled the driver into thinking it was a shallow hole).  Half the car went right into the hole!  There was no alternate road from the hotel to the main road, so we could not leave at the desired time.  I was worried that it would take days for a city road crew to come out and repair it.  Of course, Indians are resourseful and helpful, so within hours random citizens worked together to lift the car out, fill the sinkhole with bricks and rocks, and direct traffic safely.  We were on our way.

Halfway down the mountain we had to stop for 4 hours while a landslide was cleared by bulldozers.  We were able to watch them work.  Once again, it amazed me how fast they worked.  Probably it had something to do with not taking the proper safety precautions, but all got cleared without issue.  Later we had to backtrack 40km due to a washed out bridge.  I saw a truck tip over that ventured too close to the edge of a road.  Needless to say, I missed my flight home from Delhi to Ahmedabad, but got a flight the next day.  Unlike in US, any flight can be cancelled up to 2 hours before the departure, and all money will be refunded except 750 rupees ($17).  Granted, $17 is not inconsequential for my Indian income, but it is not a huge deal.

I wish I could have take pics of the sinkhole and mudslide, but my camera was already packed.

The mountain and lakes were beautiful.  We had fun sight-seeing, eating, and drinking.  We stopped in Delhi to celebrate Rakhi with Pranav's sister.  This is a holiday that a sister ties a bracelet on her brother and gives him gifts.

I did have some frustrations with my friends though, and I'm sure they were frustrated with me too.  They are masters of English, but Hindi is their first language, and I did feel left out of the conversation many times.  They will hardly walk anywhere, and taking the car in this overcrowded city often takes more time than walking.  But for me, walking around makes me feel good, and allows me to take in the city and the people in a way that you can't from a car.  Of course, they are indian, and experiencing the "people of india" is something they have done their whole life - so I understand.  I went out on my own a little and had the experience that I wanteded.  I just hope I wasn't so moody that they will withhold their invitation next time.

Rakhi festivities

Traffic Jam, yes, people travel on top of buses