Sunday, July 30, 2006

At the Birthday Party

other stuff

So I'm back at Proctor & Gamble again working in Research & Development for the summer. Which is good. Paychecks are good. My birthday was great and included all the best things. Wine, Cheese Chocolate, good movies, and great friends. Well maybe not all the best things but one souldn't be greedy.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Whiplash

Injuries, discoveries that people generally don't notice until after the fact.

  • People generally don't understand the word "loo" no matter how much I continue to use it.
  • I've gotten used to doing my date dd/mm/yr (which makes more sense, who wants to know what month it is before the day?) instead of the American mm/dd/yr
  • The 1st floor in the states is the ground floor everywhere else. So when someone at work told me to take something to the 3rd floor I ended up on the 4th.
  • Hitting the ground running (finding a flat in Columbus, getting a job etc. within the first 2 weeks) -though a good idea will leave one exhausted.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Here and There

Okay after spending a week at home I'm slightly more adjusted but only slighytly. Meanwhile here are a few other things I found interesting about here and there.

Here
-There is an abusurd amount of water in the toilet bowls :-s
but there is always toilet paper :-)
-No one randomly offers you tea :-(
-People look at you strangely when you go to "visit the loo" Look for a "dust bin" or decide to take a "kip" :-s
-People also look at you strangely when you walk down the street with an umbrella because the sun is too bright :-(
-Guys actually check you out, nod in approval, or chat you up instead of just staring at you like you are an alien :-)

There
-No western toilet much less toilet paper :-(
but there is water which comes in handy even if there is paper there too :-)
-Chai wallas (sellers) :-)
-Peanut and veggie wallas selling increadbly cheap, fresh, and more organic veggies :-)
-More veggie food in general :-)
-More oily food in general :-(
-More technology :-s (TiVo, Blue tooth, WiFi, all of these things still moderately scare me)

Monday, July 10, 2006

Strange Americans

I've realized that there are many things I'm not used to from living in India for the last 10 months. Here are some of them.

  • Cars that actually stop when you cross the road, because they are afraid they might hit you. - I was crossing the street relatively close to a car and was shocked that it stopped. In Kolkata they would've just continued. As I've almost gotten hit by a bus, and have a scar from a rickshaw that drove too close to the corner where I was trying to cross
  • Money that is all the same color. Yes the 20 & 10 are all sorts of strange colors, but really it's all green. I had trouble paying for things a couple times because I thought my 10's were only 1's and ended up continually breaking 20's.
  • Americans are strange. They can be incredibly polite about standing in line (not just pushing to the front) or asking for a bite of food or drink of water (one of my friends was thirsty for longer than expected because she was waiting for me to offer water while I was used to people just taking it). But can also be very (unnecciarily in my opinon) rude when ordering, waiting on food or in line.
  • Americans are also generally supersized. . . uh fat.
  • There also a riddiculous amount of options
  • America is cold (compared to Kolkata with no Air Condintioning in most places)

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Top Ten Reasons to Go #1

I realize that I'm going back to the US with no sign of leaving it again and freak out at the prospect of living in the US for so long. Even though I do want to go home, still. . .

Oh and the stewardess on the plane asks me if I'm Indian when she sees me wearing my sari and complements me on it.

:-)

Top Ten Reasons to Go #2

I'm down to my last 800 . . . 750 . . . . 500 . . . 350 . . . . 100 Rs

I can't justify refilling the credit on my phone for less than 24 hours I'll be in the country.

Karan has declared I learned enough about style to buy things on my own now.