Again two weeks later and longer in this sometimes strange country. I already noticed before, but as we have our own biases against (some) of the people in India, it also works the other way around; these two clippings I took from Maxim India…

Although still a joke, it is a good representation of how some (not all of course) Indians think of western and especially blond women. I guess this attitude originates from the good ol’ sixties when many westerners fled to India for finding Ganja, an affordable life and their Nirvana. Still you can find communities like these in Pondicherry (Auroville), Pune and Goa. Want to live there? Bring a negative HIV test and find you’re self more than welcome…

Most people will remember India as a dirty country, with open sewers, poor people living in slums and dirt/beggars everywhere but with a really big service industry, mostly focused on IT. As a friend stated; “India is one big shithouse with an internet connection”. Maybe that could be partly true, but this shithouse has some damn nice toilet seats, but only if you’re able to pay for it. If there is no traveling going on we mostly spend our weekends in clubs like FUGA, which is according to me the best place in town, with a really great ambiance, DJs and even more striking; Indian girls with skirts the size of a belt. And that is, softly speaking a huge outrage in this country where (old fashioned) norms require women to cover their body (curves) at all times.

Sundays we tend to take it easy and hang out at the Leela palace (5*+) or at the Taj (5*)… Basically it means that we join the brunch (actually more a lunch) with unlimited drinking and eating for the afternoon, service is excellent, we can make use of the pool and what is the best; they have decent cheese, bread and other good stuff I miss from back home… Not bad for Hans the Trainee ey?

Haven’t written much about work lately, anyway, haven’t written much at all… I think it’s because I don’t have much free time at hand: since I realized that complaining about work doesn’t really take you anywhere, I decided to take het hef in eigen handen (take control of the situation in Dutch). And now, I actually work 9 hours straight, which is, very uncommon for the average AIESEC trainee in Bangalore. Next to my work at the DLT (distribution, Logistics and Transport) division, I did some work for e-Governance, and currently setting up the research for a book written by our CEO about innovation in multinational companies. I’m part of the research team for this book, in a few months this team will be spread over the world; Felix in Michigan, Ilker in Turkey and Hans in Europe. From those locations we are supposed to visit CEO’s or any other person of strategic importance for an interview, which will be used later in the book as a case study. So at the moment we are preparing the methodology part of the project. We still have a long way to go, but I’m sure we’ll get there.

Travel… Of course! Been last month to Kerala Backwaters, Fort Cochin and Kerala beach! I like! Btw, did you Kerala is actually the only Communist state in India?

If interested there is this documentary the travel program RTL travel (in Dutch).

Cheers…

The Robertson House

So I still have to introduce you to my house...

I managed to get a bed in the Robertson house almost a month after I arrived in India. The house itself is overpopulated, has just one good working shower (for 13 persons), is poorly ventilated, has a dirty kitchen, toilets and is not well maintained. On top of that theft happens on a regular basis; especially lot’s of food and drinks from our kitchen disappears during the day, while we are at work. Anyway, for this we introduced a quick ‘n dirty solution; the picture below should say enough…

Actually we told our house guard (our nr 1 suspect) only after he probably finished a bottle of Fanta about its “special” content. You should have seen his face… Priceless!! After this he moved out from the house...

Although the place itself seems far from perfect, I wouldn’t like to move somewhere else, as in some way the house has its own unique atmosphere. The inhabitants (let’s call them Robertsonites (thanks Daniel.. ) are all from different places in the world, i.e. Germany, US, Canada, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, China, France, Mexico and Sweden, which results in an interesting mix of cultures, tastes, languages, opinions, music and food. There is no way you will be bored while living there… There is always something going on. That can be anything; from a cocktail party, or a paintball competition (no, not in the house itself) to a traffic accident (Poor Cesar is still recovering from it…).

Our house even made the press: click!

This video is a bit outdated, as most of the Robertsonites already left the house and the country, but still gives you a good impression of the place.

Of course I also have been traveling around last weekend. We visited Coorg, known as the Scotland of the Indian subcontinent. Just after 6 hours of traveling by bus from Bangalore, we arrived in a completely different India. The landscape was dominated by large mountains, luscious green and clean air. No traffic, fumes, noises, Riksha’s, or any other big city annoyances. The first day we decided to climb the 1900 meter high peak, which was quite exhausting but certainly worth it.

Also the area is known for its coffee plantations. The owner of our cottage explained me the differences between the Robusta plants and Arabica plants, which both grew in his garden.

Arabica plants have larger beans but the leaves of the plant are smaller, while Robusta beans are smaller and the plants have bigger leaves. Also, the berry of the Arabica plant is a bit sweeter. Anyway, the distinctive aroma of coffee will only appear after the beans have been roasted.

The following day we did some elephant riding and visited the largest Tibetian settlement outside Tibet. It basically was a small village with lots of Buddhists, prayer flags and an impressive temple. The place was very touristy but had a nice and friendly atmosphere due to the (Tibetan) monks. After this we took the bus back to Bangalore.

(Thanks Meike and Felix for the pictures)

A nice weekend it was.

Payday!

31^st of October

Nice... Today it’s payday… Finally I received my so well earned small fortune of Indian Rupees. As I already have mentioned I make around 90 eurocents an hour, which results in 15.000 Rps. at the end of every month. Enough to pay for the rent, food, some clothes, occasional drinks, salsa classes (yes I attend salsa class), and maybe some traveling. For most people here it is well enough to live from, but not for me, being the spoiled westerner…

Everyday I start with a cappuccino at Barista, the best Indian coffee chain around which serves original Illy café, imported of course (although 12% of the 100% Arabica beans are from Indian origin). This would cost around 60 Rps. p/ cup. Next, I’ll get an Autoriksha to my work, this will cost me around 40 – 50 Rps, one way. So just to get started and get to my work I already have spent twice the equivalent of a female construction worker’s daily wage. And that’s even before breakfast… Most of the times I skip the provided lunch by the company and head for an outside restaurant, this could be for example Pizza Hut, where I would spend the outrageous amount of 250 Rps. Maybe I would take a short break in the afternoon and get an espresso (Indian Robusto beans) at the local coffee bar, 30 Rps. So after that again I would head home and probably before dinner (150 Rps.) visit the Gym (100 Rps) in the evening I would have probably a beer or again a coffee (Rps. 60).

So let’s say that by just doing the basic things and not doing something special like shopping for jeans; 4000 Rps. / going to a club; 600 Rps. / brunch at 5* hotel; 1550 Rps. / traveling for the weekend; 2500 Rps., buy a tailored shirt; 1200 Rps. etc. I already spent my daily wage. A complete Indian (lower class, ok) family could live from this amount for a week. For me they are more or less basic costs for a day.

Income and lifestyle differences like these are actually completely acceptable here in India, but still, I feel a bit strange about it. In our Dutch egalitarian society a situation like this would be totally unacceptable, there the construction worker would possibly earn as much as a starting university graduate (and probably even more, if you would count the “private” wage in). But still the question is; what is the better situation? I guess an answer may be more complicated that it seems at first sight. First, of course being at the lower end of the food chain is not being regarded as a preference for the Indian construction worker, and of course a decrease in salary wouldn’t make our university graduate (and also Hans the trainee) very happy. But what then would be the preferred mode of society’s division of income?

Will we choose for the egalitarian or the dystopian version of society? I guess it’s all about society’s mindset; formed by history, culture, and personal traits. Who knows what Indian society would be like in the more social case of leveled incomes. Less competitive and entrepreneurial minded but happier in general?

Goa

It's old, it's heavy, it has bad breaks and is relatively slow. But I love it. In India they call it a Bullet, a motorcycle originated from the UK, but after they became obsolete there, the plans and machines were shipped to Madras, India, where the legend started a new life. Nowadays the Enfield is part of everyday life in India; you can hear its distinctive 1 cylinder sound anywhere, at every time.

For me the Enfield was a part of the Goa experience, which we visited during the Divali weekend, again one of the many Indian holidays.
Goa… the former hippie refuge, and nowadays one of the most popular beach destinations among European travelers. Resulting into the highest density of red skinned (sunburned) westerners most probably to find on the Indian subcontinent. It was fun actually, and I had for a weekend long the idea I was spending my short vacation in one of the Mediterranean coastal cities. Especially the nice fresh seafood available, the relaxed atmosphere (haven't been much sober that weekend) and our group of trainees which made the experience complete. We spent most of our time just hanging out at the beach; drinking, swimming, smoking (hippie-style), and even more drinking. Between all this cultural stuff, we also had a look at the Portuguese heritage from the 16th century, which mainly consisted of Cathedrals and other buildings from the colonial period, which ended in 1961.


During one of the tours we were pulled over by the police, speeding on the highway and without helmet… Back home that would cost you your driver's license, your bike and a huge fine, but we had to pay the amount of 100 Rps. (1,50 euro) in cash to the laid-back police officers.

























Soon I will be back…

Additional pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/89801190@N00/


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one and a half months in India...(continued from old blog)

Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/89801190@N00/

Almost here for 1.5 months now and apparently I have a few non-Dutch speaking readers; for them I will write my little story in English, but only for now.

The last few weeks I actually managed to get a daily routine, and made friends with my domestic-cockroach (Kees) which lives in my bathroom. Unfortunately it decided to take advantage of my trust and started an unacceptable relationship with my beloved toothbrush. Therefore I decided to move out of my apartment and join the 13 guys at the Robertson house in Frazertown (a part of Bangalore), where I will replace a Japanese trainee.

Last week we visited Mysore (130 km from Bangalore), during Dussehra, a religious festival which meant an extra day off! (There are a lot of religious holidays, and thus many days off). In Msyore, we visited the Sultan’s palace, the biggest attraction of this city, especially at night when the building is lighted by thousands of small lights, truly a beautiful sight. Also we paid a visit to the local market, where mainly fruits, flowers and household appliances were sold.
The following day we attended the parade, a once a year festivity which attracts people from all over the state. Too bad it was really too busy to take a few decent pictures of the whole thing, but luckily (especially for the girls who where continuously being harassed in the crowd) we were invited by a family to enjoy the whole spectacle from their roof!

After my return by bus to Bangalore, I noticed that two new roommates just moved in and occupied the two empty beds in my room; an Indian who works for an IT company (could it be something else?) and a Dutch guy from Rotterdam, Rob who seems to be a great fan of Feyenoord and sports in general. Too bad for Rob that he managed to catch the infamous Durchfall, or Delhi belly... I guess it’s not very nice to spend most of your first week in India on a toilet seat…

Last weekend we went to INXS, a rockband known by many, at least in western society. The concert was at Bangalore’s Palace grounds and expected to attract at least a few thousand people, but too bad just a few hundred people showed up, I guess there’s not much of a concert culture here. Anyway, it was a great concert and probably one of the few opportunities to be that close to the stage. I tried to take a few pictures, and the ones that actually are not too blurry are posted on my Flickr account.


Finally I will provide an overview of a few of the Indian peculiarities I’ve noticed until now;

• It is totally acceptable to pick up your cell phone and start a loud conversation in the cinema.
• In case of a Bollywood movie, don’t expect to be home on time; it will take at least 3 hours…
• Don’t try to understand Indian food, it’s no use. Eat or avoid it.
• Efficiency is just like alcohol, smoking and sex, a taboo for the largest part of the population.
• Most probably the injuries of the beggar are self-inflicted in order to receive more money.
• Earning a wage of a little bit more than 90 eurocent/hour makes you a part of the Indian middle class.
• Yes, I will haggle for 5 Rps. (8 eurocent) with a rickshaw driver and later spend his weekly income on a drink.
• Blond hair seems to be an invitation for harassment.
• “Yes Yes” doesn’t exactly mean yes; it can mean maybe, try again tomorrow, simply no, or I hear you but please piss off.
• If ever to arrange official stuff (ie. Extending visa, acquiring a residential permit) it’s best to take a week off from work. Your boss will understand.
• A good friendship in India extends beyond the mental linkage.
• Good service is expressed in behaving in a slavery way.
• Indian Standard Time (IST) is just a practical joke; actually it means Indian Stretch Time.
• Just being friendly to hawkers, touts and rickshaw drivers will end up in you being ripped off.

pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/89801190@N00 /