I've Been Blessed

Today I was blessed by my new colleagues.

A tilak is a form of blessing, greeting and auspiciousness.

A garland is a form of respect and honor.

Today I definitely feel all of these things.

To learn more about these customs, you can read about them here.

Mumbai's Symphony

At 5:00 a.m., the first movement of the Mumbai Sound Symphony begins.

A crow caws.

A car honks.

Some church bells ring just after 6:00.

People are rousing and so are the sounds.

A rickshaw horn,

An airhorn,

Suddenly a swelling of horns.

Everyone in a hurry.

An apartment door shuts,

The elevator door closes.

A small bird sings.

Small sounds in the city.

Cars gaining acceleration,

A new bird calls back.

A flip flop on the stair.

A hammer pounding somewhere.

                            After work, the  second movement.  The sounds build.  Louder and louder. 

 A crescendo.

More crows.  More horns.  More jackhammers.  It almost seems it will last all night.

Suddenly, at 7:00 p.m., some sounds begin to fade.

The construction site sounds from the new apartment buildings behind mine..jackhammers, air, metal slamming, hammering slow.

The crow outside my window caws one final time and flys away.

A singing voice.  A faint call for prayer.

Only the horns are left.

No dramatic coda here.

The Sound Symphony ends for today.  

The same symphony will begin tomorrow.  

Wonder if I'll hear it's beauty then?

Garbage Rules!

You may not have thought about it before but each country has their garbage nuances, customs and routines.

In Illinois, the Goo and I separated garbage into a few categories:  paper/cardboard, plastic/glass and finally  trash.  On Thursdays we'd roll the two cans out to the sidewalk for pick-up and then roll them back in on Friday.  Garbage is paid for by the can.  You have to put a sticker on your can that costs about $3 USD.  Recycling is free.

In Korea, I had to separate EVERYTHING, take the elevator down 14 stories, walk across a parking lot and then and put it into the appropriate bin.  There was a bin for glass, one for plastic, one for paper, one for cardboard and one for compost.  I didn't pay for garbage.  Part of the reason for such specific separation was a nasty rumor that circled around school  I heard that you could be fined hundreds of Won if you were caught breaking the garbage rules and didn't separate your trash.  I'm a rule-follower so I always separated.  Korea also charged for using plastic bags  at the store check-out and also you had to pay a deposit for cups like at Starbucks.  Pretty progressive considering that was in 2005.

In Brazil, garbage was separated into two categories.  Organic and other.  I walked my two bags (or most of the time my maid walked the bags) down the hall, down a half flight of stairs and put into one of two garbage bins.  The guard would then pick-up all of the cans and put the garbage someplace.  Again, there I didn't pay for garbage.

This is what I do in India.

Sorry for the fuzzy shot.  It's sooo humid here my camera fogged
up as soon as I walked out my apartment door!  No air in the stairwells.

Yup.  That's my garbage.  I leave my garbage in the hallway outside my apartment.  A woman stops by each day to pick it up.  I've left my plastic bottles and paper out of these bags since I heard that she can sell those things and that way at least some recycling's happening.  I hope.  

In India I will pay for garbage but you're not expected to do that, well, at least in my building.  I'll pay about 100 rupees each month.  That's roughly $2.25 dollars each month for daily garbage pick-up at my door.

Random garbage thoughts on a Tuesday.  Why am I reflecting on garbage collection?  Hopefully, it's just that I'm still fighting the jet-lag.  

My Mumbai FRRO

Nope, I didn't spell that wrong.  FRRO stands for Foreign Regional Registration Office.  Although my hair is definitely a bit frizzier here than during rainy season in Brasilia or Chicago in the summertime.  I digress.

India requires you to complete a FRRO visit if you are going to stay in India for longer than six months.   Also you've gotta complete your visit within 14 days of your arrival.

Yesterday there were 11 newbies and 3 oldies who visited FRRO.  As we drove there across the Worli Sea Link, I realized we were going into the older part of the city.  Out the bus windows we saw lots of rickshaws due to the rain, my first cow (Cow Count Goo was 3 days), tents and just people trying to complete their Saturday business.

When we arrived, we pulled up to an old colonial style building.  I took the lift complete with two grate-style, folding doors up to the third floor with a car full of men to meet my friends.

Before I went, I asked a couple who'd gone the day before about their experiences so I could be prepared and know what to do and what not to do during my visit.  I also wondered how this process would compare to the Federal Police residency visit in Brazil.  Additionally, I know the US doesn't make it easy for foreign visitors so I set very few expectations.

Here's what I expected:

• waiting patiently (brought my iPad), 
• sitting quietly while someone reviewed paperwork (sit and say nothing), 
• needing to gather things that were missing (would seek out ASB assistance), 
• rewriting the same information on a computer and then into a blue book and
• long lines of waiting (iPad and friends).  

All of the above happened.

Things that were different than Brazil's process are:

• no fingerprinting, 
• LOTS of other foreigners applying all at the same time,
• one person assigned to help several people simultaneously (lots of queuing)
• purchasing an actual large file folder for your residency paperwork to be put into (mine was a great reddish pink and my school paid for it) and
• beautiful uniforms.

People everywhere wear uniforms for various jobs but for some reason I'd never thought that saris could be turned into uniforms.  The ladies wearing them may have had different feelings but I thought they were beautiful.

The only surprising thing that happened was a large roach crawled up my good leg during our visit.  When you feel a tickle on your leg, you never know what it could be.  Gross.

If you're moving to India or you wanna come for a longer visit, I found this great blog post with some FRRO Survival Tips. Especially if you're not going with a group, her suggestions of what to brig (ipod) and what to do (make friends) are great tips. Please know that her viewpoints are her impression of her FRRO trip.  

My additional tip would be to make friends with the staff.  Notice something about them.  For instance I noticed the woman who helped me was expecting.  While she completed my paperwork, I asked her when she was due. I knew I had to find a neutral topic so I wouldn't offend her or make a joke that slowed everything down.  By asking about her baby, she asked me about the other teachers I was with, why I was living in India, my school and best of all she completed my paperwork quickly. And in case your wondering, her baby's due in January.

All in all, not a bad trip to FRRO.  Some culture, some nature (shudder) and most importantly I got my official blue book that makes me an Indian resident.  

My New Pad

So, here's my new place.  It's not quite ready for guests, but by the time any of you even arrived, I could be.  Here's a brief first tour of my new home.  

My Apartment # and Doorbell 

Why won't you please come in?  My living room and dining room

Looking back at the front door in much better light.  See my flowers!

To the right of the entry, is my long galley kitchen. 

View from kitchen window - all window have this plastic
chicken wire to prevent the birds from roosting.

Lots-o-storage

Guest room
Well, once my stuff is put away.

More guest bedroom.  It will look much cuter once I get settled
and decorate.  There will be a bed too, don't worry.

Guest  bathroom - See I have two bathrooms this time around
Very fancy.

Guest bath continued
That dark shape outside is my dryer which sits on a piece
of plywood under the guest bedroom aircon.

My bedroom
Again, lots to do like put clothes away, decorate after shipment
but my bed's pretty comfy so far.  This bed will move into
the guest room once my shipment arrives.

More of my room 

My shower - the shower's open so water goes everywhere!
This is an Indian style bathroom.  Shower curtain on the
way but the floor slant can't be fixed

More bathroom

My view
Little bit different than Brasilia

It's definitely a great space.  If there's good bones, then the rest will come in time.  Just gotta be patient.  Please know I'm saying that aloud so I know that too.  

I'm in Hot Water

In Brazil, the only place I had warm water was in the shower and that lasted about 5 minutes.  No hot, or even warm water, to wash my dishes unless I boiled it.  No warm water to wash your face or to take a hot shower.

But, thanks to all of my geezers here, I can have hot water...

in the kitchen sink,

in both showers,

and in each bathroom sink.

It's the little things that make me happy.  Such a luxury that I'm sure a lotta people take for granted.  And in case you were wondering, a geezer is a hot water heater.  

A Little TLC

I made it!  I'm sitting on my burgundy and oatmeal striped couch listening to a chorus of honks over the rain outside.  I'm really loving India already.  It's funny how the chaos really hasn't hit yet.  I know it will sometime soon but I'm enjoying it's beauty so far.

With not knowing quite where to start, I thought I'd jump into how much help and TLC I've had since I arrived.  Actually the help started long before I arrived.  ASB and people in India thus far have taken care of me with getting settled in.  I feel beyond fortune to have the help I have so far.  Just wanted to take a quick moment to share some appreciation.

1.  Mumbai Airport

At the airport, as usual I was the last off the plane.   That's what happens when you're a gimp.  As I walked toward the exit, I heard "Looney, Looney," being called.  I was helped down the wet metal staircase, through a long and slow immigration line, unloading my five 50lb bags off the baggage belt and through customs and out the door by three wonderful.

I also have to give a shout to my ASB friends who helped me in transit by pulling bags, loading bags, changing seats from Brussels to Mumbai all so I could be more comfortable and manage the travel easier.  Thanks guys!

2.  Flowers

On my table inside my apartment is this wonderfully smelling flower arrangement.  Each time I walk in I see it, the flowers make my place which is a complete mess, feel more like a home.  Something small but nice.  

3.  ASB Staff

Where to even start?  I have...

• been greeted at the airport by a flurry of ASB staff members who swooped up our bags and bodies after myself, 20 newbie colleagues and their families had a 2 a.m. arrival,  Our flight was delayed.  Immigration took a while.  Bags were on the same belt as a Bangkok flight.  Everyone was so tired but we were greeted with nothing but smiles and help.
• had colleagues make sure I received seat changes on my flight from Newark to Mumbai so my ankle could get some extra room,
• had coffee at a colleague's apartment while we reviewed details of what's on our schedule after that colleague showed me all around my apartment, 
• been shown how to use every appliance, geezer and water filter in my apartment (see if you can find out what a geezer is) by two more ASB employees, 

Here's a hint for a geezer.

•  a stocked fridge and coffee table filled with books and magazines all about Mumbai,

The chocolate chips and pb cups were packed but everything else was there!
I have a cupboard with some things in it too!

• been introduced to a vendor who sells Indian cottage cheese called paneer (yes, I did try it and it's great!)
• a working cell phone and internet connection and
• been fed like crazy from yummy Chinese to a delicious Indian dinner. Dinner started with a sweet lime soda and ended with a great new dessert which had a warm donut hole covered in honey which was accompanied by condensed milk ice cream (I think I got that right) and
• been walked to the car like a prom date by a new colleague in the rain so I wouldn't slip and fall.  They got soaked!

4. Delivery

I had deliveries made including an ironing board, trash cans, tupperware, dish and clothes drying racks and hangers all at no extra cost.  The guys in the shop ran around and up and down grabbing everything I needed.  

So far so good. By the way, the rain's so strong now, I can't hear the horns any longer.  Love this!  Time to go.  I'm off to sleep since it's after 10:45 p.m. here and tomorrow's my first official day of work.