So apparently I really stink at successfully keeping a blog. But honestly, before last week, things had been pretty mundane! Last Wednesday we finally officially finished our training with our final comprehensive exam. And since then, things have been pretty awesome:
Last Wednesday I learned how to ride a motorcycle! I mean, I know I tried one time in Mysore, but this time I rode around the block AND I got into 3rd gear AND went as fast as 50 km/hr! Very exciting for a rookie like me! Don't worry, I only rode it around the campus =P.
Last Thursday I went to Runway 9 with the motorcycle "gang" which consists of 3 motorcycle drivers and 3 motorcycle passengers. Me and the boys went go-karting for the afternoon and I got completely destroyed. As the only girl and the only one forced to wear a red jacket on the track, I was apparently a very easy target. Let's just say that I got stuffed into the tire wall multiple times. In one case, my go-kart flew right into the tire wall and sent it flying (don't worry, another one of my friends was brought down with me, haha) and in another case, I was triple teamed where two people managed to spin me out so I was facing reverse and then I was immediately head-on-collisioned into. It was awesomely fun. =D
Last Friday I was playing ultimate and my friend and I literally had a head-on-collision. I was on the ground for a good couple of minutes and the right side of my head is still a bit sore. It hurt A LOT. But ultimate is still my favorite thing to do on campus! (Don't worry, one little head-on-collision hasn't stopped me! We still play!) Also on Friday, my motorcycle buddy went shopping for a big suitcase and I successfully helped in the transportation of his purchase back to campus. We became super Indian and I carried a huge suitcase on my lap while he drove back on his motorcycle. Great success. Later that day we achieved even more Indian-like feats by fitting three people on a motorbike and driving all the way to City Center for dinner. It was pretty great.
Sunday was my birthday and we celebrated by going to Runway 9 AGAIN. But this time I got back at each and every single one of the boys, either my stuffing them into tire walls or harassing them on the racetrack. At the very end of 20 laps, one of my friends purposely spun out and I accidently ran straight into him. We had to make a quick getaway after that minor incident...haha...
On Monday, my motorcycle buddy and I tried to go to the Nehru Zoological Park. Unfortunately, after we successfully navigated through the city, we arrived at the zoo only to find that it is closed every Monday. EPIC FAIL. Instead, we decided to go to Charminar where I finally went inside the landmark structure and then did a bit of street shopping. The streets of old Hyderabad are certainly an experience...
On Tuesday, my motorcycle buddy and I dragged along another motorcycle pair and this time, successfully visited the zoo! Of course, it's nothing compared to the World Famous San Diego Zoo but it actually wasn't as bad as I would have expected (I can't help but think of the disastrous "zoo" I visited in HuangShan...) We saw white tigers, Himalayan bears, crocodiles, hippos, rhinos, and we even paid extra to go into the nocturnal animals exhibit was completely pitch dark and extremeley difficult to navigate through.
On Wednesday the motorcycle gang went to watch Eagle Eye at the local Imax theater. It was alright. However, it was after this trip that I realized I had been to City Center everyday for the past week. There are two causes of this: 1) My motorcycle buddy LOVES getting tailormade shirts and we always have to stop by his favorite tailormaking shop Reid and Taylor. 2) Our favorite restaurant in Hyderabad is officially Fusion 9. I have eaten there so often this past week.
On Thursday, the motorcycle gang went to NTR Gardens (it was at this point that we realized how desperate we'd become to find things to do in this city). Apparently this place is supposed to be somewhat of a theme park. It short, it wasn't very good. Besides a few interesting photo opportunities, we also rode the train that circled the park and also tried out the haunted house, 3D room, and the "Thrillenium" which consisted of a trippy room where the wall rotates. It was very difficult to keep my balance in there, haha.
Unfortunately, two of the motorcycle gang members (including my motorcycle buddy) had to move to a new city on Friday. So alas, there came an end to our adventures. I'm actually really sad now that they're gone. Things aren't the same without them. This place just isn't as fun anymore =(
You might be confused as to my own situation as well. I'm supposed to move to Pune to start my project but for some reason I still haven't been able to get my travel plans approved. It's actually kind of annoying. Also, the project I've been aligned to is located in Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm not really that happy about this, considering my base location is Seattle... I really don't understand how this makes any sense but whatever. I'm gonna keep trying to switch to a more reasonable project...i.e. one on the correct coast.
In other news, I'm counting down the days until Malaysia! 6 days...
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Motorcycles are fun!
Just got back this evening after going to City Center for some dinner at Fusion 9...yummy! However, perhaps the most expensive meal yet that I've had in India...if it only wasn't so spicy! I've been eating out quite a bit lately...which has made meals more expensive...but also more delicious! And this has been primarily due to the fact that one of my good friends recently got a motorcycle and has been taking me around the city. Riding on the back of a motorcycle is soooo fun! Tonight was especially exhilarating for some reason...there were moments when we were driving on the flyover and it just reminded me of Shanghai for some reason. Ahhh...takes me back to the days... Anyway, I think riding on a motorbike is going to be one of the most memorable things I'll take with me from this trip. Simply awesome.
Other than that, things have been pretty low key here for a while. We've officially split off into our stream specific training...I'm in Oracle! Which means...hah, I don't actually even know what that means...great! But yes, I will be focusing on Oracle. Unfortunately, most of my friends are in the SAP stream which kinda sucks...it's going to be even harder to coordinate ultimate games now, rawr! Especially with those pesky cricket players always taking over the field at the exact opportune moment (I officially despise cricket now, =P).
Also, the king and queen of Belgium are supposedly going to be here tomorrow...random!
Other than that, things have been pretty low key here for a while. We've officially split off into our stream specific training...I'm in Oracle! Which means...hah, I don't actually even know what that means...great! But yes, I will be focusing on Oracle. Unfortunately, most of my friends are in the SAP stream which kinda sucks...it's going to be even harder to coordinate ultimate games now, rawr! Especially with those pesky cricket players always taking over the field at the exact opportune moment (I officially despise cricket now, =P).
Also, the king and queen of Belgium are supposedly going to be here tomorrow...random!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Goa
Yep, back from another vacation and we have to jump right into learning Oracle...bleh! But Goa seemed like a much needed break from all of the crap we get from our beloved company. You guys probably don't know what or where Goa is but it's supposed to be the most touristy, beachiest place in India. Well...I didn't really get that vibe but sure...
My mom always comments that going on vacations only serve to remind her how great home (San Diego) is. I entirely agree. I don't think anything could beat my love for San Diego awesomeness. The water is better, the weather is better, the waves are better...everything is better! It's okay though...despite the not-as-coolness, I still had a good time. One of the big perks was the food. Every dinner we had was yummy-delicious and full of seafoody goodness, a rare treat when you're stuck smack in the middle of the country for most of the time. I definitely ate a lot and we definitely ate on the beach on multiple occasions. Now there's something that you probably can't get back in the states... Being able to sit on the beach for dinner without it being ridiculously cold.
One of the highlights was renting scooters for the weekend and driving ourselves places throughout Goa. A bit scary considering the crazy way Indian drivers are but awesomely fun nonetheless! We had only a few incidents...one of them being getting pulled over by corrupt Indian popos who demanded that we show our drivers licenses or else pay a 2000 rupee fine. Psshh...what bullshit. Of course, I was the only one who didn't have their drivers license on them but my buddies and I put up a fight and demanded documentation for this so-called "fine". Eventually they agreed to let us ride back to our hotel to retrieve the license (which wasn't there...haha, I'd left it in Hyderabad) while they continued to patrol area. Bwahaha...dodging the police! But other than that, scooters are sooo fun! It'd be cool if that was actually a reasonable thing to get when I got back to the states...
So our actual primary purpose for going to Goa was to scuba dive or jetski or SOMETHING. We didn't do either of these. Scuba diving in Goa apparently sucks because the Arabian Sea is super murky there. And then for jetskiing, the starting price was 100 rupees per minute. PER MINUTE. Ridiculous. What we DID end up doing was tubing, in which a boat drags a two person innertube-type deal on a crazy ride over waves and through fast turns. It was great. I definitely went twice and I fell out twice and I also got crazy whiplash on my neck, which is pretty sore now, haha. But it was so worth it! It was so fun...I'm pretty sure we went off a wave that dropped us about 10 feet. Woo!
That's pretty much all the eventful stuff that happened on the trip. It was a good getaway. It also made me miss people and home and surfing which I desperately want to do right now. Ahhh!!! Sigh, I can't wait to be done with all this training business and to be HOME! DANG!
So...next trip? Probably sometime in mid-November or Christmas time? Unfortunately, I'm probably definitely not going to be able to make it back home for the holidays...BOO!! =( Instead I might try to go see the Taj Mahal...or perhaps go to Vietnam again. Who knows, anything and anywhere is possible!
My mom always comments that going on vacations only serve to remind her how great home (San Diego) is. I entirely agree. I don't think anything could beat my love for San Diego awesomeness. The water is better, the weather is better, the waves are better...everything is better! It's okay though...despite the not-as-coolness, I still had a good time. One of the big perks was the food. Every dinner we had was yummy-delicious and full of seafoody goodness, a rare treat when you're stuck smack in the middle of the country for most of the time. I definitely ate a lot and we definitely ate on the beach on multiple occasions. Now there's something that you probably can't get back in the states... Being able to sit on the beach for dinner without it being ridiculously cold.
One of the highlights was renting scooters for the weekend and driving ourselves places throughout Goa. A bit scary considering the crazy way Indian drivers are but awesomely fun nonetheless! We had only a few incidents...one of them being getting pulled over by corrupt Indian popos who demanded that we show our drivers licenses or else pay a 2000 rupee fine. Psshh...what bullshit. Of course, I was the only one who didn't have their drivers license on them but my buddies and I put up a fight and demanded documentation for this so-called "fine". Eventually they agreed to let us ride back to our hotel to retrieve the license (which wasn't there...haha, I'd left it in Hyderabad) while they continued to patrol area. Bwahaha...dodging the police! But other than that, scooters are sooo fun! It'd be cool if that was actually a reasonable thing to get when I got back to the states...
So our actual primary purpose for going to Goa was to scuba dive or jetski or SOMETHING. We didn't do either of these. Scuba diving in Goa apparently sucks because the Arabian Sea is super murky there. And then for jetskiing, the starting price was 100 rupees per minute. PER MINUTE. Ridiculous. What we DID end up doing was tubing, in which a boat drags a two person innertube-type deal on a crazy ride over waves and through fast turns. It was great. I definitely went twice and I fell out twice and I also got crazy whiplash on my neck, which is pretty sore now, haha. But it was so worth it! It was so fun...I'm pretty sure we went off a wave that dropped us about 10 feet. Woo!
That's pretty much all the eventful stuff that happened on the trip. It was a good getaway. It also made me miss people and home and surfing which I desperately want to do right now. Ahhh!!! Sigh, I can't wait to be done with all this training business and to be HOME! DANG!
So...next trip? Probably sometime in mid-November or Christmas time? Unfortunately, I'm probably definitely not going to be able to make it back home for the holidays...BOO!! =( Instead I might try to go see the Taj Mahal...or perhaps go to Vietnam again. Who knows, anything and anywhere is possible!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Hyderabad
Hello friends! Wow, it's been so crazy busy that I haven't had a chance to really update this thing in a long time. Well, I'm finally in Hyderabad...got here just about a week ago exactly! My how time flies...
After coming back from our beach vacation in Kovalam, things were pretty relaxed for a while as we "studied" for our comprehensive exam. Of course, I only ended up studying the night before and I still got an A, woo woo =P. For our last night in Mysore we ate at good 'ol MezzaLuna (along with the Lemon Tree chicken roll combo) and then danced it up at the club at Sandesh. Ahh...a good last evening. It was sad having to say goodbye to all of the people in Mysore. Thankfully most of my friends were moving with me so that's pretty awesome.
Last Tuesday we packed up our things drove the 4 mile ride to Bangalore airport so we could board our 1.5 hour flight to Hyderabad, haha. Hyderabad is comparable to Bangalore...both are big, dusty Indian cities. It's definitely going to be a different experience than living in Mysore (a considerably smaller city). The actual city center is 45 minutes away and to get to anything cool takes at least half an hour. So that's a huge bummer... Going to "nice" restaurants is definitely going to be way more pricy...but there are also a lot more restaurants to explore! Hopefully we'll find a few good gems without getting overwhelmed by the huge selection. I've already ventured out into the city a couple times...twice to eat (I had steak for the first time in 3 months!) and once over the weekend to tag along with my friend who had a hook up that toured us around Hyderabad. We quickly visited a few sights - Charminar and Chowmahalla Palace - and we got to learn a bit of the history of the city. However, the pollution here is absolutely deathly. I already know I'm going to return to the States with a whole slew of throat and lung problems. Sigh...
One of the best parts of Hyderabad, however, is the campus that we live on. It's SO much better than Mysore! There's no floating restaurant but it's definitely way cooler in every other way. First and foremost, we finally, finally all live in the same building! It's just like living in the dorms again where all of your friends are next door or just down the hall. We can actually hang out in each others' rooms now! Like real adults! The food is actually pretty decent, too. There's a Subway that's delicious, Dominoes is of course present. But there are some new things, like a Chinese food stand called Bowl O' China (haha). I'm actually quite satisfied so far. Even though everything is still ridiculously spicy, I'm liking the selections more than our choices in Mysore. The other big factor is that there are far less people. I'm enjoying the non-crowdedness of the campus. Except during peak hours at the food courts when there aren't even any tables available! Also, my room is awesome. It's even bigger than it was in Mysore and I have an awesome view of the cricket/frisbee field (yes, we're definitely going to take it over...the process has already started, haha). Our classes are on the ground floor of the building we live in so everything is super close! It is great.
Yep, so lately we've been working on learning Java. Unfortunately, the teacher isn't so great so I guess I should be doing some self-study right now...boooooo. But this weekend is Diwali which is going to be cool to see how everyone celebrates it here. Part of me wishes I was taking it easy and staying in Hyderabad so I could experience all the authentic Diwali festivities. However, this is one of our only long weekend so how could we not take advantage? Me and 9 other friends are heading out to Goa this weekend to kick it at the beach again! But this time the goal is scuba diving and jetskiing. We'll see what we can find =P. Goa is supposed to be the big beach attraction in India...I'll see how it compares to San Diego!
After coming back from our beach vacation in Kovalam, things were pretty relaxed for a while as we "studied" for our comprehensive exam. Of course, I only ended up studying the night before and I still got an A, woo woo =P. For our last night in Mysore we ate at good 'ol MezzaLuna (along with the Lemon Tree chicken roll combo) and then danced it up at the club at Sandesh. Ahh...a good last evening. It was sad having to say goodbye to all of the people in Mysore. Thankfully most of my friends were moving with me so that's pretty awesome.
Last Tuesday we packed up our things drove the 4 mile ride to Bangalore airport so we could board our 1.5 hour flight to Hyderabad, haha. Hyderabad is comparable to Bangalore...both are big, dusty Indian cities. It's definitely going to be a different experience than living in Mysore (a considerably smaller city). The actual city center is 45 minutes away and to get to anything cool takes at least half an hour. So that's a huge bummer... Going to "nice" restaurants is definitely going to be way more pricy...but there are also a lot more restaurants to explore! Hopefully we'll find a few good gems without getting overwhelmed by the huge selection. I've already ventured out into the city a couple times...twice to eat (I had steak for the first time in 3 months!) and once over the weekend to tag along with my friend who had a hook up that toured us around Hyderabad. We quickly visited a few sights - Charminar and Chowmahalla Palace - and we got to learn a bit of the history of the city. However, the pollution here is absolutely deathly. I already know I'm going to return to the States with a whole slew of throat and lung problems. Sigh...
One of the best parts of Hyderabad, however, is the campus that we live on. It's SO much better than Mysore! There's no floating restaurant but it's definitely way cooler in every other way. First and foremost, we finally, finally all live in the same building! It's just like living in the dorms again where all of your friends are next door or just down the hall. We can actually hang out in each others' rooms now! Like real adults! The food is actually pretty decent, too. There's a Subway that's delicious, Dominoes is of course present. But there are some new things, like a Chinese food stand called Bowl O' China (haha). I'm actually quite satisfied so far. Even though everything is still ridiculously spicy, I'm liking the selections more than our choices in Mysore. The other big factor is that there are far less people. I'm enjoying the non-crowdedness of the campus. Except during peak hours at the food courts when there aren't even any tables available! Also, my room is awesome. It's even bigger than it was in Mysore and I have an awesome view of the cricket/frisbee field (yes, we're definitely going to take it over...the process has already started, haha). Our classes are on the ground floor of the building we live in so everything is super close! It is great.
Yep, so lately we've been working on learning Java. Unfortunately, the teacher isn't so great so I guess I should be doing some self-study right now...boooooo. But this weekend is Diwali which is going to be cool to see how everyone celebrates it here. Part of me wishes I was taking it easy and staying in Hyderabad so I could experience all the authentic Diwali festivities. However, this is one of our only long weekend so how could we not take advantage? Me and 9 other friends are heading out to Goa this weekend to kick it at the beach again! But this time the goal is scuba diving and jetskiing. We'll see what we can find =P. Goa is supposed to be the big beach attraction in India...I'll see how it compares to San Diego!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Kerala!
So this weekend we took our very first all-out R&R vacation to the beach! We headed out first thing after work on Friday afternoon to Bangalore and stayed at my friend's uncle's Bangalore guesthouses again. As to be expected, food was delicious and the room was eggcellent. Except we had to wake up at 3:30am the next morning to catch our flight to Trivandrum (also known as Thiruvananthapuram). Our resort had taxis waiting for us at the airport to pick us up before it was even 9am we were out on the beach!
We stayed at a charming little place called Coconut Bay Resort - "private" beach, hammocks, a pool, and a restaurant that had the best food ever. Once we arrived, we immediately started beaching it, playing in the sand, swimming in the ocean...it was great (although I couldn't help but think the entire time how much I wish I was in San Diego, surfing it up at Seascape...SIIIIIGGGHHH). Later on, some of us went to Kovalam beach and explored the touristy area. Honestly, it wasn't as good as our "private beach" because it was crowded and dirtier looking. Our beach was pretty cool because a bunch of fisherman landed their boats there every morning, unloading their catches...tons and tons of muscles! It was pretty cool cuz the fisherman boats were basically just made of three big logs.
Later on we made our way to the Leela Resort which is the big, fancy resort in town. It is SUPER nice there. They have a sweet infinity pool, an amazing view, and I'm pretty sure they have a private beach of their own as well. It's also huge. I might have to try it out someday when I'm rich =P. We rested and had some refreshments and then headed back to Coconut Bay for dinner. The restaurant at our resort was SO GOOD. I stuffed myself all three times I ate there...mmmm Chicken Tikka Makhani... Agh, it's making me hungry just thinking about it.
The next day consisted of even more R&R. After a slow morning we tossed a frisbee along the beach (YAY, ultimate...I'd been so deprived!!!) Had another delicious meal and then headed out to a backwater boat tour. We rode this old-school boat down a lazy river until it reached the ocean and then he brought us back up. Our boat driver was so funny and precious - he kept pointing out things of interest like all the eagles flying overhead or the poisonous mangrove trees. He was pretty awesome.
Yep, it was a pretty easy, relaxing weekend. The beach was great. The only thing I realized that I really dislike about India in general is all the burning trash. Awful smoke clouds of pollution clogging up my lungs can really ruin a moment. And they're EVERYWHERE. It really suck and doesn't make any sense to me...isn't that incredibly unhealthy and absolutely disastrous for the environment????
Monday was pretty hectic and full of travel...we didn't get back to Mysore until 3:30pm! Luckily, class is pretty useless, as evidenced by the fact that I got a 95% on my test this morning even though I didn't go to half of the module. Haha...oh man.
Anyway, it's crazy to think that I have exactly a week left in Mysore...and then it's off to Hyderabad! I don't know if I'm quite ready to leave...but maybe I am. I feel like I have so much more left to do!
We stayed at a charming little place called Coconut Bay Resort - "private" beach, hammocks, a pool, and a restaurant that had the best food ever. Once we arrived, we immediately started beaching it, playing in the sand, swimming in the ocean...it was great (although I couldn't help but think the entire time how much I wish I was in San Diego, surfing it up at Seascape...SIIIIIGGGHHH). Later on, some of us went to Kovalam beach and explored the touristy area. Honestly, it wasn't as good as our "private beach" because it was crowded and dirtier looking. Our beach was pretty cool because a bunch of fisherman landed their boats there every morning, unloading their catches...tons and tons of muscles! It was pretty cool cuz the fisherman boats were basically just made of three big logs.
Later on we made our way to the Leela Resort which is the big, fancy resort in town. It is SUPER nice there. They have a sweet infinity pool, an amazing view, and I'm pretty sure they have a private beach of their own as well. It's also huge. I might have to try it out someday when I'm rich =P. We rested and had some refreshments and then headed back to Coconut Bay for dinner. The restaurant at our resort was SO GOOD. I stuffed myself all three times I ate there...mmmm Chicken Tikka Makhani... Agh, it's making me hungry just thinking about it.
The next day consisted of even more R&R. After a slow morning we tossed a frisbee along the beach (YAY, ultimate...I'd been so deprived!!!) Had another delicious meal and then headed out to a backwater boat tour. We rode this old-school boat down a lazy river until it reached the ocean and then he brought us back up. Our boat driver was so funny and precious - he kept pointing out things of interest like all the eagles flying overhead or the poisonous mangrove trees. He was pretty awesome.
Yep, it was a pretty easy, relaxing weekend. The beach was great. The only thing I realized that I really dislike about India in general is all the burning trash. Awful smoke clouds of pollution clogging up my lungs can really ruin a moment. And they're EVERYWHERE. It really suck and doesn't make any sense to me...isn't that incredibly unhealthy and absolutely disastrous for the environment????
Monday was pretty hectic and full of travel...we didn't get back to Mysore until 3:30pm! Luckily, class is pretty useless, as evidenced by the fact that I got a 95% on my test this morning even though I didn't go to half of the module. Haha...oh man.
Anyway, it's crazy to think that I have exactly a week left in Mysore...and then it's off to Hyderabad! I don't know if I'm quite ready to leave...but maybe I am. I feel like I have so much more left to do!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Tragedy strikes!
They closed the frisbee field!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!
So I've been ultimate deprived for the last week and a half because they suddenly decided that they wanted to do construction on the track surrounding the field. BOO. Seriously, I've been in a pseudo state of depression ever since... I also have neglected to do anything active since my sole, reliable outlet has now been squashed. Somehow I'm not surprised that this happened to us...
But in better news, we finally got a timetable for how much longer we're going to be here in India! Looks like they cut out some of the more pointless parts of our training. I am now leaving for Hyderabad on October 14th and I will supposedly be returning back to the US around January 9th! (And Hyderabad will have a free field for ultimate...yayyy!!!)
Also, two of my friends recently got motorbikes so that's pretty cool because now they can take us to places off-campus more efficiently. And it's fun! =P My goal is to find a better place to eat that's cheaper and yummier than the floater...I'm sick of that place!
In other news, tomorrow is a holiday for Ghandi's birthday. I think we intended to make plans...but then never did. However, this weekend we shall be heading to Kovalam in Kerala to hit the beach...finally! I think this is the most land-locked I've ever been in my life!
So I've been ultimate deprived for the last week and a half because they suddenly decided that they wanted to do construction on the track surrounding the field. BOO. Seriously, I've been in a pseudo state of depression ever since... I also have neglected to do anything active since my sole, reliable outlet has now been squashed. Somehow I'm not surprised that this happened to us...
But in better news, we finally got a timetable for how much longer we're going to be here in India! Looks like they cut out some of the more pointless parts of our training. I am now leaving for Hyderabad on October 14th and I will supposedly be returning back to the US around January 9th! (And Hyderabad will have a free field for ultimate...yayyy!!!)
Also, two of my friends recently got motorbikes so that's pretty cool because now they can take us to places off-campus more efficiently. And it's fun! =P My goal is to find a better place to eat that's cheaper and yummier than the floater...I'm sick of that place!
In other news, tomorrow is a holiday for Ghandi's birthday. I think we intended to make plans...but then never did. However, this weekend we shall be heading to Kovalam in Kerala to hit the beach...finally! I think this is the most land-locked I've ever been in my life!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Time Flies...
When you're having fun, right? Or perhaps when you're studying like crazy on databases and queries =P. I honestly don't remember what happened the entire week after the "safari". There must have been some project finishing...and some RDBMS starting...as far as work went. We had our last couple games of ultimate with the fast trackers and various other seeing-off celebrations involving food and dancing. We finally got a chance to eat at the Lemon Tree restaurant which has BOMB chicken rolls and half-chicken/whole-chicken dishes. YUMMY. So now we're set in this one area of Mysore that has the Lemon Tree, MezzaLuna (currently our favorite restaurant due to cheapness, deliciousness, and Chinese food-ness) and or club of choice, High Octane. On Saturday we vowed to play our last game of ultimate and shortly thereafter we headed out to a place called Planet X where the main highlight is their go-karts. They are suprisingly fun and potentially very addicting. I am going to try my best to master the art of drifting, bwahaha (Tokyo Drift! LOL)
Unfortunately, the day we had to see our friends off to Hyderabad. Of course, the cab didn't come until two hours after it was scheduled to come. But we were able to entertain ourselves in our few precious last moments with all of my favorite games (pika pika tonga tonga! That's right, I've taught a new crowd =P). Later that day me and the girls went on a shopping trip into the city and I bought a kurta! And various other items, hehe... Little did I know that shopping crazyness would ensue later in the week...
This past week has been full of studying. No joke. We had a 7 day module this round and it seemed pretty intense, especially since I have a tendency to zone out during class...haha. But don't worry about me, I got an A (of course!) on the RDMBS exam =D. However, this next instructor of ours is pretty...annoying...in the sense that he is quite attentive to all of the shenanigans that occur in class, haha. So my friend Barry sits in front of me in our classroom. Barry ALWAYS plays games. Hangaroo, in particular, is my favorite game that Barry plays because when our brains work together, we can solve the puzzle. Apparently I didn't realize how blaringly obvious it is that I play this game with Barry because our new instructor definitely called me out for it. DON'T WORRY, I didn't get in trouble, he just asked if there was something interesting on Barry's screen and I just played dumb =P. AND ALSO JUST FOR THE RECORD, I have not downloaded any games onto my own computer until this past Thursday. And also everyone else in class plays games. That is all.
However, my personal favorite highlight of the past couple weeks is playing ULTIMATE EVERYDAY. Yes, me and my friend Alex have made a pact to play ultimate everyday possible. I have to admit, I am completely obsessed with ultimate frisbee. You know how I surf in San Diego and taiko in Berkeley? Well apparently in India I play ultimate. And it is GREAT. Except for the fact that I have a tendency to injure myself a lot. Or collide with people because I can't stop running. STILL AWESOME. We successfully played ultimate everyday for four days in a row and it was so so fun every single time. We're crazy =P
So this Saturday was a working. The reason being? They had given us too many holidays during this quarter so the entire company was coming in on this Saturday. However, nothing was scheduled for us to do on this so-called working Saturday. So during lunch, me and the girls left for the city and shopped till we dropped. I bought a LOT of stuff. And Juni, our Indian friend, was able to come out and help us. She is so sweet and I'm so glad we were able to hang out with her. She helped us pick out saris, salwaars, and kurtas so now I'm stocked. I had fun but I'm pretty shopped out.
And finally todaaaaaaaaaaaay! We took a day trip to Coorg. Woke up at 5:15 AM and piled into a big van. Our first stop was a Tibetan monastery...it was beautiful! Because we got there so early, hardly anybody else was there. The monks were in the process of doing their morning chants and it was so interesting just to watch. This is by far my favorite place that we've visited so far. Afterward we went to a "bird sanctuary" that didn't actually have any birds. The only notable parts of this place was the bridge we had to cross and the river that some of my friends accidently fell into when they tried to cross it to reach some rocks, haha. After this we headed for Abbey Falls which we thought would require a long hike but really only took 5 minutes of walking to reach. They were pretty enough (honestly, not as cool as some of the stuff I saw in China). Our last stop was a garden with an amazing view (we were able to spot the perfect ultimate feel amongst the huge expanse of green fields =D).
Anyway, I can't believe I only got one day off between last week and this week. Siiiigh...off to work I go!
Unfortunately, the day we had to see our friends off to Hyderabad. Of course, the cab didn't come until two hours after it was scheduled to come. But we were able to entertain ourselves in our few precious last moments with all of my favorite games (pika pika tonga tonga! That's right, I've taught a new crowd =P). Later that day me and the girls went on a shopping trip into the city and I bought a kurta! And various other items, hehe... Little did I know that shopping crazyness would ensue later in the week...
This past week has been full of studying. No joke. We had a 7 day module this round and it seemed pretty intense, especially since I have a tendency to zone out during class...haha. But don't worry about me, I got an A (of course!) on the RDMBS exam =D. However, this next instructor of ours is pretty...annoying...in the sense that he is quite attentive to all of the shenanigans that occur in class, haha. So my friend Barry sits in front of me in our classroom. Barry ALWAYS plays games. Hangaroo, in particular, is my favorite game that Barry plays because when our brains work together, we can solve the puzzle. Apparently I didn't realize how blaringly obvious it is that I play this game with Barry because our new instructor definitely called me out for it. DON'T WORRY, I didn't get in trouble, he just asked if there was something interesting on Barry's screen and I just played dumb =P. AND ALSO JUST FOR THE RECORD, I have not downloaded any games onto my own computer until this past Thursday. And also everyone else in class plays games. That is all.
However, my personal favorite highlight of the past couple weeks is playing ULTIMATE EVERYDAY. Yes, me and my friend Alex have made a pact to play ultimate everyday possible. I have to admit, I am completely obsessed with ultimate frisbee. You know how I surf in San Diego and taiko in Berkeley? Well apparently in India I play ultimate. And it is GREAT. Except for the fact that I have a tendency to injure myself a lot. Or collide with people because I can't stop running. STILL AWESOME. We successfully played ultimate everyday for four days in a row and it was so so fun every single time. We're crazy =P
So this Saturday was a working. The reason being? They had given us too many holidays during this quarter so the entire company was coming in on this Saturday. However, nothing was scheduled for us to do on this so-called working Saturday. So during lunch, me and the girls left for the city and shopped till we dropped. I bought a LOT of stuff. And Juni, our Indian friend, was able to come out and help us. She is so sweet and I'm so glad we were able to hang out with her. She helped us pick out saris, salwaars, and kurtas so now I'm stocked. I had fun but I'm pretty shopped out.
And finally todaaaaaaaaaaaay! We took a day trip to Coorg. Woke up at 5:15 AM and piled into a big van. Our first stop was a Tibetan monastery...it was beautiful! Because we got there so early, hardly anybody else was there. The monks were in the process of doing their morning chants and it was so interesting just to watch. This is by far my favorite place that we've visited so far. Afterward we went to a "bird sanctuary" that didn't actually have any birds. The only notable parts of this place was the bridge we had to cross and the river that some of my friends accidently fell into when they tried to cross it to reach some rocks, haha. After this we headed for Abbey Falls which we thought would require a long hike but really only took 5 minutes of walking to reach. They were pretty enough (honestly, not as cool as some of the stuff I saw in China). Our last stop was a garden with an amazing view (we were able to spot the perfect ultimate feel amongst the huge expanse of green fields =D).
Anyway, I can't believe I only got one day off between last week and this week. Siiiigh...off to work I go!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Safari
Hellooo everyone! So it's been quite a busy weekend. We got our first project assigned to us last week and we've been literally work on it nonstop ever since. My particular group seems very determined/hard-working (3 of the 4 of us are small Asian girls...dunno if that has anything to do with it...haha). We worked all of Saturday and the girls finished all of our code that day. Which was a good thing because we all had to wake up at 3:45AM the next morning. Why you ask??? Because of our "safari" trip to Bandipur National Park.
I say "safari" in quotes because no, I unfortunately did not get to spot any lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Let's just say it's a good thing I went in with low expectations because even though we didn't see tigers, I still had a good time! (By the way, tigers is what this national park is supposedly known for. There are supposed to be around 70 tigers in the park itself). Part of the problem was that we were expecting to be able to take jeep tours through the more interesting parts of the park. However, we arrived at the reception area only to discover that there was only ONE jeep and 21 of us. Oops. We had to settle instead for a van tour which wasn't terribly interesting. We saw a few monkeys and some jungle squirrels (LOL). But the fun stuff happened after we finished the van tour. Near the reception/ village area, there were even more monkeys just roaming about the area. Of course, we started feeding them. And then they started expecting more. And then they started jumping for our bags of food. Meep.
But after we ran away from the monkeys, we explored the area as we waited to see if we could do elephant rides (which we didn't end up doing that day, poo). Some of us played with/ observed more monkeys and ran with the deer. But then we found the elephants and started feeding/ petting them instead. THEN, when we tried to get our driver to take us away, he got freaked out because a small family of elephants started walking down the road. After we finally got out of the park, a smaller group of us went to a temple on a hill that was on the way home. The temple itself was neat and all, but what was really nice was the view. We took a small hike over some hills and got to see everything around us. It was awesome.
And with that, I finally uploaded pictures for you all to see!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lizlam.ca/
The first album is really tiny and are just random pictures I took at random times. Some of them are from Mysore Temple and some others are from riding rickshaws into town. The second album is all from Sunday's safari adventure. Check 'em out!
In other news, the fast track people who got assigned to ES are leaving this week. Wow, that was quick! It kind of boggles my mind that these people that I just met and became friends with are already leaving. We're hoping to make every last moment count so hopefully this week will be fun. At least they should be there to greet us when I head to Hyderabad myself! This weekends plans consist of going-away events, Chamundi Hills, and shopping, hopefully! I want a sari! My plan is to drag along my new Indian friend from Chennai to help me out. =)
P.S. I miss playing taiko dearly. It's so exciting hearing about performances and practices and newbies...I'm jealous!!! TAIKOOOOO!!!
I say "safari" in quotes because no, I unfortunately did not get to spot any lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Let's just say it's a good thing I went in with low expectations because even though we didn't see tigers, I still had a good time! (By the way, tigers is what this national park is supposedly known for. There are supposed to be around 70 tigers in the park itself). Part of the problem was that we were expecting to be able to take jeep tours through the more interesting parts of the park. However, we arrived at the reception area only to discover that there was only ONE jeep and 21 of us. Oops. We had to settle instead for a van tour which wasn't terribly interesting. We saw a few monkeys and some jungle squirrels (LOL). But the fun stuff happened after we finished the van tour. Near the reception/ village area, there were even more monkeys just roaming about the area. Of course, we started feeding them. And then they started expecting more. And then they started jumping for our bags of food. Meep.
But after we ran away from the monkeys, we explored the area as we waited to see if we could do elephant rides (which we didn't end up doing that day, poo). Some of us played with/ observed more monkeys and ran with the deer. But then we found the elephants and started feeding/ petting them instead. THEN, when we tried to get our driver to take us away, he got freaked out because a small family of elephants started walking down the road. After we finally got out of the park, a smaller group of us went to a temple on a hill that was on the way home. The temple itself was neat and all, but what was really nice was the view. We took a small hike over some hills and got to see everything around us. It was awesome.
And with that, I finally uploaded pictures for you all to see!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lizlam.ca/
The first album is really tiny and are just random pictures I took at random times. Some of them are from Mysore Temple and some others are from riding rickshaws into town. The second album is all from Sunday's safari adventure. Check 'em out!
In other news, the fast track people who got assigned to ES are leaving this week. Wow, that was quick! It kind of boggles my mind that these people that I just met and became friends with are already leaving. We're hoping to make every last moment count so hopefully this week will be fun. At least they should be there to greet us when I head to Hyderabad myself! This weekends plans consist of going-away events, Chamundi Hills, and shopping, hopefully! I want a sari! My plan is to drag along my new Indian friend from Chennai to help me out. =)
P.S. I miss playing taiko dearly. It's so exciting hearing about performances and practices and newbies...I'm jealous!!! TAIKOOOOO!!!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Mysore
Just to reassure those that may have had any doubts or concerns, I have taken two module tests so far and have received "A's" on both. So yes, I'm still a good student! Right now we're finishing up C programming with a project upcoming in the next few days. However, yesterday's exam was actually quite stressful - and then class was even worse due to the slow pace of the new professor.
Lucky for us, today was a holiday and pretty much the entire batch planned a night out on the town. Before the evening partying, I went back to Devaraja Urs Road to pick up the salwaar that I had dropped off to get altered. It looks much, much better now (I wanna show you guys!) So the other girls and I are planning on wearing that to work tomorrow.
To kick off the evening we ate a delicious, (and for the most part, non-Indian) meal at the hotel Pai Vista and then we hit up a club called High Octane for some dancing. It was especially cool bceause I was able to interact with other people in the batch that I don't normally hang out with. (Networking, networking! Hahaha)
But hanging out in the city during the day allowed me to make some observations. Here on campus, we truly live in a bubble. There may be some crazy rules (for instance, today I got scolded at because I was sitting on a chair next to the pool...) but the campus is really pretty and well kept. The "real" India is much different. For instance, this morning I walked passed a cow that was sifting through a pile of trash...right in the middle of a busy part of town. By the way, cows are extremeley common throughout India. They're always on the sides of the roads, walking down the roads, sitting in the middle of roads...everywhere! And they always get the right of way.
Another example is Devaraja Urs Road, which is one of the bigger shopping areas in Mysore. As I was driving down this road yesterday, it faintly reminded me of a normal bustling street in the U.S...except with crazy twists. Cows were of course part of the equation. Cars and rickshaws and even people weave in and out of each other in a way that doesn't make any common sense. There are people and dust everywhere. For some reason I was reminded of a busy American street but turned totally upside-down.
The other thing I noticed (from being both in Bangalore and Mysore) is that Indian women have the coolest clothes. They get to wear saris or salwaars wherever they go. And they're COLORFUL and it just brings so much life to the scene. The fabric used to make these clothes are typically bright, vibrant colors with patterns and BLING. Going into a salwaar shop is almost overwhelming because there are so, so, SO many different patterns to choose from. I don't think I've seen two that were exactly the same. Plus, they're super comfortable! Anyway, we should start a new trend in the states for wearing salwaars and saris. I definitely want to buy more now!
Lucky for us, today was a holiday and pretty much the entire batch planned a night out on the town. Before the evening partying, I went back to Devaraja Urs Road to pick up the salwaar that I had dropped off to get altered. It looks much, much better now (I wanna show you guys!) So the other girls and I are planning on wearing that to work tomorrow.
To kick off the evening we ate a delicious, (and for the most part, non-Indian) meal at the hotel Pai Vista and then we hit up a club called High Octane for some dancing. It was especially cool bceause I was able to interact with other people in the batch that I don't normally hang out with. (Networking, networking! Hahaha)
But hanging out in the city during the day allowed me to make some observations. Here on campus, we truly live in a bubble. There may be some crazy rules (for instance, today I got scolded at because I was sitting on a chair next to the pool...) but the campus is really pretty and well kept. The "real" India is much different. For instance, this morning I walked passed a cow that was sifting through a pile of trash...right in the middle of a busy part of town. By the way, cows are extremeley common throughout India. They're always on the sides of the roads, walking down the roads, sitting in the middle of roads...everywhere! And they always get the right of way.
Another example is Devaraja Urs Road, which is one of the bigger shopping areas in Mysore. As I was driving down this road yesterday, it faintly reminded me of a normal bustling street in the U.S...except with crazy twists. Cows were of course part of the equation. Cars and rickshaws and even people weave in and out of each other in a way that doesn't make any common sense. There are people and dust everywhere. For some reason I was reminded of a busy American street but turned totally upside-down.
The other thing I noticed (from being both in Bangalore and Mysore) is that Indian women have the coolest clothes. They get to wear saris or salwaars wherever they go. And they're COLORFUL and it just brings so much life to the scene. The fabric used to make these clothes are typically bright, vibrant colors with patterns and BLING. Going into a salwaar shop is almost overwhelming because there are so, so, SO many different patterns to choose from. I don't think I've seen two that were exactly the same. Plus, they're super comfortable! Anyway, we should start a new trend in the states for wearing salwaars and saris. I definitely want to buy more now!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Settling in
I appear to be quite accident prone this week. Not only did I get a cut and a fatty, nasty lookin' bruise on my right shoulder from ultimate, I also ended up slightly injuring my quad and twisting my right ankle. I blame it 80% on the stupid unevenness of the sidewalks and 20% on my own idiocy =P. In any case, I was forced to hobble around all day and I missed another ultimate-in-monsoon-season session (huge bummer!)
In other news, my friend and I are hoping to create a bollywood parody short film...ah, the goals we set for ourselves in life. We've already brainstormed major themes, scenes, and characters. Now if only we could get to the execution phase...just a fun project that hopefully we'll be able to achieve before most of us have to leave =( I'm getting pretty bummed out about the idea of having to part with some of these people already. People on the fast track are heading to their new sites in two weeks and then I'll have to leave a bunch of good friends when I move to Hyderabad at the end of October. Booo, not enough time! Oh well...at least most of my new buddies got posted in Seattle with me so that should be fun!
We have yet another exam on Tuesday so it's crunch time. I feel like we're finally starting to learn something useful. I'm actually learning how to program things! I find it pretty fun (yes, I'm a huge nerd). It's just so satisfying when after all that programming , you compile, execute and everything works. It's so much better finally doing real WORK and real LEARNING rather than waiting around. Being in this sort of routine really makes me feel like I'm finally settling in. I'm working hard and still having fun so things are good. =)
In other news, my friend and I are hoping to create a bollywood parody short film...ah, the goals we set for ourselves in life. We've already brainstormed major themes, scenes, and characters. Now if only we could get to the execution phase...just a fun project that hopefully we'll be able to achieve before most of us have to leave =( I'm getting pretty bummed out about the idea of having to part with some of these people already. People on the fast track are heading to their new sites in two weeks and then I'll have to leave a bunch of good friends when I move to Hyderabad at the end of October. Booo, not enough time! Oh well...at least most of my new buddies got posted in Seattle with me so that should be fun!
We have yet another exam on Tuesday so it's crunch time. I feel like we're finally starting to learn something useful. I'm actually learning how to program things! I find it pretty fun (yes, I'm a huge nerd). It's just so satisfying when after all that programming , you compile, execute and everything works. It's so much better finally doing real WORK and real LEARNING rather than waiting around. Being in this sort of routine really makes me feel like I'm finally settling in. I'm working hard and still having fun so things are good. =)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Weekend update, ultimate frisbee, and unit assignments
So it's been pretty hectic since getting back from Bangalore. Well, at least that's what it feels like. We left for Bangalore on Friday evening right after class ended. The drive took forever and 8 of us were all squashed in a sumo taxi - 1 person in the front with the driver, 3 in the middle, and 4 packed in the very back (with 2 and 2 facing each other). Of course, being one of the smaller people here I was stuffed in the back... It was an exhausting drive but definitely worth it. The driver got lost (multiple times throughout the entire trip, boo) but we stayed with my friend's uncle at his resort called the Tamarind Tree. It was AWESOME. The place was exactly what we needed for the perfect escape from the Infosys campus. There were two cabins which were both huge with a king size bed and gigantic bathroom...with both a shower inside and outside! I definitely used the outside shower in the morning and it was super cool. The resort also sported a small fish pond and crazy statues from various time periods that my friend's uncle had collected over the years. I've only been to a few places in India so far but I'm pretty sure this will be one of nicest places I've seen.
Not only were the lodging accomodations such a sweet deal...they also fed us! And it was authentic, totally delicious Indian food - so much better than Infosys cafeteria stuff! It makes me drool just thinking about it. The resort was so nice that we didn't even go into Bangalore on Sunday and opted just to stay and relax. We ended up playing Uno and hide-and-seek (which was especially awesome at the resort) and I learned how to play euker.
But otherwise, on Saturday we did go into Bangalore and shopped and ate, etc. I got a salwaar kameez which is a type of traditional Indian style clothing for women. I like it a lot but it needs some serious alterations which I am hoping to get done this weekend. We ended up eating at a restaurant called Just Oriental for lunch. It was reeeeallly good and I'm glad I finally got some relatively legit Chinese food (boy, do I miss Chinese food! And sushi! And In-and-Out! And everything!) For dinner we went to the Hard Rock Cafe just so we could get our hands on some hamburgers...yummy! They were quite delicious.
Coming back to the Mysore Infosys campus really made me go into food withdrawal. I believe I have successfully avoided the cafeterias since I've gotten back. I am so craving genuine, home-cooked Indian food right now. Back at school feels same old same old. The weather has been pretty cool lately though. I'm actually really loving living in a monsoon area. After class on Monday we planned on playing ultimate right before dinner (because it was much too hot at that immediate moment). But when we ventured out to the field you could tell that there were some dark clouds above and we were losing light. We played anyway. I ended up falling while diving for a pass in the end zone and I scraped up my shoulder. It's pretty bruised up right now. But right after this incident, it really started to rain and it was kinda funny cuz i had blood running down my arm (psh, as if I'm that hardcore). Our team was winning and everyone was really stoked about playing in the rain. And so we did. And it was great. I almost can't wait for us to get the chance again because playing ultimate in the rain is super fun. I think we stayed out for at least half an hour or more. It was getting pretty ridiculous by the end of the game because the rain only started falling harder. Awesomeness.
The other big news of the week is my unit assignment and US location!!! Today, they also informed us that they are paying us entirely in Indian rupees (which is a breach of their contract, but this is an entirely different story). However, I do have some sense of my future now. I have been assigned to the Enterprise Solutions unit which basically means I'm going to be consulting. This means that near the end of October I'm going to be relocated to Hyderabad for ES specific stream training...eep! I hear it's extremeley hot there and that there are far more mosquitos as well. I'm screwed. My only consolation is that most of my good friends here are also in the same unit and also going to Hyderabad so I should be in very good company. Not only that but most of my good friends and I were all assigned to the same US location....dun dun dun...Seattle! However, Infosys always gives the disclaimer that this is just a projection of where we will probably end up (but not for sure). Yay, how exciting! I finally have some picture of where I'll be in a year. Anyways, I was happy to find that we all ended up in the same place because that makes the assignment even better.
Alright, I think that's all I have to report for now. I have my first module test tomorrow so I'm guessing I should probably get some sleep. P.S. does anyone wanna send me some gummybear vitamins? I'm feeling undernourished! =P
Not only were the lodging accomodations such a sweet deal...they also fed us! And it was authentic, totally delicious Indian food - so much better than Infosys cafeteria stuff! It makes me drool just thinking about it. The resort was so nice that we didn't even go into Bangalore on Sunday and opted just to stay and relax. We ended up playing Uno and hide-and-seek (which was especially awesome at the resort) and I learned how to play euker.
But otherwise, on Saturday we did go into Bangalore and shopped and ate, etc. I got a salwaar kameez which is a type of traditional Indian style clothing for women. I like it a lot but it needs some serious alterations which I am hoping to get done this weekend. We ended up eating at a restaurant called Just Oriental for lunch. It was reeeeallly good and I'm glad I finally got some relatively legit Chinese food (boy, do I miss Chinese food! And sushi! And In-and-Out! And everything!) For dinner we went to the Hard Rock Cafe just so we could get our hands on some hamburgers...yummy! They were quite delicious.
Coming back to the Mysore Infosys campus really made me go into food withdrawal. I believe I have successfully avoided the cafeterias since I've gotten back. I am so craving genuine, home-cooked Indian food right now. Back at school feels same old same old. The weather has been pretty cool lately though. I'm actually really loving living in a monsoon area. After class on Monday we planned on playing ultimate right before dinner (because it was much too hot at that immediate moment). But when we ventured out to the field you could tell that there were some dark clouds above and we were losing light. We played anyway. I ended up falling while diving for a pass in the end zone and I scraped up my shoulder. It's pretty bruised up right now. But right after this incident, it really started to rain and it was kinda funny cuz i had blood running down my arm (psh, as if I'm that hardcore). Our team was winning and everyone was really stoked about playing in the rain. And so we did. And it was great. I almost can't wait for us to get the chance again because playing ultimate in the rain is super fun. I think we stayed out for at least half an hour or more. It was getting pretty ridiculous by the end of the game because the rain only started falling harder. Awesomeness.
The other big news of the week is my unit assignment and US location!!! Today, they also informed us that they are paying us entirely in Indian rupees (which is a breach of their contract, but this is an entirely different story). However, I do have some sense of my future now. I have been assigned to the Enterprise Solutions unit which basically means I'm going to be consulting. This means that near the end of October I'm going to be relocated to Hyderabad for ES specific stream training...eep! I hear it's extremeley hot there and that there are far more mosquitos as well. I'm screwed. My only consolation is that most of my good friends here are also in the same unit and also going to Hyderabad so I should be in very good company. Not only that but most of my good friends and I were all assigned to the same US location....dun dun dun...Seattle! However, Infosys always gives the disclaimer that this is just a projection of where we will probably end up (but not for sure). Yay, how exciting! I finally have some picture of where I'll be in a year. Anyways, I was happy to find that we all ended up in the same place because that makes the assignment even better.
Alright, I think that's all I have to report for now. I have my first module test tomorrow so I'm guessing I should probably get some sleep. P.S. does anyone wanna send me some gummybear vitamins? I'm feeling undernourished! =P
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Banglore
I'm extremely upset with Infosys right now. So far they have only proven to me that they are a highly inefficient and incompetent.
Also, I'm going to Bangalore this weekend.
Besides that, I am very grumpy and a bit homesick. That is all.
Also, I'm going to Bangalore this weekend.
Besides that, I am very grumpy and a bit homesick. That is all.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Not Living the C-LIFE
I got in trouble today. =( I tried to sneak into the boys' dorm because I wanted to play Wii and speed scrabble. I got caught. I wore baggy sweatpants, a big sweatshirt, and a baseball cap and I walked in with 5 guys. The security guard could still tell I was a girl. Boo. Which means I can't ever play Wii and I'll always have to force my friends to play games with me in the mosquito infested gazebo area. Right now, Infosys and all their crazy rules and all their extreme disorganization is really frustrating me. Anyway, my original idea was to sneak me in in a suitcase. Guess I probably shouldn't try that anymore...Boo again.
In other news, people from my batch are beginning to drop like flies...in the sense that even more people have been getting sick this week. Both of my neighbors are sick, one from food poisoning, the other from heart issues. I just know I'm next...eep! Knock on wood...
So ultimate has become my new favorite pastime here on the Infosys campus. Even though it's ridiculously humid and I sweat like crazy, I love, love, LOVE playing ultimate...especially since most of the other guys in the batch seem really into it as well. I hope to be coming back home with some brand new ultimate tricks...I've already learned a new move, woo woo! I'm quite proud of myself =)
In other news, people from my batch are beginning to drop like flies...in the sense that even more people have been getting sick this week. Both of my neighbors are sick, one from food poisoning, the other from heart issues. I just know I'm next...eep! Knock on wood...
So ultimate has become my new favorite pastime here on the Infosys campus. Even though it's ridiculously humid and I sweat like crazy, I love, love, LOVE playing ultimate...especially since most of the other guys in the batch seem really into it as well. I hope to be coming back home with some brand new ultimate tricks...I've already learned a new move, woo woo! I'm quite proud of myself =)
Monday, August 18, 2008
More Stuff I Want
Hey guys, here are some more things that I really, really need/want from home =(
Elizabeth Lam Emp. #113751
No. 350, Hebbal Electronics City
Hootagalli, Mysore - 570 018
India
Mobile phone #: 9741821595
I will be forever grateful to people who could accomplish this. I don't mean to sound needy or anything but I'm in desperation here! =P Thanks everyone!
- Oatmeal packets (like that one pack with Apple Cinnamon, Brown Sugar, and Cinnamon flavors, haha)
- BUG SPRAY!!! (I woke up this morning to find EIGHT mosquito bites all on my right elbow...omg, I'm going to get malaria)
- A candle
- Ramen
- Hydrocortisone
Elizabeth Lam Emp. #113751
No. 350, Hebbal Electronics City
Hootagalli, Mysore - 570 018
India
Mobile phone #: 9741821595
I will be forever grateful to people who could accomplish this. I don't mean to sound needy or anything but I'm in desperation here! =P Thanks everyone!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Hume Infosys ja na he!
Yesterday we finally left the Infosys campus and went into Mysore city! We took 3 seven-person taxis as a caravan to get there. Driving through the city reminded me a bit of China (of course), especially the more undeveloped parts (like Jingdezhen!) There are very few sidewalks, and although there appear to be several buildings that line all the streets, everything looks run-down and old. Even though Mysore is a "small" town, the roads are crazy busy with people and the driving is as insane as Shanghai.
Our first stop was the Maharaja's Palace at the center of Mysore. The palace was actually built fairly recently (I think late 1800s, early 1900s) so lots of the architecture had obvious foreign influences. In order to go inside, we were required to take off our shoes, which was a bit nervewracking for me. Especially since getting from the main part of the palace to the nearby temple forced us to walk through an area that was scattered with camel poop...eep! We had to pass by elephants and camels giving tourists rides which explained all of the crap everywhere. But after gingerly maneuvering through the grounds we set off towards our next destination...lunch!
My friend suggested a restaurant inside a nice hotel, the Hotel Regalis, which he had eaten at before. When we arrived, we discovered the price for a buffet lunch was a whole 420 rupees...so expensive! (420 rupees ends up being about $10 U.S. dollars...haha, I know, we're such ballers for eating at such a pricey restaurant). It was pretty worth it because we finally got real vegetables and boneless meat and other such goodies. But my favorite thing there - naan! I don't know why but they do NOT have naan on campus which absolutely sucks, since I love naan. Apparently it's more of a north Indian cuisine. Oh well.
By the time we finished it was pouring rain outside (it is monsoon season after all, I suppose). Even so, we continued on our Mysore journey as the 3 cabs split up to do various activities. I ended up going shopping and after much walking around in the mud and rain I was ended up buying a pair of running shoes (yay, I can finally play ultimate without hurting myself...maybe). I also found a nice collered shirt/jacket thing which was quite exciting (the reason being, on Mondays through Thursday girls' dress code is collared shirts only - and since I only have about 7 of them, I'm going to end up with an extremeley limited wardrobe).
At dinner time we tried to find a "Chinese" restaurant but when friends reported back to what they had seen of the the kitchen, half of us immediately left and went to Pizza Hut instead, haha. It was around this time that I started to pester my other friend to teach me some Hindi...so I know I know a handful of words, yay! And hopefully he'll be willing to keep teaching me - we'll see how much I manage to retain by the time I get back =)
We got back to the Infosys campus around 9...just in time to catch the movie at the multiplex! And guess what tonight's showing was? Kung Fu Panda! Woo! So I have now officially seen that movie four times in theaters...I think that's a record for me. But watching with an Indian audience is certainly a different experience. Since the multiplex on campus only shows movies on weekends and since they only have two choices - one Hindi movie and one English movie - the theater was packed. And when Indian crowds watch movies, they cheer at EVERYTHING. If the panda did something funny - claps and cheers. If Oogway said something deep - claps and cheers. It was awesome...haha.
When we got out, we spotted a crab, of all things walking around near the sidewalk. We were so intrigued that we followed it around taking pictures and generally attracting attention. So much so that an old-ish man started watching the crab beside us and suddenly took off his sandal and squashed it! I was so surprised and freaked out I literally screamed and ran away. It was so bizarre...LOL.
Anyway, today I tried to sleep in but apparently my body hates me and refuses to sleep. I also realized that I've gotten down to my very last granola bar...nooo!! Which reminds that I should now post a list of things that I would like in case anybody is interested in sending care packages hee hee!
Our first stop was the Maharaja's Palace at the center of Mysore. The palace was actually built fairly recently (I think late 1800s, early 1900s) so lots of the architecture had obvious foreign influences. In order to go inside, we were required to take off our shoes, which was a bit nervewracking for me. Especially since getting from the main part of the palace to the nearby temple forced us to walk through an area that was scattered with camel poop...eep! We had to pass by elephants and camels giving tourists rides which explained all of the crap everywhere. But after gingerly maneuvering through the grounds we set off towards our next destination...lunch!
My friend suggested a restaurant inside a nice hotel, the Hotel Regalis, which he had eaten at before. When we arrived, we discovered the price for a buffet lunch was a whole 420 rupees...so expensive! (420 rupees ends up being about $10 U.S. dollars...haha, I know, we're such ballers for eating at such a pricey restaurant). It was pretty worth it because we finally got real vegetables and boneless meat and other such goodies. But my favorite thing there - naan! I don't know why but they do NOT have naan on campus which absolutely sucks, since I love naan. Apparently it's more of a north Indian cuisine. Oh well.
By the time we finished it was pouring rain outside (it is monsoon season after all, I suppose). Even so, we continued on our Mysore journey as the 3 cabs split up to do various activities. I ended up going shopping and after much walking around in the mud and rain I was ended up buying a pair of running shoes (yay, I can finally play ultimate without hurting myself...maybe). I also found a nice collered shirt/jacket thing which was quite exciting (the reason being, on Mondays through Thursday girls' dress code is collared shirts only - and since I only have about 7 of them, I'm going to end up with an extremeley limited wardrobe).
At dinner time we tried to find a "Chinese" restaurant but when friends reported back to what they had seen of the the kitchen, half of us immediately left and went to Pizza Hut instead, haha. It was around this time that I started to pester my other friend to teach me some Hindi...so I know I know a handful of words, yay! And hopefully he'll be willing to keep teaching me - we'll see how much I manage to retain by the time I get back =)
We got back to the Infosys campus around 9...just in time to catch the movie at the multiplex! And guess what tonight's showing was? Kung Fu Panda! Woo! So I have now officially seen that movie four times in theaters...I think that's a record for me. But watching with an Indian audience is certainly a different experience. Since the multiplex on campus only shows movies on weekends and since they only have two choices - one Hindi movie and one English movie - the theater was packed. And when Indian crowds watch movies, they cheer at EVERYTHING. If the panda did something funny - claps and cheers. If Oogway said something deep - claps and cheers. It was awesome...haha.
When we got out, we spotted a crab, of all things walking around near the sidewalk. We were so intrigued that we followed it around taking pictures and generally attracting attention. So much so that an old-ish man started watching the crab beside us and suddenly took off his sandal and squashed it! I was so surprised and freaked out I literally screamed and ran away. It was so bizarre...LOL.
Anyway, today I tried to sleep in but apparently my body hates me and refuses to sleep. I also realized that I've gotten down to my very last granola bar...nooo!! Which reminds that I should now post a list of things that I would like in case anybody is interested in sending care packages hee hee!
- SNACKS - good, American or Asian ones. Anything that you think I might like and that isn't spicy!
- Granola bars are always a good fallback
- Spam and seaweed. It would be cool if I could somehow make spamusubi
- SOY SAUCE (but I only need one or two bottles)
- Basketball shorts or shorts that cover my knees!
- Vegetables or meat somehow...
- Collared shirts and tank tops (totally unreasonable, I know haha)
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Weekend!
Today is Indian Independence Day so we get a three day weekend! Woo hoo, holidays already! A lot of the locals seemed to have left the campus for the long weekend to visit their homes. We considered traveling as well but realized that there might be a lot of things closed because of the holiday. So instead we planned a trip into Mysore city tomorrow. So far we plan on visiting Mysore palace and going shopping (apparently a lot of other people need shoes, like me!)
But in any case, today is a completely free day! There will definitely be lots of ultimate and other play occurring. It's nice because we haven't actually started our computer science training yet and so there hasn't actually been that much work to do. We're still in "soft skills" training, which apparently consists of the same presentation over and over and over again - lots of stuff about values and ethics, etc., etc...
In any case, yesterday I had an exciting moment when I found an Indian meal that I could actually eat and that I actually liked! I think it was called cholay bathuri...mmm...so delicious. Finally, something to eat around here besides Dominos pizza! Alright, time to start the weekend!
But in any case, today is a completely free day! There will definitely be lots of ultimate and other play occurring. It's nice because we haven't actually started our computer science training yet and so there hasn't actually been that much work to do. We're still in "soft skills" training, which apparently consists of the same presentation over and over and over again - lots of stuff about values and ethics, etc., etc...
In any case, yesterday I had an exciting moment when I found an Indian meal that I could actually eat and that I actually liked! I think it was called cholay bathuri...mmm...so delicious. Finally, something to eat around here besides Dominos pizza! Alright, time to start the weekend!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Phone...Finally!
I have finally obtained a sim card for my phone so now you can write "Mobile phone #: 9741821595" on any packages coming this way. Yay!
Today they had french toast and hard boiled eggs at the floating restaurant which was quite a pleasant surprise...food that I can actually eat! Other than that, today was yet another uneventful day full of presentations and administrative paperwork stuff. Although it did seem to pass by faster since we occupied ourselves with various sudoku and various other games...oops.
I did meet my local "buddy" here at Mysore. Her name is Ann and she is super nice. She seems really eager to help me out and show me around so hopefully I'll get a chance to see her again. It will be super helpful to get a local's perspective here. She has already warned us not to go into Mysore this Friday because it is Independence Day and it is sure to be crowded, half closed, and have heightened security. Perhaps Saturday instead? I'm desperately in need of some real running/sport shoes/sneakers...
I also learned how to play carrom today! It's like a mix between pool and mah jong but it can really start to hurt your fingers after awhile! Perhaps if we get the chance to practice more I'll get better...
Today they had french toast and hard boiled eggs at the floating restaurant which was quite a pleasant surprise...food that I can actually eat! Other than that, today was yet another uneventful day full of presentations and administrative paperwork stuff. Although it did seem to pass by faster since we occupied ourselves with various sudoku and various other games...oops.
I did meet my local "buddy" here at Mysore. Her name is Ann and she is super nice. She seems really eager to help me out and show me around so hopefully I'll get a chance to see her again. It will be super helpful to get a local's perspective here. She has already warned us not to go into Mysore this Friday because it is Independence Day and it is sure to be crowded, half closed, and have heightened security. Perhaps Saturday instead? I'm desperately in need of some real running/sport shoes/sneakers...
I also learned how to play carrom today! It's like a mix between pool and mah jong but it can really start to hurt your fingers after awhile! Perhaps if we get the chance to practice more I'll get better...
Monday, August 11, 2008
First Day of Work!
So this is what my mailing address is/should be...hopefully it works! They just gave it to us.
Elizabeth Lam Emp. #113751
No. 350, Hebbal Electronics City
Hootagalli, Mysore - 570 018
India
However, it might be easier for stuff to get to me if you also write down my mobile phone number on the package. I haven't gotten a phone yet but hopefully that will be soon to come! So don't send stuff until I get this!
Anyway, Monday was our first day of "work" although really we spent the day listening to various Heads in the company wanting to welcome us into the "Infosys Family". Rather uneventful, a bit disorganized, and boy, do I get hungry a lot during the day. Which is unfortunate because "Eatables are not allowed in the classroom". The schedule for today appears similar to yesterday's...sigh. Which makes it rather unfortunate that I keep waking up much earlier than I intend to...still not over the jet-lag, apparently!
Today we tried out the food court for the first time and it was then that I realized how awesome the "shi tang" was at good ol' Fudan U. Oh my goodness, just thinking about the meals I used to get there makes my mouth water...pre-made plates of meat and veggies that they would cook on the spot, hot plates, xiao long bao... Not to mention it was as easy as swiping your card instead of having to wait in line to buy a coupon (cash only) for a dish that you're totally unfamiliar with. I think a lot of people in our "batch" (especially the non-Indians) are having similar sentiments. Like someone else said earlier, I eat because I'm hungry, not because I want to. =(
Anyway, enough about food. Everything else is still pretty awesome. I'm meeting a bunch of awesome people and it's fun just hanging out - ultimate, mafia, bowling, or reading the hilarious self-help books of the "Life Coach" on campus (I have to bring home one of her books for you guys to read...it's just great).
Elizabeth Lam Emp. #113751
No. 350, Hebbal Electronics City
Hootagalli, Mysore - 570 018
India
However, it might be easier for stuff to get to me if you also write down my mobile phone number on the package. I haven't gotten a phone yet but hopefully that will be soon to come! So don't send stuff until I get this!
Anyway, Monday was our first day of "work" although really we spent the day listening to various Heads in the company wanting to welcome us into the "Infosys Family". Rather uneventful, a bit disorganized, and boy, do I get hungry a lot during the day. Which is unfortunate because "Eatables are not allowed in the classroom". The schedule for today appears similar to yesterday's...sigh. Which makes it rather unfortunate that I keep waking up much earlier than I intend to...still not over the jet-lag, apparently!
Today we tried out the food court for the first time and it was then that I realized how awesome the "shi tang" was at good ol' Fudan U. Oh my goodness, just thinking about the meals I used to get there makes my mouth water...pre-made plates of meat and veggies that they would cook on the spot, hot plates, xiao long bao... Not to mention it was as easy as swiping your card instead of having to wait in line to buy a coupon (cash only) for a dish that you're totally unfamiliar with. I think a lot of people in our "batch" (especially the non-Indians) are having similar sentiments. Like someone else said earlier, I eat because I'm hungry, not because I want to. =(
Anyway, enough about food. Everything else is still pretty awesome. I'm meeting a bunch of awesome people and it's fun just hanging out - ultimate, mafia, bowling, or reading the hilarious self-help books of the "Life Coach" on campus (I have to bring home one of her books for you guys to read...it's just great).
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Food
So I know I joked about it a lot but now I realize that I am truly screwed when it comes to food. Yes, the food here IS spicy for me. But I don't think that's really it. I just have no appetite for Indian food anymore...and that SUCKS. My stomach is grumbly but when I get a plate of food I just don't feel happy eating it! =( Hopefully my body will get used to this diet. But for now, I'm sooo hungry...send me American snacks!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Whoa, India!
Hi everyone! I'm attempting to start this blog with the hopes that I'll be more successful with this one than I was with my China blog and keep you all updated on my adventures overseas. =P
So after over 24 hours in transit, I've finally made it to Mysore, India! I left San Diego very, very, VERY early on Wednesday morning and flew out to Atlanta, Georgia for the kickoff party that Infosys was hosting for its new recruits. We spent the day there doing meeting each other, doing team building activities, and learning about "cultural sensitivity", haha. That particular presentation really made me nostalgic for China (apparently, Indian drivers are crazy too!) although they are definitely more conservative over here. After all of the business they let explore the Virginia Highlands in Atlanta (although really, I was a zombie at this point, after waking up at 4am that morning).
Friday was the big departure day where they shipped all of us off at the same time to India. After a long stint of downtime at the Atlanta International Airport (which was filled with playing several rounds of "Spoons" - and yes, we actually grabbed a bunch of plastic spoons from the food court and even transported them to subsequent destinations in preparation for subsequent games =P), we were finally off. We first flew about 8 hours to Frankfurt, Germany, had another couple hours of downtime (also filled with "Spoons") and then flew another 8-ish hours to Bangalore, India. From here, we boarded two buses and filled a good-sized truck with all of our luggage. It took us another 4 bumpy hours to reach our final destination at the Infosys training campus. That particular journey reminded me so much of driving around Vietnam. The types of buildings and living conditions are similar to what you would see there. The roads have random bumps to check your speed. Even the tropical-type plants look the same as we drove through highly undeveloped areas. It may sound kind of weird, but it even smelled kind of like Vietnam or the more rural places in China. By the time we had arrived at our final destination, it was approximately 5am on Saturday morning. I had officially lost Friday =P.
After a long check-in process, we finally had a chance to grab a small bite to eat and head for our homes for the next few months. I'm sitting in my room and it reminds me almost exactly like China except for one very important difference - no roommate! =( My room actually has two beds (originally they were meant as doubles) so it makes this room feel even bigger. For those who know how my China dorm room was like, it looks pretty much the same except a little backward and more space (pictures soon to follow). The beds are even the same! Practically wood boards, except for a small layer of padding (although I have to admit, this one has more padding than China did, haha).
You would think that by this time, after finally having to chance to sleep in a real bed after a day of travel, that I would knock-out and sleep forever. Not the case. Me and several others were convinced that if we stayed awake for most of Saturday that we could make a faster transition to the Indian time zone. Thus, I set off to explore the campus with some of my new buddies. This Infosys campus is truly awesome. It's huge and has pretty much everything we need. I spent the morning discovering gym facilities which include a pool, tennis courts, volleyball courts, basketball courts, ping pong tables, billiards, bowling, workout room...everything! We bowled for a couple of rounds before setting off to find food. From there, a game of ultimate frisbee ensued (I believe this is going to be a common thing amongst us) and then a few mafia games before dinner (sound familiar, anyone?). After finally getting my last meal of the day in, I was free to knock-out! Which is how I explain why I'm here, blogging at 5am Sunday morning seeing as I did get in my 8 hours of sleep. How unfortunate!
A few points that some of you may be wondering/ might be interested in:
Anyway, I hope you guys are all doing great! I miss you all and can't wait until we're reunited again! =)
So after over 24 hours in transit, I've finally made it to Mysore, India! I left San Diego very, very, VERY early on Wednesday morning and flew out to Atlanta, Georgia for the kickoff party that Infosys was hosting for its new recruits. We spent the day there doing meeting each other, doing team building activities, and learning about "cultural sensitivity", haha. That particular presentation really made me nostalgic for China (apparently, Indian drivers are crazy too!) although they are definitely more conservative over here. After all of the business they let explore the Virginia Highlands in Atlanta (although really, I was a zombie at this point, after waking up at 4am that morning).
Friday was the big departure day where they shipped all of us off at the same time to India. After a long stint of downtime at the Atlanta International Airport (which was filled with playing several rounds of "Spoons" - and yes, we actually grabbed a bunch of plastic spoons from the food court and even transported them to subsequent destinations in preparation for subsequent games =P), we were finally off. We first flew about 8 hours to Frankfurt, Germany, had another couple hours of downtime (also filled with "Spoons") and then flew another 8-ish hours to Bangalore, India. From here, we boarded two buses and filled a good-sized truck with all of our luggage. It took us another 4 bumpy hours to reach our final destination at the Infosys training campus. That particular journey reminded me so much of driving around Vietnam. The types of buildings and living conditions are similar to what you would see there. The roads have random bumps to check your speed. Even the tropical-type plants look the same as we drove through highly undeveloped areas. It may sound kind of weird, but it even smelled kind of like Vietnam or the more rural places in China. By the time we had arrived at our final destination, it was approximately 5am on Saturday morning. I had officially lost Friday =P.
After a long check-in process, we finally had a chance to grab a small bite to eat and head for our homes for the next few months. I'm sitting in my room and it reminds me almost exactly like China except for one very important difference - no roommate! =( My room actually has two beds (originally they were meant as doubles) so it makes this room feel even bigger. For those who know how my China dorm room was like, it looks pretty much the same except a little backward and more space (pictures soon to follow). The beds are even the same! Practically wood boards, except for a small layer of padding (although I have to admit, this one has more padding than China did, haha).
You would think that by this time, after finally having to chance to sleep in a real bed after a day of travel, that I would knock-out and sleep forever. Not the case. Me and several others were convinced that if we stayed awake for most of Saturday that we could make a faster transition to the Indian time zone. Thus, I set off to explore the campus with some of my new buddies. This Infosys campus is truly awesome. It's huge and has pretty much everything we need. I spent the morning discovering gym facilities which include a pool, tennis courts, volleyball courts, basketball courts, ping pong tables, billiards, bowling, workout room...everything! We bowled for a couple of rounds before setting off to find food. From there, a game of ultimate frisbee ensued (I believe this is going to be a common thing amongst us) and then a few mafia games before dinner (sound familiar, anyone?). After finally getting my last meal of the day in, I was free to knock-out! Which is how I explain why I'm here, blogging at 5am Sunday morning seeing as I did get in my 8 hours of sleep. How unfortunate!
A few points that some of you may be wondering/ might be interested in:
- In this particular US "batch" of Infosys recruits, there are 57 people total. Only 9 of us are girls. Of this number, I would estimate that about a third of us are Indian and the rest are white or Asian. (Amongst the nine girls, 4 are Asian and the rest are Indian...just to get a sense of the demographic.)
- I mentioned above that India seems much more conservative than China. At least, that's how it appears here on the Infosys campus. Here are a few of the rules: Girls and guys do not live in the same dorm. It takes about 10 minutes to walk to the guys' dorm. Alcohol is prohibited everywhere on campus. As a girl, I'm probably not allowed to wear shorts that go too much above the knee. Plunging necklines are definitely out of the question and even tank tops are questionable attire (even on casual days). Although I haven't seen the effects of this yet, there appears to be a curfew for getting back on the Infosys campus: 9:30pm for weekdays, 11:30pm on weekends.
- But even with all the restrictions, we are hooked-up. Like I said before, I get this double room all to myself. My dorm is actually more like a hotel room because it gets cleaned reguarly (and not by myself =P). Since we're from the US, we get a lot of free food for the first week. Not that it really matters because meals here are CHEAP. I think to get a meal at the food courts here, it costs on average, less than 25 cents.
- However, the food IS spicy - at least for me. I've been eating the food that's supposed to introduce us to Indian food. In other words, it bland in comparison. I'm screwed.
- Security on this campus is TIGHT. There are security guards EVERYWHERE and they have already become infamous amongst us Americans for their warning whistles. In fact, I can here some security whistling at someone right now... And they are strict about a lot of stuff. Like requiring you to walk on the sidewalk at all times. I think the security at the gates to the campus even do a thorough search of all vehicles that enter the campus. We also don't get wireless in our rooms due to security reasons. Later this morning, I also have to get 25 passport photos and make 8 copies of all non-blank pages of my passport for the Infosys administration - a bit ridiculous.
- A lot of you may be wondering where exactly I'm going to end up when I get back to the States. Apparently, we don't even find this out until 3 months later. We have to wait 3 months to determine where we're going to end up, what department we'll be in, what program track we'll go on, and what project we're going to take. So yes...still in the dark about my future situation.
- I also do not yet know what my mailing address is here. I have to note that whatever is sent to me will probably be searched twice: once by Indian customs and again by Infosys. However, unless it's something highly suspicious, it should reach me.
Anyway, I hope you guys are all doing great! I miss you all and can't wait until we're reunited again! =)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)