Expat life India, first tasks

In every country we’ve moved to, we have to find where to purchase things for daily life; like groceries, toiletries, and household goods. This is always somewhat of a challenge. So we spent our first full weekend exploring our new city to see what we could find.

Because we have ridden in tuk-tuks in other countries and we are familiar with them, we took several tuk-tuk rides on the weekend. 

In India the term used for this type of vehicle is “auto rickshaw”. In the relative cool of the morning, open air auto rickshaws are pleasant. They aren’t luxurious like a car with its cushioned seats and air conditioning, but that’s part of the charm.

First, we went to one of the main markets which we were told is a good place to find many things we might need. 

The market didn’t open until 10am so we went to Starbucks for coffee while we waited. I ordered a Nitro Cold Brew, which is my favorite. The barista suggested I try the new drink: Cold Brew with ginger ale. I thought, “why not!” So I gave it a try. 

It was pretty good actually, if a little on the sweet side. There’s cold brew with tonic water also and maybe one hot afternoon that will be just perfect.

After a bit, the market opened and we started to look around. There were several things on my list that I wanted to see if I could find. My first success was a little purse. I had a specific size in mind and the shop keeper was quick to find it for me.

We saw a book store just across from the purse stall so we went there next. I asked the man behind the counter if he had any books for writing the Hindi language. He found a children’s book and brought it to me. It’s good enough to start, paired with the Duolingo app I’m using every day. 

And finally we looked in a stationery store. I was hoping to find some pens. And I did. I took along a sparkle pen to show the shopkeeper what I was looking for. I scribbled a little on some paper but he didn’t understand. So I said, “Sparkly.” “Oh! Sparkly!” And he brought out several sparkly pens. 😊 I’ve been using these new sparkly pens to write Hindi Script in my practice book.

We didn’t find an art supply store at this big market so we decided to try somewhere else. All week, while I was working in the hotel, I was trying to locate a good place to buy quality fine art supplies. Stephen found “Art Planet” on Google Maps so we decided to check it out. It took a little effort, to help the auto rickshaw driver find the store, but eventually we did. There were a set of steep steps to the entrance and then we were inside. I was heartened right away when directly in our path were large wooden easels. Exactly the style of easel I have been wanting to get next. I said hello to the two people who I presumed worked there, to no response. I thought perhaps they didn’t speak English so I just started looking on my own. Right away I found Winsor and Newton professional acrylic colors!

I was amazed and delighted. Blick art supply in the states (where I purchase many of my fine art supplies) doesn’t even have this brand in their physical stores. I have to buy it online. I really did not expect to be so lucky! There were all kinds of familiar brands: Sennelier watercolor, Lyra Rembrandt color pencils, Arches watercolor paper! They are all the high quality fine art brands that I know and love. I was exclaiming to Stephen with every discovery. At one point I said, “I’m looking for a watercolor palette but I don’t see one yet.” This finally prompted the shopkeeper to decide to speak. “Watercolor palettes are over here. Let me show you.” And from then on, he proceeded to answer all my questions and show me many different products. “Do you have gouache?” Yes. He brought out two boxes from different brands. “Do you have sketchbooks?” Yes. He took me downstairs to a whole room of paper, sketchbook, canvas paper on rolls and stretched on wooden bars. I’ve been wanting to try Clairefontaine sketchbooks so I chose one. “Do you have watercolor pencils?” Yes. Back upstairs. Again, two different brands in sets. Amazing! 

I was like a kid in the candy store! Shopping for art supplies is one of my most favorite things to do!! When I finally decided on my purchases, the shopkeeper gave me a “welcome-to-India-discount”. That was so nice and a great surprise. I expect I’ll be a loyal customer for the duration of our time here!

After buying my art supplies, we got back in the auto rickshaw who had waited for us. He then said he was going to take us to an art place, “just to look”. It turned out to be a super hard selling tourist trap. First we started with the handmade rugs. The seller spent a good 20-30 minutes regaling the uniqueness of the rugs assuring us it was no problem, our purchase could be shipped anywhere in the world or they would happily store it for us until such time as we could collect it!! They were beautiful rugs. Lovely to the touch as well. But we hadn’t found our temporary Indian abode and did not want to purchase anything without a specific place for it in mind. When they finally realized we were firm about not buying a rug, they moved us to the next tier. “Would you like to buy some clothes madam?” I decided I would relent on a shirt. “I think you need two.” When I agreed to two. “I think three would be very nice.” I was firm that two were enough. “What about a t-shirt for you sir?” We agreed to one t-shirt for Stephen. Then we moved to the paintings and carvings. “What about this beautiful painting madam? Painted with gold.” It was rather nice but not at the price they wanted. They kept suggesting more things and finally I said, “We need to go now.” I was tired; other than for art supplies and pens, I don’t much care for shopping. I think they understood I had reach my limit and they had to accept that what I had already agreed to was as much as they were going to get. When the tuk-tuk driver dropped us off back at our hotel, he insisted on giving me his number so that when I decided to buy a rug, I could call him so he could get his commission. When a second tuk-tuk driver suggested we go to “just look” at an art place, Stephen said flat out, “No shopping.” He had to repeat himself several times but we did not get sucked in twice.

Stephen started work Monday. We landed early Sunday morning and he went to work the next day! No time to adjust to the new time zone. And it’s completely opposite of what we had gotten used to on the west coast. 12:30 in the afternoon in India is midnight in Portland! The first couple of nights, we fell asleep after work without dinner. Stephen has just hit the ground running. He had orientation, met new people, read and completed trainings. This week he has already had a zoom call with his counterparts from all the different regions in the world. Stephen is used to the learning curve for a new job. But this one may be the steepest yet! Not only does he have to figure out his job, but in the context of India too. There’s just a lot to learn and people have different perspectives on the same thing. He will get different answers from different people to the same questions. We have to remember it takes time to learn about a new place, any new place, but especially a foreign country.

After a week in the hotel, we moved to an apartment. Though having more space is nice, I have to admit I miss the hotel a bit. The cleaning staff were so sweet and thoughtful, the breakfast was delicious, and we were a quick walk to nice restaurants, convenience stores and coffee shops.

I even bought a bottle of "Green Bamboo” fountain pen ink at a pen stall just around the corner of our hotel. 

But our new apartment isn’t without its own positives. On the same day that we moved in, we found a good bakery (the meat pies are yummy) and another Starbucks. The barista made conversation as usual but when I told her we were here to live, that we’d just moved into our apartment, she was even more welcoming. When we ordered our drinks, she said we could pay later and she would bring them to us! Stephen and I had also selected two mugs to purchase. Starbucks has partnered with a group that provides education to rural girls and some of the proceeds from the purchase of these mugs goes to that work. She told us she would wrap them up for us. Little did we know they were putting together a little surprise for us. 

She explained the "Bharat" is what Indians call India. She then asked another barista to take a picture with us as she gave us the bag. It was so sweet and we felt special.

I went back by myself during the week, to get out of the apartment while the cleaning crew did their thing, and I was given the celebrity treatment again. The same barista was working and she remembered me. I told her that sadly we had lost my card on the tuk-tuk ride home and would she be so kind as to write another card with my name on it. She was happy to. While I was purchasing my cold brew with sweet cream, another barista came up to me and asked me if she could take a video of me while the barista behind the counter told me their latest promotion. I agreed. With my purchase, the barista handed me a new card with my name on it. It wasn’t until I got home that I saw what was written on the back. 

I’m feeling the love. And not just from the Starbucks barista.

Back when we were still staying at the hotel, Stephen and I were walking back from shopping when he stopped at an ATM and I kept walking. Immediately a young man came and walked beside me. “How are you madam? How are you liking India? What do you think?” I said, “India is hot!” But then I grinned broadly because I’m really not unhappy about that. He thought this was great and he laughed. “Where are you going mama?” He switched to calling me mama which I was told, in Tanzania by our safari driver, is an endearment, a compliment. “I’m going back to the hotel.” “Which hotel? Are you going to the Park? I know that one.” He was talking very fast. I kept walking the whole time and answered him occasionally, which seemed enough for him. When I reached the drive way of the hotel he said, “Okay, mama. Have a nice day!” And then, as he turned away, he shouted back at me, “I love you!”

Remember I said I hoped India would be healing? I’d just like to note here that one of my quite troubling symptoms has disappeared. Back in the US, I would sometimes get massive heart palpitations. They would even make me so dizzy I’d have to sit or lie down. I had heart palpitation on the flights and in the airports. But since we’ve been in India, not a single irregular heart beat!!

While Stephen puts in full day learning his new job, one of my tasks is studying Hindi. I started the 2^nd day here and I’ve studied every day since. In the area where our apartment is, English is not as common as in the tourist area near our hotel. I’ve taken half a dozen auto rickshaw rides and most of the drivers don’t speak to me in English at all or only say a few words. I’ve been using Uber and the app tells them where to find me and where to drop me off. I look on the side of the rickshaw for the number to make sure it matches the number on my app. Sometimes the drivers will ask if I’m "Sabrina". So, learning Hindi seems more important now. If I want to be able to communicate, I really need to speak their language. I’m practicing quite a lot every day. The sounds are subtle and the script is elaborate. Stephen mentioned last night when I wrote out a letter combination, “It’s an artistic language.” And I thought, “Wow it really is! How perfect!”

It's the weekend and Stephen is very ready. He’s worn out. His days are so full he doesn’t have time to take a lunch break, so I send him food to eat at his desk. Fortunately, his office has good coffee and sometimes someone will bring the coffee to him. He takes an Uber to work and back and has found he prefers an auto rickshaw to a car. The Uber drivers in cars drive fast and wild. The auto rickshaws are calmer. But in an auto rickshaw, he has to wear a mask and glasses to protect from the dust. This is his mask after only two weeks of wear. And most of that time he was indoors! 

Despite the air pollution, the 105 degree heat, and not yet knowing where to buy all the basic kinds of things we need, we love India so far!

 

Moving to Land of the Tiger in the Year of the Tiger

 

We have arrived in India. After a long and convoluted process, taking months to finalize, we have started our adventure in the land of the tiger in the year of the tiger. On my initial wish list of things to explore is the national park where tigers roam freely. Seeing one in the wild would be amazing. It may take several attempts, even several trips, before we get lucky.

It's been a long time since we have traveled on a plane. More than four years. And though in the past I have looked forward to our travels, this time I was dreading the flights. I had a kind of hope that expecting the worst would work to my advantage. There was the possibility that it wouldn’t be as bad as I feared and then I would be pleasantly surprised.

We started out in Portland cheerful and optimistic. 

Even still in Atlanta we were in relatively good spirits as we began our flight to Amsterdam. 

Alas, the long flights were cramped and hot. And the final leg, (which we thought we had paid to be more comfortable) was the worst. Three flights in economy class, in which two of the legs were 8 hours long, are pretty miserable no matter how you slice it. I’m just glad it’s over now.

After we finally disembarked from the last wretched plane, remarkably things went incredibly smooth. My expectations for this part of the journey were that we could well find many hurdles and not make it to a soft cool bed in the hotel for many hours. As it turned out, getting through customs and immigration was quick and without event, all our luggage arrived unscathed, a reasonably priced taxi van was easy to arrange and hire, and the drive to the hotel was short. Our driver even drove very slowly and traffic was light and calm. Continuing in this positive vein, the hotel staff greeted us at the door and handled our seven pieces of 50lb luggage. The front desk staff were friendly and efficient and we were in our room shortly after being dropped off by our taxi. Incidentally, it was 5am but there was a loud concert going on in the event venue. I asked the concierge what was going on. (We could hardly hear over the music.) He promised to tell me, but then forgot. I think perhaps it was a wedding party.

In our room, connecting to WiFi was a breeze and I was able to send quick messages to friends and family telling them we had arrived safely. After 32 hours from door to door, in cars, on planes and in airports, we needed showers. Again, it was as a pleasure to find plenty of hot water and lots of pressure. Traveling abroad has shown us simple pleasures like a good shower are not guaranteed. We then fell into the soft king bed, with nine pillows to choose from, and promptly conked out.

Breakfast is included with our room and we made it downstairs with 30 minutes to spare before it was closed down. We felt the service of Asia immediately. Not just in the paid staff but fellow guests. I asked the man in front of us if he was waiting to be seated. He smiled pleasantly and said yes. Then he went further and told us we needed to give our room number AND pointed out the man to which we needed to give that number. It was a small gesture, but for foreigners fresh off the plane, it was an act of kindness. Then in the breakfast room at the coffee bar I asked for two coffees. The barista asked, “cappuccinos or black”. I appreciated the options as I didn’t know what coffee choices there were, if any. South and East Asia have a culture of quality service that I always find amazing. It stands out so starkly to me, I think, because the west has a different definition of what service comprises. Not only that, but the west places a different value on service than the east does. I always feel this whenever I’m in Asia and it’s salve for my soul.

I must admit I’m hoping that India will soothe my soul and heal my body. Asia has been healing for me in the past. Long time readers of this blog will know I have had various symptoms from my autoimmune diseases. My hope is that India will calm the symptoms I’ve been experiencing lately. After all, it is the birth place of yoga!

Needless to say, I am very very pleased Stephen has accepted a job here. And what a job it is. The WHO! Many of his colleagues at the FDA were deeply impressed and a bit jealous too. All were congratulatory and some expressed their respect and admiration for the quality work Stephen did over the past 2 ½ years, during a global pandemic. This job has promise to fulfill dreams we’ve long held but began to doubt would ever be realized. I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. It would serve us both well to hold our expectations loosely. And really try to embrace what this adventure has to offer, in whatever way that is, in whatever time. But there’s no denying…the potential is there. It’s almost as if this position was created just for Stephen. It combines Stephen’s unique and unusual skill set that he acquired through an unconventional career path with divergent trajectories. During the interview, Stephen said to his prospective supervisor that the job seemed like several in one. With a chuckle the interviewing supervisor admitted that the job was a kind of wish list. It’s a brand new position that no one else has done before.  A bit like a start-up, which lands squarely in Stephen’s wheelhouse. Nothing motivates him as much as taking on a new project and building it from the ground up. You see, my husband is a smarty-pants. He’s worked on rockets, and artificial hearts, designed his own devices, started companies and been awarded patents. His sincere desire is to use all of that---all the knowledge, experience, intelligence---for the public good. And this job might just allow him to do that very thing. If he could have designed the job he wanted most, this would have been it.

It's only been a few days but we are learning about the country we will call home for a while. People have been very friendly and responsive. When I say good morning to fellow guests, many of whom are Indian, they enthusiastically reply in kind. Little girls find me very interesting and stare quite openly. I enjoy the gracious gestures that people here use when engaging with others. Several people have use the Thai wai, like a prayer posture with hands pressed together. It’s used as a greeting and a thank you. I greeted the parents of my students that way when I taught preschool in Cambodia. It’s therefore a familiar gesture to me and I’m happy to see it used here. There’s also the delightful Indian head wobble. There are various meanings in its use. Mostly, I think, it's used to show understanding. I just find it fun. Seeing someone gesture this way, just lifts my spirits.

English is widely spoken and understood but I’m studying Hindi for even better communication. After three lessons with the app DuoLingo, I see that the sounds in Hindi are as nuanced as they are for Khmer, the language of Cambodia. At this moment in time, there are several letter pairs that I cannot hear the difference between!

In every Asian country we’ve been to, tuk-tuk drivers are assertive and persistent. Stephen went out first so he gave me some tips for how to handle the situation. Even so, when I went out, I was not prepared for the sheer volume of words each tuk-tuk driver could utter in a short amount of time! I tried to be both polite but firm. They were hardly dissuaded and it actually made me feel a little hysterical. This one tuk-tuk driver wanted to take me “anywhere you want to go. For FREE!!” He called me “sister” to create a point of connection. I just kept walking and say, “No thank you, it’s okay. It’s just a short walk to the hotel.” I had wanted to walk to a coffee shop but decided instead to just turn around and go back inside. The driver kept driving his tuk-tuk up closer and following along. I started to laugh, a little uncontrollably, as my frustration started to build. I tried to squelch the laugh because I understand the tuk-tuk driver’s plight. It’s a tough row to hoe. But still really jet lagged, my brain just wasn’t at its tip-top to deal with the hard sell just then. Another day.

We have some books about India that we are reading and in the introduction of one, the author says that India embraces things from other cultures and countries, but then transforms it into something uniquely Indian. We already experience this first hand. There is McDonald’s near the hotel so we decide to get that for a meal one night. What we discovered is that Indian McDonald’s have no hamburgers. This was not entirely unexpected: to Hindus the cow is sacred. But it was still disappointing. Stephen bought us three different chicken sandwiches to try. None of them tasted like anything at a McDonald’s in the states. Indian food is amazing. I love it. But Indian recipes for McDonald’s food does not make for a good combination! We found something similar with KFC. I’m not sure I even want to try Taco Bell. 😉

Yes, India is very different. But oh so interesting. We saw monkeys this morning before breakfast. The hotel staff was chasing them away. I think I saw almost a dozen of them. They are probably viewed as a nuisance but for Stephen and me this morning they were a delight.

India 2022

We are about to embark on another adventure. This one may be the biggest adventure yet. Stephen has been offered (and has accepted) a position with the World Health Organization (WHO). This new job in a new country has been in the works for months. Finally, everything is in place. We fly out for India tomorrow. Look for new posts here very soon!