By James I mean Justin. By Justin I mean Jason...

Do you every have those moments that your brain just seems to be disconnected somewhere? I seem to have these moments with an increasing frequency which partly scares me but more often provides me with a lot of entertainment.

Today, was a classic example of Diana's brain short circuiting!

I'll have to back-track to last night.  I had heard from one of our teams back home that was having some IT related issues with their team here in Hyderabad; while IT is certainly not on my list of expertise, I had said I'd look into it today on their behalf.  It was perfect timing for an IT related issue because only yesterday I had met James; an IT guy from Canada who is here until March.  I probably shouldn't refer to him as an "IT guy"...I'm not sure how I'd feel about being referred to as an "Audit girl".  Okay, I just looked up his title so I will make the correction, he is a "Senior Analyst, IT Support Service"; that sounds better!  I knew James would be around today and I could talk to him about the issue.

When I met the team this morning to find out more I referenced James and noticed they all smirked. Hmm...always a sign that I've said something wrong.  They explained that I had noted "James" when I emailed them last night but it's actually Jason.  I could only laugh.  Last night when I was typing the email to them I could only remember that his name started with J...so I went with James.  Now that I think of it, that might be a little of Downton Abby coming through.  Anyhow...Jason, okay, now I wouldn't forget...or at least I thought.  What happened next, can best be explained by reading this...(Mahir is one of the team that I was talking to this morning)...

If nothing else, I'm providing people with a laugh...

Starbucks & Lost Keys

Last week I had a meeting with one of our other senior managers who is here on secondment, Mara.  She suggested we meet up at Starbucks which was perfect for me as I hadn't been there yet.  It was interesting that at 10am Starbucks was completely empty; a clear difference between home and here!  I ordered a Chai latte (seemed fitting) and settled in by the window to do some work until she arrived.  Another clear distinction between Starbuck here and home is that they don't have wifi at the ones here.  That was okay - I spent most of the time watching out the window at all the traffic; I could watch it all day long.  I'll have to do a post soon of all my traffic observations.

After my meeting, I went out to meet up with Ghouse and head to the office.  As I was about to get into the car I noticed Ghouse frantically checking all his pockets; India or otherwise, I know what that means...his keys were missing.  He checked everywhere.  He talked to his other driver friends who were around; I couldn't understand what they were saying but I could tell by all their body language that the missing keys were a bit of a mystery to them all.  Next thing I know, Ghouse is quickly heading down the street.  He later explained that he had gone around the corner for tea while I was inside and thought he might have left them there.  He came back still checking his pockets so I knew he hadn't found them.  He called for another driver to come pick me up, so I headed in for another latte.  I didn't realize my phone was off so I didn't know that Ghouse had called a couple minutes later.  Next thing I know, I see him peering in the windows waving his arms over his head trying to get my attention; at last, the keys were found!  When I went outside he had a big smile on his face.  He chuckled when I asked where they were; turns out they were in his back pocket...the pocket he never uses. We both had a good laugh; as someone who loses her keys on a regular basis, I completely understand how that can happen!

Kids Discovery House

Last weekend Amanda and I took the girls to the Kids Discovery House (KiDiHOU...have to love the acronyms here!)  I had heard of the "Children's museum", as it's referred to here and wasn't sure how much fun a museum for kids could be.  KiDiHOU is a wonderful place for kids - they have rooms with different activities combining fun and learning.  Isabel and Annabelle spent a lot of time playing "grocery store" with Isabel as the cashier (handling the money of course) and Anna as the shopper.  Anna played doctor to the animals at the veterinary hospital and Isabel cooked me up a delicious lunch in the play kitchen.  All and all a great outing!

We chose not to point out the paining room to the girls.  Nothing about letting 3 year-old go wild in a room that it's okay for paint to go anywhere seemed relaxing to Amanda nor I!

We'll keep KiDiHOU on the list of things to do for sure.

 A quick breakfast to go - didn't want to miss any play time!

A Belly Full of Dreams

Before we arrived in India, we were looking at pre-school options for Isabel.  She's used to going to "work" every day and we figured she would probably find Daddy, Judsen and the hotel interesting for a couple weeks but would soon be looking at us with that question in her eyes of, "okay, that was fun, but what's next?"  We had tried to find a good option remotely, but let's face it, a few stock photos and a fancy website can make anything look wonderful; we would need to wait to see our options in person.

Once we arrived, it was clear that Isabel would need some time to settle into her new surroundings so we kept her home with Paul and Judsen.  Sure enough, a couple weeks in and you could tell she was getting antsy.

When we found out Annabelle, Isabel's new friend, was going to a preschool it seemed like the best solution would be to send her to the same one; at least they'd have each other.  So I took a visit to ABODE (A Belly Full of Dreams) to check it out.  Ghouse drove me there.  As he took the final turn down a dirt road, I was very thankful that I knew someone that was already sending their daughter there or I may have asked Ghouse to turn around before we even arrived.  India is a perfect example of the old saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover."  In this case, don't judge a preschool by the street it is on...

The school was closed that day due to a holiday but the director was there to meet me and showed me around.  It was clear to see that Isabel would enjoy it there.  They had a lovely playground outside and lots of activities for the kids in the classroom.  So we decided to enroll her.  She was thrilled when we told her she'd be starting at a new work and that her friend Annabelle would be there too.

I'm not sure what a belly full of dreams feels like, but Isabel is sure to find out!

On her way to work - first day at Abode



New Friends

Shortly after we arrived, the hotel staff started telling us that another "Deloitte family" would be arriving and living there until March.  We were told they had a little girl Isabel's age so we were anxious to meet them.  I started scoping out the lobby, hallways and restaurants; I figured they should be easy to pick out.  Sure enough, I spotted them; just as we had been told - husband, wife and 3-year old little girl.  Perfect!  Their little girl was playing at the play area one Saturday morning while Isabel and I were down there.  Her dad was there with her and I overheard that her name was Annabelle - even more perfect; Isabel and Annabelle.  It was time to introduce myself.  For whatever reason, I froze...I couldn't figure out the best way to introduce myself without coming across as potentially quite creepy.  I thought of saying, "hey, where are you guys from?" - but that might be interpreted as "hey, you're not Indian...neither are we, so let's be friends."  Even the premise of that doesn't make sense, given that Paul is Indian.  Then I thought of saying, "hey, the staff mentioned you guys would be staying here" but I thought that might come across as creepy that the staff was talking to us about them.  Lastly, I thought I could try, "hey, I hear you or your wife work at Deloitte...so do I!"  That wouldn't work either; I actually didn't know which one worked at Deloitte and it would be even more creepy that we had been talking about what they do for a living.  I resigned myself to saying nothing.  I would have to find a better opportunity.

That Monday, as I was leaving for work, Annabelle and her dad were getting on the elevator so I seized the opportunity.  I had noticed them coming home the previous week around supper time so I had guessed that they were sending Annabelle to a preschool during the day; that would be my in.  Turns out, Annabelle is 3, her parents both work at Deloitte and they're from Chicago.  They had been staying at the hotel for a couple months and then went home for Christmas and were back now until the end of March.  Again, perfect!

The creepy, stalker part resurfaced once I got to work.  I realized I hadn't asked his name, or his wife's name.  Now what?  I decided to email our mobility guy and describe them to him to see if he could give me their names.  He did.  Then I found them in our global address book and sent them a message.  Nothing creepy about that.  Meet someone in the elevator, don't tell her your name and next thing you know she's emailing you and your wife:) 

The great news is that Griffin and Amanda turn out to be wonderful people and Annabelle and Isabel are becoming great friends.

 Story time with Griff

Getting out some energy! 

(Note the Deloitte office in the background:))

New Friends



Happy Birthday Al!

When you decide to go on adventure like this, you have to accept the fact that you'll be leaving many great and loved people behind; family and friends.  Thankfully, through the wonder of modern-day technology, being half-way across the world doesn't feel so far away.

Some of these wonderful people that I've temporarily left behind are my co-workers.  It's one thing to love what you do but it's another thing to love the people you do that thing you love with.  I am blessed to work with a group of those such people; one of which, has a very special birthday today. So a very special birthday wish goes out, all the way from India, to Alex Sherman!  Make sure the team treats you like royalty, enjoy all the treats and order from wherever you want for dinner (since we need you to work late tonight:)...I'll sign your expense report.

Happy Birthday!

I Knew I'd Forget Something...

Even with my attempts to get caught up, I'm now another week behind so I will give up on officially trying to catch up but will unofficially try to catch up.  That likely makes not sense to you, but for some reason it does in my head.

We're three weeks into our adventure and I think it's now a safe time to compile my "I Knew I'd Forget Something List".  I will categorize it by family member.

1. Paul - I actually don't think we forgot anything for Paul - lucky him.
2. Isabel - her backpack
3. Judsen - his diaper bag.  I used a backpack on the plane for his and my things, but forgot his little diaper bag.
4. Diana - my shorts and bathing suit...yes, I packed for India without packing shorts or a bathing suit...now that is disappointing.  It's not that I can't go buy shorts or a bathing suit (although, now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing either in my mall visits...hmmm, yeah no recollection).  So far I've been fine without them and the swimming pool here is FREEZING, so it's a good excuse for Paul to take Isabel in the pool and for me to watch with Judsen from the deck.  I say that as if we do that; truth is that Isabel still thinks the pool is closed from the New Year's Party; don't judge.

While on this topic, the only item we lost en route was Judsen's bottle.  I packed one bottle for the trip here along with sufficient servings of formula.  When we landed in London, we did that mad dash of trying to get off the plane along with the people who don't have children, in full and complete denial that we really fall into that category that is supposed to listen to the announcement that says, " for those requiring additional time leaving the plane, please wait until the aisles are clear and we'd be happy to assist you."  No, not us!  Two children don't slow us down; we scooped everyone and everything up and off we went.  Once we had settled down for our layover, we realized I left his one and only bottle behind.  Way to go, Diana.  Thankfully, they have everything at the Heathrow airport and we found a good replacement.  My sister, Michelle, would be mortified to know we didn't sterilize it for 5 minutes in boiling water before we used it, but we didn't.  I did slosh some hot water around in it before I used it, or at least I think I remember doing that, or I at least thought to do it; either way, Judsen survived.

 

The Executive Club

I'm on a roll - let's consider this Tuesday's posting...

So at the Westin there is "The Executive Club" or as we like to call it, the lounge.  We have access to this lovely area during our stay and it's become a favourite go-to place.  In the morning, they serve breakfast, during the day it's a quiet place to work and Paul likes to hide away in there to study and in the evenings between 6:30 and 8:30pm they serve appetizers; you can see why this has become a favourite place of ours.  The staff are very friendly and are great with the kids.  My visits to the lounge are limited where I'm at work all day but I typically retreat there around 8pm.  At this point in the evening, the kids are asleep for the night and I settle in at my favourite table by the window to start my evening calls.  I quickly grab a snack so that I have something to eat (on mute) during my calls and a cold can of diet coke.  The thing I like the most about the lounge is that it is a favourite spot for my fellow Deloitte colleagues.  You see, there is usually quite the contingent of Deloitte at the Westin in Hyderabad at any point from around the world.  I don't know them by name by I'll pick them out around the hotel when I catch their Deloitte name tag as I see them walking by, or notice the Deloitte brand on their laptop bag (we brand anything and everything!) but in the lounge they are easy to pick out because they're generally sitting at a table with a very similar set-up as my own, headset on...chatting away to their colleagues back home - wherever home is for them.  I pick up on Deloitte familiar words and for whatever reason it makes me smile; knowing that even though we don't know each other we have the common bond of Deloitte and Hyderabad.  Wow...perhaps I've had a bit too much green kool-aid lately:)

It's nearly 6:30pm and on Thursday, that's means it's time to start my calls; the exception to my "always be home for supper and bedtime" rule.  Looking forward to talking to everyone in Halifax...I'm missing our banter.

Let's catch up - Monday... "Stay to the Left"

As you may, or may not know, in India everyone drives on the left hand side of the road.  Not a major adjustment for us where Ghouse is taking care of the driving; with the exception of trying to get in on his side of the car all the time.

What I have discovered, though, is that staying to the left is not just a rule for the road...it's a rule for the pedestrian.  Now don't get me wrong, the pedestrian's out walking the streets adhere to no such rule, actually they adhere to no rules in general; they seem to simply walk in the direction of their desired destination and use their extended arms as barriers to the oncoming traffic that is hopefully slowing down enough to let them by.  On that note, extended arms seem to be a respected form of communication on the roads in India.  Whether it be the passenger on a motorcycle extending their arms as a warning to neighbouring motorcycles, rickshaws and cars that they are coming through or the half-dozen police men extending their arms outside the back of their open police truck in place of a siren as the signal for "make way, let us through"; extended arms are a powerful means of on-the-road communication.

There I go again, getting sidetracked. Back to where I left off; staying to the left is a rule for the pedestrian, particularly the pedestrian walking inside.  In my case, a rule I need to learn for walking inside the office.  It seems, without fail, that every time I get up from my desk to walk somewhere I end up having a stand-off with someone coming towards me. I have discovered that I tend to walk to the right, understandably given that I've spent all of my life walking and driving to the right, however the people I'm facing off in the hallways and corridors spend their lives staying to the left.  So there we stand, in that awkward moment where both parties try to rectify the situation by going in the other direction simultaneously which only creates the same issue but in reverse.  I'm sure it's only a couple seconds but it always feels like an eternal stand-off in the moment, and then we're off on our way.  This issue would easily be resolved if I would stay to the left when I'm out and about but it's a hard switch to flick in your mind.  I will continue working on it.

Need to catch up - Sunday...

True to form, this seems to be when blogging goes bad for me.  I go strong for a week and then fall off the bandwagon!  It seems to also be correlated with when work gets busy...safe to say, "busy season" is upon us in the audit world!   I'm determined to climb back on the wagon and it starts by catching you up.  Looks like my last post ended us on Saturday so let's move onto Sunday.

Sunday...it turns out that the English speaking protestant churches are some distance away from where we're living.  Plenty of Mosques and Temples around though, as one would expect in India.  We haven't ventured out yet too far beyond our immediate surroundings; the mall and Deloitte has been the extend of our travels to date...oh and the FRRO.  I was saying to someone the other day that we haven't been too adventurous yet but then they reminded me that we just moved ourselves to India for 10 weeks...touché!  

We're also trying to ease Isabel into things gently; the world is very different place in India than she's used to.  She's just starting to look a little more at ease when we're out in the car.  The noise of all the horns and having everyone and everything in such close proximity is intimidating for anyone, let alone a 3 year-old.  She also gets a lot of attention when we're out and people feel very free to reach out and touch children here when they see them, especially foreign children.  So far, no one has taken her picture, but I'm told by my expat colleagues who have children that we've only not experienced that because we haven't ventured out too much but that it will come.  For all those reason, we're not running out the door exploring the city every time we have a free moment. I suppose on top of that, we have a 7 month old...correction...just realized Judsen turned 8 months two days ago...don't judge, read on.  As I was saying, we have Judsen who still naps twice a day, has his bottles and eats baby food, so all-in-all, taking road trips in India is a bit daunting at this point.  

Well that was a long-winded way of getting to my point; we had church in our hotel room on Sunday.

Isabel at "Sunday school" - thanks to YouTube and Hillsong Kids

Girls' Day Out

We took it easy on Saturday...let's be honest, you can't describe living in a hotel with anything other than "taking it easy!"  So I'll rephrase, we took it easier on Saturday.  During the week, our mornings consist of Isabel and Paul getting up and heading out for breakfast while I get ready and feed Judsen his breakfast.  When I'm ready for work I do the hand-off of Judsen to Paul, grab a granola bar and a tea from the lounge and I'm off to work.  So I will look forward to Saturday's here just like I look forward to them at home; no one's running out the door in the morning and we can enjoy the morning at a more relaxed pace.

So this past Saturday we ate all ate breakfast together.  As I sat and watched Isabel eat her roti and jam while playing on her LeapPad, I couldn't help but think about the obvious; just how blessed she really is.  On the way to work last week I watched as a mother bathed her, what looked to be, 3 year-old daughter outside their humble home with a bucket and water from a well.  As Ghouse and I drove by, tears filled my eyes - how very blessed beyond measure we are.  It's difficult to find the words to describe the feeling but I am very, very thankful.

Isabel and I decided to have a bit of a "girls' day out" and headed out to the mall.  I wanted to check out the floors we didn't get to on our first visit.  Isabel was excited to leave the guys behind and have a little time to ourselves.

Isabel had a lot of fun pointing out all the pretty things she wanted...in particular the shoes.  

 Took a lot of effort to convince her to continue on from the Barbie Store!

 This one made me smile - came all the way to India to find a Canadian company for the first time

 Those who know Isabel...and me...know that this caught both of our eyes.

This one's for Michelle - not the KFC, but the Pizza Hut

Judsen being Judsen - happy and a joy

The FRRO

Friday was our appointment with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).  When we were preparing to come to India I had been in touch with the wife of one of our Deloitte expats here, Tasha.  At one point, Tasha asked if we needed to register at the FRRO, hoping we didn’t…and now I know why.

The FRRO…I don’t even know where to begin.  Shortly after we landed in Hyderabad I heard from Arif, one of our Mobility team members that Paul and I would need to pull various documents together in preparation for our FRRO appointment; 2 passport photos, a letter from the hotel verifying our stay, copies of my employment contract, etc.   I found out a couple days ago that our appointment was scheduled for Friday at 10:45am and that we should plan on it taking 5-6 hours.  Pardon moi?  5-6 hours…. I re-read that email several times but it continued to read, 5-6 hours.  I knew I had my all-nighter scheduled for Thursday night and then the 2^nd half of the course through Friday night so the last place I wanted to spend Friday was at the FRRO, I was quite certain…especially with the kids. 

I need to interrupt this story to introduce you to Lucy.  Lucy started with us last week as our nanny and she is wonderful!  I’ve spent the last week trying to figure how I can continue to have a “Ghouse” and a “Lucy” when I get home; my calculator tells me that I can’t, so I will be sure to enjoy it while I’m here.  The kids love their new “Auntie” and Paul and I are very much appreciating the help.  

Back at the FRRO; on the advice of Arif, we decided to bring the kids along for our appointment.  Arif thought it might help shorten the length of time from 5-6 hours to perhaps a few hours.  Arif, such a wise man, was correct.  Thanks to Ghouse, we arrived at the FRRO right on time for our “appointment” and that is when the chaos began.  Imagine Access Nova Scotia (or the DMV wherever you live) and then try to imagine what that might be like in India; chaotic, overly complicated and crowded full of tired, frustrated and cranky people.  That is the FRRO.  It works in 3-steps and thankfully Arif met us there to brief us –  he quickly riffled through two stacks of paperwork while instructing us on how to best navigate through the various checkpoints  that would be ahead and then sent us off through “security.”  I wasn’t prepared for the chaos that we’d find inside and I quickly forgot everything Arif had told us.  With Isabel clinging to Paul and Judsen happily with Lucy, I pushed my way through the crowd to find myself a place in line.  One of the workers kept telling everyone that only 3 people could be in line and the rest needed to sit down.  Paul encouraged the Indian in me to come out and I pushed my way forward.  At this desk, a man reviewed our paperwork, told us that Paul didn’t need to be registered (bonus!) and then gave us a “token” to wait in the next line.  N42 was my number and they were on N14…it was going to be a long wait.  Thankfully, within a few minutes our children caught the eye of, who I can only assume was the supervisor and he told a couple of the workers that we had our children with us so we could go next. Perfect! The master plan worked.  God always works these things out.  In just two short hours I was officially registered.   Assuming it was going to take longer than that, Ghouse took Paul, Lucy and the kids back to the hotel so by the time he returned to pick me up it added an additional hour, but I certainly wasn’t complaining.  I enjoyed sitting back watching as fellow visitors to Hyderabad ventured in for their own FRRO experience.  

All-nighters & elevator etiquette (correction)

If you know me well, you know that I love my job; what's not to love? I work with great people, serving great clients and I have the privilege of traveling to amazing places.  I'm "all in" here at Deloitte and proud of it.  Could you pass some more green kool-aid? (some more Deloitte humour for you).

I suspect no one would believe me if I said I love my job always; in fact, I wouldn't believe myself. There are sometimes that I'd call, less blissful moments; tonight is going to be one of those moments. As boring as you may perceive the Chartered Accountant profession to be (a misguided perception I can assure you), it requires it's members to continuously stay on top of changes in accounting frameworks and reporting standards through continuous learning.  Ok, okay...that does sound boring ...but let me remind you of the blog that you're reading...I'm doing this seemingly "boring" job from India...so really, how boring can it really be? Okay, back to my point; continuous learning.  Some people seem to love learning, they view required e-learnings and facilitator led sessions as opportunities to grow, develop and further their expertise.  One of my friends at work, Ange, is one of these people.  She absorbs learning like a sponge in a bathtub of water and seems to view it as a game of sort (in my opinion, a game that she reigns supreme in). Ange is one of the smartest people I know and logic would suggest that she is so smart because of the effort she puts into continuous learning.  While I certainly agree with the benefits  and that it's a necessary part of my job, it will continue to sit in the "less blissful" column when I assess my job at Deloitte.

You may be wondering what all this rambling has to do with all-nighters and/or elevator etiquette.  It certainly has nothing to do with elevator etiquette, but unfortunately it is related to all-nighters.  You see, when I was on maternity leave last year with Judsen I missed two days of required training.  We have various levels of training at Deloitte; required, highly recommended, recommended and optional.  This training fell into the required bucket which, in the end, is unfortunate news for me, especially because the make-up session is scheduled for January 8th and 9th from 9am-6pm EST.  I'll do the math for you, that's 8:30pm to 3:30am IST; and that folks, means two all-nighters for Diana Khosla, employee number 121440.  Well, I guess they're not quite all-nighters as I will go to sleep for a couple hours before my darling, chipper, and well-rested children wake me up.  Oh, and did I mention, it's training via video conference...yes...lovely.  Not many people know what I look like at 3:30am and that's how it should stay.

What this does mean is I will be awake during your days on Thursday and Friday so text or email me - I will inconspicuously reply to you as I can:)  I suspect we'll be breaking for "lunch" around midnight...

Elevator etiquette (correction)

You may recall in my posting, Hop on for the ride, that I shared with you some elevator etiquette that I recently learned observed.  I need to make a slight revision to my conclusions.  It turns out, getting on an elevator that is not heading in the direction of your desired destination is only general practice when the elevators are very full.  If, you get on an empty elevator heading in the wrong direction as you intend to go, I believe you are considered confused and likely a visitor.  I can, again, conclude this from experience.  The last couple of times I took the elevator intending to go down, a near empty elevator opened that was going up, so I hopped on very confidently but I noticed that no one else who was waiting to go down followed me.  Strange, I thought and then I experienced that moment of embarrassment that I described experiencing in Canada, when the people on the elevator say, "actually we're going down".  Okay, okay, back up the train, I thought.  This is not something I do except this is what I'm supposed to do while in India; wrong Diana.  There's a minor distinction that I hadn't noticed earlier; hop on for the ride when the elevators are so busy that you'll be waiting forever if you wait for one heading in your direction of choice and with space for you to get on.  On the other hand, if the elevators are not busy, then wait for the elevator you called that is going in the direction of your desired destination.  I will remember this distinction going forward.

D Khosla at Deloitte Dot Ka

Another great day here in Hyderabad.  It's a bit strange straddling two time zones for work.  I just wrap up my day here and by the time I get back to the hotel, everyone is just getting going in Halifax which means my inbox starts to fill up again.  As the hours progress through the evening, the rest of Canada begins to wake up and so it continues.  Since having Isabel 4 years ago, I've been quite diligent about being home for supper and bedtime and then working from home as I need to, so trying to do that here.  The business lounge at the hotel starts to fill up around 8pm; seems everyone has the same idea...minus the putting their kids to bed part...I'm sure their kids are back home, wherever home is for them.  Okay now I'm rambling...onto the point of my post.

Today I was talking to the "office boy" as he seems to be referred to, or as I prefer to call him, Syed (which is his name).  I'm not set up to print from my computer yet, which means I can't scan to my computer so Syed was helping me out.  He asked for my email address, so I wrote it down...dkhosla@deloitte.ca.  I pointed out the .ca as he would be used to seeing .com and I didn't want him to get it confused.  He responded by saying, okay, so it's "at Deloitte Dot Ka"...I smiled, agreed and off he went.  Such a simple observation but it made me think; there's always more than one way to look at something, more than one side of a story and often more than one "right" answer.

As the saying goes, "you say 'tomato', I say 'tomato'"...

Short and sweet tonight.

Hop on for the ride

It is day two in the office and I’ve encountered a couple distinct differences in elevator etiquette:

1. If the elevator doors open – hop on!  It doesn’t matter if it’s going up or down; go ahead and get on while you can and ride the elevator until you reach your desired destination.  At home, if an elevator door opened with people in it heading up and I wanted to go down, I would wait for the elevator that I called by pressing the down button and get on that; if not, why have both up and down elevator call buttons?  This is simply not the case here.  I suspect this is likely the case because the elevators are often extremely crowded so the odds are not in your favour if you’re stubbornly waiting for a lift that both has room for you, and is heading in your desired direction. 
2. At home, if I was to mistakenly get on an elevator going down when I intended to go up, I would feel it necessary to explain myself to the other elevator passengers; embarrassed of riding the elevator in the wrong direction.  I would usually provide my explanation with a lighthearted comment like “oops, I guess I’m going for a ride”.  Such feelings of embarrassment and need to provide an explanation is simply not required here…I know this from experience.  Yesterday, I thought I was going up towards my desk when, in fact, I was going down towards the parking garage.  A woman joined me on the first level of the parking garage to whom I made a similar light hearted comment to about going for a ride and she looked at me as if to say, “ok…why are you telling me this?”

So lesson learned; I don’t make the same mistakes twice.  Now, when an elevator door opens, I squeeze on in, to the uncomfortable level of closeness that is generally accepted here, and intentionally ride along with everyone until I reach my desired destination.

My most interesting sightings today: 

Street signs that read:

·         Alert Today Alive Tomorrow

·         Accident Brings Tears

·         Fast Drive Will Be Your Last Drive

I particularly like the last one…very effective in getting the point across.

 En route to the office - Deloitte buildings up ahead

 Big sis and her baby brother - she's such a good helper!

 In line at the security check-point entering Deloitte Blocks G & H

Hanging out with Daddy 

Diana Khosla, reporting for duty

Monday, January 5, 2015 can only mean...it's time to get back to setting a morning alarm, straightening my hair (although I ran out of time for that today), wearing dress clothes and high heels; vacation is officially over.  I was running late this morning, which isn't unusual. I did a quick stop at the lounge on the way out to grab a granola bar and a darjeeling tea for the road and off I went to meet Ghouse.  Ghouse, was waiting patiently for me out front of the hotel.  The hotel doorman walked ahead of me to open the back door of the car, but Ghouse was ahead of him opening the front passenger door - I appreciated that with only a few car trips he already realized I prefer sitting up front where all the action is.  Ghouse and I are a dynamic duo - off to tackle the hectic, chaotic and overly confusing roads of Hi-Tech city...okay that's a bit exaggerated...it's about a 5 minute drive to the office, but I enjoyed every minute of it!

Here in Hyderabad there are a number of Deloitte offices, all identified by an alphabetical "Block" - i.e. D Block, H Block, etc.  I was on the way to G Block; Ghouse knew the way.  Seemingly everywhere you go here requires going through airport like security (I stress the "like") and Deloitte H Block was no exception.  The underside of the car was inspected using those mirrors on the ends of poles (I'm sure they have a proper name) and my ID was reviewed to ensure I belonged at Deloitte...clearly they didn't notice the green halo hovering over my head (a little Deloitte humour for you).  At the front doors, I went through the metal detector and was saddened to find out that I wasn't allowed to bring my NunChakus into the building...

Turns out, in the end, I had the wrong block - I had G and H confused.  G Block was next door. I spent the day settling into my new workspace.  As the staff arrived, it was nice to see them all chat and catch up after not seeing each other over the holidays; something I would miss doing with everyone in Halifax today. Once into the Deloitte buildings here, it'd be hard to know you're not in Canada...in fact, I'm a little jealous of everyone who calls G Block their home office - they have a beautiful gym on the ground floor...something I may have to try out soon.

Paul and the kids had a great day.  Judsen's starting to shuffle around and I suspect he'll be crawling in no time.  His reaction when I arrived back home was priceless; no nice to be welcomed home with such enthusiasm!

My most interesting sighting today: A man and woman driving on a motorcycle with their school-aged child sound asleep in between them.

"Netflix is currently not supported in your location"...

When we were preparing to embark on our great adventure I had many, many lists.  Lists of what to pack, lists of what to buy, lists of what to do before we left, lists of what to do en route, lists of what to do when we arrived...lists upon lists upon lists.  Fairly high on my personal list was to pack our AppleTV and figure out how our Netflix would work in India.  If you know me well, this is not surprising as my most preferred way to relax and unwind is to curl up and watch a favourite show or movie.  Having been to India twice before, I knew the hotel TV selection was limited and wouldn't have the shows I enjoy, nor Isabel's favourites.  Bringing along the AppleTV seemed to be the best solution.  I enlisted the troops; our IT guy at work (Graham) and my audit team, in search of the "easy" solution.  Graham provided a number of options but Nicole, from work, earned the gold star when she enlisted her boyfriend, Pat, who I've personally named the Netflix wizard, who sent me an email with detailed instructions before we left.  All was set - a plan was in place.

When we arrived on Monday, before all the unpacking was done, before we had explored our surroundings, it was imperative that we test out the AppleTV.  We plugged it in, I carefully followed Pat's instructions, clicked on Netflix and to my dismay, the screen yelled back at me...in the harshest tone you could imagine "Netflix is currently not supported in your location."  WHAT?!? Couldn't be.  I tried it all again.  Restart.  Try again. Restart.  (In a embarrassingly obsessive fashion) What now? I spent that night, and truthfully much of the next, doing my own research.  I now know a tremendous amount about DNS codes, VPNs, and the challenges of being on a public wifi in a hotel; yet when I click on Netflix it continues to shout back at me "Netflix is currently not supported in your location".
It seems there are a few options that may work, but I got to the point about mid-week that I was so tired of trying a solution, restarting and seeing that silly message again that I quit!  I've moved on...onto watching our previously watched episodes of Downton Abbey in preparation for the start of Season 5.  Thanks to iTunes and their season passes, I won't be missing out on the season premiere on Tuesday...or I suppose it'll be Wednesday here.

A 1st world problem at it's best.

Bedtime Upheaval & Gymboree

Once again I must retract my previous excitement about the sleep progress we were making with the kids.  While letting Judsen sleep in yesterday seemed like the best thing to do, I should have known better.  By bedtime last night (7:00pm) Judsen took a 40 minute nap and woke up looking at me as if to say, "Mama, let's go explore India...come on, let's go!" Despite my best efforts, that little guy was not ready to sleep.  We danced the bedtime waltz for the next few hours.  At about 10pm he started laughing at me as I tried to rock and shhh him to sleep...fitting...all I could do was laugh along with him.  By 10:30pm I had, at last, won the battle and off to sleep he went.  Needless to say, this morning, everyone was up by 7:00am as per our usual routine!

Today we took it easy and relaxed...much like we've done all week, I suppose.  We've been looking into some preschool / playschool options for Isabel and found one that has a few classes on Saturday so we registered her for an Arts class this afternoon.  Ghouse picked us up and we were off on our way to find Gymboree.  Ghouse seemed to know where he was going so we all sat back and took in the sites.  After a longer ride than expected, we pulled up to a narrow building with a small "Gymboree" sign outside and in we went.  Interestingly enough, if you read Gymboree's address it directs you to the 2nd floor of their building however they are actually located on the 4th floor - can't explain that one; perhaps they consider each floor a 1/2 floor.

Isabel enjoyed an hour of painting and play-dough (or simply Dough as it's called here) with two other girls her age.  "Here we all roll the dough, roll the dough, roll the dough.  Here we all roll the dough, here at Gymboree" they sang together - very cute.  The two little girls in her group had their ears pierced; something, I'm sure, Isabel will bringing up with us at some point.

 Play time in the lobby - a little play-space any 3 year-old living in a hotel would enjoy!

 Painting at Gymboree

We finally left the hotel!

Well it's our 5th day here in India and we finally decided to venture out!  It wasn't that we were intentionally not leaving but more that we were content to stay but and settle in.  When you're going to be somewhere for 10 weeks there's less pressure to get out and do things right away.  This morning we emerged after a fantastic night's sleep for everyone.  Isabel and Paul woke around 5:30am and enjoyed what is becoming a tradition of breakfast together and Jusden and I slept until 10:30am! I don't remember the last time I did that...we both needed it for sure.

So we decided today was the day; the day to venture out past the four walls of our new home and head to the mall!  This meant one thing...it was time to call Ghouse.  Ghouse is our driver.  Deloitte, more out of necessity than a kind gesture, although it certainly is kind, has hired us a driver for our time here. We met him when he picked us up from the airport on Monday but he hasn't heard from us since.  I would have to assume he has been wondering what happened to us and why we left him with the kids car seats taking up his entire backseat if we weren't going to call him for a ride anywhere.  Car seats are extremely uncommon here - I suppose in a place that seat belts aren't required, helmets are no where to be seen and a family of 5 can be found driving down the road on a small motorcycle...why would anyone invest in a car seat?  Knowing this, we still brought them along for the kids.  I figure if we need them on our streets, we certainly need them here!

Back to Ghouse; it was time to give him a call.  This is the point in the day that I realized I have no idea how to call anyone in India.  It really shouldn't be that complicated...I have a phone, actually I have two - my cell and the room phone...and I have a phone number to call.  But try as I might, I couldn't make it happen.  Finally I got through...to Ghouse's daughter.  She seemed lovely, but she wasn't Ghouse.  She kept telling me he had gone somewhere but I couldn't figure out what she was saying...in the end I found out he had gone to pray.  Turns out I could learn something from Ghouse's example of his devotion to his faith, even if we wouldn't see eye-to-eye on to whom we should be praying.

Fast forward, Ghouse arrived and we headed to the mall.  Always a fascinating drive, no matter where you're driving in India.  So many new things to see, so many people to watch; I love it!

When we arrived at the mall I quickly realized we were gathering some attention.  I'm still unsure if it was our cute children, our stroller (which I gather is rare to have) or our..."unique" family combination.  I suspect the latter but the stroller is definitely up there in the runnings.  Either way, I have concluded that we probably should leave the stroller next time we go to the mall.  It seems people like to ride the elevators here in India over the stairs or the escalator and a "full" elevator means something very different here than it does at home.  Needless to say, the door opened and closed many times before there was space enough for us all..and the stroller.  We made it a short trip this time - Judsen was love smiling at all the people, Paul and I were enjoying just being out but Isabel didn't seem to be enjoying all the people around.  We'll go back again another time, without the stroller.

 I was very curious to see what the International Food section would include in India.  

Here's a few things you'd recognize.

 I was so excited to see Cheerios.  We brought some of Isabel's favourite snacks with us but couldn't fit the cheerios.  It might be hard to see but they were 699 INR - that nearly $13 for a normal box...she can look forward to them when she gets home!

 Paul was excited about Marks & Spencer - I don't remember it being in Halifax. He's old. :)

 MAC - Just as beautiful as at home

For April MacLaughlin :)

Happy New Year!

I think it's safe to say, I spoke to soon when it comes to the kids being so well adjusted in just two nights.  Perhaps wishful thinking or the optimist in me, but I take it all back!

Last night was off to a great start - it was New Year's after all and we're celebrating ringing in 2015 in India...all sounds wonderful!  We put the kids to bed around 7:30 and then ordered room service and settled in to watch one of my Christmas gifts from Paul, The Million Dollar Arm (keeping with our India theme).  The party downstairs started at 8 and the music was impressively loud but thankfully the kids kept sleeping.  At midnight we watched the firework displays across the city from our window and then both Isabel and Judsen woke up.  Nice to wish them Happy New Year but this was not part of the "sleep through the night" plan!  Isa went right back to sleep, Judsen on the otherhand needed some convincing.  An hour later he was sound asleep in my arms, the party had stopped downstairs and then we made the wrong choice; instead of going to bed like rational people, we were still in a celebratory mood so we decided to watch a show then go to bed.  Well that took us to 2am at which time Judsen woke back up, as did Isabel.  Well from then on things just went downhill.  I think I finally settled into bed around 3:30 and Paul was closer to 5.  Needless to say...we are tired this New Year's Day!

I suppose it's no different than the days we used to stay up until all hours on New Year's Eve...but let's be honest, those days are a very long time behind us!  In the past few years we're lucky to make it to midnight! 

Happy New Year! Very much looking forward to the year ahead!

 

The beautiful pool at our hotel

 Judsey and I

 Judsen enjoying his book at lunch

 Isa enjoying her meal from her menu designed just for her by the chef.  They've been so great at the hotel with her allergies.