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Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Welcome Back Picnic
Saturday was the annual Welcome Back Picnic at AISC. There was plenty of food, music, games, swimming, and people. The pictures show how truly big the campus is, and we know because we walk it everyday!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Paperwork, Lines, Cell Phones, and Laughs
I think it goes with out saying that life in India is much different than back at home. This country LOVES paperwork and lines. Forget about the days of writing out a tidy TO-DO list and feeling the joy of crossing each completed task off. Not going to happen in India--EVER. You're lucky if you get one thing accomplished in a day. How can that be? Because this country LOVES paperwork and lines and most things defy logic--THAT you can count on.
CELL PHONES
Getting a cell phone in this country is a chore and keeping your cell phone turned on and working is a process in itself. Buying the actual phone is simple (by India standards that is...) but obtaining the sim card is another story. The only way to get a sim card for your phone is to have a residency permit. This is obtained through immigration (the place where there is a line to get in a line to get in another line and so on...)..... I think the application packet requires more signatures than buying a house. You must also provide: 2 passport size photos, copy of your visa and copy of your passport. Once the phones are activated, someone will call and verify that I really am Carlina Fiordilino.....if you are lucky enough to understand the person on the other end then you move to stage 2---a visit to your house where they verify once again that I am Carlina Fiordilino and I sign off on more paperwork. There are black out dates where the phones can't be used at all and if your phone isn't used at least once in a week it gets disconnected (this just happened) and the paperwork and lines to get it reactivated begin. Regardless of whether you can keep your phone working or not, a bill will be generated and mailed to you---on Indian time so don't expect regular billing cycles. It would be handy to pay the bill online---but? After 3 weeks I am still unable to access my local bank account online (that's another blog entry). Today I went directly to Airtell to pay my bill. I waited in a giant, sweaty line and was finally able to hand over my bills (my bill and Domenic's bill) totaling about 330 rupees ($7.50). The guy behind the counter jotted down 120 rupees on one bill and 120 rupees on the other. "That will be 240, please." I didn't even ask---just opened my wallet and pulled out some cash. I handed it over to the guy and he smiled and said, "over there....someone coming"....o, yes. I fogot......there is a separate line where you actually hand over the cash. I'll tell you what.....it really is very humerous and India has provided ample opportunities for laughter----and you know how I love to laugh!
CELL PHONES
Getting a cell phone in this country is a chore and keeping your cell phone turned on and working is a process in itself. Buying the actual phone is simple (by India standards that is...) but obtaining the sim card is another story. The only way to get a sim card for your phone is to have a residency permit. This is obtained through immigration (the place where there is a line to get in a line to get in another line and so on...)..... I think the application packet requires more signatures than buying a house. You must also provide: 2 passport size photos, copy of your visa and copy of your passport. Once the phones are activated, someone will call and verify that I really am Carlina Fiordilino.....if you are lucky enough to understand the person on the other end then you move to stage 2---a visit to your house where they verify once again that I am Carlina Fiordilino and I sign off on more paperwork. There are black out dates where the phones can't be used at all and if your phone isn't used at least once in a week it gets disconnected (this just happened) and the paperwork and lines to get it reactivated begin. Regardless of whether you can keep your phone working or not, a bill will be generated and mailed to you---on Indian time so don't expect regular billing cycles. It would be handy to pay the bill online---but? After 3 weeks I am still unable to access my local bank account online (that's another blog entry). Today I went directly to Airtell to pay my bill. I waited in a giant, sweaty line and was finally able to hand over my bills (my bill and Domenic's bill) totaling about 330 rupees ($7.50). The guy behind the counter jotted down 120 rupees on one bill and 120 rupees on the other. "That will be 240, please." I didn't even ask---just opened my wallet and pulled out some cash. I handed it over to the guy and he smiled and said, "over there....someone coming"....o, yes. I fogot......there is a separate line where you actually hand over the cash. I'll tell you what.....it really is very humerous and India has provided ample opportunities for laughter----and you know how I love to laugh!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Holy Matrimony and Pharmaceutical Drugs
~Indian Wedding
Our driver's son is getting married and today we were given an invitation to attend the wedding on September 16. I don't know who was more excited. Was it us for receiving an invite or was it George, our driver, for accepting his offering? Either way it will be an experience.
~Pharmacy
The pharmacies here are all over the place and the medication is extremely cheap. Since there doesn't seem to be a need for prescriptions we have been self-diagnosing. The spoken language is a bit of a barrior so I write the name of the medication on a piece of paper.....show it to the chemist and wait my turn in line!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Ta Ta Indica
My new car was delivered to the school on Tuesday and the timing couldn't have been better because the monsoon rain was coming down. It was one of the easiest (and fastest) purchases I've made. I asked George, the head of security at AISC, if he would help me decide on a model. My parameters were simple---small, new, and durable. Once we decided on the Indica, he called the dealership, had them deliver a model to the school the following day, negotiated the specifics, and helped me find a driver. One a price was agreed upon, I walked over to the financing department at school, they issued a check to the car company and that was that. The loan through the school is for 3 months only. The good news is my car will be paid for in full by the end of October but until then it's like a mortgage payment.
It's really a luxury to have someone escort you around. Parking is hard to come by so getting dropped off is great and the traffic here is a mess. Imagine the worst bottle neck traffic but instead of only seeing cars and buses merging you will also see: auto rickshaws, motorcycles with families piled on them (babies and all), bicycles, food carts, men, women, children of all ages, cows, dogs, and scooters. When the rain comes the streets are flooded and the horns are always blasting. It's just one continuous HONK. We have been informed that the rules of the road are simple---the bigger vehicle always has the right away and if an accident occurs the bigger vehicle is always at fault. From what I can gather that is dead on, but with one exception---cows always have the right away and they know it! It's great. I love it here.
It's really a luxury to have someone escort you around. Parking is hard to come by so getting dropped off is great and the traffic here is a mess. Imagine the worst bottle neck traffic but instead of only seeing cars and buses merging you will also see: auto rickshaws, motorcycles with families piled on them (babies and all), bicycles, food carts, men, women, children of all ages, cows, dogs, and scooters. When the rain comes the streets are flooded and the horns are always blasting. It's just one continuous HONK. We have been informed that the rules of the road are simple---the bigger vehicle always has the right away and if an accident occurs the bigger vehicle is always at fault. From what I can gather that is dead on, but with one exception---cows always have the right away and they know it! It's great. I love it here.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Week at a Glance
The first week of school really flew by and tomorrow we get to do it all over again!I have a lively class (par for the course) but I sure love them. Domenic had a successful first week of school as well. He really likes his teacher and classes and has managed to make a few connections. Domenic has several specialist classes throughout the week: art, music, PE, Indian Studies, Library, Foreign Language (French/Spanish). This Wednesday is the big kick-off for the after school activities so he will be plenty busy. Friday after school, while Domenic was at a friend's house, some of us were taken shopping for clothing, household items, and food. Priya, the elementary technology teacher (native to India), was kind enough to show us the way. I have never enjoyed shopping (food, clothing, or otherwise) back at home, but here it's an adventure and I'm loving it! Saturday we headed to the school for some time in the pool and then headed over to some fellow teacher's home where we ate, drank, and watched the kids run free. Today, Sunday, was a bit of a rest day. We really enjoyed the monsoon rain and the booming thunder and managed to walk through our neighborhood for more groceries and later an evening stroll to the beach.
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