chibimonnie

Add some new pics to my India album.

Added two new pictures to the India album- group shots from the Taj Mahal.

At long last, my trip pics are up!

You find them either at Facebook or Photobucket.


Sneak Peek

Holding the Taj Mahal

And more Taj Mahal pics here.

Tonight we leave. One more sleep and we'll be home. Our flight doesn't leave until 10:30pm, so we have some time to kill. We're doing one last round of sightseeing. I got up early this morning and had breakfast with M. We chatted over croissants and tea and coffee. I packed and napped.

Our first stop was Old Delhi and Red Fort. We did our sightseeing from the car, due to worries about pickpockets. Our next stop was Raj Ghat, resting place of Mahatma Ghandi. It was a beautiful, amazing stop. I was speechless (unbelievable, I know!). Seeing the eternal flame, looking down on his tomb- it was a very powerful moment for me. Our final stop was Akshardham, a Hindu temple. We didn't go inside, just took some photos.

Now, we're off to the airport.

What a wonderful end to the trip! My team hit 98.5% on their quality. I'm so proud of my guys! I got kind of choked up while saying goodbye. They wanted to know if I'm on Facebook, so shared my ID with them. I hope that they'll keep in touch. I got pretty attached to them in the short time that we worked together. I'm feeling kind of mother hennish- I've taught them what I can, now I have to let them fly free. Of course, I'll be following their progress and touching base. They were such a wonderful group of people to work with. I have no doubt each of them will continue to work hard and achieve their goals.

There was a bit of a 3 Stooges moment tonight. I was observing some of the guys as they worked. Mukesh was helping Satish with something. Mukesh was pointing at the screen and speaking Hindi, but his tone sounded kind of impatient. Then Mukesh grabbed Satish's ear and slapped him upside the head. It was so unexpected that I started laughing into my hands. Mukesh heard me, then buried his face in his hands.

I think I got closer to Manish and Mukesh than any of the other guys on the team. Manish and I had worked together at Ft. Washington during his training. Mukesh never hesitated to ask me questions and always had a warm greeting at the start of the evening. I'm going to miss the whole team, but these two in particular. I'm also going to really miss Neetu. We met while she was in Ft. Washington. While over here, she has taught me a bit about Indian culture.

I will never forget this experience. I hope to get back to India someday. There's so much I didn't get to see or do. I want to see everyone again. I have so many warm memories that I'm taking home with me. Thank you so much!

Dinner was a lot of fun! We went to the Smoke House Grill. The food was delicious and so was the wine. I had an Indian brand white wine, Sula. It was a little sweet, not dry- just the way I like it. We laugh all through dinner! The restaurant is also a dance club, so after dinner we went downstairs. I even danced a little! But only because of the wine. lol. There was a photographer out on the floor and he took a bunch of pictures of us. A commented that it was the most he had seen me smile during the trip. I hope I haven't appeared cranky? I guess I just get lost in thought or focused on work. I certainly smile when I'm happy. Hm. Something to think about, I guess.

On the way into the office D gave a bag of granola bars and bottled water to some kids at a traffic light. I have to admit that I was kind of surprised. Perhaps I've misjudged him?

We've worked later than usual the last couple of days and it's exhausting. So exhausting that I can't sleep. Had a good night at the office, though. I'm happy with the progress that my team is making. They're hitting their production numbers and almost there on quality. Hopefully now that we're getting the quality scores in a more timely manner we'll start to see more consistent scores.

Ajay is taking us out to dinner tomorrow night, which should be fun. It also means getting out early. Just two more nights of work and a long flight, then home.

Not doing so great today. I'm feeling tired and worn down. I'm ready to go home, I think. I feel like I have to be "on" all the time- presenting my best face. I've been going pretty much non-stop since before the trip. Definitely taking a mental health day when I get home.

We had some good laughs on the way into the office today. Our PSO got stuck in traffic, so couldn't ride into the office with us. Of course, it's the day that our driver gets pulled over for a random paper check. The driver got out of the car and we watched as this (possibly irate) police officer gives our driver a hard time. C didn't bring her passport with her, so we started joking around that she'd be spending time in jail. D graciously offered to not go to jail and get her passport. When our driver got back in the car he explained in halting English, "He say I'm good driver. Five stars! But he bad cop so give him 200 rupees." This set off a bit of a giggle fit. Then when we got to C's building the driver opened D's door (as usual). Normally, at this point,PSO Vassi would open the other door. C looked at the door and said, "What? You mean I have to open it myself?" I was laughing so hard! A also regaled us with hilarious anecdotes from his childhood. I think I giggled the whole ride into the office.

Strange to think that this time next week we'll be back in the States and sleeping in our own beds. I miss my family, friends, and kitties. Shadow must be upset. She doesn't like when I'm out at work all day, let alone when I go away for a long trip. I can't brood on it though. I totally indulged myself last night and ordered room service. They make a nice penne arrabiata here- not too spicy or too saucy. I also discovered that they serve the best darjeeling tea I've ever tasted! I got a much earlier start than usual today, which gave me time to get in some reading, writing, and napping.

Neetu took us out shopping today- six hours and I enjoyed all of it. I know, I know shopping isn't usually my thing. But there's something exciting to being out and about in a new country. In the first shop that we stopped at Neetu decided that we were being overcharged for the pashmina and couldn't talk them down to a reasonable price, so we left that shop behind. Some of the others picked up jewelry there at a great price, though. Our next stop was a mall. For myself I picked up an Indian suit (not to be confused with a saree). It's pretty simple compared to many of the other suits there, but I liked it the moment I saw it. It looks good on me and is super comfy.

The outdoor market, M Block, was pretty cool- I got henna tattoos on my hands and forearms. It came out really dark. Neetu said that means I'm going to have a loving husband and my mother-in-law will like me. We'll see I guess. There's that whole "gotta meet a guy" thing.

Dilli Haat was my favorite stop! There were lots of vendors selling crafts. I picked up some plush toys for my nieces. Wish I had more money while were there, though. I saw so much that I wanted to buy! We talked about possibly coming back on Friday before we head to the airport.