Trying Hard To Adjust
Today started off on an absolutely wrong note. I hate to sound like a whiny brat but I’m having a little difficulty adjusting to my current living quarter. I made up a shopping list of comfort items last night to make my stay easier and it includes toilet paper, Kleenx, hand-washing liquid soap, clothes hangers that don’t have suspicious black specks, and additional garbage bins. Now that I re-read my list, I have a strange vision of orange jumpsuit. Hmmm, I really don’t mean to come across in such a negative way.
I woke up this morning and was going to shower before heading off to work. It took a while before the water coming out from the tap was warm. Just when it was acceptable, slowly but surely, the trickle ran dry. That’s right, the place ran out of hot water though they claim otherwise. Reluctantly, I wet my hair with a few splashes of cold water and washed my face. This was not a good sign…
LM warned me yesterday that we have scheduled blackouts. Sure enough, at eight o’clock, the hum of the fan stopped. Wow, my first blackout. It wasn’t so bad because it was bright and early in the morning. Back-up power generator is the norm here in Pune. Even during the day at the office, we expierenced power failure a few times. All the lights dimmed and a few seconds later, the power generator kicked in and we were back in business. Funny how so many things that I take for granted at home can no longer be expected.
Ordering breakfast was rather amusing. Each room has a takeout menu from one of the nearby restaurant. I called the front desk with my orders and he would in turn place the takeout order for me. Out of all the Punjabi menu items, I managed to put together a breakfast that actually was quite similar to my usual fare–sweet lassi (dairy), boiled eggs (protein), and plain paratha (carbs). The breakfast is the most important meal of my day and my mood was lifted somewhat by the food.
SS and LM were so wonderful to me. Knowing that I would have trouble finding my way around, they came to meet me at the hotel in the morning and we walked to work together. They showed me all the good restaurants, shops, and dry cleaners along the way. I’m really looking forward to trying some of these places! What’s even more wonderful was that they invited me to dinner at their home after work. I really appreciate their hospitality.
I like our office in Pune but being in a different country, there certainly are cultural differences. For one thing, we have security guards. Not just doormen at the main entrance of the building. I’m talking about guards who patrol the office hallway or station at the floor entrance! Also, instead of getting our coffees at a self-serve kitchen, we have a couple of guys who would do these errands instead. When I want a cup of coffee, I would walk to their station, ask for a coffee, and they would pour me a cup from the coffee dispenser. Communicating with my coworkers too was different. Many times, when I asked a yes/no question, they would say yes and shake their heads from side to side at the same time. Af first I thought I was confused. After talking to SS, I found out it is actually a different interpretation of body language. Regardless, all of my coworkers here in Pune are so friendly they made me feel welcome the minute we met.
Elevators in Pune are a blast from the past. These elevators have an external door that opens up to the floor and an internal folder gate that keeps that elevator shut. The last time that I rode in one of these was back in my grandparents’ traditional Chinese apartmant in Hong Kong over 20 years ago. With my appreciation of funny stick figures, I couldn’t help but to take a picture of the warning sign inside one of the elevators.
Before I went back to the hotel, I stopped by the little corner store that has everything imagineable and got my toilet paper, Kleenx, and hangers. The shower situation improved slightly…I still couldn’t get enough warm water to come out of the tap to wash my hair properly (I barely managed to get the suds out). There is a nicer hotel down the street a little closer to the office. SS mentioned that if I’m really uncomfortable with my current arrangement, we can make some changes. As it turns out, it costs twice as much as my current place (which was only a $30 CDN difference anyway). I will give myself a week…if the hot water situation doesn’t improve, I will request to move.
