Blog from 9/8/06
9/8/06
Today we went to Bollywood and Hinditron. We had to meet everyone by 8:00 so I got up at 6:30 to get ready. I called Lauren to see how her first day of school went. She also had her first swim meet. She had a great first day. I ate breakfast in the hotel and then headed down to the lobby. We have to dress nice for Hinditron so I brought my brown jacket.
The bus ride took a couple hours (as usual) to get to Bollywood. We watched some scenes from a gangster movie that is based on a true story from Mumbai where gangsters held up a bank (?) and fought off police for hours. It’s called Shootout at Lokhand wala. The movie will be on DVD after the beginning of the year. There was one really famous actor (equivalent to someone like Matt Damon) and another man and woman actor/actress as well. Our group was ecstatic. Seema was able to meet with the famous one and then brought some of the group out to meet him as well.
We ate lunch (delicious) at Bollywood. It is incredibly hot and humid and occasionally one of us will get too dehydrated and feel faint and have to sit and drink water and eat something. Today was Jessica’s day. The others were hung over from partying until late. In fact, most of them were still buzzed when we got on the bus at 8pm. They had a blast at a bar nearby. I stayed in because I was sick. I was still sick today with a chest cold. Mmmm what fun.
After Bollywood, we drove to a country club and met with the owner of Hinditron and his son, the President from the American Alumni Association, the Chamber of Commerce, a man from a software company and several other people. They were so appreciative and genuinely touched that we came to India and wanted to visit with them. The owner of Hinditron obtained his degree from the University of Washington, years ago, so it was nice to see him. These men are very driven. It is exciting to see how finance and industry are shaping this country. I may consider getting my masters degree in India. I talked to Ratu, the president of the AAA. I definitely want to keep in touch with these individuals. We were given presentations for about 1.5 hours and then ate dinner together.
The drive back wasn’t nearly as long as the other drives. Once back, Prof. Vandra and Charlene and I went to the Dome Broma (the café for the foods of the gods). I had apple pie and latte and helped Charlene finish her bread pudding. Okay – I ate most of it.
Then we went shopping along the avenue and I bought some souvenirs and stuff. Elephants, scarves, and a wallet.
It’s been a long day. The group is off to go clubbing but I’m still pretty sick so I’m going to bed.
PS. The weather in each city is incredibly hot. Mumbai is the most damp because it is located right next to the Arabian Sea. Dehli was also pretty muggy followed by Jaipur. Agra was hot but much dryer. To give you an idea of how hot Delhi was, within 1 hour of being out, our clothes were sopping with sweat. It’s funny, they get so sweaty and yet they don’t really smell. It’s like you’re just sweating water.
Other differences – I didn’t feel safe in Delhi or Jaipur, but I feel like I can walk around Mumbai and be fairly safe. Even at night (about 9pm), but I’m still only going out with others. The edge of the water is about a block away but it is a rock wall. The beach is a short taxi ride. The gateway of India monument is nearby our hotel as well. The hotel we are in is called fareyas. Of course we came up with another name for it so we could remember it.
Thanks to all of you for the e-mails and well wishes and birthday wishes! I hope everyone is doing great. Lauren – great job on your week and your swim meets. Love you bug!
Take care to everyone and I’ll talk to you soon.
Today we went to Bollywood and Hinditron. We had to meet everyone by 8:00 so I got up at 6:30 to get ready. I called Lauren to see how her first day of school went. She also had her first swim meet. She had a great first day. I ate breakfast in the hotel and then headed down to the lobby. We have to dress nice for Hinditron so I brought my brown jacket.
The bus ride took a couple hours (as usual) to get to Bollywood. We watched some scenes from a gangster movie that is based on a true story from Mumbai where gangsters held up a bank (?) and fought off police for hours. It’s called Shootout at Lokhand wala. The movie will be on DVD after the beginning of the year. There was one really famous actor (equivalent to someone like Matt Damon) and another man and woman actor/actress as well. Our group was ecstatic. Seema was able to meet with the famous one and then brought some of the group out to meet him as well.
We ate lunch (delicious) at Bollywood. It is incredibly hot and humid and occasionally one of us will get too dehydrated and feel faint and have to sit and drink water and eat something. Today was Jessica’s day. The others were hung over from partying until late. In fact, most of them were still buzzed when we got on the bus at 8pm. They had a blast at a bar nearby. I stayed in because I was sick. I was still sick today with a chest cold. Mmmm what fun.
After Bollywood, we drove to a country club and met with the owner of Hinditron and his son, the President from the American Alumni Association, the Chamber of Commerce, a man from a software company and several other people. They were so appreciative and genuinely touched that we came to India and wanted to visit with them. The owner of Hinditron obtained his degree from the University of Washington, years ago, so it was nice to see him. These men are very driven. It is exciting to see how finance and industry are shaping this country. I may consider getting my masters degree in India. I talked to Ratu, the president of the AAA. I definitely want to keep in touch with these individuals. We were given presentations for about 1.5 hours and then ate dinner together.
The drive back wasn’t nearly as long as the other drives. Once back, Prof. Vandra and Charlene and I went to the Dome Broma (the café for the foods of the gods). I had apple pie and latte and helped Charlene finish her bread pudding. Okay – I ate most of it.
Then we went shopping along the avenue and I bought some souvenirs and stuff. Elephants, scarves, and a wallet.
It’s been a long day. The group is off to go clubbing but I’m still pretty sick so I’m going to bed.
PS. The weather in each city is incredibly hot. Mumbai is the most damp because it is located right next to the Arabian Sea. Dehli was also pretty muggy followed by Jaipur. Agra was hot but much dryer. To give you an idea of how hot Delhi was, within 1 hour of being out, our clothes were sopping with sweat. It’s funny, they get so sweaty and yet they don’t really smell. It’s like you’re just sweating water.
Other differences – I didn’t feel safe in Delhi or Jaipur, but I feel like I can walk around Mumbai and be fairly safe. Even at night (about 9pm), but I’m still only going out with others. The edge of the water is about a block away but it is a rock wall. The beach is a short taxi ride. The gateway of India monument is nearby our hotel as well. The hotel we are in is called fareyas. Of course we came up with another name for it so we could remember it.
Thanks to all of you for the e-mails and well wishes and birthday wishes! I hope everyone is doing great. Lauren – great job on your week and your swim meets. Love you bug!
Take care to everyone and I’ll talk to you soon.
posted by Joyann | 2:01 AM
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