The last time I wrote to you- there were some challenges that I encountered in this transition to Chennai... Well, some of them have been resolved, others have moved to the back burner.
I did get a gas cooking range delivered a few weeks ago, It is fascinating that one gets used to the idea that things take a lot of time to be delivered- so I expected that it would be sometime in the latter part of February when I would expect to get my range- so it was a great surprise when I got a call 2 weeks ago that my range was to be delivered that evening!!
Amazing how things get done here- there is always a demo in your residence of any appliance that you buy- so the appliance got delivered at almost 8.30 p.m. in the original carton and I was told that the demo would be the next morning. The tech guy shows up at 8.30 a.m.- unpacks the range, sets it up with my help of course!! Then he proceeds to let me know that the electric connection needs a plug which the customer must provide! Of course, I don't have any 220 volt plugs just sitting in my tool box waiting to be of service- luckily, my general contractor is an electrician- so I call his mobile and in 30 minutes, he is here with a 3 pin plug. In the meantime, the guy explains how the range works, needed a match to light the automatic ignition (which meant I had to hunt for matches since he did not have any!)- never was a problem when I was a smoker! So I have retired my 2 burner stove for now- I think I will use it with a tank when I have my family visiting in December and I am barbecuing and cooking outside!
Well- my other challenge of wine in Chennai seems to have also resolved- my old friend and 1st love of my life came to visit me a few weeks ago from Bangalore- I explained to him my predicament and he suggested that we go to one of the private clubs that has a reciprocal agreement with a club that he belongs to- Of course, I was the only woman in the bar area of the club and I ordered the bottle of wine and asked the waiter about buying a few bottles which was no problem to them- the secretary of the club was fascinated by us (the couple) and offered to let me come and buy wine as often as I like! Talk about good luck working its way to me...So I have his mobile number to let him know when I need a new supply.
I also took a trip to Pondicherry which is a 2 hour ride from here- visited my cousin and also stopped at a liquor store to pick up 12 bottles of wine as well. We were the only 2 women in the store and I literally had to keep pushing for the guys to let me see the bottles before I bought them! The samples were behind glass doors and I refused to buy without actually reading the bottle label. In my haste, I ended up getting a South African wine (Sauvignon Blanc) that was a year 2007- wasn't that great but I would know better next time.
I have found a French Bakery with many locations in Chennai- I was so delighted to get croissants, multi grain French breads, whole wheat baguettes, various cakes and pastries etc. I also found fish sauce and many Thai spices- now that I have lemon grass growing, I feel better about Thai cooking! Coffee here has chicory added much like in New Orleans- I love that flavour- so it works for me.
I was excited that Weber charcoal grills were now available in India- so I show up at the store and to my shock the 18.5" diameter grill with an ash catcher that costs $160 max in the US costs $666!! So I have given up on that for now and looking at other grills that may not be a Weber- but will work nevertheless.
I have been busy trying to set up my garden on the terrace- quite an adventure compared to the US. First the plants are grown in small containers that are actually black plastic bags that are created from what seems like our heavy duty garbage bags- so they are in various sizes like in the US- with holes poked in the bags for drainage. The soil is created in big pits where black soil that has cow manure, red clay soil and sand are mixed together and put into bags for you- you can also buy just the red soil, sand or black soil with manure separately as well. So I have been busy mixing soil on my terrace and feeling like I am getting my exercise - feels like I am doing some yoga poses bending over like a downward facing dog!! I have planted Rangoon Creepers, Bamboos, Lemon Grass, Holy Basil (which is Tulasi grown in Hindu temples), Cinnamon leaf, Curry Leaf, Neem, Dwarf Poinciana, Alamanda, Bougainvilleas- (Yellow, Rose,) Ferns, Gardenias, Bridal Fern, Dracenas, Dwarf Banana, Hanging pots with verbenas, portulaca's and more...I have probably filled about 20-30 pots of varying sizes from very large to medium and small hanging pots. Lots of Advil along the way has kept me feeling good!
I spend early mornings (6.30 a.m.) outside on the terrace now that I have the fiberglass awning installed and some cane furniture set up. Interestingly, I have crows and pigeons also enjoying the morning with me. Watching them trying to get some water from a leaking pipe , I decided to set up a bird bath- it is about 6 feet high and is created from 4 different cement moulds with the bird bath portion in the shape of a lotus or water lily and hopefully high enough and far enough that they would not mind me sitting and watching them.
I get to the office around 10 a.m. and also get to come home for lunch- my driver is on duty from 9.00 a.m.-7.00 p.m. His wife is doing my housework twice a week- she spends 3 hours on Saturday doing more detailed cleaning/dusting and comes on Wednesdays to just sweep, mop and clean the bathrooms. She has never done this kind of work- so it is a chance for me to see how I would be setting up a women's training centre one day!! She responds well to my guidance- so that is good and this extra income helps their household as well. She had no kids the first 20 years of their marriage and apparently her prayers to Jesus gave them a boy 5 years ago. So now she goes to a Christian church- such is faith I suppose.
My job is taking shape and I am enjoying it- starting a women's network and had a good meeting with the women in the Chennai office- all 14 of them who are very excited about the notion of a network to discuss women's issues with men and women. I treated them to lunch after and that was the first time that they were all together for lunch- most often their get togethers are with their work group where they are usually just 2-3 women. We have created a Name the Network contest that has been sent to Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai offices- folks are excited and have started sending me names!
I attended a company sponsored client event for a cricket tournament and I was the only woman- the organizers asked me to talk about our Diversity Strategy- I said it looked like the company and our clients need to collaborate on increasing the women in our leadership!
The full moon is out and so beautiful from my terrace- I was able to sit outside until a few hours ago with my laptop, enjoying the great breeze, watching the moon rise in the sky and sipping my wine- I can't ask for greater pleasures at this time- life is good and simple and I see its impact on me and how I live my life today. Thanks for the opportunity to share my experiences with you.
