Here's an invitation to the next PIGS (Punjab International Gourmet Society) Brunch. New trainees - this is an informal get together held every month for all the foreigners in Chandigarh. All trainees are invited.
~~
hi everybody,
it's time again for another PIGS brunch.
Date: Sunday, 6th August 2006
Time: 11.00 a.m. - 3.00 p.m.
Venue: [Address omitted - message/e-mail me for the address]
Please bring along some snacks ( sweet or salted, hot or cold) preferably no salads,
also some juice, cold drinks, coffee!
If you like to swim please bring your swimdress and a towel along.
Looking forward to meet you!
Maria and Walter Kissinger
Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Reading Recommendation: Third-class Ticket
Here's a new reading recommendation to follow-up on a prior post and comments.
Third-class Ticket
by Heather Wood
I just started this book and I really like it so far. I borrowed it off my boss who bought it when she was in India ten years ago, so I hope it's still in print.
An old wealthy lady dies and in her will, she leaves enough money to the Indian Railway Company to send all the people from her poor village on a railway tour of India. These people have never seen most of their own country and are amazed and changed by the journey. The author is a Canadian (from Red Deer, Alberta) who was lucky enough to travel with them for 7 months and penned a novel recounting their story.
Third-class Ticket
by Heather Wood
I just started this book and I really like it so far. I borrowed it off my boss who bought it when she was in India ten years ago, so I hope it's still in print.
An old wealthy lady dies and in her will, she leaves enough money to the Indian Railway Company to send all the people from her poor village on a railway tour of India. These people have never seen most of their own country and are amazed and changed by the journey. The author is a Canadian (from Red Deer, Alberta) who was lucky enough to travel with them for 7 months and penned a novel recounting their story.
Friday, July 28, 2006
one more: best/worst/funniest
No posts for quite some time here, so I just thought I'll drop a line to the Chandi-Blog. I had been in Chandigarh from Nov 2004 to July 2005, so that's quite some time ago. Does anybody remember Manimajra House? (MHA??!)
Anyway, I am quite late with this, but wanted to mention best/funniest/worst India experience. It's tough to fix it to a single one each, but in the end it really doesn't matter.
Best
We had just come back from a one-week stay in Srinagar and it had been at quite the end of my almost 9 month stay. At ISBT I jumped out the bus from Jammu, and I already had a sensation of coming back home. Packed with luggage I looked like they perfect prey, so it was the normal situation "Sir, where you go?" "Hotel? Cheap? Come!" and rickshaw guys pushing you in some direction. Over time I had begun enjoying those situations, but this time a guy topped it all:
From the rear part of the crowd he quickly stepped to the front through the other guys and proclaimed: "Ahh, Mister Hennes! Manimajra? Modern Housing Complex?"
I was so happy that I had almost hugged the guy. That really felt like coming home! I didn't even ask the price, and as far as I remember, it was the normal 40-60 Rs....
Funniest
Riding a cycle rickshaw was definitely unforgettable. I still remember the smile on the driver's face, sitting in the back next to Luisa and all the other rickshaw drivers shouting something and laughing. At the same time I have to express my respect to those cycle rickshaw guys, because after two sectors you clearly feel your load and the fun is turning into some real exercise!
Edited/added on August 6th: Actually at minute 2:20 of this video you can see that rickshaw thing. Btw, I uploaded the whole bunch of videos I cut, just go to the playlist.
Worst
Well, who would be stupid enough to put all (ALL!) his valuable belongings into one single backpack when travelling to Goa? I did, and that one got stolen from right above my head from the waiting deluxe bus to Delhi. It didn't only include digicam plus all tech equipment like CF cards, MP3 player etc., it also carried my diary and other personal stuff, which I think was even worse. Being in Goa without camera, a nightmare.
At the same time I got in close touch with Indian bureaucracy. That is, going to the police office at ISBT and trying to "fill in" (free-form!!) a report, which name I don't remember (maybe F.I.R. or similar). In fact, I had the choice between two versions, a simple missing report and another one, which would induce an investigation. That actually only Rahul from AIESEC could explain to me after he arrived at the scene (thanks again for that!!) Before that no one spoke any english, no one felt like explaining anything, and so I wrote that 2-page report 4 (!) times, because each time something was missing and could NOT be solved by crossing it out *sigh*
By the way, we could catch the deluxe bus to Delhi 2 hours later and also could catch the flight to Bangalore!
Anyway, I am quite late with this, but wanted to mention best/funniest/worst India experience. It's tough to fix it to a single one each, but in the end it really doesn't matter.
Best
We had just come back from a one-week stay in Srinagar and it had been at quite the end of my almost 9 month stay. At ISBT I jumped out the bus from Jammu, and I already had a sensation of coming back home. Packed with luggage I looked like they perfect prey, so it was the normal situation "Sir, where you go?" "Hotel? Cheap? Come!" and rickshaw guys pushing you in some direction. Over time I had begun enjoying those situations, but this time a guy topped it all:
From the rear part of the crowd he quickly stepped to the front through the other guys and proclaimed: "Ahh, Mister Hennes! Manimajra? Modern Housing Complex?"
I was so happy that I had almost hugged the guy. That really felt like coming home! I didn't even ask the price, and as far as I remember, it was the normal 40-60 Rs....
Funniest
Riding a cycle rickshaw was definitely unforgettable. I still remember the smile on the driver's face, sitting in the back next to Luisa and all the other rickshaw drivers shouting something and laughing. At the same time I have to express my respect to those cycle rickshaw guys, because after two sectors you clearly feel your load and the fun is turning into some real exercise!
Edited/added on August 6th: Actually at minute 2:20 of this video you can see that rickshaw thing. Btw, I uploaded the whole bunch of videos I cut, just go to the playlist.
Worst
Well, who would be stupid enough to put all (ALL!) his valuable belongings into one single backpack when travelling to Goa? I did, and that one got stolen from right above my head from the waiting deluxe bus to Delhi. It didn't only include digicam plus all tech equipment like CF cards, MP3 player etc., it also carried my diary and other personal stuff, which I think was even worse. Being in Goa without camera, a nightmare.
At the same time I got in close touch with Indian bureaucracy. That is, going to the police office at ISBT and trying to "fill in" (free-form!!) a report, which name I don't remember (maybe F.I.R. or similar). In fact, I had the choice between two versions, a simple missing report and another one, which would induce an investigation. That actually only Rahul from AIESEC could explain to me after he arrived at the scene (thanks again for that!!) Before that no one spoke any english, no one felt like explaining anything, and so I wrote that 2-page report 4 (!) times, because each time something was missing and could NOT be solved by crossing it out *sigh*
By the way, we could catch the deluxe bus to Delhi 2 hours later and also could catch the flight to Bangalore!
Monday, July 10, 2006
Traineeship In Cairo
Salam!
How are you all doing? Chandigarh appears pretty quiet these days…Just thought I’d send you all greetings from Cairo! Its great here but the trainees are nothing like the cool chandigarhians I spend the last year with!
Last night I had a very exciting experience that was nothing to do with the World Cup - I used a washing machine!!
Do you know it’s been over a year since I used a washing machine – it could possibly have been one of the happiest moments of my life. I felt like a housewife that has just been freed from the shackles of the sink (or bucket if you’re in India!) …amazing how much technology has advanced in my year’s absence from Normal Life!
It is perhaps the first model of washing machine ever invented (even older than the one in Panchkula!) & the directions are written in Japanese! Of course, why not?! [But I’m telling myself it’s just a cool new retro design]
So yes the Pyramids are breathtaking, the Nile is outstanding, the Red Sea exciting…but this washing machine has really won my heart! I’d love to have some pictures of Egyptian life to share with you all but every camera I’ve touched in the last week seems to have broken…maybe later.
Maasalaama
Jean
X
How are you all doing? Chandigarh appears pretty quiet these days…Just thought I’d send you all greetings from Cairo! Its great here but the trainees are nothing like the cool chandigarhians I spend the last year with!
Last night I had a very exciting experience that was nothing to do with the World Cup - I used a washing machine!!
Do you know it’s been over a year since I used a washing machine – it could possibly have been one of the happiest moments of my life. I felt like a housewife that has just been freed from the shackles of the sink (or bucket if you’re in India!) …amazing how much technology has advanced in my year’s absence from Normal Life!
It is perhaps the first model of washing machine ever invented (even older than the one in Panchkula!) & the directions are written in Japanese! Of course, why not?! [But I’m telling myself it’s just a cool new retro design]
So yes the Pyramids are breathtaking, the Nile is outstanding, the Red Sea exciting…but this washing machine has really won my heart! I’d love to have some pictures of Egyptian life to share with you all but every camera I’ve touched in the last week seems to have broken…maybe later.
Maasalaama
Jean
X
Thursday, July 06, 2006
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