The Return of Mickey!

To say that Monday was eventful is a severe understatement. On the way to work, we encountered our first dust storm here in India. The traffic was more out of control than normal and the wind and dust were horrible. As I sat in the car peering out the window, I thought "why did I even shower today." As we walked to the building, I felt as if I was back home in Chicago with the way the wind whipped us around.

I had set the stage last week with my class with the events of this week. Today was to be used for their benefits as tomorrow some of them will begin taking calls from our team in the U.S. Now, two weeks ago I had sent documents that needed to be printed. Long story short, that hadn't happened. The office here in India doesn't have administrative assistants - everyone does their own printing, document creation, etc. Additionally, a copier that collates and staples would be magical. For the next two hours while waiting for the documents to be printed I attempted to keep everyone busy and occupied. If I would have known that a stapler was a hot commodity, I would have smuggled a few over here. Goodness, we're supply rich in the U.S. I was really proud of some of my students - they were using time wisely. They're going to be ready for today for sure! For others, I just need to instill confidence.

For the remainder of the day, I was running around like I was crazy. Helping this one, finding information for that one, etc. I had wished I had another one of me (or someone) to help deflect questions and direct. As I was speaking to one of the managers, my eye caught Mickey, or something that resembled Mickey. I looked a little closer as he appeared to be sleeping... there was a gentleman in close proximity that continued to move around - either the rat sleeps VERY soundly, or he was dead. I'm not confident that this was the REAL Mickey as we're in another building... however, this Mickey is no longer. Building services was called, a guy came up and pronounced his death and another came with a dust pan and little broom to sweep him up. The managers claim that they have never seen a mouse on the call center floor... maybe it WAS Mickey trying to find me. Great.

On the way home with my colleague we were discussing the day's events. All of a sudden our driver begins speaking in Hindi to my pal (yes, she knows Hindi). For the rest of the drive back to the hotel, we'd be chatting, then he'd interrupt and continue talking, then he'd stop and our conversation would continue, then he'd interrupt again. Perhaps he couldn't hear my soft, dainty voice speaking and didn't realize that he was interrupting... something tells me that this isn't the case.

I'm thrilled to announce that my trip to Amritsar is a go for this weekend! I'll be traveling with a gal from work and her husband. I'm really excited as I'm told the Golden Temple is really something to see. Additionally, there a boarder closing ceremony between India and Pakistan that's supposed to be something amazing... so we'll do that too. We'll be traveling by train which I'm sure will be an event all of itself.

Three is Now Two....

As I predicted, shopping got the best of us and we didn't make it to the Sehk temple, but we did do a good job of combing through the market. We decided to go back to Delli Haat. What was embarrassing was that a few of the shop owners recognized us from before. My colleague was able to get a bird bath that she wanted (for the record, I'm glad it was her toting that home rather than me...). She got it for 1/2 of what they had originally asked before. That's so irritating to me. We had our other colleague who is Indian approach the stand without us. She was offered that price right off the bat. If we had been with her, the price would have doubled. There's really not much we can do to change our appearance. Even with me wearing an Indian kurta (pullover shirt), Indian sandals, sporting mehndi and some lovely silver Indian jewelry, they can see right through it. Maybe it's because I don't speak Hindi? Maybe I need to throw on some bangles.... hmmmm.... We wished our pal a safe trip back to the states and returned to our rooms to begin our next week.

I and my pal had made appointments at a parlor across the street from the hotel for pedicures this morning. They do such a great job and quite reasonable. I think the service was a total of Rs 280 (which is $7) and it lasted well over an hour! Perhaps I'll go back next week!

I was able to get into the pool again today and do some laps. If I think I'm competing in triathlons this summer, I need to get busy training! As I was swimming back and forth, I felt like the pool entertainment - maybe I was just being self conscious. I'm determined to get back into my workout routine! So far, so good.

Me and the other gal chatted a bit about other sites to see in Delhi along with what we needed to accomplish. She mentioned that I could have some gold jewelry made!! How exciting is that?? I'll have to ask my friends at work where to go. I'd hate to pay double and I'd hate to go somewhere that's a little suspect. Now that I think of it, perhaps THEN I can get the good deals...??

Mondays are tough as we've lived the weekend in some sort of normalcy - waking up at a decent hour, doing your thing then going to bed at a decent hour rather than starting your day when most are on the way home. I'll be forcing myself to take a cat-nap here in a second.

Here's to another Monday!

Mehndi - Check!

One of the things I wanted to have done was to get some "henna" done. I now know that henna actually refers to the plant but Mehndi is the application of henna to the skin. My pals and I set out to find someone to decorate our limbs at one of the bazaars we had been to. Locals told us that Soarojini Nagar (the market I bought my first pairs of shoes) was the place to be. When we arrived, it was crazy!!! There were people everywhere. It was so crowded, we couldn't find the Mehndi guy! After asking several vendors, we found him, right in the middle of the market (right by a garbage can, I might add) doing his work. We each had something done (picture posted at right). While being decorated with henna, some of the vendors literally picked up their tables and quickly left the market - in fact, it was quite a stir! We asked what was happening, apparently, those that just have the wooden tables (pieces of plywood with a cloth over them sitting on a neatly stacked pile of bricks in each of the corners) are there illegally. About 10 minutes later, here they came back to sell their wares! My henna application probably only took about 10 minutes, it didn't take long at all. They worked so quickly and the whole thing was free-hand. If you look at my picture, I have a peacock and a fish - very fun!

We decided to tour some of the rest of the market. We looked ridiculous as we were walking as if we had just had our nails done - we didn't want anyone to bump into us and ruin our designs. Besides, the henna will stain clothes just like it stains skin. We were trying to be cautious, not everyone felt the need. Taking the advice of the artist, we purchased some Vicks to rub on after the paste dried. Supposedly it was to help the color. I can't comment on if it worked or not, but I sure smelled like I had a cold.

Today we plan to sit by the pool. I finally found a place where I can buy goggles so I can do some swimming. I'd like to get some laps in. After that, we'll do some last minute shopping as one of my colleagues leaves for home today. We may try and squeeze in a visit to a Sikh Temple (aka Gurdwara) here in Delhi. We'll see how it goes.....

Three Mondays done, three more to go.....

I Think I'm Caught Up!

As mentioned yesterday, none of us were feeling quite up to par. One of us didn't go to work at all, but I along with the other gal, did go. It was her last day in the office, so she really needed to go, otherwise, her team would have really been disappointed. We did leave at dinner. We were just exhausted - my body literally ached. After another 10+ hours of rest, I think I'm back to normal, well.... kinda. I'll just leave it at that.

We milled around Kahn Market again and picked up some gifts. There was a cute little silver shop - a much different experience than bargaining with locals on the beaches in Mexico. Nonetheless, they had some lovely things... a few of which now have a new home.

We're going to walk to a nearby "salon" to see about a much needed pedicure and getting some henna done. I'll keep you posted!

TGIF!

Well, yesterday was so much fun! Unfortunately, one of my friends got sick, so it was just the two of us that went shopping to Delli Haat. We were able to talk one of our pals from India into meeting us there to assist us in getting the best deals! Delli Haat is an open market that has folks from all over the country selling their regional wares. Of course, there were many pashmina vendors - if I ever look at another pashmina, I don't know what I'll do. We were able to procure some lovely items that we hadn't seen before. I was able to find a hand bound photo album
with a leather cover and a necklace with matching earrings. I would absolutely go back to DH!!

After shopping, our friend took us to a place called the Defense Colony for lunch. A little shopping area (I know you're surprised) that included an Indian restaurant. I don't recall what we ordered exactly, but it was tasty! We laughed and chatted the afternoon away making it a challenge to get back to the hotel to change and then off to work.

We were invited for dinner at a restaurant called Barbeque Nation by the leader of our group here in India along with the other managers we are working with. Honestly, I was still full from lunch and eating again was not appealing. In the tables, there was a cut out section that would eventually house a little charcoal container. Once they slipped the portable grill into the cavities in the table, the waiters filled the grates on top with all kinds of kabobs - vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Shortly after that there was a parade of waiters with more kabobs sliding different delicacies on my plate. I finally had to tell them to stop as there was no way I'd eat everything I had been served! Not to mention the kabobs that were grilling in front of me. Great! Now I have to work too spinning the kabobs so they won't burn. I thought our feast was over when they asked, "aren't you going to get food?" I looked at them with horror - if I'm not mistaken, didn't we just eat? Oh no, there's MORE! A buffet was next. At this point I decided that I'd take a little of a few items and call it a day... I'd hate to offend anyone. The group got up another two times to drive by the buffet. We returned back to work (after getting lost a couple of times) and resumed our training.

I'll admit now that my non-stop tour of India finally caught up with me. Today, I'm at the hotel resting. I'm not sure if something didn't agree with me or my body is just exhausted or both. Today, no shopping, but some much needed rest. What's been funny is that the hotel staff isn't quite sure what to do - we're never in our rooms during the day, so today we've caused a stir.

Our trip to Amritsar this weekend to see The Golden Temple is out of the question. We waited too long to get tickets either by train or plane. As it turns out, that's probably best anyway as none of us are really feeling up to par. It's better to stay close to the hotel. However, we're planning on doing this trip next weekend though! That should be great!

We're wrapping up provisional training for my team. Today, they'll have their final assessment. This is a multiple choice test used to check comprehension on what we've taught. Throughout the weeks, I've been administering mini assessments, however this is the one that's important. It's an open book test, so it shouldn't be too hard. If they don't pass it though, it could ruin their careers at our company. This is an interesting concept to me. I'm more concerned with performance with customers rather than an open book test. Just a little insight into the differences in culture. Quite frankly, I'm more excited about next week as this is where we'll put everyone to the test! I'll be hosting call ins for my team featuring subject matter experts from the US on provisions. This is the true test! I've been trying to tell them how important this is - I hope they've been listening.

Well, cross your fingers that this little ailment goes as quickly as it came! Until tomorrow...

More Later

I have to apologize for my short entry for today as a day of shopping and lunch hasn't left me enough time to post a proper blog. However, I DO have some pictures that I'm hoping you'll appreciate.

More later, I promise!

Is It Really Wednesday?

As we've done for the last several days, we got up and hit the stores for more shopping! Our plan was to go to a place close to Janpath called Connaught Place - there's a Fab India there. We were told how "fabulous" this place was and that we shouldn't miss it. Unless you're a size 4, which none of us were, you're somewhat out of luck. We had also heard about another place that's an "underground bazaar". That place is reminiscent of the Silk Market in China. Shop keepers coming at you from both sides trying to persuade you into their store. What wasn't like the silk market was the overwhelming need to buy one of everything. After just a few minutes, we left - thankfully I had made a mental note of where we entered, it didn't take long to wonder where the heck we were as the bazaar was like an underground maze. Check, we've done that. Lucky for us, Janpath Market was right across the street! We bustled our way over there and finished where we left off. Tomorrow, we're going to Deli Hut (I think it's actually spelled Haat, but does it really matter?). I'm going to take a few gals up on their offers to accompany us! I hope they can join us!

I'm not sure that I mentioned that I have been trying to get someone from the hotel up to my room to take care of a musty smell - yesterday they sent someone up with a can of Jasmine spray... I told them that this was merely a temporary fix and that I was hoping for something more permanent. I was confident that they didn't understand. When I returned home I was bombarded with my room guy and the head cleaner - she had left me an ionic air cleaner thing, some fresh flowers and a note addressed to Ms. Pearson. I quickly read the note and said, "I'm not Ms. Pearson." The gal looked at me as if I had just cursed her. She even said "you're not?" She was absolutely mortified as she should be in my opinion. Such a fancy hotel, service should be second to none. While the first impression was amazing, they haven't been able to sustain that.

Training is going well! I can't believe that today is "hump day"! By Friday, we'll be done with the "book" learning and begin taking calls next week.

Until tomorrow....

A Shopper's Paradise

Holy shopping!! I and my pals just got back from doing some shopping at a marketplace called Janpath. We attempted to get through all of the stores/stalls, but just weren't able to get it done. We did buy some items right off the bat - and I know better than this, I am a seasoned bargainer... never, ever buy from the first one you see. There's an art to bargaining, you see - they throw out a price, you throw out a price, they laugh, you laugh, they shave off a few cents, then you laugh and they laugh - this literally could go on for hours if you allowed it. My tactic is to start walking - if it's a fair deal, they will cave. If not, they wanted the merchandise more than you and you can bargain with the next stall. What I do know... is that at this point, I don't need any more bags/purses - I swear, one is cuter than the next!! and shoes... I don't need any more of those either. It's a little funny as the gentleman that cleans my room lines all of my shoes up against the wall and my bed - at this point, I have two rows. Today, we're starting a third.There were some stores that had some Tibetan merchandise. I did see some singing bowls and prayer wheels. It made me think about my fabulous trip to Tibet a few years ago and miss those lovely people. Tomorrow, we're going to another shopping place called Fab India - these places are nice because they have fixed pricing. There's no game in it and you get a fair price.

While I shared with you yesterday that we came home by way of Embassies, I didn't share the amount of security surrounding the Embassy of China. About every yard or so, there's a policeman. There are no rioters, noone actually, except these policemen. The entire Embassy is surrounded with barricades and.... these policemen. The coverage here in India basically says that China thinks the Dali Lama is trying to sabotage the Olympics and there has been coverage of rioters - I haven't seen anything, thankfully. What I'll say is this, I adored my trip to Tibet and have fallen in love with the people there - the true Tibetans. As an American, I am truly fortunate for absolutely everything and wish that everyone could be as compassionate and graceful as Tibetan people. I pray for their safety.

Training is going well. We're finishing our last week of provisional information, then the next three weeks will be full of practicing and certifying everyone. I can't believe that at the end of this week, my trip with be 1/2 over. Time flys when you're having fun!

Is It Monday Already?

Why is it that the weekends go by so quickly? Yesterday, I reported that we were going to church, shopping and sightseeing. What we thought would be primarily shopping turned into being primarily sightseeing, which is just fine. We knocked out some of the key places here in Delhi - India Gate, The Lotus Temple and Akshardham. However, this all began with church. I was a little leery as we arrived close to 900am and clearly there was mass still going on. Being that it was in a language I didn't understand in a ceremony I didn't understand, I thought this was going to be a looong hour. The mass before this one started at 730 am. Everyone finally shuffled out about 10 minutes after and we shuffled right in. I talked my pals into sitting close to the back to ensure a simple getaway when it was over. As mass started, I was happy with the fact that this one was in English however I was a bit surprised. At one point I didn't know if we had transported somewhere in the Bahamas waiting for an umbrella drink or if I was still in Delhi at a Catholic mass as the accompanying music sounded like canned Calypso music. I desperately held my giggling all throughout mass specifically when the canned Calypso music started up again. At one point I look up and realized that I was being photographed. Fantastic - I hoped they weren't going to try and sell me that picture on the way out! For the record, they did not.

Before leaving the hotel, our pal the concierge told us that we needed to change our plans for the day as the place he told us about the evening before was closed. He quickly told us of another area we could shop that wasn't as big. A little disappointed, we decided to do more sightseeing rather than shopping. We started our sightseeing at India Gate <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Gate> and then did a drive by the Parliament. We didn't even get any pictures of that. On the way to the Lotus Temple <http://www.bahaindia.org/temple/>, our driver stopped by a place to do some shopping. We walked in, saw it was a tourist trap and walked out. We prefer the local markets - so that's where we went. The market we went to was called I.N.I. I have no idea what it stands for, but that's where all the locals were - they had plenty of stalls filled with material for whatever you needed. We happened across a place that had only about a million kinds of Pashminas of which he unfurled only about half of. We tried negotiating but just couldn't get the job done. I'm quite alright with this process as it gets us closer to the most fair price - perhaps the next guy will want to let his merchandise go. We did get some spices! Curry, masala, saffron, etc. In the end our cab was smelling quite delicious..... and no, I'm not being sarcastic!

I'm glad we went to the Lotus Temple (see link above). It really makes me appreciate our very own Baha'i Temple in Wilmette <http://www.bahai.us/bahai-temple> that I drive by daily. What amazed me was the amount of people. In one of my pictures I'm attaching, you can see the crowds - what's interesting is that's only half - there's another crowd at least that big behind me. We had to take our shoes off and drop them in the "bootery". They gave you a burlap bag and a claim ticket - how noone gets their shoes taken is beyond me. Of course we couldn't take any pictures inside the temple, but the outside was nice.

Lastly, we went to Akshardham <http://www.akshardham.com/>. It was absolutely amazing! Again, off with the shoes and the same bootery process, however there were about five times (if not more) as many people here than at Lotus. Just a crazy amount of people. Same "no photo" policy. In fact, we went through more security here than we do going through the airport! We couldn't even carry our purses in. We were able to get a picture of Akshardham from the parking lot - it just doesn't give it justice. I resorted to buying a set of postcards to capture the tribute.

At this point, we were absolutely exhausted. Our cab driver drove us back to the Taj by way of Embassies. I could only understand about half of what he was saying. I'd try to recognize the flag waiving in front and mutter the country, but then quickly resorted to responding by saying "oh! uh- huh!"

We returned home and my friend had an Easter Egg delivered to my room (she got one complimentary, then called and requested one to be sent to me). I tried to get a picture, but it just didn't turn out. It's a chocolate egg with a little chick made of fondant on top. He's darling!

This morning we did some shopping. There were a bunch of fun stores! A place with handmade papers, a ton of tailors ready to whip up whatever you wanted, etc. The shopping area was quite confusing because you can literally walk through the store to the other side and there are more stores in the alley! We'll have to go back to that place and prowl around some more. Tomorrow, we'll do a different place.

Here are a few pictures of the sightseeing we did http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=217729520/a=109545564_109545564/t_=109545564

Unfortunately, I haven't taken a nap today. I think 3 am won't come fast enough.... wish me luck!

Happy Easter!

Today we're going to go to a church for Easter services. I'm not quite sure what to expect. However afterwards we have fun filled day packed with shopping and touring Delhi. We've decided to hire a car for the day which will cost about Rs 800 (translates to about $20). We just can't let a deal like that get away! Not to mention the convenience of someone waiting for you and knowing where to go and where to return us. The fact that the driver will speak English is a huge plus.

Last night we ate at a cute little restaurant attached to The Diplomat Hotel in Delhi. It was called the Olive Bar. Dinner was lovely and presentation exquisite!! Returning to the hotel we were given marigold garlands - I'm not sure of the meaning, but they're lovely!!

Happy Easter!

Happy Holi!!

As mentioned yesterday, I hosted an Easter Egg hunt for my training class. I explained Good Friday, Easter and what the Easter Bunny represented. I held up one of my plastic eggs and told them that "some families hide these and the kids canvas houses and lawns finding all the hidden eggs. I have hidden 11..." and before I even finished my sentence, all were up off their chairs running around our small room. The entire thing took about 30 seconds. They were so excited and happy I had wished that I would have hidden more. Oh well, the evening was filled with more chocolate eggs and bunnies. We had fun!! I was hoping to capture pictures, however by the time I was able to pick up my camera.. then entire event was over.

We also celebrated Holi with some color. I posted a picture of me with color on my face. Please understand that my team was being nice - imagine filling your hand with a substance like baby powder (except the colors are bright and vibrant) and dumping it on someone's head throwing it in their faces. Another option would be to fill a balloon with that powder and water and wa-la, a literal explosion of color... all over... everywhere. So, the little color that you see on my face isn't really what happens. The intent is that your entire body is covered and you are left almost unrecognizable.

As for my moving saga.... as expected when I returned to the hotel, I inquired at the desk where my stuff was. I was impressed that they knew who I was, however unfortunate for me, I still wasn't moved. They showed me my new room and then sent someone up to move my stuff. My expeditious move only took about 18 hours to complete in the end. When I went into my first room, I had a message under the door asking me to call about my room change - I thought "what? I was rather clear on at least 6 occasions that I work 630 pm - 3am". I know the gentlemen moving my crap wasn't liking the fact that I was helping, but at this point it was 415 am and all I wanted to do was to go to bed and wipe that color off my face... who knew where my shower "necessities" were. This morning on the way to the pool (btw, it's a sunny 95*F again today and I hear that Chicago is nasty and snowy... I'm sending some shine your way!!) the hotel manager flagged me down and asked how everything was. I told him that I wasn't happy with the fact that I still hadn't been moved while I was working. I clearly told them to take my stuff when I was gone. All in all, it's really not a big deal. I'm so fortunate to have the opportunity to be here and to work with our team here in India that this little hiccup is just that.

Tomorrow we plan on touring Delhi and seeing the sites here. Happy Holi!

Someone's Knocking at the Door....

....or in my case, banging on the wall! I awoke this morning around 9 am India time to banging, right next door. As reminder, I work 630 pm - 300 am. I get home around 340 am and to bed around 4 am. I thought, goodness, this should be over soon. After about 30 minutes of constant banging, I decided to call Guest Services. I told the gal in my groggy tone that someone is banging on something next door. Before I could even finish my sentence she asked for "two minutes" to get it resolved and she'd call me back. I told her that calling me isn't necessary and to please just ask that it stop. Well, about 10 minutes later, I get a call from the hotel manager stating that there's some renovating of the hotel going on and that work begins at 9am. However, they'd be happy to move me to a different room. Meanwhile, 2 more hammers have joined to make a band - hammering and banging away. He tells me that "whenever it's convenient" they'd be happy to move my packed luggage to the other room. As politely as I could, I explained that none of this is really convenient and that I could be ready to be moved early afternoon. I attempted to sleep - with no less than 5 hammers baning away now I realized that this was impossible. I decide to get showered and throw my stuff together. After clearing the fog from my head, I thought "perhaps I should ask to see the room before they move me", so I called to make that request. Thankfully I did as the other room smelled like a smoke stack. Being a non-smoker, living in a room that smells like smoke for a month is not an option. Gross. Exhausted and frustrated I told the manager that this room was not acceptable as a tear fell down my check - really, I didn't intend for that to happen (mom, I know you're not surprised). To make a long story short, I'm still in the room next to the hammer choir and it's about 345 pm.

Because of Holi, we were advised not to leave the hotel. Instead of more shopping, we decided to sit by the pool..... unfortunately I had packed all of my belongings for an expeditious move that still hasn't happened. Today, it's only about 95* F. Now I'm a big sweatball and have all my shower accoutrements packed away and need a shower. For those of you that don't know me that well, understand that this poses a problem. I have no less than 3 shampoo options, not including what the hotel provides, various face and body washes, not to mention lotions and make-up. What I will say is that despite my feeling of needing a shower, this is truly an option as some here choose not to shower (or put on deodorant) on a regular basis. I most certainly won't be the most offensive. Unpacking and re-packing just doesn't sound that appealing.

Tomorrow we plan on another day of poolside fun with our pool boy bringing us chilled bottled water, cold refreshing towels and rosewater mist every hour as Holi and the color throwing madness won't end until evening. Perhaps for our trouble today (and a few tears) we can talk the hotel into a spa treatment and cocktails!

I haven't overlooked the fact that today is Good Friday. To bring a little American culture to India, I hauled a bag of those plastic Easter Eggs along with some Easter grass and bunnies around the globe. My intent is to host an Easter Egg hunt. I LOVE Easter Egg hunts! Be it known that this probably wasn't my brightest idea as the eggs are NOT the most packable items, however most made it. I stuffed a little of that Easter grass (I'm sure the guy that cleans my room LOVES that grass all over the carpet) with a chocolate bunny inside each egg. Fun, right? I'll be sure to capture some pictures and post them asap. I pray that Mickey doesn't find the eggs interesting...

Let's hope my class is NOT in rare form today and take pity on me. As you can imagine, I'm a little tired. Considering it's Friday AND a holiday, I think my chances of that are slim and I'll be spending most of my evening herding the class back into the classroom and monitoring computer usage. Lovely. TGIF!

Bargain of the Day!

Since my last post, my pals and I have gone shopping two times! Yesterday was in a market where we attempted to bargain- I picked up some sassy shoes (one pair is pink, of course) a johla (a bag you wear across your shoulders) and some gifts. I have no gauge as to how to begin the bargaining process. For example, in Mexico, cut it in half, in China, reduce by about 90%. Here.. not so sure. However I do feel that I got good deals, so I'll just leave it at that and not think about what a native might pay. Today, went to what I would call a mall and stores lined up on the street - not a strip mall, certainly not "boutiques". Anyway... I have to admit that I had more fun yesterday. Going into a store is rather intimidating though - in a small store (say 10 x 30) there were no less than 6 guys working - and no, I'm not exaggerating. Sometimes, depending on the store, there are guards at the doors. Additionally, you have to walk through security to enter the mall and have your purse searched - guys are patted down. If you made purchases, you have to leave your bags at the door with the guard. I didn't realize that theft is such a problem. Guess it is. I wonder what a store's shrinkage is here in India.

The office is getting ready to celebrate Holi <http://www.holifestival.org/>. Today we're instructed to wear white - be it a white top or pants (for the record, I don't recall the last time I put myself in a white pair of pants - I'll be wearing a white top instead). Apparently "color" is tossed around the entire country and walking on the street could prove to be hazardous as people fill balloons with powdered color and throw it on you. On the way back to the hotel, we did see a few gentlemen with color all over them. I'm quite curious about this whole thing.

We've decided that taking a trip to Goa is most likely out of the question. A weekend just isn't enough time. However we will be able to go to a place called Amritsar. There we can see the Golden Temple which is supposed to be fantastic. I realize we haven't done Delhi yet... we still have time.

The Return Of....

Mickey! No joke! That darn rat found me again! However this time he dangled from the ceiling. At first, I thought the class said it was a bat.... oh no, it's my pal Mickey. I think I started a fire with how fast I got out of that room. I didn't care though. What surprises me is that no one else, except one of my trainees runs like mad. Unfortunately, I knew the routine... zip everything up and get it off the floor. Gross. I bet if that rat found it's way into my fancy hotel room, it wouldn't last long.

I ate lunch for the first time at the company's cafe. I had some doubts earlier considering the bouts of DB, however I'm feeling much better now (and cutting back on the cheese sandwiches) so I chanced it. I was pleasantly surprised! I thought it was good. They had a little veggie tray I picked from - the carrot are the color of papaya - like a deep red. They're really pretty and taste a little sweet. I had Dahl (I think that's how you spell it) which is a lentil type of sauce you put on top of rice. There were a couple of other things I tried - both of which I liked. Ice cream, vegetarian of course, for dessert.

My pals and I decided that we need to be making the most of our trip, so today, before work, we're going to hit some shopping and grab some lunch. The hotel staff knows were to go, so we'll have them plot out our plan and hire a car.

Training is going well! Everything is falling into place like I hoped it would.

I'm Just a Farm Girl....

We've arrived, at the Taj Palace that is... yesterday's move was rather uneventful, which I was thankful for! We were whisked away from Uppal's Orchid and shuttled to the posh Taj Palace. The chauffeur was quite chatty and announced my arrival. Upon stopping at the front door, several men bustled over to open my door and escorted me to a woman attendant. The woman attendant called me by name (how did she know my name) and led me into the hotel - I kept stopping and looking for the front desk so I could check in, but she scooted me right into my room! What? no check in? She took all my information right in the comfort of my own room and kept asking for my preferences - I don't know, clean linens and t.p.? Remember... I vacationed in Tibet just a few years ago. Running water was a luxury at some points. Seconds after my personal assistant left, my phone rang - it was the concierge calling to confirm my car to work. Fantastic! I bet I won't have to wait 2 hours today to get to work!!

The rest of the day followed suit- folks calling me by name (how do they know my name) and smiling. Before work, I ordered room service. Because I work nights, my company has arranged for a fixed menu with room service during the day. I ordered a sandwich and a Diet Coke and got ready for work. I was told it would take about 20 minutes for my food - I had plenty of time. Not even ten minutes later, my door bell rang - it was my food, on silver platter - literally! I felt so fancy eating my club sandwich on such elegance! I giggled to myself during my entire lunch. On the way out to the car, again, calling by name and chatting me up. I joked with my colleague that we'd better not look like we're lost... we'll have everyone scurrying about within seconds!

After work and returning to our "home", again, we were announced, several men sprinted to open doors and shoo us into the hotel. I took a quick tally of how many staff I saw on the way up to my room - now, these are just visible staff, not the ones I couldn't see with my own eye at that point in time. There were 16 hotel staff at 3:45 am busy as could be in the hotel lobby. Even as I write this message, I have 3 people in my room changing linens, giving me water, filling my chocolate box and fruit plate. Goodness, I'm just a simple small town girl - a cheese sandwich is just fine, thank you.

Moving Day!

It's official! I have a new address in Delhi. We moved from Uppal's Orchid to Taj Palace <http://www.tajhotels.com/Luxury/Taj%20%20Palace%20Hotel,NEW%20DELHI/default.htm>. We moved because it's closer to other things in Delhi and the other folks from work stay here too. It was rather uneventful which I was happy about!!

Yesterday we took advantage of the spa at Uppal's Orchid. If you recall, the gal that gave me my complimentary massage suggested that I "needed a pedicure". So, I got one. I had an array of Revlon nail polish to choose from (as I was pawing through the colors I thought, "darn it, I should have brought my own down!"). Anyway, I found something that would be just fine. She insisted on painting on some nail art. I'm not typically a nail art kinda gal, but what the heck.... let's do some nail art! I have little white specs in each corner of my nails. It looks fancy in my sandals. Maybe now I'll fit in (but I'm not holding my breath).

One of our friends from work picked us up from Uppal's yesterday and took us shopping. We went to a place called The Central Cottage Emporium. It had quite a variety of things! It's located in a mall and has fixed pricing. I did procure a few items, but wanted to wait and see what else I can find. I enjoy the art of bargaining, so perhaps we'll go somewhere else where I can practice!

Back to work we go today - it's going to be tough I tell you... I have a feeling Mondays always are.

Taj Mahal...... Check!

We left our hotel around 600 am India time to make our trip to Agra. We were told that the total time to get there would be about 3 1/2 - 4 hours. That time estimate was exactly right. We traveled through several toll booths which proved interesting - there were monkeys on leashes, kids selling trinkets, men dressed as women, etc. Certainly not a boring trip - well, I'm only considering the times that we were awake.

We arrived in Agra and picked up our guide - off to the Taj Mahal we went. It was explained that we'd get on a bus that would take us close to the Taj Mahal and from there we'd walk to the entrance gate. Before getting on the bus, many folks selling "stuff" bombarded you with their wares. I did find something I thought rather interesting - a bindi stamp set with paint <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bindi_(decoration)>. My creative mind started thinking that this would be rather neat to incorporate in my scrapbook/card making ventures. I ignored him though as instructed and boarded the bus contemplating my offer upon our return. I was rather impressed with the arrival process, as I envisioned mass chaos - people, scooters, bicycles, animals, peddlers, cars, etc. Buses were the only mode of transport up until about a block or so from the Taj, then foot traffic only. Walking to the Taj there were all kinds of stores and kids wanting you to buy their wares.

I could hardly stand the wait! Today, I was marking something off of my life list!! There are three gates to enter the site all funneling through one building. As you can imagine, there was a little traffic jam of people stopping, gazing and snapping photos of the Taj as they passed through the arches. You'll see a picture of this in my attached album. Words just can't describe how wonderful the structure is, not to mention the story behind it. There were people from all over the world. At one point, I thought WE were the site to behold as many stopped to stare at us. My friends assured me that I didn't have toilet paper trailing behind me or something hanging from my nose - nevertheless, we were an attraction (and no, I wasn't laughing at the top of my lungs or making a spectacle). I think the next time that happens, I'll actually take a photo of them - maybe that would help. Anyway, our guide was wonderful and took us to the best places to take pictures. Then, he would take our pictures. I felt badly as he was juggling three cameras, water bottles and purses while trying to capture pictures of us. So, here are a few shots of the day <http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=217557563/a=109545564_109545564/t_=109545564>.

We were dropped off at a place to see how the designs were etched into the marble at the Taj Mahal - what an intricate process! Of course the things in this store were NOT bargain basement, nor were the other things located on floor 2-4. We left and went to lunch. There was a mix up during our tour as we thought we would see other things in Agra, however after lunch we headed back to Delhi (another 4 hours back). All as well because we were tired. We took a detour actually through Delhi on the way back. Now that I think about it, I wish I would have taken some photos. I have about 5 more weeks to accomplish that I guess. We got back to our hotel around 7 pm or so.

Taj Mahal..... check.

Short and Sweet...

I'm posting early today as we'll be leaving our hotel around 6 am India time (730 pm CST) to visit the Taj Mahal! I can't believe it! I'm so excited. Of course, this isn't happening without incident. To make it short we were going with folks from work, then we weren't, then we found someone else to take us, then we didn't. At last, we arranged with our hotel to drive us there and provide a guide for the day. This is the same way we traveled to Jaipur, which was lovely. Besides, this is absolutely the safest way to do it. Going through a friend of a friend's cousin's mother's son just seems a little removed and rather suspect. We're playing it safe.

Some of our company's business leaders were in Delhi this week. They invited us to dinner with them this evening. We met at the Trident in Gurgaon, which was absolutely amazing <http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/DELTRHI-Trident-Hilton-Gurgaon-hotel/index.do>. It was nice to mingle and get away for just a second. After dinner, we went back to training. My trainees told me how much they missed me! How nice!! That really made me feel good. I prepared them for the agenda for next week - I know they'll do just fine!

Well, off to get a minute or two of sleep before I get up to head to the "Taj"!

Pizza?

Working nights - US mornings is really a challenge! I find myself coming back to the hotel, logging onto my computer and before I know it, it's 630 am! I can't continue doing that! I'm wasting precious time! Yesterday we thought that we'd eat a light lunch since we missed the breakfast buffet - soup and some pot stickers. What we had been doing was waking up to hit the breakfast buffet only to go back and take a nap, then getting sandwiches to go for the way to work. What didn't work was the waking up and going back to bed thing. Now, I know... this light lunch thing won't work either! I start training at 630 pm. That's when my day begins (well, not really, but when I start working). By 700 pm, I'm famished and we're not scheduled for lunch until 1030 pm. Great. I DO have a big bag of American chocolate! However, not sharing with the rest of the group would just be wrong. That's not an option. We take a break and I'm thinking... "did i snare an apple and throw it in my bag the other day? Maybe there's a granola bar in there..." As training is about to start, in walks my project manager with boxes of Domino's pizzas! I thought "this is my lucky day!!" I see stickers on the side that say "veg" and "non-veg". I get that. Everyone asks which I prefer to which I respond, "oh, I'm a meaterarian!" One of the gals suggests I try the chicken pizza. I like chicken! It looks fine. So, I do. It was quite tasty.... until I bit into a hot pepper. Now, I DO like spicy (in fact, I'm a little spicy myself) and would probably order this if in the U.S. Considering I'm still feeling the effects of DB (and apparently the entire organization is aware of that), I suddenly wonder if suggesting the spicy chicken was an experiment to see how long it took for me to politely dismiss myself from the training room - as I did on Monday. Good news is, no real issues!

Prior to the pizza party, we had arranged to be at work early. We had a meeting with our contact in India. I went to my training room and logged onto my computer. I found the meeting invite and attempted to dial in. I didn't want to be late. I felt as if we'd be causing quite a stir and wanted to show some respect by being timely. I follow the directions exactly. I can't get through. I instant message the coordinator explaining that I'm attempting to dial in and told her what I was doing. Her reply was "well, I'm in". Ok. That doesn't help. Thankfully, another contact instant messaged me and gave me the correct phone number and code - what was on the invite was wrong. I tried, right? So, this important meeting was an orientation. Um... I've been here since Monday if you recall. Today is Thursday. This information would have been nice about four days ago. We learn that we're not getting our cell phones until Monday (what a surprise). Apparently, our contact here "has always been fine" with us using the hotel car. That's interesting, I could have sworn I was part of a different conversation. It's fine. I'm pretty adaptable. During the conversation, another colleague pops into my training room to chat. Bottom line is that she feels as if moving hotels is what needs to happen for us here at Uppal's Orchid. So... be it known that my residence MAY change! Actually, that would allow us to prowl around Delhi a little more!

Prior to going to work (and before the light lunch) we chatted with the hotel manager. We were hoping that we could take the lunch buffet rather than breakfast buffet because of the hours we keep. We had also mentioned some of our grievances, none really tying to me, but to another colleague- her doorbell would ring in the middle of the night-or morning, she came home to a bug on the floor (oh, and that was after the scary cab ride.. not a good night), the other gal's room is just shy of an ice box, etc. The manager promised to follow up on all of these items. Before leaving, my colleague asked if we all could have "complimentary massages". Well, I'm here to report that I have JUST returned from my massage - and it was lovely!! However, she did tell me that I needed a pedicure and to come back in 4 days because she wasn't sure how I could walk. Sales strategy? Not sure.

We're meeting the other folks from the US tonight for dinner. I've arranged for someone to walk through exercises on my behalf while I'm there. I'm happy it's Friday! Today's training should be fine. As for the weekend, our plans are still up in the air. We may be joining everyone here from the US on a trip to the Taj!! When it was mentioned that "we'd have to leave early", my reply was "I get off at 3".

To Cab or Not To Cab.....

We're rather fortunate that our company arranges a car to drive us to and from work. Driving here in Delhi/Gurgaon is, let's just say is a little crazy. Us driving here is just not an option. As you may recall, there was some confusion the first day of work with our cab just not showing up and we arranged a reliable hotel car. The gal in the US indicated that our car would be a hotel car as feedback regarding the cab service was somewhat suspect. When we arrived here, our contact in India indicated that we'd be using the cab service rather than the hotel car. For the record - all the other Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) use the hotel car. After a rather frank discussion with our contact here, I agreed to try to the cab service yesterday. However, she needed to understand that if he was more that 10 minutes late, we'd take matters into our own hands and arrange our own ride. At one point during the conversation she indicated that "the cab is on it's way" then in the next breath she would "call to confirm". When it came time to leave, surprisingly he was waiting for us. In fact, he even took us to a place to get our pictures taken (which I'll explain in a second). We arrived to work without an issue. I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised! Unfortunately the ride home was a little scary. I'll just say this... today, we're taking the hotel car.

We were told that when we arrived in India that we'd get cell phones to use. It's a way of life here - everyone has at least one. I asked if we could get the paperwork early so it would be waiting for us rather than have to wait 2-3 days for processing, etc. That wasn't a problem and within a week or so, I rec'd the cell phone paperwork. I read through it thoroughly and filled it out completely. I found it odd that it needed my father's name... (so sorry dad, I promise I'll be responsible) but whatever - I'll give them Bob's name. It asked for copies of permanent residence which I even copied my IL Driver's License and sent it to our contact here in India. Now... as you may have assumed, to travel to India, you need to take a day, go to the city and get a visa to enter India. Prior to doing that, you need to get passport photos to include with your application - check, did that. Back to the phone ordeal... arrive in India... no phone. After completely combing through the entire application three weeks before, I must have missed the part that required a blood sample, passport photos and my first born (ok, I'm exaggerating here, but you get the point). If we'd have been told to get two sets of passport photos, that would have been way too simple. Now... we need to get MORE passport photos. As a reminder, our hotel is in the middle of nowhere... Luckily, our cab driver spoke enough English and delivered us to a place to have that done. We find the photo place in the maze of buildings and left bread crumbs on our way so we could find our way back to the cab - I hoped that a stray dog or cow didn't come along for an evening snack! The gentlemen set up the "studio" and ask us to follow them. My friend and I look at each other as the shop clerk begins to climb these stairs - imagine stairs that are about 1 1/2 feet steep by 6 inches deep - metal, that you can see through lining a wall that was probably 5 feet wide - these stairs were steep and had a 90* turn... oh, and there was no railing. We both make it up the stairs giggling the entire way - whew! On to the photos! We sit in this room with all kinds of "stuff" - I guess I was expecting a place that had some sort of backdrop - not just clutter behind us, but whatever, I don't care - just need the photo so I can get my phone. Two seconds later, a boy arrives with a poster board he puts behind me... oh.. there it is, my backdrop! I wondered if I'd be able to see his little hand in my photo, but then again, does it really matter? Now if you thought going up the stairs was interesting... coming down was even better! Bottom line - we both made it without incident. My pal did have to take off her heels as surely she would have fallen or ruined her shoes. We were even able to get to work without an issue! Life was good!

I mentioned above the ride home was a little scary. It's 3 am in India when I'm coming home - it's not 430 pm. We're not sure if our driver is there - remember, we don't have a phone or a way he can contact us. Fortunately (we thought) for us - he's there. Our driver doesn't know English let alone where our hotel is. He attempts to get directions prior to leaving work and off we go. Things are looking familiar, so we're thinking we're fine. At one point it was clear that he was lost and not sure where to go. Lucky for us he stopped in the middle of a dark road by a slum to ask for directions. I'm sure one of the cohabitants know where this 5 star hotel is. As he leaves us in the car, we quickly lock all the doors, including his. We can't see him. About 4 minutes later he shows up, we unlock the door and away we went. I can't remember if this happened before or after he tried to blow through the toll booth, then practically fought the attendants before finally giving the proper toll - not sure it matters, right? We broke the speed of light traveling down a dark road, honking and flashing our lights as we went. I most certainly was in God's hands at that point. You know at the end of car commercials when they spin the car around and it's sitting at a diagonal to showcase the car? That's how I envision how we arrived at our hotel... with that kind of flair - not intentionally of course... completely by accident. We all jumped out of the car and promptly called our contact in the US telling her that tomorrow, we'd be taking the hotel car.

Today, we'll learn more concepts - my learners are smart. My DB is subsiding, hopefully tomorrow I'll have a phone.

Better Days....

I'm thrilled to report that my 2nd day of work was only about a billion times better than the first!! I guess there was nowhere to go but up, right? Our arranged ride picked us up on time and we were at work about 45 minutes early! We were assigned a new training room which everyone agreed was better too... and most of all... NO MICKEY! I forgot to mention yesterday that the class assured me that this was "the first time" they had seen a rat at work. However, as I arrived to work, I ran into another gal from the U.S. (in fact, I used to manage her a few years ago). I told her about the rat and her immediate reply was "I know that rat!" Great.... let's hope he stays in that room.

I'm feeling quite a bit better too. Not a big fan of being sick. However I have to admit that I'd rather feel icky during the week than the weekend. India is a big country and we have some exploring to do. My travel companions and I discussed our options for this weekend. We may go to the Taj Mahal on Saturday (can you believe that? I'll be checking out the Taj Mahal??) and then some shopping on Sunday in Delhi. Everyone is so nice. We've had several offers to assist us with tours, shopping and even over for dinner. I'm stunned with the hospitality we're offered. I have to admit that I'm not so sure we are as accommodating in the U.S. to visitors. I know I have given ideas of places to go and even passed along websites for information - never have I invited someone over for dinner or offered to join them in a tour around the city! Perhaps a lesson I can learn here.

I continue to be impressed with my learners. They're so smart and eager to learn! I wish they wouldn't whip out their most challenging question at about 230 am though... while I'm adjusting to the time, I have to admit that I started to wear about 2 - 215 am or so.

Here's to day 3 being even better!!

M-I-C-K-E-Y...M-O-U-S-EEEEEEE

I'd be lying if I said my first day of work was uneventful. Firstly, our arranged car never showed up. So here we are in the lobby of our fancy hotel pacing and attempting to make phone calls from one of my colleague's Black Berry, which we haven't quite mastered yet (since it's an American phone number, do we call Indian phone numbers like we're in the US? do we direct dial? etc) with our entire stash of American chocolate, laptops and whatever else we were given to deliver. We had officially taken over the lobby! The staff was happy to assist us with making the necessary calls and ever so politely asked us to sit down in an area behind their beautiful lobby. We arranged for a hotel car to take us to work - we were only late by an hour or so. Traffic was a bear - I'm not sure how we arrived without killing anyone.

We were met in our company's lobby by someone we've been working with virtually. She took us to the call center floor. Now, I'm not great with names - I assure you being in a foreign country with different types of names doesn't really help. I'm thankful that everyone has badges. I'm shuttled off to my training class to begin training. Now, keep in mind I'm running this training in tandem with folks in the US. Me running late impacts many. Thankfully, our agenda was such that we ended up not behind at all. Until..... we attempted to begin a virtual meeting and call into our conference calling number. How could this happen? Typically it's not a nightmare and all is well. Suddenly we're having system issues and can't figure out the polycom. We get started, about an hour or so later.

All was well... until the rumored "Delhi Belly" (DB) appeared. Now... without going into much detail, just understand that Delhi Belly is really not something you want to deal with say in a long car ride or in the middle of training while you're the one man show. All you're concerned with is that there's a bathroom nearby. Lovely. This could only happen to me.

I finally hit my grove when all of a sudden one of my students jumps up, screams and runs out of the classroom! Everyone else was laughing. I think I hear them say "there's a rat!" Certainly they mean a small little mouse, maybe - better yet perhaps they just imagined it. Trying to keep my cool I begin to inspect the back area when all of a sudden a rat runs across the computer desks lining the room. For everyone that knows me, there was some squealing and jumping around and now panic. At home I'd quickly call security and have them take care of it. Here, I have no idea what to do, other than hit the bathroom because I have another DB attack. I secure my belongings by zipping up my bags (that's all I need is that rat to run into my bag and move into my fancy hotel room). I think "It's almost 3, it's almost 3" - yes, that's 3am, my quitting time.

I was delighted to see our driver from yesterday waiting to pick us up from work! That's the last thing I needed was to wait an hour without a bathroom. Traffic back to the hotel was minimal.

So, I'm off to my 2nd day of training - let's hope Mickey doesn't decide to show up.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go!

It dawned on me.... I'm here to work, not to vacation. So I came in from the pool just a little early to start my mental preparation (you're supposed to laugh here). Today will be my first day at our office in Gurgaon. It's supposed to be about 20 minutes from the hotel. We're allowing plenty of time to get there though. I don't anticipate that the hotel staff will send us off with a lunch bag and our pictures by our car like we all have of our first day at school. However now that I think about it... I can make that picture happen (potential scrapbooking page)!! Besides, I don't think anything surprises the hotel staff any more. The staff really goes out of their way to be friendly and helpful.

I was able to figure out how to get my pictures loaded. I'm hoping that I can just post my Snapfish album here so that those of you interested can check it out. < http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=217466919/a=109545564_109545564/t_=109545564 >. Please let me know if you're not able to view the pictures.

Wish me luck!

I'm Here!

Believe it or not, the flights to get to India weren't too bad! It flew by (how does about 20 hours of travel fly by? Perhaps with unlimited 'sparkling wine' and movies of my choice)! We landed in Delhi and easily found my driver to take me to my hotel. I'm staying in Delhi at a hotel called Uppal's Orchid <http://www.uppalsorchidhotel.com/>. It's quite lovely! It's not very close to anything so we have to hire a car to take us places. For those of you that don't know, I'm traveling with two other colleagues that will be training associates for our company for another client of ours.

We decided to hire a car yesterday (Saturday) to take us to a market. If you can't find it there, you don't need it! They had it all! We ventured into a place that sells saris and shirts, etc. The fabrics are absolutely gorgeous!! Since our host was not willing to bargain much, we decided we could go on to the next! I am happy to report that I have procured my first purchase!! A scarf that I can wear with some of the clothes I brought with me. I want to "blend in" you know. However, I'm not sure I'm going to do very well with that.... my laugh doesn't blend in very well with much.

Today, Sunday we hired a car to take us to Jaipur. It's about 4 hours from Delhi. We left around 5:30 this morning and returned around 10:30 pm. Our poor driver - he was so tired (and understandably so - driving in India is nothing like you've ever imagined). I offered several times to help with the driving. Thankfully he declined. It's been many years since I maneuvered a stick shift. I think he wanted to get home safely. I swear they laid more pavement while we were gone. It took forever to get back.

What was fascinating to me was that the states were visibly different. When we left Hiryana and entered into Rajistan, we could tell right away. At home, when we drive into Indiana, we won't necessarily know that we're in Indiana unless we see the sign that says "Welcome to Indiana!" Literally when we crossed the state line into Rajitstan, folks were wearing different style clothes (men were basically in all white with a matching white turban). Women regardless of what they were doing be it walking down the road or in the field, they were in a brightly colored sari that most likely had some "sparkle". I typically keep the glam for special occasions and rarely wear sequins to work in my garden. Not here! At first, camels pulling carts were rather thrilling - it's a normal site in Rajitstan. Elephants walking down the street... same thing, normal. We did come across several men herding no less than about a billion goats! They were everywhere! I was scared we were going to hit something - a person crossing the road, a bicyclist, a dog, a cow, another vehicle, something. We didn't... I'm still in shock!

Our guide was fabulous! He took us to the Amber Fort, City Palace and Jantar Mahal. From there we could see the Palace of Winds. Quite remarkable. I think our guide was someone of importance in the community. Other guides greated him with high respect. In fact, during the tour at Jantar Mahal one of his "students" joined us. What I didn't know was that astroloy was so important here in India. As we were looking at the differnt Zodiac clocks at Jantar Mahal, he asked me if I was a "twin". He was quite sure that I was a Gemini and was a little disappointed when I told him that I was a Libra. From there on I was curious as to why he had made that assumption. Perhaps I'll have to have my "chart" done.

I've run into a bit of a snag with downloading my pictures from yesterday... so hopefully I can figure that out today.