Let me start out by saying that I HATE dealing with immigration. And, no this is not necessarily a comment on India per se, but, more likely, a comment on government bureaucracies in general. Every time I go there, it's like I have to pry information out of the receptionist about the documents that I need. And then the next time I go, the other receptionist will tell me I need something else before I can submit them. It's a horrid place and mostly try to minimize the time I need to spend there. I was quite relieved, however, when I was finally able to submit my application for registration last Monday. However, that was not to last....
Tuesday at work, I'm in a meeting and I get the following call:
Caller: I'm calling from the FRRO (Foreigner Regional Registration Office). I'm telling you that you need to come for appointment tomorrow morning 10 AM.
Me: 10 AM is not a convenient time for me. I work nights. I need to do it at another time. [I think this just goes to show you start to think you can get ANYTHING changed if you live in India-a sign that I've been here too long.]
Caller: Then I don't know what will happen to your application. [Is that a threat??]
Me: (sigh) Ok. Where do I go?
...
Uh-oh. I mean normally you submit your documents and, right then and there, they give you an appointment to come in a pick up your certificate a week or so later. There usually is neither a phone call nor an appointment with the FRRO to contend with. So, I'm sure you can imagine my state of mind for the rest of the night.
So I manage to get up and get myself to the office early the next morning. None of the administrative people seem to have any record that I have meeting with the FRRO-nor the Assistant Director. Finally they tell the FRRO himself that I am here and bring me in to see him. I sit down and he says to me, "Did you fill out this feedback form?" My initial thought is, "What?" I look and, attached to my application is the 4-question, anonymous feedback form that I had filled out on Monday.
Dozens of things flashed through my mind: How did they match it up? How long did they spend matching it up? Is this why everything there takes so long? Wow, they actually read the feedback forms! And, why exactly did I get only 4 hours of sleep for this?
He proceeded to ask me questions about my comments on their website and even brought in one of the receptionists to chastise her (in front of me) for saying not to go by what's on the website. [Of course, I'm thinking, "Great. Now this woman's going to give me an even harder time than usual when I next have to come here for something!"]
Sigh. I can hardly wait to see what my next trip to immigration will bring...
11 June 2007
03 June 2007
Elmira
One of the things that I have been missing, that I haven't been able to find a substitute for in India, is Civil War reenacting. Luckily, I timed my return just right in order to be able to attend the 2007 Elmira Civil War Weekend with my former unit.
It was great to be out in the freezing cold, sleeping in a canvas tent...
....eating Denise's food cooked over an open fire....
...frantically mending our outfits....
...and sending our boys off to fight!
It was especially memorable because it was Maggie's first reenactment (look, she's already ready to cheer on the boys of the South!)
28 May 2007
Honestly, sometimes I don't even know what I am doing in India
Americans frequently complain about the level of customer or technical service that they get from overseas agents on the phone. However, I have to question: what standard are we holding these agents to and where did we get these standards? Maybe I just get frustated because when I am in the US, I tend to have to deal with a lot of customer service agents in a short period of time or maybe it's because I spend so much time teaching my agents how to reassure, how to communicate resolution and how to empathize with their customers, but, quite honestly, most of the American agents I spoke to are no better than their overseas counterparts in these areas.
For me, this time it revolved around the customer support department for Canon. My camera has been non-cooperative lately and I wanted to see if I could get it fixed while I was in the US. I described the problem and they suggested a resolution and even said they would fix it at no extra cost. (GREAT!) I had a few follow-up questions that I replied to the email with. In the response only ONE question was answered; the rest were ignored. (HMMMM...) But, I was generally pleased with the whole experience, so thought I would try it again, and replied to the new email with several questions. Again, only ONE question was answered and the rest were ignored. (Is this a policy-they are only allowed to answer one question per email???) I was becoming less pleased, so I decided to switch to a different medium-I decided to call.
At this point in time, my major questions had to do with how long the repair would take and if there was any way to expedite it since I do have time constraints for being in the US. In the email, they had told me that their repairs usually take 7-10 business days, but that they would get back to me about my specific repair after I sent in my camera and they had diagnosed the problem. So my questions were: is there any way to make sure that this repair can be finished and my camera returned before I leave? And, if there is no way to expedite it, will I find out how long this specific repair should take after they have diagnosed the problem? I didn't think that these questions would be too difficult, but two front-line agents and one supervisor later, I still had no answers and did not feel in the least like they were there to help me with my situation.
Not only did they not display any interest in helping me with my problem (not that I probably should have expected that from the second agent, she didn't even seem to understand what the problem was), but they gave me great suggestions, like: "Why don't you just pick up your camera when you get back to the US?" (Right, because there's no way I might want to take pictures when I'm OUT of the country??); or, "You can always send it in when you get back" (Again, cuz I might want to have a working camera while I'm out of the country for 6 months?? I don't know??); and, my favorite, when I pointed out that, with service like this, I wasn't planning on buying another Canon, "Well, I have several Canon models at home and I haven't had any trouble with them." (Nice empathy if I was trying to decide what camera to buy, not when I am sitting there with a Canon that is NOT WORKING ALREADY!!! Idiot!)
Anyway, after all of that, I ended up with frustration, a distaste for Canon, and a still broken camera.
And, I would like to point out, all of these agents were American. So, I don't think we can justifiably complain about the service that we get from overseas agents, at least, not while we are complaining about the outsourcing trend. Quite frankly, American agents are no better at customer service skills than those in the overseas markets.
Oh, and Canon? You should train your agents better.
If you are interested, I know a trainer who will be looking for work in the US after October. :)
For me, this time it revolved around the customer support department for Canon. My camera has been non-cooperative lately and I wanted to see if I could get it fixed while I was in the US. I described the problem and they suggested a resolution and even said they would fix it at no extra cost. (GREAT!) I had a few follow-up questions that I replied to the email with. In the response only ONE question was answered; the rest were ignored. (HMMMM...) But, I was generally pleased with the whole experience, so thought I would try it again, and replied to the new email with several questions. Again, only ONE question was answered and the rest were ignored. (Is this a policy-they are only allowed to answer one question per email???) I was becoming less pleased, so I decided to switch to a different medium-I decided to call.
At this point in time, my major questions had to do with how long the repair would take and if there was any way to expedite it since I do have time constraints for being in the US. In the email, they had told me that their repairs usually take 7-10 business days, but that they would get back to me about my specific repair after I sent in my camera and they had diagnosed the problem. So my questions were: is there any way to make sure that this repair can be finished and my camera returned before I leave? And, if there is no way to expedite it, will I find out how long this specific repair should take after they have diagnosed the problem? I didn't think that these questions would be too difficult, but two front-line agents and one supervisor later, I still had no answers and did not feel in the least like they were there to help me with my situation.
Not only did they not display any interest in helping me with my problem (not that I probably should have expected that from the second agent, she didn't even seem to understand what the problem was), but they gave me great suggestions, like: "Why don't you just pick up your camera when you get back to the US?" (Right, because there's no way I might want to take pictures when I'm OUT of the country??); or, "You can always send it in when you get back" (Again, cuz I might want to have a working camera while I'm out of the country for 6 months?? I don't know??); and, my favorite, when I pointed out that, with service like this, I wasn't planning on buying another Canon, "Well, I have several Canon models at home and I haven't had any trouble with them." (Nice empathy if I was trying to decide what camera to buy, not when I am sitting there with a Canon that is NOT WORKING ALREADY!!! Idiot!)
Anyway, after all of that, I ended up with frustration, a distaste for Canon, and a still broken camera.
And, I would like to point out, all of these agents were American. So, I don't think we can justifiably complain about the service that we get from overseas agents, at least, not while we are complaining about the outsourcing trend. Quite frankly, American agents are no better at customer service skills than those in the overseas markets.
Oh, and Canon? You should train your agents better.
If you are interested, I know a trainer who will be looking for work in the US after October. :)
18 May 2007
Kissing Shilpa
I can't believe how much publicity this event got-everywhere I went back in the States people were asking me about this event and I barely knew anything about it!
Anyway, in response, I offer the following humorous article:*
THE KISS THAT NOBODY COULD MISS
What a year it's been for Shilpa Shetty. The Bollywood actress has gained immense exposure around the world,grabbing headlines in major newspapers and getting every TV host in America, even the national ones, to mangle her name.
Shetty first drew worldwide attention when she appeared on the British reality show "Celebrity Big Brother" and endured offensive comments from other contestants, triggering protests in India and the requisite effigy-burning. (More effigies are burned in India than in any other country in the world, according to Raj Sharma, spokesman for the Indian Effigy Manufacturers Association. George W. Bush has been burned in effigy numerous times, but isn't quite in the Top Ten. The only way for him to move up would be to join the Indian cricket team.)
Shetty's activities have been a boon to the effigy industry.Three months after winning "Celebrity Big Brother," she was embroiled in another controversy, having made the mistake of standing too close to Hollywood star Richard Gere.
The pair were at a televised AIDS awareness event in New Delhi, appearing on stage in front of thousands of people,when Gere kissed Shetty on the hand, embraced her, bent her backwards and kissed her several times on the cheek. To some onlookers, it looked like a demonstration. Gere was showing everyone that you can't get AIDS, of course, by kissing a Bollywood actress. (You can't get AIDS by kissing anyone else either, but you can get slapped. Trust me, I know.)
Many men in the audience were naturally upset. It was rude of Gere, even disgraceful, not to invite them to participate. "Demonstration is all well and good," one man said. "But we wanted to see for ourselves that it's safe to kiss Shilpa. We were ready to form a neat line."
Some political activists and others in India were outraged by Gere's act. They called it "obscene" and "vulgar,"causing millions of youngsters to go online to view it. "We were very disappointed," a teen-aged boy said. "She kept her sari on the whole time."
Many others felt that Shetty acted improperly. "She didn't resist at all," said a middle-aged Mumbai woman. "She could have pushed him away. She could have pepper-sprayed him or something."
Several young women from Chennai insisted they would have acted differently. "I'm a Christian," one of them said. "If Richard Gere kissed me passionately on the cheek, I'd show him the other cheek."
Most of the anger on the streets was directed at Gere.Protesters, egged on by political activists, didn't just burn effigies of Gere, they beat them with sticks. That sparked a dozen more protests, most of them organized by PETE (People for the Ethical Treatment of Effigies).
Shetty said people were overreacting and that Gere was just being sweet, prompting an Indian tabloid to print a tongue-twister of a headline: "Shapely Shilpa Shetty shockingly shows no shame!"
Then a lawyer filed a complaint accusing Gere of an"indecent act" and a judge in Rajasthan issued an arrest warrant for Gere. He faced a potential penalty of three months in prison, a fine or both. He'd better watch out or he could find himself sharing a cell with a burly man named Munna.
Gere: "Hello, what are you in here for?"
Munna: "Armed robbery. I robbed a bank and shot three people. What about you?"
Gere: "Kissing."
Munna: "Oh my God! You kissed someone?"
Gere: "Yes, but it was just an innocent ..."
Munna: "Guards! Get me out of here! I don't want to be with this man."
Gere: "Come on, relax. I'm harmless."
Munna: "Stand back, man! Don't come near me with those lips!"
Gere has apologized for the kiss, saying he was just mimicking a scene from his 2004 movie "Shall We Dance" and evidently misread Indian customs. He plans to continue visiting India, but from now on will wear a hockey mask in public to keep himself from kissing anyone.
His experience might give people the impression that public kissing does not occur in India, that no one ever does it.But that's not true at all. A few cases of public kissing have been recorded.
In 2001, for example, a Delhi man and his wife won a new Maruti car in a contest. The man was pictured in the Times of India planting a loving kiss on the front bumper. The next day, members of the right-wing group Shiv Sena burned effigies of the man. Some accused the man of"auto-erotic behavior."
In 2004, a Madurai man was spotted kissing a donkey. The donkey belonged to the man's boss, a flour merchant. The man was arrested and taken to court. "It's my wife's fault," he told the judge. "She told me that if I want the boss to give me a promotion, I need to kiss his ass."
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(c) Copyright 2007 Melvin Durai. All Rights Reserved.
www.MelvinDurai.com
*If you visit the site, I also recommend "Anything Goes on Chennai Roads" and "Indian English: It vil be wery helpful, yaar" under the Indian columns
19 April 2007
Mysore
In December I was supposed to visit Mumbai to attend a college friend's wedding. However, there was a problem with the hotel booking and a week before the wedding I found myself without a place to stay. Unfortunately, December ("the wedding season") is not a good time to be looking for a last-minute, affordable place to stay.
To make me feel better about missing the trip, a friend organized a quick trip to Mysore.
We saw the palace:
And the "dancing lights" show at Brindavan Gardens:
And got close to nature at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary:
Yea, I'm coming home for a vacation!
So one of the things that was falling apart was that I was having a difficult time extending my visa for the extra week that I needed to stay here after it expired. However, that has finally been resolved (albeit all at the last minute!) and I am now free to leave for a vacation in the US. Now I'm starting to frantically pack up my heavy stuff to take home...because I am sure I will accumulate more by the time I am ready to leave again in the fall.
In the meantime, I thought I would share some pictures of some trips that I took but never posted about. Enjoy!
In the meantime, I thought I would share some pictures of some trips that I took but never posted about. Enjoy!
12 April 2007
Deception
Ok. I feel like I have led you all on. I mean here you are thinking that I've finally quit and have headed back to the US.
...But that is not truly the case. As it often happens here in India, the last week I was here, I was approached to stay with the company longer. Now, I am sure that you all know my feelings about staying with the training department...however, for the past couple of months, I have enjoyed my time working with one the specific programs. I'm getting to develop training plans, interact with clients, make recommendations (that are actually taken into account!) It's kind of....well, enjoyable.
So I made a rather surprising (to some!) decision to stay for another 6 months, with a trip back to the US in between.
...Of course, after which, almost everything in my life here has started to fall apart, causing me endless days of questioning whether I made the right decision. But, that is another post for another time...
...But that is not truly the case. As it often happens here in India, the last week I was here, I was approached to stay with the company longer. Now, I am sure that you all know my feelings about staying with the training department...however, for the past couple of months, I have enjoyed my time working with one the specific programs. I'm getting to develop training plans, interact with clients, make recommendations (that are actually taken into account!) It's kind of....well, enjoyable.
So I made a rather surprising (to some!) decision to stay for another 6 months, with a trip back to the US in between.
...Of course, after which, almost everything in my life here has started to fall apart, causing me endless days of questioning whether I made the right decision. But, that is another post for another time...
02 April 2007
Last Day
I feel as if I should have some meaningful insights to write about my last day of work at the company that has kept me in India and caused me to start this blog, but I can't really come up with any. I mean, it was pretty typical... not typical of last days, mind you, but typical of any day at the company:
The communication team for the program I am now working with was supposed to take a couple of hours and go out to dinner to celebrate my last day of work. Actually, I was supposed to brief them on the new communication curriculum first, then we were supposed to head out to eat. We actually were able to book a training room (very surprising!); however, once inside, I found that the trainer computer had no sound card nor MS Office installed (sigh). While I ran around to try to get someone to fix that, the rest of the team scattered to work on updating the end-of-the-month data that was due. Also, one of the team managers came around to tell us that there was a meeting with the program manager in 5 mins that we needed to attend. Twenty minutes later, the same program manager called to let us know that he was going down for a smoke and would be "right there" (sigh). He also said that the meeting should only last 15 mins. One hour later, one of the other trainers had already gone home and the meeting with the program manager was still in progress.
I think maybe I should revise my post on missing IST. :) I did finally get to go out-with about half of the team; leaving at the time we were supposed to be returning; to a different place than we were planning (it was 12:30 AM-the other place had closed!) The good part was that those of us who did go out had a lot of fun!
The communication team for the program I am now working with was supposed to take a couple of hours and go out to dinner to celebrate my last day of work. Actually, I was supposed to brief them on the new communication curriculum first, then we were supposed to head out to eat. We actually were able to book a training room (very surprising!); however, once inside, I found that the trainer computer had no sound card nor MS Office installed (sigh). While I ran around to try to get someone to fix that, the rest of the team scattered to work on updating the end-of-the-month data that was due. Also, one of the team managers came around to tell us that there was a meeting with the program manager in 5 mins that we needed to attend. Twenty minutes later, the same program manager called to let us know that he was going down for a smoke and would be "right there" (sigh). He also said that the meeting should only last 15 mins. One hour later, one of the other trainers had already gone home and the meeting with the program manager was still in progress.
I think maybe I should revise my post on missing IST. :) I did finally get to go out-with about half of the team; leaving at the time we were supposed to be returning; to a different place than we were planning (it was 12:30 AM-the other place had closed!) The good part was that those of us who did go out had a lot of fun!
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30 March 2007
4. IST (Indian Stretchable Time)
Honestly, I have to admit it...sometimes it is nice to not have to be so....well...punctual. I mean, yes, there are time when you plan something and you want everyone to be there on time, but other times it's kind of nice to tell everyone that you're going to meet up somewhere at 8 pm, knowing full well that no one will show up until 9. Or knowing you don't have to show up for a wedding reception that lasts from 6pm-10pm until 9:30.
Honestly, I have to admit it...sometimes it is nice to not have to be so....well...punctual. I mean, yes, there are time when you plan something and you want everyone to be there on time, but other times it's kind of nice to tell everyone that you're going to meet up somewhere at 8 pm, knowing full well that no one will show up until 9. Or knowing you don't have to show up for a wedding reception that lasts from 6pm-10pm until 9:30.
29 March 2007
28 March 2007
3 more working days!!!!
6. Having a servant maid
7. Sending out the ironing
8. Alterations
6. Having a servant maid
I don't know what I'm going to do back in the US when I have to sweep & mop floors, clean bathrooms, do dishes and hang out the laundry by myself!
Ok, with a clothes dryer maybe the last one won't matter so much in the US, but the rest still applies!
7. Sending out the ironing
And I'm going have to iron my own clothes again instead of sending them out for ironing at 5 cents each!
Hmm...I think I'll need to shop for some wrinkle-resistant clothes when I get back!
8. Alterations
And I'm definitely going to miss the fact that, if clothes don't fit in the store, you can get things altered at the store at no cost!
I'll take a bonna fide tailor over the petite section in a store any day!
27 March 2007
Here's another one that has its good and bad parts:
9. Bargaining
I'm not saying that I'm great at bargaining by any means...except maybe with autos...sometimes. :) Bargaining can be both frustrating and daunting, especially at first. However, there is a certain satisfaction you feel when you bargain for something and are satisfied with the price that you paid for it-it's hard to describe. I know it often helps me feel like I'm adjusting to life here when I can complete a successful bargaining transaction, like things are not so out-of-control.
9. Bargaining
I'm not saying that I'm great at bargaining by any means...except maybe with autos...sometimes. :) Bargaining can be both frustrating and daunting, especially at first. However, there is a certain satisfaction you feel when you bargain for something and are satisfied with the price that you paid for it-it's hard to describe. I know it often helps me feel like I'm adjusting to life here when I can complete a successful bargaining transaction, like things are not so out-of-control.
23 March 2007
12. Travelling by bike, feeling the wind (or the rain) on your face
Helmet laws, though, go into effect on June 1st in Chennai, so I guess this one is coming to an end (if they enforce it!)
These guys, in Port Blair, seem to have found a great solution though-cover your head while still feeling the wind on your face...though I have to wonder how well a hard hat would protect your head in an accident, if it stayed on your head at all! I wonder, though, if real helmets are scarce in the Andaman Islands and this is why we saw so many people resort to using hard hats?
21 March 2007
20 March 2007
15. Getting preferential treatment because you're a foreigner
I have to admit that this has both its upside and downside...but for this list I'm focusing on the good parts...for example, when I went to pay my electricity bill. Normally, they calculate the amount due and the maintenance people in my apartment bring the card to me; however, due to a problem over a previous payment, I had to go to the office to get the calculation and make the payment. Normally, you stand in line, get the amount, step out of line, get the payment ready, and then get back in line to make the payment. (Efficient, huh?) But, because I was a foreigner, they let me write the check and make the payment in the first line. (It was great-the people behind me in line were even complaining about it!) :)
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