Sometimes It's The Little or Small Things

If you ever find yourself moving halfway around the world under the pretense that most of the people there will speak English, keep one thing in mind. There are many different interpretations of the English language.

After about six hundred trips to Subway, which resulted in sandwiches containing lots of everything I asked for (and sometimes things I didn't want), I had a major break through.

The catalyst was a conversation we had in the car with our driver for the day. He was telling us he'd had a good time a couple of days earlier with a group of friends. "Yes, we had a good time." he said. "We had some drinks and made small jokes and told small stories."

I didn't think much of it, because that's how he always talks. It wasn't until a few hours later, when we were standing in line at Subway, that I had a moment of clarity. Up to that point, I'd been trying (in vain) to get the Subway guy to understand my English. "Can I get a little bit of this and a little of that?" And every time I would watch the guy make three passes with the mayo shooter.

This time, I thought I would try to use his English. With the most serious and strait face I could make, I placed my order. "Can I get a foot long turkey on wheat with small lettuce, small tomatoes, small pickles and small mayo, please?" What happened next changed my life.

The Subway guy opens the bread and places the turkey and cheese on it. Then, with the precision of a heart surgeon, he places a small amount of lettuce on top. Next, it was six small tomato slices and 8 pickle slices. I turn to Hillary with a look of awe and delight. I struggled to suppress my smile. He reaches for the mayo and pauses to choose his line. In a deliberate and focused stroke, he applies one thin strip of mayo. Perfection!! Just the way I wanted.

As much as I hate to say it, sometimes you have to be willing to bend to get what you want. From that day on, we've used the word small when ordering from Subway. When in Rome...

Be good,

-TJS

India (De)Construction

As some of you know, Hillary and I have run into a handful of issues related to being the first occupants of our house. Basically, the concept of weather proofing and keeping the elements out didn't seem to make it over. When I say elements, I mean all but fire. That would include earth, wind and water...lots of water.

Don't worry. It's nothing a few weekend projects and a gallon of silicone can't fix.

The one that just blew my mind actually started as a small area of peeling paint near one of the air conditioner units. Over time, it grew into a pretty obvious water spot. It was clear something was leaking into the wall.

After a week or more of begging, pleading, yelling and finally threatening (not to pay rent), we were able to get a plumber, a random guy and the guy whose job is to make holes in the wall over. Prepare to be amazed.





Apparently, if you are sawing into a wall and you slice into a drainage pipe -TWICE- you just keep going and concrete and plaster over it. No one will ever realize the air conditioner is draining into the wall; at least not until somebody moves into the house during 100 degree heat and uses the air conditioner.

It's fixed now, so I can actually laugh about it. I hope you are also able to find the humor in this.

Be good,

-TJS

Yes Really Means "I Don't Know But I Will Say Yes Because I Think It Is What You Want To Hear"

It's been just over three weeks since my arrival in Hyderabad. In some ways, it feels like a few months have passed, but when I look over at the couple of boxes that still need to be unpacked, I'm reminded of the fact that I really just got here.

Between the work schedule, the shopping for home furnishings, the social life and a flakey internet connection, I've managed to go three weeks without updating the blog. A lot has happened, but I'll try to stick to the highlights (or low-lights). We're alive and well, and we are adjusting rather quickly to a place that is very different from home.

I think one of the more valuable lessons we've learned so far is that being an educated consumer is not a luxury but a requirement here. If you don't know exactly what you want, you won't get it; at least not on the first try. When you ask a question like, "Will this DVD player play US DVD's?", the response you get 9 out of 10 times is, "Yes". It doesn't matter if this is really the case or not. This problem is compounded with the fact that there is a zero return policy. Once the sale is made, it is pretty much impossible to undo it and get your money back. If you are lucky, you can exchange what you have for what you really needed. Even this requires you to first be unpleasant enough to make the person you are dealing with uncomfortable enough to want to help you, just so you will stop harassing them.

On a more positive note, I now know that it is possible for two guys to deliver a water dispenser and a 32" flat panel TV on a motorcycle. Yes, that's one motorcycle. What's even more amazing is that both devices worked when we plugged them in!!

I hope things are going well for everyone back in the states. I'll blog again soon, but until then, have a great week.

Be good,

-TJS