I had decided some time ago to sign up with Fitness One, but did not want to go alone the first time because I was afraid the sketchy guy who gave Joanna her discounted deal wouldn't offer me the same without her presence. She very kindly agreed to wake up at 6 AM with me, and explained the route along the way. The only touchy points are crossing the big streets (I totally abhor crossing streets in India) but we made it to the gym without major event. The man who gave Joanna her deal didn't acknowledge it at first, perhaps because there was another man present, and he simply urged us to go work out and speak to him after.
As we were leaving, we met with him privately and he gave me Jo's deal, which was lovely. I then walked home (admittedly I got just mildly lost along the way, I've never been the best with directions) and showered before work. Although I was 5 minutes late. Azathmullah was waiting for me and we drove to work.
I was very tired at work and struggled to stay awake. I forgot my lunch at home (second day in a row!) so I ordered in roti and sabzi (just any vegetables basically) and made sure to take long walks during my breaks with Deepali, the intern from Delhi. She leaves work on Thursday, before I get back from Konkan and Goa and I will miss her!
I took a brief afternoon walk with Praveena, another girl from the office, and got to talk to her about her exceptional life. She did a program through a university in Singapore which allowed her to spend a certain amount of time at Stanford as well, studying in both places alternately while pursuing her graduate degree in environmental engineering. After school she founded a few different NGO startups, her favourite being one with an educational focus. Its aim is to outfit Indian schools with sufficient science equipment because in college, Praveena told me, there were 6 children sharing one microscope. In the meantime, she is working for this water-based organization, but she doesn't foresee herself staying on long. I think she will do incredible things wherever she goes as she is highly motivated and energetic as well as brilliant.
I stayed after work because my colleagues had invited Joanna and I to watch a cricket match. We were going to see Royal Challengers Bangalore take on the Rajasthan Royals, but as we sat waiting for the group to gather in the front lobby, the rain began to pour. Remaining optimisitic, we listened to music on people's laptops and made small talk. Joanna arrived soaked from the rain and bearing delicious dinner from Adigas, two masala dosas! She said the power had gone out in the apartment so she had bought food, and then that while driving over, they had faced torrents of rain, potholes and flooded roads. I felt awful!!
But we all made it finally, and piled into various autos. Joanna and I shared an auto with Srinivas, a man from our office who had coordinated all of the tickets. Traffic was abominable and especially so as we neared the stadium. We got out and walked through the muddy, dirty streets, up narrow alleys and back down to find the right gate. When we finally stopped somewhere to meet the rest of the group, it was a relief. Salesmen offered team jerseys, face paint and paper horns that blared like vuvuzelas. We bought three of these horns, and finally everyone had gathered but Shwetha, navigating a soggy route from Jayanagar alone.
We stood around joking and laughing in the drizzle and all the talk was about whether the match would be canceled or not. But meanwhile, everyone was filing into the stadium. So we followed suit, through security and up into the stands (sections assigned, but not seats). Instead of benches, there were rows of plastic chairs, a very weird sight! We plonked ourselves down and watched for literally hours as the preparations on the field went on. Sellers walked up and down offering ice creams, samosas, noodles and more so we gorged on food while waiting.
Down on the field, a number of men were gathered engaged in tasks that seemed productive but probably weren't. Several gathered around a tarp that had pooled with rain water, then upended the tarp dumping the water back on the field. Sponge roller trucks attempted to soak up some of the dampness, and at one point men started kicking the water off the field. All attempts were fruitless and after a very, very long time (during which we started making moneyed bets on whether the match would occur) we gave up and left.
People from the office had called a cab for Joanna and I, and we shared it with another man back to the office so I could pick up my bag. I hadn't brought it because it would have been taken at security (Shwetha had her umbrella confiscated!). Joanna and I then rode home and fell fast asleep, ready to awaken for our Konkan/Goa travels early the next morning.
As we were leaving, we met with him privately and he gave me Jo's deal, which was lovely. I then walked home (admittedly I got just mildly lost along the way, I've never been the best with directions) and showered before work. Although I was 5 minutes late. Azathmullah was waiting for me and we drove to work.
I was very tired at work and struggled to stay awake. I forgot my lunch at home (second day in a row!) so I ordered in roti and sabzi (just any vegetables basically) and made sure to take long walks during my breaks with Deepali, the intern from Delhi. She leaves work on Thursday, before I get back from Konkan and Goa and I will miss her!
I took a brief afternoon walk with Praveena, another girl from the office, and got to talk to her about her exceptional life. She did a program through a university in Singapore which allowed her to spend a certain amount of time at Stanford as well, studying in both places alternately while pursuing her graduate degree in environmental engineering. After school she founded a few different NGO startups, her favourite being one with an educational focus. Its aim is to outfit Indian schools with sufficient science equipment because in college, Praveena told me, there were 6 children sharing one microscope. In the meantime, she is working for this water-based organization, but she doesn't foresee herself staying on long. I think she will do incredible things wherever she goes as she is highly motivated and energetic as well as brilliant.
I stayed after work because my colleagues had invited Joanna and I to watch a cricket match. We were going to see Royal Challengers Bangalore take on the Rajasthan Royals, but as we sat waiting for the group to gather in the front lobby, the rain began to pour. Remaining optimisitic, we listened to music on people's laptops and made small talk. Joanna arrived soaked from the rain and bearing delicious dinner from Adigas, two masala dosas! She said the power had gone out in the apartment so she had bought food, and then that while driving over, they had faced torrents of rain, potholes and flooded roads. I felt awful!!
But we all made it finally, and piled into various autos. Joanna and I shared an auto with Srinivas, a man from our office who had coordinated all of the tickets. Traffic was abominable and especially so as we neared the stadium. We got out and walked through the muddy, dirty streets, up narrow alleys and back down to find the right gate. When we finally stopped somewhere to meet the rest of the group, it was a relief. Salesmen offered team jerseys, face paint and paper horns that blared like vuvuzelas. We bought three of these horns, and finally everyone had gathered but Shwetha, navigating a soggy route from Jayanagar alone.
We stood around joking and laughing in the drizzle and all the talk was about whether the match would be canceled or not. But meanwhile, everyone was filing into the stadium. So we followed suit, through security and up into the stands (sections assigned, but not seats). Instead of benches, there were rows of plastic chairs, a very weird sight! We plonked ourselves down and watched for literally hours as the preparations on the field went on. Sellers walked up and down offering ice creams, samosas, noodles and more so we gorged on food while waiting.
Down on the field, a number of men were gathered engaged in tasks that seemed productive but probably weren't. Several gathered around a tarp that had pooled with rain water, then upended the tarp dumping the water back on the field. Sponge roller trucks attempted to soak up some of the dampness, and at one point men started kicking the water off the field. All attempts were fruitless and after a very, very long time (during which we started making moneyed bets on whether the match would occur) we gave up and left.
People from the office had called a cab for Joanna and I, and we shared it with another man back to the office so I could pick up my bag. I hadn't brought it because it would have been taken at security (Shwetha had her umbrella confiscated!). Joanna and I then rode home and fell fast asleep, ready to awaken for our Konkan/Goa travels early the next morning.
I'm going to stick to baseball, go astros!!
ReplyDelete