Thursday, August 2, 2012

Let the travels begin!

I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a few days, It's been a very busy last couple of days so let me sum it up...

Our final presentation for our independent study was on Tuesday. I didn't feel very confident at all and was worried sick the day before (possibly contributing to said home-sickness) that we would fail. As it turns out, both Dr. Rao and Dr. Surana LOVED it! Well, maybe not loved it, but we got great remarks and great feedback!

Tuesday was also our second CXO dinner, you know, the one I planned to wear the Saree to... well that unfortunately didn't happen. Carly and I were exhausted with relief after our presentation and decided to take naps. I thought she was waking me up and she thought I was waking her up. So, at 5:30pm, my internal clock woke me up suddenly and I had a bad feeling. I called our NMS friend Mounika to ask what time the bus was leaving for the dinner, to which she replied "You have to be in the lobby by 5:30pm". Panicking, I woke Carly up, threw on our clothes from the presentation and rushed down stairs just in time to leave. Believe me, I was disappointed about the Saree too. I'm going to try my hardest to find a day to wear it in Delhi. Hopefully the day we go to Airtel.

I may or may not have mentioned it, but the MBA students from Albany are here for 8 days.Although we expected them to be super old and serious, they've proven to be a great time! After the CXO dinner, we went out with some of the gentlemen for our first time out (and last night in Chennai). Although last call was at midnight, we hung out and didn't get to bed until around 3 or 4am. Brightest decision? Probably not. Worth it? Absolutely. They'll be meeting up with us in Delhi and we're looking forward to the company again!

Unfortunately we had to wake up at 7am to pack our things and we had two company visits today. The first one was EXTREMEY interesting though. It is an eye-care hospital that charges it's patients based on their income, and if you can't afford care, it's free! We toured the first two buildings and I can honestly say that I've never been in a more depressing setting. There were dozens of poor people lying on cots after their surgeries in the blistering heat. The women explained to us that most of these people aren't used to laying in a bet because they sleep on the ground. This was luxury for them. I couldn't take it. That in combination with the excessive heat and lack of sleep made me feel as though I was going to pass out any minute. So for the third part of the hospital visit, I decided I needed to stay on the bus.

Well, the bus was not much better. The part of the visit I missed out on was the longest part, 2.5 hours to be exact. So I sat on the bus... with no air conditioning the entire time. I would have gooten off and gone in... BUT i had no idea where we were! The bus was parked on some random street and I was so lost. I wasn't worried though because I knew the bus had to go back to pick everyone up. What I didn't know was that lunch would be had there, so I missed lunch. But then again, that's not my first time missing meals in India. I'm anxious to come back for some yummy meat, cheese, etc.!

Jump ahead past a company visit and three hours in the car, and we were at the Chennai airport on our way to Mumbai! The plane ride was ridiculously fast and quite comfortable, and the view! The view was amazing! I wish I could have gotten a picture of the city. So here I am at 12am in Mumbai. I don't notice any differences yet, but our one-day tour is tomorrow and I'll gain a better insight!

With only 4 days left in India, keep checking back at my blog because I should be updating daily at this point.

This isn't even the worst part of town...

Saying goodbye to NMS. They've been so hospitable and it's been an absolute pleasure getting to stay with them. They will be so missed.

I've never boarded a plane like this before. Our flight from Chennai to Mumbai.

2 comments:

  1. The book I am reading is about the Slums in Mumbai! Please take lots of pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  2. will be waiting for your posts...And have tonnes of fun in Mumbai as well as Delhi..

    ReplyDelete