Stayin' Alive

We made it to Amman, Jordan yesterday (or this morning, I guess) at about 2 a.m.  We had to first stand in line to exchange money, and then stand in a much longer line to get our visas.  And then stand in another line to get our bags.  And then drive half an hour to the hotel.  Oh, but on the way we saw not one, not two, but 5 fast food chains... KFC and McDonald's, (of course) Burger King, Popeyes and Hardees.  Whoa.  AND (hold onto your hats folks, this is a biggun') a Benihana!  I have no idea where they are and couldn't get back if I tried, but it's nice to know they're around.  We didn't get in until around 3.30, and then didn't get to bed until about 4.  And then Matt, in his infinite wisdom, went to work at 8.30 a.m, AMA (against my advice).  I know he wants to make a good impression and be ready for anything for the customer, but because they gave him the option of deciding when to go, I think he should have taken advantage and gotten more than 3 hours sleep.  Or maybe not.  Whatever.  He isn't home yet, and I don't expect him for probably 3 or 4 more hours, but we'll see how he feels then.  Probably will be just about dead on his feet.  I know I am, and I slept until noon today!  It wasn't very good sleep, though, because of the time difference and the fact that our room is right by the stairwell and thus very loud.

The hotel is really nice... maybe not the nicest one I've ever been in, but definitely the nicest we've stayed in on a job.  It's a Marriot, so we get free happy hour with snacks and up to two (two!) alcoholic drinks in the evening.  I haven't left the hotel yet today, and probably won't until tomorrow.  I did go check out the fitness center and walked for 5 miles on the treadmill... I know, right?  I was too tired to run and I have blisters on my feet from yesterday, so I just walked for forever instead.  It's not a bad gym, but kind of small, and it got really crowded with sweaty mustachioed men toward the end of my workout.  I sat out by the pool for a while after that, but got too cold.  By the way, it is way colder here than I thought it would be.  It's probably around 65 F, I guess, which isn't bad, but I was thinking it was going to be in the 80s, and thus only brought one pair of jeans, and the rest are capris, which I don't think I'm supposed to be wearing anyway because they show too much leg... like up to mid calf!

I haven't decided on a course of action for tomorrow yet, but I really want to get out of the hotel for a while.  We don't appear to be right in the center of things, and this is a HUGE city, so I don't think I'll be able to do my usual walk around everywhere.  I guess I'll take taxis from the hotel or hopefully I can get some outside the hotel because I'm sure they'll be much cheaper.

Anyway, things are going okay so far.  Haven't done anything yet, obviously, but at least we got here safely.  We flew from Chicago to Frankfurt and had a 10 hour layover, so instead of sitting at the airport, we got a hotel and slept.  I was pushing for renting a car and seeing the city, but Matt wanted (and needed) the sleep, so we did.  We were just outside of the airport, but there was this great little walking trail around a big pond in the woods behind us, so we walked around there some.  Germany always amazes me with how well they preserve their nature.  We were just outside of a major city, and we would have never known it.  Anyway, I only had one pair of shoes, and they were not walking shoes by any stretch of the imagination, thus the blisters.  I think I'll live, though.  Oh, on our flight from Frankfurt to Amman, we were on a tiny little plane, and as we were taxiing to the runway, all the flight attendants went sprinting down the aisle to the back of the plane.  Apparently some guy was sick... he looked like he was having a heart attack... I don't know what one looks like, but he was clutching his chest, and they put his arm over his head and kept checking his heart rate.  So then we started taxiing back to the terminal to let the guy off, but before we got there, I guess he decided he was okay.  So we turned back around and flew off.  I know this is probably insensitive, but if someone acts ill enough that we have to take him back to the terminal, he damn sure better get off the plane.  But he didn't.  And later I saw him up chilling with all his friends and charming the lady folk.  What a phony.

Retraction

It seems I should apologize for my little prank I played yesterday... a lot of people were pretty upset (including people I've never even met... apparently my reach is far)  I, of course, thought it was hilarious all the same.  Anyway, for those that didn't quite understand (and there were plenty, so don't feel bad) it was all an April Fool's joke. Ha ha!  To be clear: Matt still has a job (for now, until his managers find out about my joke...) and everything is going great.  Thank you to those who generously offered us a place to stay while we looked for employment... both in Arkansas and Illinois, and probably Pennsylvania (it wasn't directly stated, but I'm assuming it was implied).  It's good to know we have such a great support system!  Even though I thought (and still think) my joke was a laugh riot, I am coming to the realization that it was something akin to faking my own funeral just to see who would show up.  Well, you all passed with flying colors!  Except maybe Aura who said I sucked and those of you who called me foul names.  You suck.  So, in summary, just to make it absolutely clear Matt did not quit or get fired from UOP.  He is indispensable to the company and they will hold onto him like their lives depend on it.  I hope.

Anyway, it appears we do have some actual news (for real this time): we're going to Jordan!  As in Jordan, Middle East.  I know that's not right, but it's more exact to say it that way.  We leave Monday, and are on the exact same flight to Frankfurt, Germany, and then a four hour flight from there to Amman.  It's only a reload, so it should only last 2 weeks, but we've all heard that before.  I wasn't sure if I should go because Matt will no doubt be working all the time (probably 12 - 16 hour days) the entire time, and because it's a Muslim country in the Middle East we didn't know how advisable it would be to be walking around half-naked in my t-shirts and jeans alone.  After talking to a couple people who've worked there (including one woman), Matt decided that I'll be fine, and I should come with.  I'm actually really excited about it because when else will I ever get the chance to visit Jordan?!  Come on!  I know almost nothing about the country except it's supposed to be an "oasis of peace" nestled in the heartland of unrest.  Security will undoubtedly be really tight everywhere, but it's supposed to be really safe.  Amman and the surrounding areas are supposed to have some really amazing architectural structures, similar to Rome (that's what Matt said... I haven't actually researched anything myself).  Anyway, all in all, it sounds pretty good.  If I feel uncomfortable walking around alone, at least the hotel is supposed to be really nice, and if I absolutely hate it, it's only 2 weeks.  Plus, I get to rack up those frequent flyer miles!

It has come to my attention that I still need to write a little about our Mumbai trip... where to start?  It was nothing like I expected it to be, but it is totally India. All I could think the whole time we were there was what Krishnan (originally from India) said the first time he went to Beijing.  He was looking around in awe and he said "If China is 50 years behind the U.S., then India is at least 150 years behind the U.S." That pretty much sums it up.  There are some incredible buildings there left over from the British rule, but a lot of them are dilapidated and would surely be condemned in any other country.  But in India, people still live in them and are lucky to have them.  There is a HUGE gap between the rich and poor, and seemingly no middle class at all.  The hotel where we stayed cost more than $100 (that's U.S. dollars, mind you) a night, and was not even close to what you would get for that kind of money in the U.S.  I also saw more extreme poverty there than I've ever seen in my life.  People literally living on the sidewalks with sheets hanging for "privacy".  It is just unbelievable the amount of poverty we saw, and we didn't even go into the "slum" areas.  It's hard to describe, really, so I'll just show some pictures.  

View from our hotel window. Yeah, it's pretty polluted, but not as bad as Beijing.  

This really cool building is falling apart but is still very much in use.  

That said, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip.  We did the walking tour from the Lonely Planet and just about died from the heat, but it was fun anyway.  We took the train once and would have taken it again except we didn't realize there are women's cars and men's cars and subsequently hopped on the wrong one right at the start and Matt got yelled at.  The women told him to get off at the next stop, but then one woman took pity on him and said that because we were going such a short distance we could just ride the women's car all the way.  She said "I don't think it matters if no one has a problem with it."  We could tell some of the other ladies in the car did in fact have a problem with it, but she was insistent, so he stayed.  That pretty much did us in on the train though, so we took taxis from there on out. 

These are two views of the High Court in Mumbai.  There are guards with rifles pointed a foot from your face at every entrance.  They don't mess around.  

We found a fabulous store called Fabindia on our second day that sells incredible fabrics, scarves, clothing and house linens... and because we still had about 20,000 rupees in cash burning a hole in Matt's pocket, we couldn't help but cash some of it in there.  We could have bought so much more but didn't because we still don't have a house.  Don't worry, they have a website, so we fully intend to furnish our house from there.  Also, I searched in vain for pants, but all the pants looked really dumb on me.  I don't think I fit into the "baggy chic" style Indian women are so fond of. They look great.  I look like I pooped my pants.  

Just a few of the many cushion covers we bought, along with our bedspread from Baroda.

I haven't uploaded pictures from our third day's excursion yet, so I'll spare you that description for today.  Don't worry, you'll get it later.  Matt's going to the doctor today (finally) so hopefully he can get his illness cleared up before our next flight.  I doubt it, but it's worth a try.  Sorry again about the joke.  I'll try to be more gentle next year.  

News

Well, we made it back to Chicago after our long and perilous journey.  It was a really long trip, but we did get to sit together thanks to United's new complimentary upgrade program.  Thanks, United!  You're really stepping up your game.  

I don't have time to write all about our Mumbai trip just yet... I have several bags of disgusting laundry that need to be washed... I've heard it takes a while to get the India stench out of them.  Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know our interesting news... I'm not calling it bad news because I'm trying to stay positive.  Matt just called from work and said he is coming off the road.  For good.  He put in his two weeks notice to UOP today.  I'm not exactly sure of all the details, but I guess his managers were trying to send him to Saudi Arabia again... this time for at least a year.  And he'd have to go alone because they couldn't get me a visa because I'm a woman.  So Matt said he wasn't willing to do that, and they said he had to.  And he said then I want to come off the road, and they said if you do that, we'll need your full resignation because we don't have a job for you in the office.  So that's what he gave them. I'm absolutely floored about this.  Things were going so well for Matt work-wise, and he had been getting such great feedback from his bosses.  I guess all it takes is one slip up, though.  And I guess not doing exactly what they tell you counts as a slip up. I don't know. We just can't believe this.  I don't know what if any kind of severance he'll get or anything.   So wish us luck everyone.  Hopefully we can work this out.   I'm fully supporting his decision, it's just really sudden.  A year is too long for us to be apart, even if he was allowed to come home to visit (I don't know if he would have been or not).  I'll let you all know as soon as I find out any new information.  We're both pretty shaken up about this new turn of events... I've been crying all morning.  Maybe it will be for the best, though.  I'll try to update again later tonight when i know something more. 

Anyway, here's a picture of the Gujarati staple Thali that I liked so much in India.  This is from my favorite Thali restaurant (it had to be my favorite... it was the only one I went to).  See how much food they give you? And it's unlimited... and it only costs about $5, which is actually kind of expensive for India.  

Anyway, my love to all.  Will keep you posted as the situation develops.  If this should turn out to be a sick twisted April Fool's joke I'm playing, designed to stress you all out and then drop the hammer right when the tension gets highest, (it is, and it was) please don't take offense.  It's all in fun, people.  Allll in fun.  April Fool's everyone.  At least I didn't say I was pregnant... I got Aura pretty good with that one last year.  She wasn't pleased.  

Bombay Baby

We spent the whole day shopping yesterday and then flew into Mumbai last night.  Our flight was delayed about 20 minutes, but we still made it on time thanks to our reckless pilot who was going so fast he hopped the plane on landing.  Our hotel is about an hour away from the airport... I can't tell if that's because of the traffic or actual distance.  Matt's using missed holidays to expense our hotel, and we'll be in Mumbai for 3 days before heading back to Chi-town.  Today we're going on a walking tour from the Lonely Planet... I think it'll be fun if we don't die of heat stroke or exhaustion.  It's supposed to be around 100 degrees today, so it's cooling off from last week.  Internet isn't free and it's a hassle to get, so I don't think I can call people like I had planned.  Sorry, Mama.  Our flight leaves at the ungodly hour of 3 a.m. on the 31st.  I'll try to post some Mumbai pictures before we leave.  Wish us luck!

An Interesting Turn of Events

I finally have something noteworthy to blog about!  I'm sure you're all relieved.  As you know, we were supposed to be leaving in the next couple of weeks... well, it seems that we'll be leaving much sooner than expected: Saturday.  Matt got online last night to change our return tickets, which were scheduled for Saturday the 27th, (because we knew we'd be here at least another week) only to discover that the company had already decided to kick him out this weekend.  It would have been nice if they could have given him a heads up at work on Thursday, as they'd been planning it all out since that morning, but no one did, so we found out at about 9.30 last night.  I've been packing furiously all day... well, I packed furiously for a couple hours today, with several TV and snack breaks in between.  It's no easy task considering we brought enough stuff for 6 months and have used only a fraction of it.  Plus I keep shopping, so we have considerably more stuff than we should at this point.  Good thing we don't pay for overweight baggage.  Thanks, UOP (and this time I really mean it).  Matt went into work this morning and then was supposed to go over to the police station to get some sort of written permission to leave the country.  This is the same written permission that Andrew was supposed to get yesterday and still hasn't gotten.  He was scheduled to leave Thursday, but he's still waiting on the permission slip so he might not get out of here before Saturday either.  Why are they taking so long?  I guess that's just the way of these people.   I should learn to accept their poor planning and inefficiency, for it is only through acceptance that I can truly grow to love them.  Anyway, that's the news so far.  We'll either leave tomorrow (morning or night... or afternoon, I guess) or we won't.  We'll either stay in Mumbai for a couple days to sightsee... or we won't.  Probably we'll be here until Monday.  That's my prediction.  In any case, I'm packed (sort of) and ready (not quite).

Show Me the Money

After two and a half weeks in India, Matt finally got his per diem yesterday from the refinery.  We've never been to a place where they pay him in cash, so it feels a little strange having this huge pile of money sitting around.  I don't know how to work the in room safe, so I just have it sitting in a drawer.  It'll be fine.  There's no thievery in India.  Speaking of, I went shopping with one of Matt's co-workers yesterday (he's leaving today, actually... it's always the most depressing when people start leaving site.  It just means you'll be here that much longer than they were) and we took a tuk-tuk back from the mall.  Remember how the last tuk-tuk driver tried to charge me Rps 30 for the ride?  Well this guy tried to charge 50!  Can you believe these people?  (FYI, it's not racist to say "these people" if you're talking about tuk-tuk drivers in general and not Indian people.  Don't worry, we keep it PC up in here.)  I feel like I have a huge sign stuck to my blindingly white skin that says "rip me off".  Anyway, it didn't work, and I just threw 20 rupees at him and walked off.  We thought he might get really pissed, but he didn't.  Well, he probably was pissed, but he just drove off.  See, tuk-tuk drivers, the thing is, you can't try to rip me off after you've already taken me to my destination.  I'm already there.  I can just get out.  If you're gonna try to rip me off, you should probably try like halfway, and then if I don't pay up, you can kick me out.  See how these things work?  Use your heads.

Anyway, Andrew bought some stuff for his mama, and I spent considerably less money and bought some stuff for... some people.  I haven't decided who yet, but isn't that half the fun?  They have some pretty amazing cashmere and pashmina scarves here, but don't get your hopes up, ladies; they're pretty expensive.  Probably has something to do with all the hand weaving and needle work.  I probably won't even get one for myself... nah, I probably will, but doesn't it make you feel better if I say I won't?  Now that I have my fat stack of cash, I'll probably be buying a lot more stuff that no one needs.  There's some rule about how you can't take rupees out of India, and they only exchange up to a certain amount at the airports before you leave, so it's probably best that I just spend it all before we go.  That way at least we'll have something to show for all Matt's hard work.  Andrew and I finally went into the Bollywood men's store looking for some great clothes, and boy we were not disappointed.  My favorite piece was a tight black mesh tank top...  I'm considering bringing a couple back for Nate and Dad to wear on their fishing trips.  Maybe they have a small one for Mason, too.  That way you can tan through the shirt.

 

This van is outside the Bollywood for men store... I don't think it's moved in a long while.  Incidentally, this is what their ambulances look like. Not the dirt part, just the van part.  

 In other news, Matt has been sick for almost two weeks now.  We thought it was a cold, but now I think it may have moved on into something much more sinister, like a sinus infection.  He promised that if he wasn't feeling better today he'd go to the doctor... I think he'll probably just lie and say he's feeling better so he doesn't have to go.  I guess I can't really blame him, though.  I saw an "emergency center" yesterday, and it did not look inviting.  I think you might come out of that place a hell of a lot sicker than you were when you went in.  Seriously, he'd probably lose a limb or something.  Let's just all hope real hard that his cold goes away soon.  I know he's really tired of it, and at the risk of sounding un-nurturing, so am I.  Still on track to leave, um, sometime.  Andrew is flying out through Delhi and going to see the Taj before he leaves, so maybe Matt and I can do that as well.  We probably won't have to worry about it too much because we'll surely be back.  We just can't get enough of this place, you know?

Still Truckin'

Well, I haven't died of boredom yet, although I would venture to say a little piece of me dies every day from boredom.  And from dirt.  They say boredom and dirt are the two leading causes of death in Vadodara.  Beware. The weekend went pretty well, I guess.  We didn't do much; hung out at the pool both days and went to the park and played frisbee... in the heat of the day!  Not the best idea, but it was fun.  Until we all passed out from heat stroke.  That's the third cause of death.  I'm at risk every day.  Here's a picture of some of the crew members.  This was post frisbee... that's why they look like that.

    

 Matt and I went on an adventure and found the McDonald's on Sunday.  Yes, we're getting sick of Indian food already.  It's really      delicious, but it's very heavy and a lot of it has the same flavor.  So we've hit up Pizza Hut once, and McDonald's once (and I went to Papa John's today, but that doesn't count because I was alone) so that's only two American food breakdowns in a couple weeks.

Pregnant cow.  She's a biggun.






We had a few more crew members arrive this weekend, two from Russia and Matt's trainee from India.  Matt's trainee is originally from Vadodara, so this is a dream come true for him, but I think the Russians might have a harder time adjusting.  We went to dinner together Sunday night outside of the hotel, and got harassed pretty heavily by some beggar children... I don't think they got my memo.  Anyway, by the time we got back to the hotel, both the Russians were a little shaken and had to stand outside and smoke to calm down.  Ahh, young travelers.  I'm so much more experienced than that now... I never freak out about anything, and I love everything about everywhere.  The epitome of the calm and compassionate  traveler.  Speaking of, I just came back from the store (and Papa John's), and the tuk-tuk driver tried to charge me Rps 30 for the ride: a ride that only ever costs me Rps 20!  I got so angry at him, and I just kept shoving the 20 at him and he kept saying, no, no, 30, so finally I just stuck it in his hand and walked off.  That is ridiculous!  Granted, 10 extra rupees is probably the equivalent of 10 cents, but still.  It's the principle of the thing. I need that extra 10 for the next guy who tries to rip me off.  Oh, but I'm always a target for that kind of thing.  I'm actually a lot fiercer about my money here than I usually am... I think it's because everyone speaks English and I know they can understand me when I explain.  Not that they care, but they can understand.   Saw my first Indian rat the other day and did not scream even though it was the size of a raccoon and looked like a hedgehog.  I was perfectly calm at the time, although now when I walk outside I watch very carefully where I step... especially in the trashy areas (ie the whole city).

These kids wanted me to take their picture.  For real.











Anyway, we might be leaving here a lot sooner than expected... like 3 to 5 months sooner.  Apparently they weren't really ready for Matt to come yet, and he has only checked out maybe half the vessels in the plant.  They told him yesterday that after today, they have nothing else for him to do so they want to release him.  For several months, if I understand correctly.  So yay for me!  Of course we have to wait a week or several for the lawyers to make up a contract, but if all goes smoothly (it won't) we'll probably be gone in 2 to 3 weeks.  Surely we'll be back.  I'm not sure where UOP will go with this news... sometimes they save specific people for specific jobs (we're both kind of hoping that's not the case) and sometimes they just stick them wherever there's an opening.  We'll see.  I'll keep you updated as I need to  blog to stave off the murderous boredom.  Matt said another Dumai, Indonesia job is starting at the beginning of April, and there's a chance he'll have to go there again.  He told me I'm not allowed to go... apparently I didn't hide my misery well the last time, what with all the crying and depression.  Who knew?