Dilli comes from heart

It has been almost a year since I left Delhi.
The city I fell in love with, but could not love properly. There was a distance between us.
Not only the physical distance of kilometers, but also a gap of not-belogingness.
Often I wonder if it would be a bit different if I did live in Delhi itself, not in Gurgaon. Or maybe if I was braver to venture beyond the well-trodden touristic parts of the city. Did I need a local guy as a guide? Could I get one without being entangled in a dramtic love-story? Questions remain.
I know I will be back.
In the meantime, I discovered this amazing photo blog - The Delhi Walla - I love it!
Mayank Austen Soofi tells me stories of places undicovered, of stories unheard, of characters unmet.
And of course, one more proof that the Law of Attraction works - I started reading a book, called Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamzie. (A story of a Japanese girl that survives the nuclear bomb in Nagasaki, moves to Delhi at the time of the Independence and partitition.)
In the book, there is the separation of the Old Delhi (Mughal one) and the New Delhi (the British one).
Old Delhi is Dili, the city of heart. The lost home.
A part of my heart is also longing to come back to this secret, lost, out-of-time part of the city...As if, I had been there another time, in different circumstances.
You know the feeling, don't u?

summer

Summer has come and with it - the need to listen to "light" music that makes my head airy :) I catch muself more and more often just giving into the music and not thinking of anything else at all (which happens very rarely to me. It is so nice...
Something mysrerious is happening - last week wherever I entered, I was chased by the Jai Ho! song from Slumdog Millionaire. Seems even after I let go of India, it is still after me :) (There is something utterly conforting in accepting that something is a part of you beyond a lifetime)
***
Anyways...
I am starting a new job, back in Sofia.Challenging and meaningful :)
Excited about some projects of my own I want to launch.
Lots of books to read, some tentative travel plans. (Would love to check out Serbia, Romania and Istanbul and why not Greece in the nearest future :))
In any case - this summer promises to be at least as exciting as the last two ones ;)
And I will plunge in it!

How long does it take to get an Indian visa in Bulgaria?

Well, around 7 or 8 months, provided you have submitted the right set of documents. That, I learned, was the case of another Bulgarain, working now in Delhi.
But...I submitted the wrong set of documents and I can't understand how, at the time of submission I was told "Your application is against the law", yet they took my documents.
Since the 12th of Feb, I have tried every single option possible, got people involved in "my visa issue" at the highest possible level.
All they say is - you need to wait. So wait I did, days, months. Around 2 months and a half, to be precise.
No indication that anything is moving though.
Great strategy, I admit - you do not want to give a visa to someone, so you leave them waiting, until they give up.
This time has been tough. I wish u never to be in a situation when you don't know where you will be next week, but you cannot act to change anything, cause someone has told you to WAIT!
At the beginning it was very tough to grasp the idea that I am not coming back. Everyone knows how I love India as a second home. I had made plans, I wanted to go, to see, to experience. If you want to cheer up God, tell Him your plans ;)
Now, I am taking it as a sign. Maybe it is better that way. Maybe I need to come back to India at a different time and with a different purpose.
The future will show.
Now I live in the present...

heartography

this is a worldmap
with the pieces of my heart scattered over it

inspiring day

inspiring day(I think I told u, there is something in the date of 23rd) :)
slumdog millionaire, controversial as it is, won 8 oscars
an indian friend invited me to a wedding
i am so happy for her and excited to think this is a good reason to buy a new saree, and learn to put it finally :)
i might be getting my visa and flying to delhi in a week
i had an amazing talk with the most unexpected person
on the essence of happiness and how to find it in life outside work and how doing the things we love attracts the right people in our lives
i had a lovely chat with a treasured friend. totally random, yet free and cheerful after a long time of some tension hanging in the air.
ideas forming in my head. plans for trips buzzing.
i think i need to get down to execution :)

half-baked

I started reading the "White Tiger" and one expression caught my eye - "half-baked cities for half-baked people".
It dawned on me why I felt so gloomy in the past few months.
I have been living in a "half-baked" city for a year. A place as hollow as the skelletons of the numerous concrete mamooths rising every night, shadowing thousands of lives. Full of thousands of half-baked people, whoose only purpose in life is life itself.
Hollow. That is the word a friend used describing another artificially created city. With no history. No spirit.
Sometimes the city I live in is, as the Red Hot Chilly Pepers sing "my only friend". Sometimes it is the best friend of all, because it will listen to your pains and offer you the consolation of its pulsating streets, the smile of its facades and the spirit of its people.
Not if it is half-baked. Not if it is hollow.
I pray that I will never have to live in a city like this for too long.

Conversation

- I do not want to stay in India. I can't. I am not really free there. How can I be happy if I cannot be myself...
- Then...why do you want to come back?
- To search for beauty, inspiration,love, wisdom...To learn.

Sometimes the paths we need to go are longer.
But they always lead us to where we should go.

Fire

Just finished watching Deepa Mehta's "Fire".
True, painful and beautiful movie.
There is one line that Radha says when parting with her husband...
There is no life without desire.

To what extent should we control our desires, if burying them means trying to lie to ourselves?
Is it better to live with a heavy heart or with a broken heart?
What is more important - desire or devotion?
Is desire justified by love?

I want to believe I have my answers to some of these questions...

thank you for the music...:)

Moving in the black and yellow Ambassador around the evening streets of Delhi.
Saying 'goodbye' for a while...God knows how long the while will be.
I will miss the place. Although it is dirty and crowded with human bodies. With sorrows and struggles.
I have started loving it.
One year in India has gone by so quickly, yet it is so full of intense experiences that, when I turn back, I cannot see anything negative. I see faces of people that have grown dear to my heart and that I will always remember and mention in my silent prayers, even if I never see them again. I see lots of love given and recieved.Lots of valuable lessons learned...
Maybe this is the reason that I have the sun smiling in my eyes lately...

Life is unpredictable.
You never know...:)

before you jump

it is just the moment before you jump
when you are scared from the water
yet welcoming, expecting its cold embrace
you want to feel its powerful fingers grip your limbs
and the tender touch of a warm current caress your skin
it's the first time
the comeback
the plunge from one world to the other
the clash of civilizations
the life before that never equals the life after
places change
people change
you change
life is change
it is just the moment before you jump
the essence of existence on the tip of a moment
exciting
exhilirating
pulsating
everything poised on the line of balance
your whole being is expecting the jump
but you are not in a hurry
you are here
now
vibrating with the heartbeat of the Universe
with a heart full of sun rays
and hope shining in the curls of your hair
you know that you are not the best swimmer
but you trust the water
and you love the water
it will never let you down.

On the first day of 2009...

My eyes are full of
blue skies
tired smiles
beautiful words
colourful people
intriguing book covers
My head is full of
questions
plans for the near future
doubts
memories of precious moments from the last year
thoughts about love and loved ones
quotes from "Shantaram"
My heart is full of
hope
desire
hunger to live
forgiveness
love
sorrow
happiness.
If I have to judge the year from the first day of it, 2009 is going to be an interesting one...

On the last day of 2008...

I would like to thank God for this year, cause it has been, truly, one of the most amazing years of my life.
I saw and experienced so much beauty in every form of it - in places, in people, in music, in colours,in tastes, in aromas, in moments.
I discovered that I am capable of loving again. And suffering the pain of love.
I learned lessons about the world, about life, about love and myself.
I was up and down, I laughed loud and cried so hard as if my soul was torn apart.
I made stupid, painful mistakes.
I forgave people, and loved them, despite circumstances.
I hoped and I prayed. I may be got a step closer to the Divine self...
Thank you, God, for bringing all this my way.
In the new year,
I wish for good health for me and my closest people.
I wish to find the stregth in me to be a better person.
I wish to find the inspiration to create beauty around me and inspire smiles on people's faces.
I wish to always find a good word to say to warm a heart.
I wish to find the love for life and for people and the excitement of meeting every new day with a smile and new hope:)
Happy New Year to everyone!

days

days go by
countdown has begun
they go too slow
small pieces of reality
remind me where i am
snapshots of a day
a colourful soup
eaten very slowly
the minutes on the cross trainer
5...10...15
tired of thinking
i sleep quite early
these days
and find consolation
in conversations
in God
and want to believe that miracles happen
at Christmas time...

Just a perfect day...

Woke at around 4 in the morning.
I could hear my soul wailing somewhere far. Metaphorically. In fact it was only the street dogs.
Suddenly I felt at peace and happy.
Woke up and decided not to wait for the others but head for Delhi straight away.
Dressed. My Bulgarian tee, the favourite green and white duparta,the hat that is not exactly mine. And the black coiled earring. Just one. As a statement...
Went to Landmark and bought a thing i love for a person I love. I love giving presents :)
Got on the bus to medical. Listening to Ostava. Started reading "Shantaram" and loved the style.
Peeped into the book of the girl sitting next to me. Maths.
I had to meet Ricardo and Pauline at Dilli Haat. Was wondering where to go, then the idea just sprang up in my mind. Of course we should go to Dilli Haat.
Waiting for them in the sunlight, jotting some names in my gift-list for home...trying not to forget someone and visualizing the meeting with these people.
Then, Ricardo and Pauline came, we strolled around Dilli Haat. Devouring the variety of colours and shapes. Scarves, wood, fabrics, leather, kites,jewelery, paper...a see of beautiful items that have caught the spirit of India. I thought of how much I will miss India when I go...
We had lunch at one of the restaurants. Huge portions we couldn't finish though I shared mine with a very fat cat and a skinny dog. Remembered how Neeraj told me how he loves the place.*Inner smile:) Remembered how I went there first with Andre and was fascinated. *Inner smile :)We moved to Sarojini market...the familiar crowd and mess, and the memories of waiting for Julie to do her last minute shopping. Pauline bargained furiously for a pair of earrings.We saw a belly-dancer costume. Remembered Pondy trip and the hilarious "dancing night" at the hotel. I really need to learn Indian dances, I made a point to myself.
Then, we headed to CP...said goodbye to the guys. Knowing I will meet them someday...somehow:)
Walked on the road where we walked together last Sunday. Remembered how beautifully confused and excited u were...Indulged in the pain of the memory. Thought about what Vesi said..."let yourself be sad". Strolled around, listening to Niyaz, thinking of the time we will spend with Vladi when I am back. Simply being happy of where I am.
Got into a Coffee Day, ordered a latte and opened Shantaram again. Observed people around as I love doing...Saw that the B8ulgarian lady - Mariana had called me.
She happened to be in CP as well...so can we meet for coffee?
Thought how much I love accidential meetings. They just make my day :)
Mariana was with her husband - the Austrian diplomat and the two kids - a 9-year old girl and 12-year old boy. Pleasant surprise that they greeted me in Bulgarian:)
Then - the excitement of speaking my mother tongue to someone I meet for the first time, but I know I connect to. Conversations about life and love and India and Delhi. Where will I live next? Cairo? Istanbul? Funny I never thought of Istanbul in this way :) Sharing pleasant moments and a sinful chocolate cake with this amazing family that has lived here and there...
I had to go back to Gurgaon...so I got into an autorick...The driver was nice. Tried to explain me where the cabs stop in Hindi. I believe I should learn a bit of Hindi. As a part of my endeavour of digging deeper into the great Indian soul:) Would be nice to talk to people just like that...
Then, I was quite anxious if I will manage to catch the right bus but luckily it came very quickly :) Sat down and had a random (but pleasant) conversation with an Indian boy. I like conversations with strangers in buses and trains :)
Just a perfect day...and the happiness of the moments is still lingering in me...

Mumbai terror.Next is what?

After the terror attacks in Mumbai, Neeraj has writen a post that made me think where does India stand.What I realized frightened me a bit...
It is my own perspective of course. I have always said I love this country and I really hope the best for its people. As I love their zest for life, their spirituality and bright minds...
India as a one is a myth, a very fragile balance. I am still amazed how this country is kept together...Every state is different, people from north to south, form east to west do not like each other, hindus and muslims and sikhs are living in a state of constant tension, poor are as poor as can be and rich - as rich.
Still, as if by God's will, the country stays together.
In India, people do not obey rules. They are not disciplined. Still the country leaps ahead.
But how sustainable this progress can be? India is, undoubtedly, capable of being a global power. Ambition is also there. But can global leadership be achieved without a unity? How quickly can serious challenges as mass poverty and lack of basic education be dealt with? How do you reassure the world that India is a great place to invest in and to visit after what happened?
Indians value their freedom and take pride in being a democracy. But is the democracy the right way to achieve the ambitious goals India has set for itself? And where does the line go between being liberal and loosing the reins?

My amazing life recently...

Ok...this is what happened to me in the last week...
On Saturday I was a model, ramp-walking in front of all Alcatel-Lucent in NCR employees and their families (around 2500 ppl). Being groomed, dressed up etc etc.
It was so much fun!:)
I had late conversations with what i believe is a God-sent ambassador. He saved me from ruining the happiness of someone that means a lot to me.Made me realize once again how hard it is to really love. And how far I can go for love...
Emo, my ex-team mate from the Bulgarian MC called in and we met and chatted for this and that. People we know and their lives around the world. Our own amazing lives...Feels good to meet someone that u have shared so much with in the past :)
I had a wild Friday night out with some colleagues. Almost went to extremes...I needed that!
Today I met Alcatel-Lucent global CEO - Ben Vervyaawen. Very energetic and charismatic man! Had breakfast with his wife who is so nice :)No star-attitude, very pleasant to talk to...
I also made a decision to move to Delhi. Try to shift my social circle a bit.
A friend of a friend from Bulgaria called. She is gonna live in Delhi for the next 4 years. And she seems quite a nice person. So exciting I am going to have someone that speaks my language here :)
All in all...pretty amazing :)
Now what is left - to get peace of mind...seems to hard at the current state of affairs. I am more and more learning how to use mind control over feelings...Let's see how long I will manage...

Happiness

I do not believe in happiness as a constanta...
Happiness is a fleeting sensation. You need a great skill to make it a state of mind.
Every day when I stop to think I realize how blessed I am to have what I have.
I realize that I have been to places for which people only dream about.
I am hanging aroud with a vibrant young crowd of amazing people from across the world.
Maybe I am a bit careless - not worrying too much about the future, not hurrying up the career ladder, not searching for the one to build a family with...not even sure what I want to do for a living.
Yet someone said - it is not important how you will feel in future, but how u feel now. Live for the moment!
The picture above is from the Indian ocean coast. Spent 3 days there with a bunch of very cool people.Some of them I might not meet again. But the happiness that I felt will linger on :)
When I turn back and explore these 9 last months in India...I see a string of such beads of happiness...And a circle of people, spread around the world that I know will always treasure and share this beads of happiness with me.
Thank you for being a part of my life!

That's me...8 months after

Well...it seems I have been in India forever...
Funny how a life changes from year to year.
One year back at this time I was headhunted.
Two years back I was just starting on my first "serious" job
Three years back I had just come back from IC in India (fate maybe...)
Next year - who knows...
Now is the time for decisions.
I hope my intuition leads me in the right direction again.
and as Alanis Morisette used to say in one song
"Thank you India" :)
Our journey has not yet finished, yet I know that it is one of the most amazing journeys in my life so far!

laziest weekend ever...

Just spent the most amazingly lazy Sunday in my life so far.
Anca and me whent to Bisha's house for dinner yesterday...
Got totally high on wine (and a bit of Baileys).
Bulgarian rakia was the absolute hit, everyone taking shots (although i told them they should drink it slowly)...the alcohol in it being around 50 degree...it is easy to grasp that everyone was so happy and smiling and high in no time ;)
Then...after the alcoholic devastation, we woke up at around 1 and were about to leave...but then we had lunch...then chai and sweet conversations ranging from matrimonials to what are our plans for the near future and from Indian sweets to politics and Dracula (Anca is Romanian after all) and business plans.
Then, when I almost believed we are starting back for Gurgaon, we decided to have dinner...Ridz's cousin Suhil who is working in a hotel, made this amazing mutton with coconut juice...All in all this guy was pretty much spoiling us - making pancakes, tea, chicken soup :)
All in all - we did nothing but chill the whole day...
It was probably the first time that I have had such a lazy day...and I loved it :)

catch the fleeting moments

The colourful kites in the fading Jodhpur sky.
Freedom re-defined.
Marble as thin and subtle as a whisper.
Simple daal and rice eaten with fingers and thus so delicious.
Blissful mornings with coffee and meaningless conversations with meaningful people.
The colours of Rajastan.
Melancholy of fading splendour.
Being tired from too much beauty.
These people. Their smiles, their gestures,their words.
true moments of fleeting happiness I just managed to catch :)

Happy Independence day!

Happy Independence Day to all Indians by passport and by heart :)

Almost single...looking for a Punjabi ;)

Reading "Almsot single" has been enough fun, yet who knew that i could be involved in a husband-hunt in real life.
Today, after a very agitated discussion over lunch my two bosses decided that I am a true Punjabi girl.
I behave like a Pujabi (understand - make dramatic gestures and wobble my head)
I talk like Punjabi
I eat like Punjabi (tandoori chicken is among my favourites, yet i have heard that Punjabi food is generally very oily)
I dress like Punjabi
Well...I really have no clue ...I had to take their word for it for the sake of everyone's entertainment.
The most funny part was when they decided to get me a registration in one of these matrimonial sites , put a picture and get me a Punjabi husband :))))
Then, I could live in a big house, have a Mercedes and a washing machine to make lassie in (i couldn't actually believe it, but it turned out that these people really use washing machines to make lassie!)
So...that's the news...I am going to wait for my filthy rich and pretty hairy Punj prince to come on a white horse...or rather a white BMW :)))

Just like that...

Darkness ocassionally broken by soft lightning.
Clouds with silver lining.
Gentle wind playing with my hair.
Making breathing (and probably living) possible.
I am listening to this.
Thinking...or feeling...
I am just like that...

asking nasty questions
building castles in the sky
being cruel and sarcastic
blaming myself
feeling too much


My curse is to be distant.
Detached, separated and ever-evasive.

loving beautiful things sometimes can hurt.
but can't pain be beautiful?


...I am so tired...
But a man has to do what a man has to do.

Good friends we had...good friends we've lost

A lot of friends are leaving these days. Closer friends, or just people that I like. People that have become a part of my life in a way.
Torill...Nata...Isabel...
soon Neeraj...Francois...Henk...Julie...Peter...Burcu...Jenny...
Our "home" in Gurgaon is constantly changing, and I am trying to keep a stiff upper lip, cause if I start to cry about everyone who is leaving, the monsoon will look like a drizzle.
So many people leaving made me think about all my friends I have around the world.
And brings back so many sweet memories, but also raises the question...
Will I be able to spend quality time with these people again? How much have we changed? Will I be able to call them friends?
It will never be the same again...
But why does it have to be the same?
You tought me one important lesson - live for the moment and cherish every single second you have spent with the people you love. Now this lesson is back to remind me I should learn to let go.
Neeraj said something really beautiful:"I want to be happy and to be sad, to enjoy every minute of the happiness and sadness, cause only then I will know I have lived"
We meet people for a reason...maybe this is the answer to a long-posted question.

Rickshaw on demand :)

Some time ago Peter was joking that he will start a business with rickshaws-on-demand.
You just dial a number and a luxurious rickshaw comes at your door!:)
Now, it seems that this brilliant business plan is already being realized by some people...
I want to try it as soon as possible ;)

On doing good

Our last trip was to McLeaod Ganj, the birthplace of Dalai Lama.
We went to a strange charity concert for Tibetian olymics.
The lead singer (he was something between Santa and a rock-dinosaour) told us the following.
Some years ago, he met Dalai Lama for the first time and started compalining that things are not going well, it is hard to try and change things in the american societiy and so on...
Then the Dalai Lama said:
You find it hard to go ahead, as you are doing good deeds.That is why u meet so many obstacles. If you were doing bad deeds, it would have been much easier.

However you should not give up doing good. Cause...what goes around, comes around.

Indian racism

For the time I have been in India, I realized that people here are quite race-sensitive.
Being fair is a complete and total obsession for both men and women whereas dark people are not very popular...
Everywhere the ads of "fairness" creams are overflowing, even sunscreen is "with a special fairness formula".
In all the music videos, the girls dancing are so pale...
The rule is - the fairer u are, the more girls/guys you can get, respectively merry a good match, be successful in life and so on.
I really hate this!
Indian girls (and guys) are generally quite pretty and my mind refuses to accept that a lot of them just go home and apply tons of fairness cream on themselves. Blah!
Having a chocolate-colour skin is so nice...I don't like fair skin at all!There is sometihng unhealthy in it.
Of course, having fair skin guarantees me to be stared at and taken pictures of all the time. Thank God I am not blond and with blue eyes :)
End...a kind of a joke with this fairness-obsession.
There was this granny that went to see a newborn boy.
She adored him "Look how cute he is!And how fair"...and then added.
"To be sure that he will stay fair and not become dark-skinned with age...look at his balls. If they are white - he will stay fair"
Now,Indian guys reading that...do not rush to the toilet pls ;)

Happiness

Today was one of the happiest days of my life.
I received so much pure, unconditional love that I feel extremely elevated, and the world bursts out in amazing bright colours.
What happened?
We had a volunteer initiative in Alcatel-Lucent - we brought 70 children from the slums to an amusement/water park.
I was responsible for those two beauties - Monica and Radha:)
So we were chasing around, going on marry-go-rounds, climbing ropes and throwing balls at each other.
Then there was the pool. Splashing water, jumping in it, playing wildly...
I was the first among the adults to get inside. And when one of the guys said that he got inspired by me to jump and play with the kids...it sounded so nice.
I felt a bit sad that I could not answer when "my children" were excitedly pulling me and shouting something in Hindi.
But one thing i knew without having to use any language.
They were happy.
They loved me.
I loved back.
What more do I need to be happy?

India...4 months later

Well, here I am.
A little more than 4 months since my journey began.
It would be an understatement to say "I learned a lot".
Probably I will be able to understand how much I have learned after some time...
I also cannot say that I am able to understand India.This is a country so colourful and diverse, so full of contardictions and contrasts, that you cannot ever say you have figured it out.
My feelings for India are as contrast as that - there are things I love and things I hate, but for sure I feel strong for that country and for its future. I kind of feel it as a second home already:)
What happened in these 4 months...
I went to some places I have never imagined that I will go.
Udaipur, Jaipur, Rishikesh, Nainital, Agra, Kajiraho, McLeaod Ganj...
Done crazy things (like jumping into Ganges)and rafting.
Laughed a lot. Cried a bit.
Partied hard.
Met some amazing people.Made some friends maybe.
Got enchanted by people. Got dissapointed by people.
Made stupid mistakes. Forgave.
Learned a few Hindi words.
Almost got used to spicy food.
Been disturbed. Achieved peace of mind.
Got a few steps closer to happiness.
I have a tentative plan where I want to go. It might be changed overnight.
That's the beauty of it.
Now it is more important to live.
Cause it is, for sure, a pretty exciting life!

A touch of tenderness

In India I have met another fairy. She is subtle, tender, almost transperent.
Just as I would imagine a fairy to be.
Today she made me a miraculous massage. Just like that, without asking for anything, saying it is a pleasure for her.
I have never been a physical person (mening that I have always considered myself body-less and more spiritual, but the massage made me think of a communication on a different level.
What if your hands can speak? What if they are your universal language to getting to know someone? Could you understand people just by touching them?
I felt in another dimention.
It had nothing to do with the physical touch,it was the tenderness of a fairy tale.
Merci beaucoup, ma cherie :)

Cute doggie :)

One thing I really hate about Indian TV channels is that commercials are so much and so annoying you can never watch a movie properly without being interrupted.
However, lately I just love that Vodafone commercial.
Cute doggie, ain't it, yar ;)

Micro food

Happy Holi :)

Yesterday we celebrated Holi or Festival of Colours.
It is a holiday all across North India that marks the beginning of spring and it is among the most colourful and amusing of all holidays in the country.
On Holi everyone here plays with the colours of the rainbow. Coloured powder is available for 10 rupees everywhere, so are water-guns that people fill with coloured water :)
To be prepared for the colourful war that was about to burst during the day, we put some old clothes and put some coconut oil on our bodies so the paint didn't stick ;) Unfortunately our landlord and his brother took us by surprise and ...you can see what we were like before we even left for the real party :)
The real party was in a farmhouse near Delhi...with a nice lawn and pool. We had drinks and food included in the entrance free and a DJ...so it was the party anyone could dream of. Of course it went mad at some point, after we had "bang" (lasie with marijuana) served. The pool was full of people dancing and the water had the incredible colour of...something indescribable :) (i don't dare to think what the chemical elements in the water were :) )
Well...I don't believe I am going to play with colours again...it is a bit too messy. Yet it was a life-time experience I would recommend to everyone :)

Life is about...

...simple things.
Long conversations over a huge cup of Mocca with a German girl that I didn't know a month ago (Thanks Kat:))
Hearty laughs over the stories of a Spanish guy I just met.
Driving back home on a bike.
Writing an e-mail to my friends on the balcony, with the wind blowing.
My new set of bangles.
The challenges at work.
Having spent 1500 Rs on books (Lonely planet guide on India and Love in the time of cholera).
The anticipation of reading Khaled Houseini's "A thousand splendid suns".
Not knowing what will happen to me in one year and still being sure I have so many oportunities.
Having seen Jodha Akbar - a naive 3-hour long love story, I didn't understand any conversation in, as it was all in Hindi.
Learning something new every day.
It is so simple and beautiful.
Then...why do we go and make it complicated.

Working for Alcatel-Lucent

It has already been two weeks that I have been a part of the Corporate communications team of Alcatel-Lucent in India. I still have not undertaken any major project, I am still learning, asking loads of questions...
The job is rather interesting and my "bosses" are for sure people I can learn a lot from, both from personal and professional perspective.
So far, I have been more involved in External communications, mainly dealing with some press-conference and interactions. It is rather interesting to be on exactly the opposite side - that of the PR/Communications people, that need to communicate a clear message to the public. And even if they do...journalists can still destort the story (aaah, how nasty I have been to some PRs, now I realise ;))
And, Alcatel-Lucent has quite a bunch of interesting stuff to communicate indeed.
For example - a new security technology, called Laptop guardian, that helps protect confidential company information from being stolen (in case you loose your laptop), or the Femtocell, which allows people to get a good wireless signal within buildings where they are a lot of people using the same network.
Yet, what people always focus on the "bad news" - loses, people leaving, stocks prices falling down, job-cuts...Phew...Yet, this is perfectly normal for a huge company to have these when merging...And it is totally up to the people how they deal with change, ain't it?

Question is - what percentage of the people really have ownership and are willing to "deal with", rather than just switch to another job.

Gurgaon Malls crazy shopping day

You wouldn't expect me to write for such things while in India, would you ;) Well...truth is that I needed to buy some things, as I didn't take too many clothes from home. And you have to somehow fit into the local style, right:)
The "mall street" is rather close to my place, so I took a cycle-rikshaw and was there in 10 minutes.
I was just buying some Hindi-phrasebook in a large bookstore, when I saw two of the AIESEC trainees here - Natalia and Ania from Ukraine.
And...there it began - six (yep, you read it right) six hours of wild shopping. We managed to visit 3 of the malls. It was rather interesting for me, as although malls look the same all over the world, here there was a traditional Indian fabrics and dresses section in each of the garment stores. And it was so colourful and beautiful...And, unlike malls back home, prices were indeed quite reasonable :)
I bought some nice shirts and shalvars :) Scarves...of course...
I am strating to really fall in love with the place!

India...the beginning

It has been I long time since I haven't updated this blog. The reason is one – no time for blogging, as I am in India already.
I arrived in Gurgaon (some 20 minutes by car from Delhi) early on Thursday morning. My first adventure was getting to my place, as there was noone to pick me up at the airport. It was a bit scary to travel in a taxi in the dark, deserted streets of a completely unknown town. But – all's well that ends well and I reached safely and was met by Andre (I felt a bit guilty on waking him up), my collegue that will be working for Alcatel-Lucent in Bangalore. Honestly, he is really precious – helped me a lot in my first days...Just now it is that I fully realise how important it is to help someone integrate when on a traineeship. And this is, undoubtedly done best by other trainees, who have experienced that before.
I already had some taste of Delhi nightlife, as Friday night we went to a very nice club – Urban Pind. AIESEC interns seem to hang out there a lot...and there is always a bunsch of colourful expatriates I was told.
During the weekend we explored Delhi and went to a craft-festival in a nearby city – Faridhabad. It was so awesome – colourful, crowded and beautiful. And it was really huge – we were going around the place for 4 hours!
I am slowly starting to arrange things for my stay here and getting into daily work routine. It is really interesting – i already attended some of the meeting in the Corporate communications department. I still need to do so much reading, but I guess I will handle it fast. And the people at work are really positive and friendly, which makes learning easier :)
Well, this is about the end of my update. Actually, a strange melancholic mood is overcoming me the last two days – maybe because I am starting to miss home. Yet, I will get over it – a huge adventure lies ahead :)