Out With A Bang!

My last weekend in Bangalore was the celebration of Diwali (pronounced “deevolly”), meaning the “festival of lights”—an annual holiday celebration throughout India. Much like Christmas, the tradition of Diwali is to give gifts, hang colorful lights, and light off fireworks and firecrackers… okay, so maybe it’s more like Christmas meets the 4th of July! Everyone in India knows that Diwali is a celebration of food, fun, and friendships, and my last Diwali weekend in India was no exception.

Between the two team dinner parties (one at Sonal’s and one at Aparna’s), dinner with the expats at GianCarlo’s, and my final “Indian Dinner” with Raghu and his possee, I had plenty of opportunities to join in the festivities of the season and celebrate my last week of living in Bangalore, India. And what a year it has been!!

At Sonal’s and Aparna’s I had the opportunity to connect with my team members from work for the last time; dinner with the expats was another to say goodbyes; and hanging with Raghu and the boys was a great way to bring my Indian experience full circle. We lit fireworks (known as “bursting crackers”) and ate at Ruchi, my favorite India restaurant. I ordered my usuals: Garlic Naan, butter masala, veg miriani, and, of course, jamoon with vanilla ice cream for dessert. MMMMMM!! Plus at the restaurant we had front row seats to the fireworks and firecrackers displays out of the streets. It was loud and crazy! Just the way I like it :o)

As I was fortunate enough to enter India last year during Diwali, I felt it appropriate that I also left the same way—truly going “out with a bang!”

More about my final departure next week.

Peace.

Bannerghatta Safari

Another place I visited when my friend Tom was here in July was Bannerghatta National Park and wildlife preserve in southern Bangalore. The 25,000 acre park is home to panthers, lions, tigers and a large variety of birds, and offers several different safari packages to the interested tourist.

Tom and I decided to head down there for a day and found all sorts of interesting sights. We bought our tickets for the Lion & Tiger safari and decided to walk around the premises beforehand. Much to our surprise there were some elephants walking through the park and their guides were nice enough to stop and let us meet the elephants on their way! We also got to experience a wide variety of monkeys (and their crazy antics!) as we walked around the lake and circled the zoo area.

In the zoo were a variety of snakes, birds, and other animals. I was amazed at how clean the zoo looked (after hearing reports that the zoo was rather shabby) and the variety of exotic birds and other jungle animals was quite interesting. The safari was incredible--we saw male and female lions, both gold tigers and white tigers, and got to ride in a bus with a whole group of kids from a local school. It was a blast! My favorite part was seeing the white tigers...beautiful. In fact, we were so close to them that they were only an arm's reach away--amazing!

After the safari, I introduced Tom to a drink of fresh coconut juice and a bite of the "meat" inside of it--I think he realized just how different it really is from the processed output we are accustomed to in the U.S.--but I love it! Plus fresh coconut juice is good for the body. Check the online photo gallery for more snaps.

All-in-all the trip to Bannerghatta was well worth the noise and hassle of traffic--a short ride for an amazing adventure, and all just a quick trip on the other side of Bangalore. Even though there might not be lions and tigers, you might be surprised about the things that are just outside of your backyard, I know I was!

Peace.

Spring Has Sprung!

Well, this weekend was surely nothing less than eventful--if there isn't a holiday to celebrate, we'll just create our own! Whereas last weekend consisted of national and international holidays, this weekend was several social events creating all sorts of opportunities to connect with coworkers, charities, neighbors, and friends.

Friday night was the BEC's Black & White Ball held as a benefit for Sukrupa, a school for street kids in India. Besides getting "dressed to impress" in stylish black & white, the night included dinner, dancing, and a silent auction consisting of paintings by the children, fun activities, and even dinner cooked by Barbara, BEC President and Hungarian cook extraordinaire. A group of us from Zen Gardens (or Expat Central, EPC, as we call it) went to the gala affair in our best black & white. Michael Hubbard (now known as "Curly Mike") and I ("Burly Mike") coordinated our black & white Indian kurtas so it gave us a great opportunity to shop for some new Indian formal wear, which is always a perk! Another one of our TTS team members from Minneapolis, Tim, also had a chance to attend the event in an Indian kurta, so that was great. It's always so nice when our HQ team members visit! Hope you had a great trip, Tim :o)


Saturday night brought the EPC Progressive Party--somewhat like a progressive dinner, but just simple drinks and snacks throughout the 8 different apartments we occupy at Zen Gardens, Building A. Every 30-minutes we would rotate to the next apartment, thus giving all the guests an opportunity to view the different apartment layouts, decor, and "warm" each apartment with their cheerful spirit. It was a fun night of conversation, music, laughter and stories, and a wide variety of drinks and snacks. Fun for everyone! I had a great time helping to organize the event and, of course, taking snaps of the entire night--I love being the Paparazzo.

Next weekend Michael, Paul, Will, and I are off to Sri Lanka to do some exploring, and then I'm preparing for a whirlwind tour of central Europe with Mom & Dad on Eurail--I love vacation time. Never a dull moment in the life of this expat :o)

Even though it's sunny at 90 degrees virtually every day in Bangalore, springtime still brings a freshness and feeling of renewal. The change of the season marks the entrance into summer--new flowers bloom, the winds change, and vacations are planned. May this spring renew and refresh you--get outside and soak up the natural beauty of this earth. What a gift!

Happy Spring to All :o)

Brunch & Stuff

These last two weekends have been quite busy--St. Patrick's Day, Holi (an Indian holiday marking the start of spring), Good Friday, and, of course, Easter weekend. Never before do I remember St. Patrick's Day and Easter being so close in the calendar, but it's rather strange to think that it's spring anyway since in India it always feels like summer--reminds me of living in Hawaii all those years!

Between the holiday events and gatherings there were plenty of opportunities to connect with other expats and traveling visitors these past two weeks. Todd's parents were in town, we have Ron, Amy, and Tim from our International HR in town, and our newest expats, Will and Pam, have moved into Zen Gardens. A group of us took another Bangalore Walks tour this past weekend (thanks, Roopa!), the OWC (Overseas Women's Club) had a St. Patrick's Day dinner, BEC (Bangalore Expat Club) had its St. Patrick's Day party and weekly mixer, and Easter Brunch at the Taj West End was attended by a big group of us from Target.

Between the two weekends there's been lots of great conversations, stories, activities, and holiday cheer. Paul, Pam, and I colored easter eggs over the weekend--which I hadn't done in years! Paul had gotten some dye powder and I brought my magic markers, paints, and colored dyes from the Mysore market (remember those bowls of colored powder in my photos? They were used to dye eggs this weekend :o)

It was fun to celebrate the holidays with the other expats--not the same as being home with family, but like Christmas, another opportunity to connect with my extended family of friends here in Bangalore.

Happy Spring, St. Patrick's Day, St. Urho's Day (for the Finns :o), Holi, Spring Solstice, Easter, and everything good that springtime brings!

Paul's Cheesy Housewarming Party

This weekend Paul, our Sr. Group Manager for OE here at Target India, had his "official" housewarming party for our Training & Development and Six Sigma team members. Since Paul lives here in Zen Gardens (aka Expat Central or "EPC", as it's affectionately known...), I didn't have too far to travel! There was a nice turnout with members from both teams and some spouses and neighbors. There was plenty of food cooked by Sheela (the cook Paul and I shared when I first got here), so I was able to taste some familiar delicious Indian specialities--her samosas are some of the best I've had... mmmmm.

We all ate, talked, laughed, and shared stories. As expats we've all brought our little "pieces of home" with us... and since Paul is from Wisconsin and an avid Packer fan, he brought a few of his favorite homeland keepsakes with him to India. So, naturally, curiosity got the best of us. At one point during the evening Aparna came into the living room wearing the crown jewel of Green Bay, Wisconsin--the official "cheese head". Everyone loved it! Paul told the story about the famous Wisconsin headwear, and then, of course, everyone wanted to try it on. Luckily, I brought my camera so everyone could get a picture wearing the cheese head. It was good fun for all. Thanks, Paul, for the fantastic "cheesy" housewarming party!

The Road to Mysore

This weekend I went on a weekend road trip to Mysore, India, a city south of Bangalore known for its silks, sandalwood, and beautiful palaces. The most popular attraction in Mysore is the Mysore Palace, or the Maharajah's Palace, known for its beautiful architecture, intricately designed rooms, 12 Hindu temples, and beautiful surrounding gardens. However, the most original feature of Mysore Palace is its spectacular lights that are illuminated for only one hour each weekend (and during Indian holidays). These tens of thousands of lights adorn not only the palace, but the temples, three gates, and accompanying buildings that complete the palace grounds.

I was joined on this fun-filled weekend by four of my partners in crime, er... I mean, comrades from Target: Michael, Mike, Tom, and Praveen. Yes--3 Mikes and a Tom (of which two of us are named Michael Thomas)--so it presented an interesting mix. The other "Michael" is expat Michael; Mike and Tom are visiting from Target HQ in Minneapolis; and Praveen is from Target India. Actually, one of the main reasons we went to visit Mysore is because Praveen is from Mysore so he became our trusty tour guide. The five of us had a great time laughing and goofing around like guys do--it was good bonding time and reminded me how much I miss just being silly with friends. Hey--that's what they're for! During many moments over the weekend our behavior reminded me much more of Junior High than corporate business. Whew--that's a relief!

We stayed at a wonderful organic farm where we were treated to a fresh breakfast of masala dosas (similar to crepes wrapped around curried potatoes), mango juice, and fruit every morning. It reminded me so much of Hawaii :o) On Saturday afternoon we took the palace tour, ate fresh coconuts and walked around the city. We returned on Saturday evening to see the Palace lights. Stunning! The whole Palace grounds became a golden playground. Amazing. It reminded me of being in Disney World :o)

On Sunday we visited other palaces, shopped at the marketplace, ate lots of delicious food, and headed back up the 3-hour road trip to Bangalore. It was so nice to get a couple of days "away from the city" to unplug and relax. The peace and quiet was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of Bangalore. How fun it was to feel like I was back in Junior High on a Hawaiian vacation with Disneyworld as an evening treat. Apparently my weekend was much more of a trip that just to Mysore! I love it. Memories are so nice to :o)

Rockin the Taj

One of the highlights of any travel to India is, of course, visiting one of the original "7 Wonders of the World", the Taj Mahal--a mausoleum in Agra, India (a few hours out of Delhi), that was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. In one word, the Taj Mahal is AMAZING.

Luckily, I had traveling companions on this fun-filled and eventful weekend, Jenn and Doron, two of my teammates from the Minneapolis Headquarters of Target. Jenn & Doron were here for the past two weeks conducting some rockin' merchandise training for our Target India team members and they were an hit! Well, YEAH--if you knew Jenn and Doron you'd be nodding your head (just go ahead and nod with me... okay... there ya go :o) So as soon and Jenn and Doron knew they were coming to India for two weeks, they asked me if I wanted to go up to Agra to see the Taj. What else could I say but, "Absotootly!"

We flew up to Delhi on Friday night, stayed at the wonderful Shrangri-La Hotel, and then took a 4-hour road trip (each way) to Agra on Saturday to see the Taj. The road trip was a journey in itself starring monkeys, camels, elephants, donkeys, chickens--you name it (check out the slide show). On the way out of Delhi I'd never experienced such extreme conditions, especially the air quality--oh my--in some areas it felt like dusk the entire time. Be thankful for your clean air, clean water... it is not so clean in other parts of the world (this picture is the sun rising in the morning... and that's not fog--quite a difference even from Bangalore)

So the whole experience was amazing--I can't even begin to explain it. Check out the slideshow and let me know what you think--post a comment! Don't be shy.

Okay, so now that the vacation's over--back to work. Thanks Jenn & Doron--you guys totally rock! What a great traveling team we make... hope you made it back home to the Winter Wonderland safe and sound.

Namaste.

My favorite shot.. check out the water from the fountain!

Connecting With Home

Since this was my last weekend in Minnesota I drove up to Bemidji to spend time with my family before I embark on my journey to India. My Mom & Dad (Tom and Yvonne) still live in Bemidji after 41 years (in our new house since our original home burned in 2002), and my sister, Becky; my brother-in-law, Jim; and my nieces Nicki and Natalie drove over from Erhard, Minnesota (a cozy little town over towards Fargo) so we could all be together.
It was a typical family weekend--we just hung out, ate Mom's great cooking, ordered Dave's Pizza (mmmmm...), watched football (wow-the Vikes actually WON!), played 2500 (our latest card game craze), and just visited with each other. I love going home! We are all such good friends and really enjoy one anothers' company. What a gift family truly is...
Since I am going to miss our family Christmas together this year we even set up the Christmas tree and did a little "early celebration". Nicki, Natalie, Louie (the dog), and I played with my new camera-- total blast. Check out his tongue in this shot.
Since I've been in the routine of driving up to Bemidji every month I am going to miss my visits... but I bought M&D a webcam, loaded up Skype, and showed them how we can do video conference calls with VOIP. Excellent :o) I'm in no mood to pay $2.00/minute for AT&T service--yeah, I think not!

Okay--time to finish final packing. Off and flying in no time. India--ready or not, here I come.

My Team at Target Minneapolis

We took a team photo last week. It turned out great, but it also reminds me that we've just created a milestone... the picture of the TTS Training team before I left for India :o( It's still all so strange... cool, but strange.

I'm really gonna miss working with this team... This is truly the best team I've ever been on--what a great group!