There's quite a funny story to tell about the client's meeting on Friday. On the way getting there, an Otto driver (Ottos are these little 3 wheel taxis) knocked on the window of our taxi, saying that we lack some air in the rear wheel. Thanks for information - never mind - keep on driving - but only for a couple of kilometers when the driver stopped - and we had a puncture!! There we were, in our formal cloths, sweating, stuck on the road. Already quite short of time, we had to take an Otto to the meeting. When my colleague got upset, I said that this is a nice story to tell and that she always has to look at it from a positive perspective, right?!

Well traffic in India... an issue for itself!
Cause after a wonderful welcome dinner with my company some 20 trainees were off for Vischiquesh, a village (you know, only 500,000 habitats) 250 km up north from Delhi. After 45km, which took us unbelievable 3 hours, one taxis engine broke and we were stuck on the road.
Some trainees were just fed up with the whole chaos and took the running taxi to get back. All the hardcore people did it the Indian way, took a crowded bus and made it somehow to the desired destination.

It was a wonderful place, in the middle of the woods. It wasn't a big surprise that there weren't enough tents for all of us - so we shared, as usual here, jejeje
Did some trekking to wonderful waterfalls and great refreshments.
In the evening we had a BBQ and Goton playing the guitar, which was great!



The rafting on Sunday was good fun. But defenitaly and unfortunately at the same not a raft 5. It was too dangerous they said, so out of the wanted 27km ride we could only do 11 with some 5 great rapids. But still, it was cool, especially the swimming in the Ghanges was such a well doing refreshment!
To give you an impression about this small village, I best put some pics:




Getting back to Delhi, an issue for itself - remember, traffic!!
It took us fkn, insane 8 hours for 250 km!!! Imagine, that's about 35 km/h the bus drives!!
The guys at the Tour de Suisse are faster!!

Roads here are the most terrible thing ever!
And the most annoying to me is that HORNING!
At the back of buses it even says: "Horn Please"
That's so stupid, they'd do it anyway, all the time. And of course, the louder the horn the better... GOSH, grrr, dono if I'll ever get used to that...


Besides most the things could be sorted out:
- have a room to stay now that I share with Javed, my new Indian brother
- have an own taxi driver - like my chauffeur, who brings me to work and home, jejeje
- my stomach felt a little strange for only one day, which is fair enough
and at my job we agreed that I don't work 12hours daily but rather 8. I reckon doing some 9 hours, since I really like what I'm doing, it's a great project.

Don't worry, I don't and won't go ape :-))

Link to all the pics

quite a mess

before I start writing about what happened recently I wanted to speak out my THANK to all the readers of my blog. The 10'000 visit passed, which is incredible. Since from september 2006-07 it has been 6'500 readers. and now, in less time the 10grand line passed. So just, thank you for being with me and caring about me my friends out there!

So now about what has been going on the last says...
in short words: sooooooooo much!

and everything has been quite a mess and needs still to be sorted out
on wednesday i finally got my suitecase and went with it directly to my new office, which is set in guragoa, 1hour bus ride from delhi, if there is not too much traffic. so there was a huge debate about whether I move to the traineehouse in Gurgoa or stay in Delhi. Once it's been set that I move to Gurgoa, the trainees there told me that there is no space...
Dropped with my luggage in the office I figured that I had to leave work to sort things out. After getting lost in the taxi - it's too bad, taxi drivers usually don't have an idea where to go and get lost all the time, when they ask someone on the street, everybody gives huge explanations about the way, where to go and stuff, but they actually don't have a clue either...
Ok, so finally we made it to the traineeshouse, which is a huge block with lots of doors. Sure, no names nothing. Luckily I met someone in the corridor that looked foreign and asked him about a room for me. When he showed me the rooms they sleep in a was really surprise, for not to say shocked... they're quite small and have two beds in, right next to each other. so think of a kingsize bed to picture it correctly... and they share the room between two!!!

well, I don't know what I expected, nothing - as I always have been fine with that. But what I got to see there just confused me quite a bit. After talking to some other trainees I realized that this is the way they all felt at the beginning and yet the way the do it now. So I figured that I'll just be as fine with it...
Still, I don't have a room yet. Where I sleep is just for a couple of days but my final room and roommate have still to be sorted out...

The best thing though followed. After a hell of a day I went with the other trainees to Delhi to celebrate Badawis (an egyptian trainee) birthday! There were about 30 to 40 trainees there!! Imagine! it was incredible!! and such great fun to meet everybody!!! well, I couldn't even talk to everybody since there were too many, jejeje. and once the party really started we were all dancing, drinking and having fun! It was so cool, really, that made my whole day up!!

Work:
My job is awesome! A really young and dynamic team with really nice persons who are always there to help me out with whatever issue. So far it's been challenging and quite demanding. Yesterday I worked for 13hours - on my second day of work! But this was pretty much do to the fact that we have a client meeting today and things had to be finalized... well, that's what I thought and didn't bother working so long, although I hope this is not gonna be the normal case. I mean sure, it's an advisory - such as McKinsey, just a start-up and way smaller of course, but the work is comparable.
So I'm on that project about urbanisation, which is really interesting and learningful. Looking forward to proceeding with the project!

And yeah, DHRUV arrived yesterday! It was so great to see my Indian brother again, really!!
Although it's been nearly two years that we haven't seen each other, it was just as if we've gone out yesterday. You know, the leaves of a tree come and go, but the roots stay - and that's what a friendship is all about!


So after the client meeting (which is WWF, by the way) my colleagues give a welcome party to me, then I'll go back to the traineehouse, see if I can arrange a set room to me and at midnight we I'll go with the trainees to "don't ask me the name", where you can do rafting (raft 4-5 --> amongst the strongest possible --> how cool is that, yeahh), clif jumping and just chill!
I'm really looking forward to that!
will keep u updated...

first impressions of Dehli

NAMASTE (hello in Hindi)

I arrived well in New Dehli, India but unfortunately my baggage didn't. When I went to claim it and saw that my bag wasn't on the rail I went to ask for it at the desk. There they already knew that my luggage got forgotten in London. Tomorrow it'll arrive they told me. Well, by now it is here, at a friends place and I'm so much looking forward to a shower...

Yes, it is really hot and humid. Without AC I was nearly melting away before up in my room...
After having received the greatest hospitality yesterday I moved into the traineeflat, which urgently needs cleaning but besides that it is excellent. One traineehouse is already full, and I'm the first one moving into a new house. In the next days two more persons are to come.
With a total of 50 trainees here in Dehli I'm sure it's gonna be great fun, jejeje

At my arrival yesterday, two guys picked me up at the airport and we went to Hockers, to have some typical Indian food, some shisha (waterpipe) and drink native beer. Then I went with some other guys from the EB to watch a movie, play cricket (national sport of India) and finally we went for dinner together. After nearly getting lost (which to me seems pretty easy in Dehli) Tarish then welcomed me in his very beautiful house with the loveliest family you can imagine to sleep over at his place.

The food is soooo delicious, I'm telling you! And they made me eat everything. Even from stands in the street they bought me some whatever typical snack. All the sorrows about my stomach, all my words that freshly in Dehli you shouldn't eat everything, give your belly time to adapt, of course, got blown into the air by the Indians. And hey, I'm doing just fine with it. Happy for that as just everything about my new experience :-)

Surprisingly to me I feel so familiar. It's my first time in India but I kind of feel like I know all this, like I've been here before. I just feel excellent, so welcomed and so much part of it.
Sure it's great to see the chaos on the street, mixed with pedestrians, cows, 3-wheel taxis, cars, trucks and everything just fighting for its right to go first. But it more amuses me than causing a strange feeling. Yesterday we hit twice another tuck tuck and nothing - the drivers just screamed at each other and that was it. It's all good - it's India.

And that is the most heard answer to any question: it depends!
which is so true when you think about it. India is so diverse, and even in Dehli you find anything. there is no yes or no to a question - because they have it all!

So I just do as told: FEEL WELL because in India anything is possible, you can do whatever you want as long as you feel good by it!

wish you can do so as well!
lovely hug from Dehli

it's done

finally, exams are over and my summer vacations start! what an excitement!!

for now i guess i'll go with the hype of the european championship, chill out with friends and watch some games before i'm off to india!

gosh, that's so damn cool and i promise to update my blog more frequently once i'm in india


enjoy the summer (hope that yours is better then the one in switzerland)