A home cooked meal in Coimbatore

On Monday evening Sandra and I were invited to dinner at her friend's place in Coimbatore.
We visited Karthik and his wife Amutha.  They have two lovely Daughters, Srindhi who is 6 yrs and Srinila who is 18 mths.  The evening was great - a real homely event. Talking, playing with the kids and having a wonderful home cooked Indian meal.
Thanks  Karthik & Amutha for the evening and your hospitality :)

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2012_03_07: The final countdown!

This week has been spent finalising the client presentation which we delivered today.  The presentation was extremely well received. Bernd, Valery and myself were delighted with the outcome and the client interaction during the presentation.

Today was the collimation of 4 weeks activity. I have felt a mix of emotions ranging from the adrenaline rush prior and during the meeting to feeling absolutely spent this evening. Also the realization that the 4 week assignment is concluding brings on those melancholy feelings :(

Thursday will be spent finishing off a few administrative tasks (IBM & Client surveys, reviewing documentation prior to handover to the client, etc).

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2012_03_03 & 04

On Saturday we went on a field trip with Sankara Eye Hospital to a town called Salem.
Sankara run a monthly eye clinic for the poor villagers.  The clinic performs eye tests
& basic health tests to determine suitability for eye operations. If the patient is suitable, they are then processed and taken via bus to the hospital in Coimbatore. The next day the operation is performed. The patients remain at the hospital for 3 days and then they are returned to their town.

Approx 100 patients are taken for surgery each month.
This is a totally free service and is part of the community 'give back' which the hospital performs.

We received a tour and an explanation of the entire process. It was a very rewarding experience :)

We also had a tour of the local school which operated out of the community hall.
The school practices a value based education system. This basically means that they

focus on educating the kids to be good community citizens - something which is sadly lacking in many communities all over the world.

On Sunday Sandra, Aya & myself traveled to Ooty which is about 3 hours drive from Coimbatore.  Ooty was a hill station and is the highest town in southern India.

They say that everyone has 15 minutes of fame.  Well, we got our 15 min in Ooty!
We must have been the flavor for the day because we had so many people coming up to us to have ask to have their photo taken with us.

The one thing we have found in southern India is the warmth and genuine interest people show to us :)

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2012_02_25-26

On Friday afternoon we headed to Fort Kochi in Kerala for the weekend. This is approx 200 km SE of Coimbatore, however it took +5 hours to get there due to road works.
The drive was interesting as always - a mix between fear and amusement. If you can imagine that the bus window is a large video screen and you are playing a video game you can get the picture!


On Saturday we explored the Fort area and some shops.  The area is a 'rabbit warren' of lanes and walk ways - it is a maze!

This was a 'pimped' auto :)

Saturday afternoon and evening was spent in Alappuzha. This place is referred to as the Venice of the East. We cruised the backwaters and had a wonderful time (many special moments to remember).

Sunday morning was spent reconnecting to my spiritual side by doing Yoga.  This was an awesome experience which was highlighted by the fact that it was outside beneath a huge mango tree.




Spiritually refreshed and re-energised we went to Cherai Beach for some sun and surf (well maybe not too much surf - maybe waves).

The 'India 15 Team'

By mid afternoon we climbed into the magic bus and headed home to Coimbatore.
The weekend was full of activities and good memories.

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Week 2: 2012_02_20-24

Week 2: 2012_02_20-24

The India@75 project is moving along. This week was assigned to data analysis and initial solution design discussions. The week has been very busy with work and it is hard to believe that we have hit the half way point.

Even during all the work we can still manage a few minutes to have a coffee break (just like being @ Southgate)

Bernd & Valery enjoying a coffee

My thoughts for the week......

India is a very hard place to describe. You really need to see it to appreciate it. It could easily be a 'love it' or 'hate it' place for some.  It would be very easy to focus on the poverty, lack of order & general condition of housing.  But when you look thru this, what you see is color, smiles & genuine warmth from the people.  It is a beautiful & spiritual land that is truly fascinating.

Our CSC team is great!  There is a good mix of people and we have all bonded. There is a great sense of camaraderie & affection.  It is hard to believe that 2 weeks ago we have only spoken via phone & email. We were strangers. Now we are a close knit team that feels more like a family than a team. :)

Dogs.
There appears to be one type of dog in the Coimbatore area.  The color varies but the shape and size is pretty standard.  This is obviously the 'perfect pooch'. They are usually skinny looking things that need a good feed.  The dogs (and pedestrians) are street smart!  The clumsy ones would not last.

 
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Day 9: 2012_02_19

The 'Crew'

Today we headed to the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary.
The professor had arranged the mini bus so the entire team could travel.
The old saying "it is not the destination that is important, but the journey" always comes to mind whilst traveling around India.  The sights along the way are just as interesting.  Especially the driving (not for the faint hearted).  I found myself pushing the imaginary brake many times.


Along the way we stopped for chai and a leg stretch.

Sandra giving Joao a back massage

 

     

The Team - Western Gats in the back ground.

There are always some tourists who just don't read signs :)

One of the 'highlights' was the drive to see the last naturally grown teak tree. Apparently it is over 400 years old.
Picture this:

• 14 people in a bus driving 1 hour down a dirt road.
• No air con.
• The cries of "are we there yet!"
• The growing expectations to see 'the' tree (we pictured the Avatar Mayan Tree of Life).

 And then finally.........

                                             

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Day 7 & 8: 2012_02_17 & 18

Another couple of busy days with client interviews and site visits. The hospitality and warmth of the people we are meeting is wonderful.  We have been invited back to their homes for chai and cake.
Friday was a verrrrry long day (0830 to 2100).  We even had to work on Saturday morning to complete the final interviews.  Not OT or TOIL on this assignment :)
We did manage to have a coconut drinking competition (why? because we could!).
The finish was Germany, France & Australia.  Those Germans know how to slam down a fresh coconut.

Anukampa

Bernd, Valery & Andrew @ Surthi Enclave RWA

Saturday arvo was spent doing a bit of shopping and then chilling by the pool.
That evening we treated ourselves to a more up market restaurant - The Residency @ Coimbatore.
I got to eat 'steak' - first non veg for one week :)

The Professor giving us a sari lesson

Valery & Bernd in an 'auto'

 

Celebrating a big first week

 #ibmcsc #india 15