Looks like it's time to change the name of this blog again....
As many of you already know, the India assignment is over now and I'm finally back in Finland since the beginning of October. Life here hasn't changed much during these couple of years. Our whole family seems to be going through some kind of cultural shock right now. Coming back is always wonderful but realizing that the life has been moving on while you were away is something that you don't seem to realize until you return back. Everyone is busy as usual and after the first phone call with lots of "how wonderful that you are all back finally" and stuff like that, there is absolute silence from most of them....Sometimes we feel that we were more in touch with them while we were in India than now after our return. We have been making lists of positive and negative things here to comfort ourselves. Here is my list!
+ mustamakkara + mämmi + smoked salmon + radio nova + driving myself instead of relying on the driver + snow (when it will eventually arrive) + people really mean what they say (at least most of the time)
- job sucks! - it's too bloody dark in the evenings - people are too busy to notice our arrival back in Finland - some long term forecasts say that even this year the snow will be minimal throughout the winter - prices have gone through the roof in last two years - I dream of Garlic Nan and Murg malai tikka from "Punjabi by Nature" sometimes - all those small small things that I left undone with the construction project of our house are still waiting ahead of me... - all of those small small things can't be done before the arrival of summer
Hopefully snow comes at least for a couple of weeks during Christmas!
Well, I will keep on blogging whenever the time permits.
Couple of weeks back I visited Pakistan. Love-Hate relationship that India and Pakistan has, must be very unique! It seems that both the countries have made it extremely difficult for anyone to travel between these two countries. Visa formalities are very cumbersom, the flights are not available easily. Customs and passport control are made as complicated as possible on both the sides! Here is a small taste of what it was like to apply for a visa to enter Pakistan from India.
- After several requests through travel agent, I finally got a electronic version of the visa application that I had to fill up. On the top it was written "Fill in CAPITAL letters". So I filled it up and went to the embassy to apply, since you always need to apply in person (not through travel agent)
- After queing on the counter for quite a while, I managed to slip my papers accross the small hole in the glass window to the clerk. The first question was, "have you paid the visa fees?". Since I didn't have any idea of the amount, I offered to pay it right away in cash. But that of course was not possible. I had to pay it in a bank several kilometers away from Embassy using the special account number. After that I am supposed to attach the receipt to the application. So here I go to pay it!
- Finally I came back to the queue after paying in the bank. This time the clerk took my papers and after one look at the application, asked me why is it not typewritten? He gave me a new form and asked me to get it typed with a type writer! That "service" is available right behind the embassy!
- The "type writing expert" copied everything from my nicely written form to the new one using the typewriter. In the process, there were numerous mistakes, change of the purpose of the visit, place of visit etc. Never mind..... Back to the queue!
- Now the generous clerk accepted my papers finally (with all the mistakes on the application made by the typewriting expert)! Finally after going through everything, he asked me for the photocopies of the passport!!! He had my original passport in his hand and there was copy machine sitting less than one meter from the window! Now I was getting worked up.... I asked him to list out everything that he needs before he can accept my application. So he tells me, that it would be required to have a copy of the residence permit for India too, alongwith a photocopy of it! So here I go again to the same place where the bank was. That's where the nearest photocopy machines are!
- After arriving back to the embassy, I realised that the visa application window is closed!!! After asking around for the next time the window will open, I got the simple answer... in the afternoon around 2-3... So I was driving around the blocks of Chanakyapuri (area where most of the embassies are in Delhi). Went for lunch, walked around the embassy a few times and back again to the queue!
- Finally the window DID open in the afternoon and eventually, I was once again in the queue. When I finally submitted the papers to the clerk, he didn't accept it because, the afternoon is only for RETURNING the passports with the visa. Accepting the application happens only in the morning!
- So here I'm queuing again at the same window, next morning! Finally I got my papers through in less than five minutes and I was given back my passport copies with a stamp of Embassy on it and hand-written note that passport with visa can be collected next day evening!
- Next morning I get a call in the middle of a meeting that I must come for an interview right away at the embassy before the visa can be granted! So back to the embassy!!!! After spending around 4 hours in the waiting hall of the embassy, I was "interviewed" with the typical questions about the place I wanted to visit and the reason, length of stay, etc. etc. Basically everything that was already written on the application! And after another half an hour of waiting in the waiting hall, I finally got my passport back with the visa sticker on it!
This whole episode made me think the amount of obstacles that both the governments have put on the travelling between these two countries.
Early this morning our whole family woke up to giant rumbling sounds and vibration of our house. The windows in the bathrooms were shaking. It took a while before our sleepy minds realized that we just witnessed an earthquake! While the rest of the family started the preparations for the evacuation of the house, I rushed out in pajamas to check the situation in front of our building. Few people were already gathered there, talking and considering the next move. Finally after waiting for any further signs of the continuation, we decided to go back to bed. In the morning the earthquake was the main topic of discussion both at work and at the school. A quick check on the internet gave us the required information. It was a "minor" earthquake at only 4.3 Richter's scale. The center of the earthquake was near the border of the Gurgaon and Delhi. Luckily, no lives were lost or major damages to the property. Recently the whole of South East Asia has been suffering some sort of seismic activation. Indonesia has had the worst share of the recent earthquakes in this region. Luckily India is not considered as one of the worst places!
I've decided to change the name of this Blog from "Samir's life in India" to "Incredible India". It seems more appropriate in many ways. After all the question is more about the India around me than my life in it! The theme of the blog will continue to remain the same...
Small accidents on the highways are nothing new in India. Almost every other day I witness some kind of accident on the way to work. Today however, I saw it happening myself. More interesting part was the method of solving the problem. The driver from one car simply came out, pulled the other driver out of the car through the window and started to give him some "driving lessons" right in the middle of the highway!
During a 3 days extended weekend, we decided to go to a very exotic city called Jaipur in Rajastan state. The city is also known as "Pink City". Here are some cute pictures from that trip. Enjoy!
Anyone for a camel ride?
A young elephant just starting a career. Team building! Hello tourist A real snake charmer.
That sledgehammer is going to make him very unhappy.
If it hits the target the scream will come a few seconds later after he has landed two floors below, and if it misses the target... his shoe size will never be the same again.
But now I'm not bothered by the traffic as much as before. All that I need to do is close my eyes and remember some of my trips to work in Gurgaon traffic....
One thing that I like about India is the food. And when I realised that everyone went out to have the lunch in the same place, I was quite surprised. Irrespective of the position, all the bosses came to the same place to enjoy the indian delicacies!
The floors of the flat stay clean for almost a full day here. The flat was throughly swept and washed previous day. All that we had to do was remove the shoes and socks and walk around for a while barefooted. And the result is amazing!
The dust floating in the air is so fine that it slips in from any gap that it finds in the door or windows. And unfortunately the doors and windows are not as air-tight as they used to be back in Finland!
After asking around for the next time the window will open, I got the simple answer... in the afternoon around 2-3... So I was driving around the blocks of Chanakyapuri (area where most of the embassies are in Delhi). Went for lunch, walked around the embassy a few times and back again to the queue!
and eventually, I was once again in the queue. When I finally submitted the papers to the clerk, he didn't accept it because, the afternoon is only for RETURNING the passports with the visa. Accepting the application happens only in the morning! 
WIDGETIZE