Done!?

Namaste!

So today we finished our last day of recruiting on this leg of the trip- (there is talk of a SE Asia run at some point but it's not planned yet) so today was a little bittersweet :( I think we're all glad to be finished for now, but we have grown pretty close, so we're sad to be leaving each other...

Wally left tonight to see his wife in Dubai before he goes to Canada next week; Double-A is leaving for Jeddah at 5:30am tomorrow - Kelly and I have the day to explore Delhi and are flying back to Dubai tomorrow night. I think we're all pretty glad to be done in India...today's interview venue was AWFUL.. it looked like the carpets hadn't been replaced (or vacuumed!!) for about 10 years and there was a smell of rotten food all over the place (look carefully at the picture-- the carpet, the wall and the stains and rips in the table skirting...classy!!!)-- they were setting up for a wedding downstairs so I think it must be some sort of budget banquet hall...a cockroach actually ran down the wall during one of my interviews today and the candidate didn't even flinch... ewwwwww. We went through a LOT of purel today...

(aside: in our company, we have a strategy called nicknamed "GEM-" Globalize, Energize, Maximize...well, we have added a 4th letter in the acronym during this trip....SANITIZE!!! hand sanitizer has become our best friend- an excellent weapon against the "BO handshake")

Kelly and I had some pretty funny interviews along the way though, some of our favourites are as follows:

Kelly: Mohamed, it seems you have quite a long beard- our grooming policy states that any facial hair must be short and neatly trimmed...are you willing to tidy it up if you're hired?"
Mohamed: Oh yes Miss Kelly {stands up and strikes a pose}, I will shave every day, and make myself VERY handsome for you!"

Me: Okay Mohamed, well it's been great getting to know you today, do you have anything else you'd like to add, anything else I should know?"
Moh'd: {Stands up to leave, but hesitates by the door}
Me: Um Moh'd, are you okay, is there anything else?"
Moh'd: {blurts out} "Miss Catherine...you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen" {runs away and slams the door}

Kelly: "So, tell me Moh'd, what are your hobbies, what do you do besides work?"
Moh'd: "I am an artist!"
Kelly: "Oh really!?"
Moh'd: "Oh yes, I love to draw. {proudly} I could draw your figure if you like!?"
Kelly: "I don't think that's necessary..."

[Editor's note--clearly, Moh'd #2 doesn't get out much.... and you probably think I'm changing the names.. actually even in India and Sri Lanka, 80% of the people we met are named Mohamed!!]

Several times during this trip, I have proclaimed "Okay, I'm not drinking for the rest of the trip..." Kelly just laughs, as we always seem to end the day with a bottle of wine (or 2). Tonight was funny, after we poured the wine, we toasted and without thinking I said "to Mecca!!"-- Double A cracked up, and then I finally realized why he was laughing so hard...Muslims aren't supposed to drink...and worse, the holiest place in the Islamic world should NOT be toasted with wine... even a nice Californian Cab Sauv....!! oooops, I guess that's why they're not letting me in :P

Here are a couple of pics from today...
I'll add some more tomorrow after we actually see some of Delhi.

Okay, that's it for now~over and out from catindelhi. xoxoxox C