Hindi, Lunch and outing adventures :)

So, took my Hindi exam yesterday. I was freaking out and basically told DH that if I failed it I failed it...since I've hardly studied or spoke it (it's easier for me to speak bangla since that's what I'm surrounded by all day!) but I studied and tried my best. I'll get my results Wednesday, so let's see how I do.

Anyways, on to the funny stories we know you all love!

I had texted DH yesterday saying I was going home and confirming we didn't need anything other than what he had told me before I left, to which he replied "Wanna go for a drink?" So off to one of favorite joints on Park Street we went. When we got there it was full, and being regulars the waiter's shortly got us a table. Now, this is where the fun started. We had tried to go for a booth that they told us was just finishing up, when another group went for the same table, and started telling DH that they had been waiting, so we went to another table.

The group next to us was getting ready to leave, well, first they had to figure out who owed what, and that took, I swear, like 10 minutes. But before that the waiter had brought over 2 extra chairs and 2 extra cups and told DH to pour a bit of his beer into the cups to make it look like there were people sitting there so they wouldn't steal the chairs. Then once the table cleared we moved the cups over to the next table, and people were trying to take the table, when the waiter and DH had told them there were people sitting there. :-) LOL

All in all, it was a good night, even if I did have to go to a different place to use their bathroom like 3 times, because the one there is horrible. And go out every little bit because their AC was like pumping the crap out of the cold air. Nice celebration.

Oh, and apparently DH was mad at me because he wanted to do lunch with me before my exam, but I had gone out for some errands the day before and asked him if he wanted to join me for lunch but he declined. I told him that I'm not a freaking mind reader and that he should tell me these things, because I'm not going to ask a 2nd time and get refused 2 days in a row. So I hope DH learned his lesson. :-)

Only half a Euro Madam...

Today I was waiting on the side of the street with DH waiting for a taxi or a bus or something to take us home. Well, you know how the drill goes, nothing goes as smooth as you want it to in India. All of a sudden this guy comes up and stands in front of me and starts talking.

"Please madam, give me some money for food. I am unemployed and I do not have a job. Please, just one plate of rice, 20 rupees. Only half a Euro."

DH replied not so nicely, "No thanks!" while I stood there staring off to the right in an attempt to ignore this man, because all I wanted to do was say, "If you can speak English that well there is no reason you shouldn't be able to get a job, so why should I give you *MY* money?"

So, then I looked and DH and laughed and said I was going to blog about this. DH's response was "Cholo!" (let's go) and so with his camera in hand, we start following this guy and DH starts snapping his picture. We follow him a distance and DH speeds up and tells me to stay behind so the guy doesn't know we are taking his photo, and tries to get in front of the guy to get a better shot.

Well...just as DH gets in front of the guy, the guy veers off into the bathroom as I am coming up behind him, and so I cross to where DH is and tell him that if he wants a better shot he is going to have to wait until the guy comes out of the bathroom, and he says "Ok, I'll wait. But you get behind, so you don't catch his attention." I went and had an ice cream at the little Kwality cart and sat down and waited. We waited for like 10-15 minutes (and even purchased movie tickets for Sunday LOL) and there was still no sign of him.

We decided to give up and then started walking back towards home to catch something and all of a sudden the guy is right in front of us, I was thinking, "How the hell did we miss him??" LOL

I mean, seriously, this guy didn't look like a beggar. He spoke pretty damn good English too...I was almost tempted to tell him off, but I just ignored him since that tactic works pretty good for me (or the "Kichhu hobe na. Jao!" Nothing happening. Go!). Take a look for yourselves, since DH gladly gave me this photo. :)

Then we are walking further and this guy says to me "Madam, come inside, English movies." Seeing as how every time I go past one of these road side DVD stores this happens, I turned to him and said, "Aapni ki bhabchhen aami shudhu English bujhte pari?" (What do you think I only understand English?) and he looked shocked. DH had kept walking LOL

PIO and OCI merge?

While DH was making our lunch of alu paratha he was using a page of the Economic Times under to keep the mess minimal. Lo and behold, there was this article.

According to the ET there is some talks going on about merging PIO and OCI cards. It also gives a lot of good information, like where to apply and how much they cost, etc. Now, while this is good news for the Indian citizens, because it is less confusing and better in the long run it leads to me a few questions that, sadly, were left unanswered.

Will the PIO be no longer available? If so, how does this affect those of us who are not Indian by birth? One would assume that the PIO would still be available but there is no further information to be gleaned in the article (unless I'm missing something, which is entirely possible). Assuming the PIO is no longer available, then what will the spouses of Indian citizens get? Will we be eligible for OCI or what will we do?

There are so many unanswered questions, let us see what happens as DH says nothing will likely come into law for at least 2 years. :-)

Fan Page

I've created a fan page on Facebook. You are welcome to join. :-)

InterNations...

Yesterday I had checked my email and found a email from Malte Zeeck, Founder and Managing Director of InterNations, an online expat community, wanting to collaborate and post my blog address on their website. So, I agreed, and so you notice the new shiny button they sent me. :-) So far there is just 1 blog on the site and will have 2 after mine.

I have some invites to the site if anyone wants one, just mail me.

BTW, this is not something they asked me to do, I just felt like it. :-)

Bangla reporters...

The other day I met up with a friend for coffee at the Indian Coffee House. As usual, it was crowded. We didn't find a table downstairs so we went upstairs to look for a table. We went to the side, and to my right I saw a television station (which one I have no idea except that it said bangla বাংলা) and something told me that they would probably come and try to talk to us. Next thing I know the reporter had come over and was asking us if I knew about the "International Women's Day" on March 8th, I replied noncommittally (I had no intention, or desire, of being on TV) and told him maybe my friend had some thoughts. So he asked her and so she replied and and agreed to be filmed. The reporter wanted me to stand by her, to which I again said no. They asked her the questions and then left.

Then, while he was leaving he asked me, "What is with you?" I replied in bangla, "Aami korte hobe na. Aami korte chaichhi na." (I don't have to do anything. I am not wanting to do it.) LOL

On top of everything, I could barely understand his English, he had such a heavy accent.

Samsung, oh, Samsung

The last few days my charger on my netbook has been giving me some issues. So, when it stopped charging completely this morning I wasn't surprised. I dug out my receipt and realized that the warranty expires tomorrow. With this realization I got up and decided to go get it looked at.

I had been to the Samsung service center before and was slightly anxious as to what would happen. There was a different service agent at the desk today, and he asked me what was wrong. I told him what was wrong and he said ok, took my charger and my laptop and confirmed it. Then they tried it with their charger and it was charging perfectly, thus it was a charger problem (thank goodness not a problem with the connection in the laptop!) and then the other guy I had dealt with before came out, and I was thinking, "Oh, help me if he tries to say something stupid." He asked me what the problem was and I told him it wasn't charging, to that he replied, "a windows problem?" and I said, "No, it's not charging" again repeating what I had just said a few seconds earlier. They gave me a replacement charger and I asked them about extending my warranty, and they told me I had to go to the store I purchased it from in order to get that. So after conferring with DH, off to that store I went.

Well...here's where the fun began. When I arrived at that store they took me next door (apparently 2 of the stores have merged...) and I asked them and they immediately told me I had to go upstairs to the Samsung store. So, up I went. When I got there they told me no, that I had to purchase it from the same store I purchased the computer from.

Well...I hate wild goose chases, and I could tell if I didn't do something this was going to be one.

I went back to the place where they told me I had to go to the Samsung store, and in a rude loud voice I said, "Someone tell me NOW, where *EXACTLY* I need to go to get this done. My warranty expires TODAY!" In reply to this, both of the salesman started calling people on their cellphones, and one said that someone would bring me one, but I would need to wait an hour. Wait I did.

Next, I was told by DH to read the terms and conditions before I purchased it and before I left the store. I had to repeat the request to another salesman before I was given the booklet that had the information I requested. I purchased the extended warranty and was given the paper with all the information on it.

The paper had 2 numbers on it, a toll-free and another one. I was told to call the toll-free one, after dialling it twice and seeing that it was not going through I had told one of the people at the store. They didn't say anything, but I was given a business card from the Samsung Service Center and so I tried the other phone number (the toll-free one is apparently just for BSNL numbers) and so then I got through and spoke to a lady. I swear she just couldn't understand my English, even though I was speaking very slowly (which is very strange to me...) and enunciating. She then tried to transfer me, but there was no answer, so she set a call back.

Next thing I know, someone is saying "Asun, asun" (come, come) and leads me to yet another man who is getting on his cell phone and asking what needs to be done for registration. He tells me, and so I am frustrated because I have a feeling that if I don't get this done today that I won't be able to get the warranty fixed (just my feelings...) and so I get annoyed because I'm already over heated and hungry. I was told I needed to scan some papers and email them, so I called DH and asked him if he knew where I could get some scans, and found a place.

I went to the place, and I had taken a taxi and the fare was Rs 50 ($1USD) and when I gave the driver a 50 rupee note, he asked for change, to which I replied I didn't have change (I don't like giving all my 10 rupee notes out like that...) and so then he asked for a 100 rupee note and gave me 50 rupees back. Why, I have no flipping clue!

I got the scans, took a taxi and came home. Here, DH tells me to hurry and e-mail the people before end of business day. I sent out the email, and now I wait. :-)