Cancel the calls to the airlines to get us out of here

George called from work yesterday morning after speaking to Anne and Jillian and they gave him the impression that our move-in experience was pretty typical. It seems as though when you sign on to come work and live in a developing country, there are certain luxuries that you must compromise. We thought it was all business class flights, VIP lounges and personal drivers. Not so. But maybe it won't be quite as bad as we first thought.

Yesterday, after a harsh email to the woman who helped us find the place, we saw some action. Gist of the email: bugs, dirt, broken locks, no security deposit will be authorized...signed Mr. George "Kind-of-a-Big-Deal" Avery

Enter Krishn (no idea if I'm spelling this correctly but pronounced - well like - Krish-in). We'll call him the "super" of the place. He speaks limited English and likes to smile alot and say, "yes, yes, no problem." He was supposed to arrive between 9:30 and 10 am to come clean the place. So 9:30 rolls around and I wait. 10 am - I sent a note to George, "let you know as soon as they arrive!" 10:30 - still waiting. 11 am - still waiting. 11:30 - still waiting. Finally at noon, Krishn and his merry men arrive. There are 7 of them. Fantastic. Get to work boys.

I can tell he's brought someone - in this strange apartment renting ring -with more power. Not only because of what he is wearing but also because he seems to be the one telling the rest what to do and all questions are directed at him. He's wearing a shiny gray shirt, ironed gray trousers (they LOVE the monotone look) and black loafers. Most men were all beige and cotton shirts with sandals. The one seemingly in charge also happens to speak very good English which pleases me. So two of the guys start working on our broken screen door, Krishn sprayed for bugs and is scrubbing under the sink which, I kid you not, was black but supposed to be white. Mr. Shiny Shirt is chatting with another two and one guy (which we'll call the "electrician") has gone to look at some of the many wires growing out of the walls.

It would be unfair for me to say that they weren't working diligently. But not at all unfair to say that cell phone calls are ALWAYS answered (George says it's this way even at IBM - in the middle of meetings, it is not at all inappropriate to answer your cell phone). There was lots of chatter and laughter. Of course, none of which I could understand which instantly makes me feel like Elaine, from Seinfeld, going to get her nails done at an Asian salon. Finally, Mr. Shiny Shirt says to me "ok, ma'am, they will show you some things in the bathroom." And I learn that there is a switch to get the hot water to run in the bathroom and that the faucet will never completely turn off when the shower head is on. So you can imagine the kind of water pressure we get. Then they explain that they'll need to come back with more light fixtures. I don't even ask to get ones that match. I can sense that would be too much. They then show me they've fixed the lock on one window.

At this point, I ask about the kitchen. In addition to the spiders, we couldn't get any hot water in the sink. So my buddy Krishn is still slaving away under the sink and I say, "excuse me, what about the bugs?"
"Yes, yes, ma'am. No problem. I spray."
He shows me the Indian version of Raid and says, "see, they already dead." Lovely. He also informs me, "I come back, one week and spray again."
"You'll come back and spray again in a week?" I ask to clarify.
"Yes, yes, ma'am. No problem. See it kills everything, ants, roaches, everything." Lovely.
Then I ask about the hot water. Krishn tries the faucet and nothing comes out when you turn the hot. He tries again. Then calls to one of the others. They talk for a minute, then call to Mr. Shiny Shirt who acts like he has no idea what the problem is.
"Yes, ma'am, what is the problem?"
"There's no hot water in the sink."
He comes over and looks out the window above the sink. "No, there is not."
"Right, but we'd like hot water in the sink."
As it turns out, the hot water pipe doesn't come to that part of the building so it is impossible for us to have hot water in the sink.

Meanwhile, while all this activity is taking place here, I'm IMing George with updates. As I try to clarify that they cannot fix the hot water in the sink, we'll just have to make do without, I think about the washer which is not 5 feet away from the kitchen. Knowing the answer, I ask hopefully, "can we get hot water in the washer?"
"No ma'am. But you have hot water in the bathrooms!"
He neglected to say that the hot water runs for about two minutes before it gets cold again.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Shiny Shirt took my key to get a duplicate made and said he would be back in 20-30 minutes. This was about 12:30. I still had not gotten any new sheets or pillows and was desperate to leave. Krishn stayed and cleaned the bathrooms and floors - though opted not for a mop - but to use his hands and knees. Finally, after lots more nonsense of "oh, yes, yes, ma'am, we'll be done and have your keys back by 1:30," I am able to leave at 3. Luckily shopping was a pleasant experience.

We are going to buy a new mattress this weekend because we don't think it's that expensive and although I've repressed it, I once had a bad experience with bed bugs, or so I've been told.

On a different note, I was on my way back from "The Home Stop" store yesterday, when I heard what sounded like a parade - drums and tambourine-like sounds. As we got closer, I could see people gathering to get a look - like something was going on. Sure enough, there was a shoeless man in ratty clothes banging on a drum with other people following him, singing and playing other types of drums. Behind them was a a truck, like the kind you would see on a farm with wood rails on back, pick-up end, with what had to be 2o+ people jammed in. On the front of the truck was the image of a man with a ring of flowers (like a Hawaiian lai) draped like a necklace around his face. I asked Chandan what it was and he said, "someone died." They did not look like they were part of a funeral. It was like a parade.

They were supposed to be here an hour and half ago to finish some more things but alas, they are not here. So, I'm off to try to find a shower curtain. I've been having the hardest time finding one.

There is so much we see on a daily basis that I can't seem to share it fast enough. I try to tell you the interesting parts but it is all really interesting. The way they interact (with me and each other), what they do in the streets and in stores and on the sidewalks...so thanks everyone for your comments - it lets me know people are reading!