Weekend update with Seth Meyers

Seth Meyers isn't here, unfortunately, so I'll have to do this update myself. After 3 weeks I am getting more and more settled into Mumbai life. Still don't have a routine, but weekends aren't for routines anyway.

Started the weekend with a friend at a cute cafe she introduced me to. Unlimited sangria for  less than $10!!! I tried some delicious Indian Riesling, but I'll be going back here and will report on the Sangria. 

Saturday morning included a delicious omelet and fruit at the hotel's breakfast buffet. This is pretty much my standard morning routine, but on Saturday I could sit for a while and enjoy my new book while I ate. Only 12% done, but I highly recommend 11/22/63 by Stephen King. 

Always the domestic goddess, I spend a while relaxing at my place and  got some chores done. By my last count I haven't had  a washing machine to use (without quarters) in 15 years.

I spent a while relaxing with the paper and got some great financial advice. 

Sorry Sudoku, i found a new favorite daily newspaper challenge.

Thought you might like to read another's opinion on India.

Here is further proof of my domestic Saturday. Ironing can be so gratifying. 

Saturday night I enjoyed some of the night life here in Mumbai: heard some live music with a friend. This is Nikhil D'Souza playing- he is my new favorite musician. Sadly he isn't on iTunes yet so I am on a hunt to find a CD to buy. 

Sunday started very early as I met up with a new running group. It is an international group that I ran with in Cambodia before. Hash House Harriers have unique running/scavenger style gatherings that always end with beer.  This is a view from the bus about 2 hours outside of Mumbai. Most of the running happened on the hill you see in the fog.  

The run started out in a cute little village. 

But quickly we got into the jungle

The trail soon became a river. 

And we encountered some VERY slippery areas. I have a nice bruise on  my  shin from a fall to prove the slickness of the  rocks.   

It only took about 30 minutes to get very lost. But we met some nice  farmers walking their cows in the hill to help us. 

Said cows

Finally we made it down off the mountain to another village. 

With some adorable fans to cheer us on our run. 

An hour and 40 minutes later- the beer promised at the end of the run!

And here is a photo of the hazing that goes on once everyone is back safetly. That's a huge block of ice we had to sit on. 

Had to include this photo of squat toilet? commode? neither? both? 

Sight Seeing

It seems like many of my wonderful friends are quite international and have a friend or a friend of a friend in Mumbai. I have had email introductions to over a dozen people in town. On Saturday one such contact, Nikhil, offered to take me to see the sights in Mumbai. He suggested we go walk around the neighborhood of the Gateway of India. I told him I had explored that area last weekend. And he kindly informed me that there isn't much else to do in Mumbai. So we went again. Below are pictures from my two visits to the south of Mumbai.

The Gateway of India!! Probably the biggest tourist attraction, for foreigners and Indians alike.

Street sellers come up to the car all the time. This one was selling flags for the upcoming Independence  Day. 

A Citibank branch

The open air laundry- where most of the laundry in Mumbai gets done. 

Laundry drying

just your average street corner

fresh fruit

street tea

elephant statue at Jain temple

bangles for sale on the street

Bus stop downtown. Citi Pride! 

another laundry

shoes for sale

The famous Taj hotel. Across from the Gateway. 

Peppers and limes. Good luck. Seen all over town. 

Truck of chickens

Banyon tree. Love them! 

Gandhi 

Gandhi's one room residence

Another banyon tree. And a woman feeding pigeons. 

bucket list

I was bored yesterday and decided to sit down and write my bucket list- all the things I want to do before I die. It's not as morbid as it sounds. This isn't a to-do list (e.g., get shoes shined) or habits I want to adopt (e.g., write in a journal every day), but rather a list of significant activities that I am willing to work hard to experience. I decided I wanted to capture my life long bucket list, not just the things I have left to do. So I have included items I have already completed- marked with an (x).

Be a Peace Corps Volunteer (x)
Backpack across Europe (x)
Donate hair to Lock of Love for Cancer Patient (x)
Graduate College (x)
Own a home
Raise a child
Marry the love of my life
Live in another country (x)
Live in NY (x)
Live in San Francisco (x)
Hang out in the Olympic Village
Visit Israel with Birth rite (x)

That's as far as I got before I decided I needed some inspiration. I went to Google and as I suspected there were sites I could use to jog my memory for life goals I hadn't easily recalled:


Visit Australia
Knit a sweater (x)
Run a marathon (x)
Compete in a triathlon (x)
Heli Ski (x)
Road trip across the US (x)
Learn another language fluently (x)
Have a song written about/for me


An unexpected side effect of checking out these sites is I realized I have done some really fun things. Below is a list of things I stole from others' bucket list that I have done, but wouldn't necessarily put on my bucket list. What's on your bucket list?????

Ride a camel
Float in the Dead Sea
Stand in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah- at once
Visit the Hoover Dam
Hike the Grand Canyon
See a Broadway show
Sit in the audience of a TV show I like
Donate blood
White water rafting
Scuba dive
Ride in a hot air balloon
Ride a helicopter
Float in Blue Lagoon in Iceland
Go zip lining
Write something in wet cement
Ride a Segway
Take an underwater photo
Have a gay friend (someone really had on bucket list)
Rope swing into water
Visit Eiffel Tower
Throw a coin in Trevi fountain
Learn CPR
Camp in Yosemite
Ride a gondola in Venice
Rock climb
Go to Alcatraz
Visit top of Statue of Liberty
Have belgium waffles in Belgium
Sleep under the stars
Ride an elephant
Sleep in a castle
Jet ski

Dressing the part

                                  My new Indian outfit! So comfortable. I am standing by my cube!

And a photo of me and Poonam. That's her new outfit too!

Happy Independence Day India

Indian's Independence Day, Celebrated August 15th is a holiday commemorating India's independence from British Rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on August 15, 1947. India achieved independence following the India independence movement noted for largely peaceful nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience led by the Indian National Congress.

Independence Day is a national holiday in India and that means a day off from work! The flagship event takes place in Delhi where the Prime Minister hoists the national flag at Red Fort (see photo). The day is observed all over India with flag-raising ceremonies, parades, and cultural events. Citizens celebrate the day by displaying the national flag on their clothing and vehicles. Other activities include kite flying and time with family and friends.

How to contact me

By phone from US:
011+91+9167243339

By email:
rachel.bobruff@gmail.com

By Skype:
Rachel.Bobruff

By Text:
Whatsapp on your smartphone

By snail mail:
Grand Hyatt Mumbai
Off Western Express Highway, Santacruz (East),
Mumbai, India 400-055

Day 6

Today is day 6 at work and I am getting quite settled in. I have met with the head of HR in India, an extremely friendly woman, and have met with 5 of her 10 directs. My manager, Chandran- the head of compensation, is one of her directs. Other than meeting with these colleagues to learn about Citi in India, I haven't done much. It has been frustratingly slow getting my systems set up. Until 30 minutes ago I had a laptop with a couple keys that didn't work, so I have been using an external keyboard when I had to type those few keys. Now all I have left for set-up is get a power cord to plug in my laptop, get my ID updated so I have access to the building and toilets, and move servers from North America to Asia/pacific. All in good time.

I will be working in 2 main areas in compensation while here. One, I will own a population and be the direct compensation coordinator for the generalist and business lead to contact. I will be the first contact as we manage the year end process and determine how much money the group gets for bonuses and how to distribute. Then we will decide salary increases for each individual. I will review and approve all salaries and guarantees for new hires. Two, I will run a market analysis project to get a sense of salaries at our competitor companies in India.

Poonam

I have a friend! My cube is one of four in a small office and I sit next to a wonderful woman named Poonam. She is new to citi and new to Mumbai- a Delhi transplant. Today we went out in Bandra after work to look at some apartments for her. We did a little shopping too. She got some shoes and we both bought some Indian outfits they aren't saris, but I can't remember what they are called. They are mid thigh length and have slits up the sides. You wear them with leggings and they are sooo comfortable. Most women wear these in the office every day. Poonam and I are both wearing our new outfit tomorrow!

Below is a picture of the shoe store.

A nod to a country I've been thinking a lot about lately...