Email from sister in Delhi:
“So saw 7 places this morning – they are massive (3 bedrooms) and in ex-pat areas. But generally they are a bit shabby – bathrooms are old, cupboards dark and far too many chandeliers. Also maybe it’s the level 2 area because the diplomats who would be my neighbours are from strange countries – Iran, Azerbaijan, Cyprus
and one place I’d never heard of.”
Phone call from sister in Delhi:
Her: There are 40 people working in the local office here and aside from the general manager’s secretary and me they’re all men.
Me: Mummy’ll be delighted, maybe you’ll meet some nice man.
Her: No, they’re all already married.
Me: What all of them??
Her: Well, once you’re over a certain age here, you tend to be married; it’s all arranged weddings.
Her: But we’re interviewing.
Me: How many female candidates?
Her: Er, none.
Her: I feel a bit vulnerable as a woman on my own here. You don’t see any women on their own on the streets, so I’m looking for accommodation far enough from work, so that I can get driven. Did I tell you that I have a car and a driver?
Me: Splutter.
Her: It’s very different from China [where she worked for a bit and people kept stopping her on the street to take her photo because she was the only westerner they’d ever seen and check out those weird blue eyes].
Me: I suppose.
Her:Somehow, I felt less foreign there and it was less intimidating. Sigh. I suppose that I’ll get used to it.
Me: And you’ll have a driver and chandeliers.
Text message from my sister at 6.00 this morning (of course I was up, why do you ask?): Just saw my first cow on the street.
Me to Mr. Waffle: Gosh, fancy that, how exotic.
Him: Jeez, they have cows there too.
I don’t think that he’s getting into the spirit of things.
Comments
oneideaperday
on 15 February 2006 at 09:41
A cow on the road over hear is a pain in the arse. A cow on the road abroad is exotic. It’s that simple.
poggle
on 15 February 2006 at 09:53
I nearly ran into a cow on the east coast road in Malaysia – so I was almost the pain in its arse.
(And be very, very careful how you respond to that statement, oipd ….)
UndercoverCookie
on 15 February 2006 at 10:16
having a driver is not quite as decadent as people assume. He won’t be in a chauffeur’s uniform and open the door for her. He’ll be a small man with a sweaty back whose job it is to drive a lot and a wait around a lot more. It’s not a well-paid job and involves a lot of sitting around and the hours are long. The biggest advantage of having a driver is never having to park and also being able to send him to collect someone, pick up items from the post office, drop off a borrowed jacket to a friend’s and all manner of little errands like that.
oneideaperday
on 15 February 2006 at 10:24
Pog, I have no idea what you mean. Almost drove up it’s arse eh? That would have been a bit of a bugger and no mistake. The cow certainly would have got a bum deal. And his owner would no doubt have told you to sod off. Those watching would have cracked up though. (Ouch – apologies for that last one).
poggle
on 15 February 2006 at 10:32
*sighs*
dmts
on 15 February 2006 at 10:50
Yeah, you’d have been right in the shit and no mistake.
oneideaperday
on 15 February 2006 at 11:08
Now that’s just dirty.
dmts
on 15 February 2006 at 11:09
Uh? Right.
poggle
on 15 February 2006 at 11:39
And this from the man who said ‘cracked up’ H. Tch.
belgianwaffle
on 15 February 2006 at 12:55
OK, you lot, clean it up. You know who I mean. Ta for the sweetie though, Heather. And the explanation UC, I intend to forward it on to the sister, but I suppose she already knows…
