Incredible India!

For those who have never visited the world's largest democracy, I'd like to share a few reflections on my recent trip to Bangalore, India.

Let me start by explaining the purpose of my trip. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO is like NASA in the US) is one of the world's leading space agencies, and they recently purchased some of my company's software. I was there to teach a group of engineers how to use our software to make their missions easier, but I was teaching a room full of people who were operating India's first satellite orbiting the moon (only US, Russia, and Japan have also accomplished this).

I was 'teaching' some of the brightest space minds of a pool of over a billion people. Needless to say, it was very humbling.

And as humbling as it was to walk the halls where rocket scientists are planning missions to mars, it was not as eye-opening as the city surrounding the space campus.
This ISRO facility was set in Bangalore in southern India. Now the IT center of the country, companies like Microsoft and Intel call this city home to many large campuses. But the city once known as the 'Garden City' may have grown too fast for its own good, as can be said of many Indian Metropolises.

All these fantastic 21st century technologies are being developed in streets where basic sanitation and infrastructure are still catching up. The vast majority of India is immensely poor, and the city is a mix of millions of destitute laborers and high-tech businesses.
I think my pictures capture present-day Bangalore better than words, but try to imagine walking out on a loud, crowded, dusty street with people hanging off buses, cramming families of 6 into a 3-wheel rickshaw, cows meandering through traffic, children begging from slums, and the stench of waste drifts from almost every body of water.

All this set under a brilliant moon about which their countrymen have launched a satellite with a rocket built and fired just a few hundred kilometers away!

I think this is a testament to how far and how fast India has changed in recent years. The rural areas still live in mostly small, isolated villages, but ISRO satellites beam lessons into schools where no internet or cable have reached. In just a few decades India has developed an enormous middle class that is continuing to grow, and market-based principles are driving an economy that is facing the global economic downturn with a 4-5 percent positive annual growth rate.

There is hope in the eyes of the masses that navigate through the sea of humanity that is India. While it can be an assault to all your senses, India is full of rich history, architecture, religion, and diverse traditions. I am eager to continue to visit India as they make their move to modernity. I hope you get the chance to see it too.

More images: http://picasaweb.google.com/adam.gorski/India2009

Pictures from my colleague, Jens: http://www.jensnkim.com/photos/NorwayIndia09/

Fish Spa

In the spirit of "trying anything once," I went with Lauren and Jess to the spa, the fish spa. Originally used to treat patients with psoriasis, the "doctor fish" remove the dead skin from your feet. Basically its a pedicure with a twist.

As you walk up to the shop you see the small fish in the window - this is the point where I got a little anxious but Lauren had been before and knew what to expect. The room had a large tank in the middle surrounded by smaller tanks on the outside. We started with the small fish...

Yes, I pretty much freaked out. It was the weirdest feeling! The second you put your foot in the water the fish swarm them. The only way I got over the initial "ahh" was not to look at the fish and try to distract myself. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who has very sensitive feet. It can really tickle. After about 5 minutes it just starts to feel like jet streams in a hot tub. Lauren was right you just have to commmit to keeping your foot in the water.

After awhile got brave enough to try the big fish. You can really feel the individual fish biting your feet. Some of those suckers were almost as long as my foot. There was an adorable little girl just chilling with her feet in the water and I thought, if this little girl can stick it out with the big fish so can I. Here's some more pictures of our Saturday afternoon adventure.

Our First Guest!!

We had our first guest this weekend, Neil! He is one of Adam's friends from the UK and he stopped by on his way back to England after visiting his family in Australia. Any future guests can thank him for figuring out how to fit the sofa bed in the office.

We headed to a musician's bar on Saturday night, Actors. They have a house band that backs up whoever wants to sing or play. Neil was up there in no time and rocked the place!

We walked around for a bit on Sunday and Neil tried ice cream from one of the street vendors. You'll see that it's served in a different way than in the US...

My Favorite Place

I found my favorite place in Singapore, the Singapore Botanical Gardens. It's huge, free and gorgeous. We walked until our feet were sore and only saw about 1/4 of it. It's a great escape in the middle of the city. The open grassy areas were filled with people having picnics and families playing games like frisbee. A ton of adorable dogs were along for the trip with their owners too. A popular activity was feeding the giant fish in the lake that flocked to people who came prepared with bread. In another section of the gardens a steep hill served as the seating for and outdoor arena used for concerts throughout the year. We'll have to come back for that sometime soon.

The best part we saw was the National Orchid Garden. I'd never seen so many beautiful orchids in one place. Adam played photographer and got some pretty nice shots.

Getting into a Grove

I had a first hand experience with the bad part of living in a warm climate, bugs. I went to the kitchen this morning and was greeted by ants, ewww. I was comforted by the fact that we had already had a visit from the little guys in our hotel room and found out that it was very common. Most of the stores don't open until later around here (11-11:30) but I was there at 10 when the doors opened to Carefour (Singapore's Walmart) to get traps and spray. I think it's under control now.

Adam comes home tomorrow! (I'm choosing to ignore the fact that he leaves again the next day).

I've certainly been keeping busy at work, but I'm enjoying it. I've met some pretty adorable kiddos and even got to attend the George Washington Ball last Saturday at the Ritz Carlton with my colleagues. It's an annual event put on by the American Association of Singapore. This years theme was the 1920s and I didn't have time to get a dress until the day of. Luckily, I found a 20s "ish" dress at a department store. It was fun, but it would have been better with a dance partner, especially with the great swing band.

I'm waiting for the rain to stop so I can take a walk. It hadn't been raining too much when we first arrived - considering it is the rainy season - but for the past 2 weeks it's been coming down almost every afternoon.

I'm glad it's almost time for Spring Forward so I can be an hour closer to all of you =)