Bheed

This posting is about my first day spent in Philippines,

I went Philippines for a project there, i had my local partner Joie and from bank side it was Ailee who was going to supervise me for next 4 months,
first time i entered the Manila capital of Philippines it looked weired to me all strange peoples dressed in many colorfull dresses like in movies different houses, It was my first trip abroad, i reached to my hotel around 3:00 pm i had shower and as i was ironing my shirt phone rang, other end hello can i talk to Mr. Vinod please i replied yeah Vinod here may i know who is it ? she replied your local parner Joie i said ohho ok ok, she asked why are you late i just said flight was late so that i have reached just now she said ok, i will be there in 15 mins. Be ready we need to see your bank project manager Ailee i said fine, and hung up.

Suddenly, i realized i have not taken anything since morning, i first finished my ironing and then i found some fruits on the tables, i hardly chedewed them just swallowed them and rushed to see Joie, she was looking like a North-Eastrn girl to me anyways we started from there.

Joie looked sckeptical and asked have you ever implemented AMLA before and like a well trained parrot i replied definetly before this i have worked on two indian projects, she just tried to give explaination that you are very young so i asked, in my mind i thought damn! i should have come with some makeup to look old soon after i got busy wih her asking some technical stiff, so that she could not gess that this is my first implementation it really worked now she
was looking a little more confident.
Well after a while we reached to our destination XXXBank Roxas boulivard building, we both got down Joie paid the fair then we both went near the front gate of XXXBank Joie instructed me to wait outside and she went in i started thinking "from day one only she is behaving like my mother, what the heck, how am i going to work with this lady?" which proved wrong later, well after waiting for a while both ladies came out, i was surprised seeing that girl she was like 7th grade school girl very thin, lean with a black ladies coat on, i thought is she my project manager???

well i said nothing we shook hands and she started asking about project she asked will you be able to finish this project in time as the timelines are very strict, i said definitely, Joie asked when we can start? i replied right now. Knowing that its already evening. Joie - tomorrow we will meet Richard he is also works with me, i replied okay then Ailee took me upstairs to meet all IT peoples, i was talking all positives but in my heart i was scared i had no idea what will be my next step or what am i going to do tomorrow.


Well there was this wiered thing i observed, entire staff i met all consisted of ladies, i said in my mind who cares after meeting all of them we Joie and i started from there after coming out i once again shook hands with Ailee just for courtsy, then they started talking and laughing in Tagelo their local language they were repeating one word GWAPO very often, i could not understand anything then before leaving Joie asked me shall i drop you to the hotel or you can go by your own?.

My mail ego did not allow to accepted her proposal, i said its ok. I will manage she departed then i also started looking for taxi indication address on the Hotel business card. finally one taxi driver stopped his taxi he said something in his native language i was so tired that i said yes yes, finally we started and then after spending 15-20 min. in his taxi, i realized i am again passing by the same street, went crazy as i was so tired. I knew he is fooling me but i was ignorant of the place so just said, if you want i can pay you extra buck but don't waste my time he said no no and took U turn and in next 30 mins. we were in hotel i gave him 130 pesos and thought now i can rest.


This was the first time i was going to stay in a hotel, I climb the stairs and in reception i asked for keys and with a lot of smile both girls in the reception got busy searching my key, one of them said here it is, then thank you sir, i was like how someone can wear that smile 24x7 even without a break, that day i realized what hospitality industry is all about.

I rushed to my room room# 1001. I just threw my cloths, shoes here and there and jumped into the bed soon i fall asleep, just when i was in the middle of my dream i realized i need to feed, i am hungry, i forced myself to get up again. i put on my same shoes and cloths as i was very much reluctent to open my suitecase and find my casuals, i came to down stairs and in reception asked what is the provision here for food?, They started to explain with great enthusiasm but i interrupted and asked is food cheap outside or here in hotel? is there much difference they? did not say anything, they thought for a while and said yes sir one of them helped me by showing a nearby hotel, they suggested its not expensive and food is also very good sir, our many customers go there. i smiled and thanked them for their assistance and rushed to the hotel.

I hardly go out to try something new i like homemade food, i knew the names Pizza and Burger and other stuffs but had never tried them before, for me they existed only in names and in pictures, but i always trusted marwadi thali than pizzaor burger, anyways there is always the 1st time of everything, i guess it was mine, i pushed myself in with courage, in india i knew burger looks like a wada paav, but in that hotel verity was so huge, i was unable to decide and as i am a hindu i took precaution to not to take anything that has beef or pork in it, this time my religion helped me a little hahahahaaaaa, as now my list cut down with almost 10 verities which does not had beef or pork, So now i had 10 varities of chicken i looked at the french fries it came down to 3 then out of that list i chose one. Don't ask me how i finalized on "chicken wings". well i had my meal it was not that bad, infact it was great it was almost 10:00 pm, suddenly it ocurred to my mind that Joie asked me to buy new sim. I at the hotel reception paid for my food and rushed out of the hotel looking for any mobile or grocery shop there was one shop 7x11 which later only i found that is a very big chain.

Anyways i asked the person Do u have Globe sim??? he replied yes sir, "Joie already told me that you buy GLOBE simcard its very good", I paid 500 pesos and 1000 pesos for recharge and came out of the shop, i installed new sim card in my mobile and recharged, it said "Dear customer, Your account has been loaded with 1000 pesos thank you", i immediately called home, on the other end voice appeared

Sister - hello ???
I - hello then again
Sister - are bhaiya aap pahunch gaye
I - haan re pahunch gaya
Sister - khaana waana hua
I - ho gaya re woh sab rehne de main baad main call karunga maine bas itna batane ki lye call kiya ki main theek se pahunch gaya hoon mammy kahan hai???
Sister - ruko bulati hun, in background "mummy jaldi aajaao bhaiya ka phone hai"
I - aaram se aane ko bol gir naa pade, i can wait.
Mom - Hello bhaiya pahunch gaya?
I - namaste mummy haan papa ko bol dena chinta naa karen yahan main theek hun, abhi yahan bahut raat ho gayi hai kal baat karta theek hai
Mom - are abhi toh yahan 7 hi baja hai.
I - haan 4 ghante ka time difference hai india aur Philippines main.
Mom - thek hai apna dhyaan rakhna bye, GN.
ME- ok bye

Then i hung up in hurry thinking of something else.

Now i came back to the hotel and started thinking to call Nas, I kept thinking for almost one hour whether to call her or not then i decided no, i should not give any wrong indications that might hurt her later on if i could not make my parents understand or if i could not do well in my job, its hard but right for Nas, suddenly it came to my mind at least i can hear her voice i dialled her number her phone rang, may be because it was an unknown unmber she took a while to receive it. Finally a voice appeared from the other end "Hello", I was silence, pindrop silence was there in my room, she again asked "Hello kaun hai?" I did not reply anything, my eyes were closed i could listen her voice only, suddenly she cut the phone. I again dialled her number after thiking twice, she again asked "Hello", i did not say anything controlling my urge to talk to her, she also silently waited for some time to get the response from the other end, but i said nothing and hung up just thinking about her. Without making any noise, i just went into the bed and fall asleep.
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