5k in Hyderabad

Well we managed to get out of bed bright and early this morning for some much needed exercise!  We joined some colleagues and a group of expats working for Deloitte and did our first 5k in Hyderabad!  The sun was still rising and it was already hot out...I understand why the race started at 7AM.  Unfortunately our jogger stroller is on a boat somewhere between the US and India so we put Thumper in the backpack and tried to jog for the first mile.  Thumper wasn't having much fun bouncing around and pretty quickly started tapping Pancho's back saying "all done Dada, all done!"  So we walked the rest of the way but it was just as fun.  

The race was along the Hussain Sagar Lake which is one of Hyderabad's 'places to see' and it was beautiful.  The smell was a little over powering at times and once you get to the shore you quickly realize that this lake is not for swimming but from afar it is wonderful.  In the middle of the lake there is a large statue of Buddha and I believe there are boats you can hire to take you out to the center....we aren't quite up for that yet.

Before the race started a few Indians tried taking pictures of Thumper with their cell phones and I politely said, "no photos, please."  It wasn't working very well and I was just getting frustrated.  We had been warned that this happens and had decided that we'd rather people not photograph him without our consent.  Then the race started.  I wouldn't be surprised if our pictures are on Facebook pages throughout the country.  People were taking pictures of us left and right.  People who looked like they were the race organizers, people in plain clothes, there were video cameras from news stations that jogged with us a while as we nervously smiled and kept going.  We have now decided that we will go crazy trying to keep Thumper out of photos...and have succumbed to India's curiosity.  Look for us on TV24 :-)  I did discover that my Telugu is much better when I'm angry and I got my point across with one photographer who just wouldn't stop even after we gave him a few polite smiles.

All in all, the race was fun and it was great to get out and see more of the city.  Below are some photos from the morning.

Backing up a little, we have finally adjusted to India time and have pretty much settled into our apartment.  We won't get our stuff from Seattle for about a month or so but we are slowly acquiring things that make this place more like home...a mango tree, a guava tree...you know.  We also found a great cheap framing store and just got a bunch of photos framed so hopefully we'll get them on the walls soon.

We have hired a driver as well as a housekeeper who helps watch Thumper and cooks South Indian food twice per week.  They are both awesome so far and life is so much easier with their help.  Hiring people to help us has been a challenge for us personally but it really is culturally how it works.  Not to mention, I am terrified of driving here and there are no street signs or addresses so without help we would be in trouble. 

Pancho, Thumper, and I have crossed the street on foot FOUR times by ourselves!  I will get a picture on here soon that shows why that's such a big deal.  Here is an example of what the roads in our area look like.  Imagine crossing I-90 one lane at a time by simply putting your hand out and hoping the buses stop.  Okay, they're only going about 40mph but it's crazy nonetheless.  

I love my job and am slowly getting up to speed with my interviews.  I'm doing about half of what my colleagues are currently doing but you have to start somewhere!  I've done one full day of Telugu interviews and am starting to get back into the language groove.  Our driver laughed a little when I told him I would be doing interviews in Telugu :-)

We are doing great and are really enjoying all that India has to offer!  It has definitely been the biggest cultural shock I've experienced and I'm sure there will be both good and bad days to come but for now we can't believe we get paid to do this!

Legs

Hussain Sagar Lake

Buddha Statue

Let the race begin!

Along the route...

Public Urination...totally common

Trail next to the lake.  We were running on the road.

Also along the route...don't worry, it's non ionizing radiation.

Around 2009 we made a 'visulization' list of where we wanted to be in the next couple of years.  It included having a baby, moving somewhere hot, moving somewhere with palm trees, living abroad, and having a motorcycle (that one was Pancho's and he's pretty close to convincing me that it's safe???).   Look where we are now...Thumper came, India is hot and there are palm trees.  Pancho almost has a motorcycle.

Note the thick black bunch of cables entering the top floor bedroom in the green building.