Category: Uncategorized

Washington DC- An immigrant’s Diary-Part I

The Journey of an immigrant- 

I was not born in this county, I was not born in the State, I wasn’t even born in this country. Its been close to 17 years for me in this country. An immigrant with aspirations, dreams and looking to touch and feel that I had only seen through postcards, movies and commercial clips and Time magazine. A few decades back I would have made my way on a steamer across the Atlantic, processed at Ellis Island and made my way into the Big Apple.

The sheer romance of this journey, the awe inspiring narratives were what my dreams started to be spun around. It took a British writer,  Jeffrey Archer to vividly describe the success of an immigrant from small town Poland. “Kane and Abel” that is the book. The graphic and vivid portrayal of Abel Rosnowski and his rags to riches story was the recipe for several of the west bound aspirants. And as time rolled by, the dream seemed to get far and further away with each passing year.

And then you start to wonder- Opportunities do not come around if risks are not taken. Life definitely gives you lemons, but being served lemonade is completely unheard of. If the New York bound ship is not docked for you at the harbor, then you start to look at options. You could still set out west but you may have to have a few pit stops. Now that is something that clicked inside me. I am thinking, even the Arabian peninsula is west of where I grew up.

The journey begins- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

It was an extremely sunny cloudless day in Oct 1995 (I later realized 364 of the 365 days are extremely sunny and cloudless) and I landed with a deep sense of foreboding, not sure what to expect but somehow fairly certain that I was a second class citizen. This is not fiction and the way the immigration officer waves me through I started to resent my own self, my seemingly impulsive decision to even set foot in the peninsula. And then the journey to a remote camp, 150 miles into the desert hugging the Red Sea was me slumped in the backseat, still unable to fathom the deep change that was happening right in front of me. Miles and miles of dunes, herds of camels, some of them on the back of Toyota pick ups and the relentless sun refusing to hide. Now I am starting to hallucinate- I am going to be asked to join a plethora of workers, whipped across my bare back and pull the huge pieces of rocks to create a pyramid like structure. Not entirely delirious but the projection of fears emanating into something evil.

I arrive at the camp and instead of running across the Bedoins or even hearing the Arabic dialect, I almost get run over by group of loudly chattering Filipinos. Then some Sri Lankans, some Indians then I spy some gringos. This was going to be my microcosm, a camp by the Red sea, by no means a resort but certainly not made up of stuff I had earlier imagined. Reality sinks in and the jet lag hits me. I am off to lala land.

To be continued……

 

Sights,Biking, Foods- Washington DC

DC denizens-

Its March, time for  march madness in some ways but its for me the hump month. A hump from the white side to the green side.And for me there’s not a better place for spring to arrive and so much so that the Cherry Blossom is getting here ahead of its schedule. The arrival of the Cherry Blossoms brings renewed kind of enthusiasm and while I am not complaining about the DC winter, just feeling the optimism in the air that accompanies the Cherry Blossom is something known only to those that live here and those who love DC.

Spring cleaning is not even a chore, there is something about it that makes you tick, get prepared for the azure skies, the perfect sunshine ahead. Get out there and do what feels right in this crisp spring time and carry this on through the summer. What do I want to do?

DC marinaMt Vernon

The Dawn-

I love to get myself out there and do my walk and jog trails. Rock creek park, Mount Vernon, C & O Canal, here I come!

And my bike is obviously not going to ride itself. Every trail in the area has its charm. For biking aficionados, a start with the fresh paved trails would set them up well for the rest of the season. Some of my tips-

1- Mount Vernon Trail- 36 mile, all paved, pretty and scenic but you could always start off at 10, may be 20 miles.Park at the Theodore Roosevelt Island. The other good part is just 8 miles from the island on the trail,you get into Alexandria, charming Alexandria. Just stop here and smell the roses, the cooking smells as you ride through town, the citizens moving at leisurely paces in no hurry whatsoever. Its an experience.

2- Rock Creek Park- You may want to until early summer to do this. An experience through the lush greens of the Beach Road, by the DC Zoo,Rock Creek park and then depending on how far you want to do, you could bike all the way to Georgetown while catching sights and sounds of the Tidal basin and all those fantastic monuments. Park at the beginning of Beach Road on the MD side.

3- Georgetown- After parking at the island, enter DC from the Georgetown side over the key bridge and get down to the river. You could go either side. Makes up for refreshing ride. The other good part about this trail is you get to go through the heart of Georgetown on M St. Smell of fresh brewing coffee, the cup cakery, the little quaint stores, the small eateries, I cannot see a better place to spend your Saturday morning.

The Dusk-

Not that winter ever stopped me, but the spring gives me even more. Any cuisine, any place, and if the temperature stays like its been past few days around 75, I would absolutely prefer being out where I can get some spectacular views of DC across the river. A few locations for sure are worth the drive, but Alexandria, M St/Wisconsin Ave are just some that come to mind. And then of course getting right onto Dupont circle and its like being in a candy store of foods.

The writing is on the wall- Make the best of it and for sure when DC gives you lemons, squeeze every drop of it!

 

Women-Where art thou?

DEDICATED TO ALL THE FANTASTIC WOMEN I KNOW

Why do a special day for women? Aren’t they the partners, ideal foils to man?  Surely we do not perceive them as a different species; rather aren’t they the better half of mankind’s creation ? I sincerely hope this is not seen as a day to celebrate a milestone we haven’t jointly achieved but more of a recognition to those who continue striving towards a goal, that speaks of justice and total equality.

I somehow seem to have an issue with designating a special day for a group that in several ways have shown themselves more adept in several things than men. As I’d stated earlier, I do not consider lifting a 300 lb kettlebell as masculinity, so flaunting the so hyped macho-ism is what I consider as nothing more than sexist. To borrow a cliché, women have certainly come a long way since the feminist bra-burning rabble rousing. While that may have helped the cause, the state of womenkind in some medieval cultures continues basically unaltered. Womenfolk in the industrialized nations have evolved since the 50’s and where it was considered fairly regular to see them as “kitchen-keepers” its the third world and third world where issues arise.

Having lived in several parts of the world, it was a disheartening sight to view the wide chasm between the sexes. Even the so-called “forward”, progressive regions see them as nothing more than glamor dolls, sex objects and mothers. Now moving to the other end of Asia, where birth of girls is still seen as a curse in many cultures, it is evident we have not moved forward too much. And then to pile on other social issues, female infanticide, human trafficking in form of child prostitution and for that I can absolutely accept no excuses. It is vile, it is inhumane and needs to be stopped. As simple as that. Stopped.

If designating a day as Women’s day will actually help get us closer to eradicating these, so be it. But shouldn’t we be working towards resolving these issues everyday. Pray tell, what did we end up achieving on the 8th of March? Throw me a crumb and I’d be glad to substantiate.

The ugly war of words in the current GOP presidential primaries is yet another prime case of how women can be treated with disdain and be called names by people who look to get the popular votes. There can be no justification for this churlish behavior.

Through this piece and through efforts of many of my co-workers and friends, who I know agree with the concept of “Action trumps lip-service” , I would hope by the time we are at 08-Mar 2017, an objective statement of declaration can be made on strides taken to rid the world of generation old issues. May be at that time, we can actually celebrate achieving a milestone, not just treat it as a day to share futile greetings.

If you are a women and if you are reading this, I would love to hear about your perceptions.

Another heart rending piece from CNN- http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/04/world/sex-trafficking-horror-hope/index.html. DO WHAT YOU CAN TO STOP THIS!!!

Woman’s Day- A salute 

https://www.facebook.com/ashok.iyengar/posts/10208456048500020Say no and do what you can to:

#eradicate Female infanticide, child labor, human trafficking and NO to any form of prejudice 

It’s not about physical strength it’s not about flaunting your sexuality it’s about substance .

Bon Appetit- Washington DC

I am no critic, I do not belong to Zagat nor do I claim to have any special taste buds extraordinaire. But as an avid foodie, bent on exploring international cuisines in the DC region I present to you what’s yum and what’s not.

Washington DC has for sure, a lot to offer to tickle taste buds of someone who has limited meat eating abilities, not necessarily  finicky but certainly limited. Speaking from the perspective of someone who grew up in middle class cosmopolitan India, there was absolutely zero exposures to anything outside the traditional north Indian cuisines. Well may be Indian version of Chinese may have crept in towards the mid 80s. That’s about it. So with that as the backdrop, I am freely experimenting anything that DC has on offer. Indian food or curry houses are dime a dozen and have spawned across the region and even sordid looking places which actually could be sorry excuses for food are seen around the several strip malls in the area.

Indians as stereotypical as they may be lend credibility to this word. The only “eating out” is getting all excited at the sight of an Indian restaurant and of course when the weekend buffets are on offer, the trails of saliva have been known to resemble a Mumbai monsoons.

Getting out of the box and willing to venture out takes some doing, a bit of daredevilry accompanied by some adventure. Having done this for over 12 years now, I am going to stick my neck out and offer my opinions. Opinions as they they say is free but my only underlying message to people who have not been too exposed to some rather exotic cuisine is “just try it”. It may not turn on your palate but the trip and ambience are most certainly worth the efforts. And eating at the food courts do not count.

Italian- Maggiano’s, Chevy Chase- Awesome ambience, great wines and great value for your $$

Thai- Mai Thai, Georgetown- Great variety of dishes for the veggies too, with that warm Saki to wash it all down

Indian- Rasika, Westend (Dupont circle)- You need to plan for this, you have to book weeks in advance if you want to get in for prime time dinner slot. A little on the expensive side but this place blows me away all the time

Ethiopian- Try Das, M St, Georgetown- Its not too dissimilar to some version of Indian grub. Spicy for sure and the townhome settings makes it for an amazing experience.

Turkish- Zaytinya, 9th St NW, DC- Small portions, great wine selections and some super mouth watering appies and entrees. Its a lively place and brings cheer to the inner self. Still have to book a few weeks in advance to get in at a decent hour.

Peruvian- The spice levels of the food at the Cochina is a place for a special occasion.Not too much for the veggies though.Bit pricy, I suppose.

Asian fusion- Banana Leaf, Florida Ave- A nice informal townhome setting, the array of choices from a fusion cuisine of Malay, Indonesian, Thai and Japanese is an absolute must for the curry munchers or the not not so curry inclined too.

Now if you were to decide to go for a mean steak or lobsters, your options grow exponentially.

Bon Appetit!

 

The Interview series- Feedback sought

I hope you’ve been enjoying reading the last few interviews published on this blog site. I am trying to cut a swath of a good cross section of professionals ranging from Americans to Aussies to Indians. The next step is to get insights into some female professionals who have IMG_0958.JPGmade it in life.

I am hoping this will further keep the enthusiasm alive and attract more readers. Thanks for the comments and keep them coming

Gerard Van Den Broek- An interview

Starting this month, this site will publish question & answer sessions from a selected group of seasoned professionals across several fields of expertise. The idea is to have these people share their backgrounds and experiences with a wider audience and have our readers and followers get something out of it.

The first of the series is a chat with Gerard Van Den Broek is a Construction professional from Australia and he shares with us his insights.

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Q- What is your profession and tell me about yourself, your background

A-  Construction Professional, started in the industry as a boilermaker apprentice in 1987 for a heavy earthmoving and structural fabricator/erector. On completion of the apprenticeship I moved to central Queensland and began working maintiance and construction jobs ranging from coal fired power stations , cyanide facilities, alumina refineries, aluminum smelters, explosive plants, glass manufacturing facilities, acid plants and also ship refits for the South pacific Navy. After some time in the industry I left to study a bachelor of science, applied Biology industrial chemistry (Central Queensland University). During this I worked part time for the department of primary industries as a field hand doing research for the barrier reef and sugar cane industry. Before completion of this I returned to the construction industry and continued both study and work.

After numerous years working my way up to a superintendent level for various companies I Joined Bechtel on the Camalco project in Gladstone in 2003 as a seconded CBI supervisor. I then worked fly in fly out for CBI on the north west shelf and later joined Bechtel again in 2008 for Yarwun stage 2. From their I moved to Worsley for 3 years and then Wheatstone for 4 years, currently still with Bechtel working pre feeds in Houston Texas USA.

Q- What drove you to choose this career path?

A- I have always enjoyed building even as a child building model airplanes, go carts, cubby houses, the reward is in finishing a build and the sense of accomplishment associated with providing a good product.

Q- Have you moved a lot for your profession and do you like travelling?

A- Yes, lots of moving as the work is always in different locations, the travel aspect is one of the benefits of the industry.

Q- What in your opinion are the three major traits to be successful in your profession?

A-  Be Innovative, Be a good Listener and have a thirst for Knowledge.

Q- What have been your biggest challenges over the course of your career?

A-  People, the old saying goes you please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time.

Q- Would you recommend this profession to young hopefuls?

A-  Yes this is a great industry and has lots of scope for energetic dedicated people, and you get to work yourself out of a job.

Q- What is your advice to young graduates and professionals?

A-  If you are unsure of what path to take in your profession that is ok, joining the construction industry, this industry has so many different functions and career paths that you will never be bored. And along the way you will meet opened minded individuals from all cultures and aspects of life.

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Snap poll- Your opinions matter

What, in your opinion, is the most significant issue facing mankind today?

  1. ViolenceIMG_0608

  2. Hunger/Starvation

  3. Climate change

  4. Commodity prices (Oil, minerals)

  5. Economic disparity

  6. Disease

Peru- A journey through a magical kingdom

My journey through South America has now taken me to new lands. Having done my almost regulation trip to Chile, Peru beckoned. Excitement was all I felt as I made my way to Incaland. Funny I think, as I recall a local Peruvian later told me how people know of Machu Pichu but the mention of Peru is met with an astounding look !! I had but a week in which not only to make the best out of my trip but also to ride up to 14,000 ft to indulge in some training on a Copper concentrator my company is building in the Peruvian Andes.

For a non- South American, the appeal of Peru starts and ends with Machu Pichu, the Lost city of the Incas. That’s exactly what I did. Arriving into the historical city of Cusco (pronounced Cosco if you are an Inka) is an experience in itself. Perched at 11,000 feet you start to feel the high altitude and physically fit or not, shortness of breath is not an uncommon phenomena . Cusco is the capital of the Incas. The Inca Empire had over 9 million citizens in the 14th century. That is truly amazing. You start to get the sense of their advanced way of life and their administrative structure when you consider that magnitude. Cusco was the city that Spanish conquestadors got to , led by Fransciso Pizzaro and his band of 177 men in 1533. Machu Pichu was their second capital and was a residence for the elitists; philosophers, noblemen and a school that was an equivalent of a Brahminist society. That was however never discovered by the invaders. Cusco and all cities in the vicinity bore the brunt of the invasion. Injected with diseases unknown to the Incas, a vast majority of them perished.  What is truly amazing and awe inspiring is the the journey from Cusco to Machu Pichu. Contrary to popular belief, you actually travel downhill from Cosco. From 11,000 ft to 8,000 ft.   A 90 min car ride to Ollantaytambo, then a 100 min train ride in InkaRail to a Agua

Calientes station and then a 20 min bus ride to the top. That’s when it srikes you. The majestic fog covered mountain stares at you with the grandeur of the Inka Kingdom truly comes to light. Everything seems insignificant at the first sight of the magnificence. Then the reality and the realization of the architecture, the terraced slops for agriculture, the highly advanced solar clock, the sun temple, its all surreal. The Inka Pachakuti watches over you as you explore the area and a million camera flashes popping.  The architecture , especially the masonry by means of interlocking keys in the stones and how they have withstood the centuries is not something you would expect in that part of the world. As everyone says and agrees, “Its once in a lifetime experience” and no, it is not over rated at all, unlike the Niagara Falls, may be.

The area around Cusco which accounts for the rest of the Empire; Pisac, a city where the farmers delved. This is the place where they discovered over 5,000 Inka mummies. A city which was one of the many raided by the conquestadors still retains the original drinking water fountains. I felt like Tintin in Prisoners of the Sun. I was half expecting a Llama to spit in my face.

Cusco is the heartland of the Incas. Inca-pharma, Inca-foto, Inca-cola , its all about the Incas.

Peruvian people and food. Wonderful . That’s how I can summarize. Peruvian food with its own blend of spices would appeal so much to an Indian tongue and when accompanied by the lovely Peruvian hospitality tastes even  better.  Rest of Peru? Well from what I have seen on my way upto the mines is another impoverished third world economy. Peru with its copper and Molybdenum should find a way out of the misery of its people and progress and follow Chile’s example and you would hope they don’t go the way of their eastern neighbors.

Overcrowded urban centers in Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo and Cusco make up for probably around 60% of the population and it is uncertain if the existing infrastructure can continue to sustain this growth. Spirits of people can take some battering sometimes, but not everyday, everytime.

A trip upto the 14,000 ft mine site
had its own challenges, not least the eight hour ride in a pick up truck and the trip down was accompanied by fog, rain and several 3,000 ft drops, all that on a 100% dirt road. Challenges and opportunities do not come unattached. With every challenge you see an opportunity and that’s what the journey is all about.