ma beirut odyssey
TRANSCRIPT
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MaBeirutodysseyUh!NotreallyAlbert,comeletsreviewthatdrawing
Ijustjumpedoutofmyseat.Ohshit!Itwasoneofmydaydreams!!!!Mamhasnot
calledme yet. It has been quite a few days like this, to be precise, from the day Iwas
inductedtothecoreteamofshopdrawingreviewers. InfactIwasoneofthefounding
membersofthisteam.Thejobsoundssimple,allwehavetodoistofindsomemistakesin
the shop drawing made by the contractor so that we can sent in backwith revise &
resubmit stamp. But the easiness makes the drawing her least priority, and her least
prioritytasks
are
scheduled
for
after
hours
which
is
after
6:30
in
theevening.Soduringthe
day, i.e. frommorning8Oclock till6:30pmweusedtoreview thedrawingsourselves
and later intheeveningweusedtoreview italongwithMamtill10Oclock inthenight
(kindof4guysdatinganaunty).Itwasatoneofthosereviewinghourtodaywhenyou
justsawmejumpingoutofmyseat.
WhatshallIdonow?
Itried
reading
about
ma
bike
&
wrote
areview
myself.
Recently
Ihad
bought
anew
bike. I tried to learnaccounting, tried tosolveothersproblems throughgoogle,chitchat,
andeventriedtoilet(went13timesinaday,record.ThesweeperstaredatmewhenIwent
for13th
time),triedsomeseriousreading(electricalstuff).Butintheendeverythingturned
outtobeboring.
Howaboutscribblingaboutsomething?
Yeah,lets
give
it
atry.
But
what
shall
Iwrite
about?
Ihave
zero
experience
in
writing.Other than those essayswhich Iwrote in exams,which are not so creative (my
marksproveso),Ihavenotwrittenanythingelse. Buteveryonestartsfromzero,soletme
write. Lets seewho among those celebratedwriters hasmore creativity thanme huh!.
Bravome!!!!!!!
IhaveaninterestingthingtowriteaboutMaBeirutodysseyuh!Notreally.Itwas
justan
official
trip.
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Wait there, Illbebackafter sometime. Ihave to takepart in themost important
ceremony intheofficeTheLunch!Idont like it.,Ijust love it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Iwillbe
rightback.
Yep Iamback.ComingbacktoourBeiruttrip.Oh letmegiveyouthebackgroundof
the story. I am awell fed (I prefer this usage than overweight)well brought upwell
educatedyounghandsomegentlemanworkinginoneofthecompaniesinoneofthemajor
ITparks in India.Weare the Indiandesignarmofa foreignMNCconsulting firmdoing
largecommercialresidential&infrastructureprojectsbasedinBeirut.Iwassentalongwith
othertwoengineerstoBeirutofficeforsomegoddamnreason(employeeexchange).
It was in one of those nights when we (my mallu roomies) were having our regular
discussionabouteverythingunderthesun girls&aunties,Igotaphonecall.Thenumber
lookedcompletelyunfamiliartome, fromsomewhereoutside India. Ithought itwouldbe
mybrother.Butthevoicewasthatofawoman,yeahthesameoldMam,whowasonher
vacation in her home town inBeirut. Iwill not say that its not exciting to visit another
foreigncountry,butitwasthefactthatIllbeawayfromherclutchesforanother3months
whichfilled
my
heart
with
overwhelming
joy.
All
paper
works
were
completed
within
no
time, theyve verygood contacts in Lebaneseministryof internalaffairs.Visawas issued
withintwodaysandticketscamethenextdayandwewerescheduledtoflyon22/06/2009,
morning6:30am,fromMumbaiviaBahraininGulfair.
21stjune2009,Allsettogo.Itwasabeautifulnightinjunethattooinpunewiththe
skyfilledwithdarkclouds,notevenasinglestarintheview.Westartedataround1:30am
frompunetoMumbai.Thistravelwasnotanoteworthytravel.Allthreeofuswereexcited.
Theother twoengineerswereSankhe&goggu.Weknoweachotherverywellandwere
quitenormal, lazyguyscompared to thoseworkaholics inouroffice.Thatwasoneof the
bestthingaboutthisgroup.ItwouldhavebeenanunpleasantstayinBeirut,ifitwerewith
oneofthoseworkaholics.Bothofthemwereinterestingcharacters,Ill letyouknowmore
about themas thestorylinedevelops.Sankhehadmultiplegirlfriendsandmanages them
verywell.Allhisgirlfriendsknoweachotherandaregoodfriends(oooooh!!!hesamacho
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man,butmaintainsa lowprofile).Gogguhadhismarriagefixed,sotherewasnoscopeof
havinggirlfriends.
Westarted
our
baggage
screening.
The
sarkari
babu
on
duty
was
very
curious
about
us.ThreeengineersgoingtoBeirutforinductionprogram(whichcompanyofearthwillhave
theirheadoffice inBeirut).Somehowwemanagedtoconvincehimandproceededtothe
checkin.
Whichseatdoyouprefersir
Thatseatnexttoyou.Imutteredinmymind.
Anyseatwilldo,butthreeofusshouldbetogether
Noproblemsir
Andasusualtheseatsallottedtouswereonthethreecornersoftheflight.
We proceeded to thewaiting area andwaitedpatiently for the security check to
commence.MumbaiairportiscomparabletoanyotherinternationalairportinMiddleEast
andbetter
than
both
Cairo
and
Beirut
airports.
Isaw
the
coffee
shop
from
where
Idrank
coffeeforRs125,whiletravellingtoDubaiwithRony.Thistimewedidntventureintothat
coffeeshopsincetherewasnoRonywithustopay.RonyisourLebanesegroupleaderwho
getspaidhandsomelyforcomingallthewayfromBeiruttoanunderdevelopedcountry
likeIndia.Sankhewasonphone,asusual,tryingtoconsolemultiplegirlfriendsaskingthem
totakecareofeachother.Gogguisindeepsleeptiredofimaginingfunctions,ceremonies&
otherarrangementsformarriage.Iamtheoddoneoutandwaswatchingthepeoplesitting
inthewaitingarea.
Afterwaitingforsometimethesecuritycheckstartedandweweredeclaredcleanto
beboarded.ThesecuritypersontherehadadubiouslookatmeasifIwassometerroristor
as ifIwastooheavytobetransportedbyapassengeraircraft.Ithinkhesnotveryhappy
withthegovt.decisiontohaveseparatefemalesecuritystafftoscreenfemalepassengers.
Againwaiting!!!!!!!!.Afteraboutanhourtheyannouncedboarding.Wehurriedtothebus
asifwe
were
flying
for
the
first
time.
But
the
initial
acceleration
during
takeoff
is
really
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breathtaking. Iamalwaysfascinatedbythat.Duringmychildhood Iusedtothinkthatthe
entirepowerduring the flight comes from that initial thrust,just like ahandmadepaper
airplane.Thankgod,itwaswrong.OtherwiseIwouldhavebeenrippedapartbythatinitial
thrust.Nowwedecidedtointerchangeourseatssincetherewasnotemptingbeautysitting
next to anyone of us, and our co passengers were cooperative though they were
uninteresting tous.So Ishifted to theseatnext toSankheandGoggushifted to theseat
behindus.
Toourgreat luck the flightattendant responsible foroursectionwasahandsome
mid aged man! I decided not to eat if hes going to serve me. Manhood is a big
disqualificationfor
aflight
attendant.
It
could
be
another
measure
to
cut
cost
by
that
ailing
airlinescompany.Theonlyconsolation foruswas theregular tripsbyattendants inother
area,especiallytheoneservingbusinessclass.SinceIwasintheedgeseat,Ialwaystriedto
squeezeinwhileshespassing,butyouknowitsnotmyfaultthatImbitoverbuilt.Asusual
thesafetyinstructionsillustrationstarted.IleanedforwardtofindifIcouldseeanythingin
business class. Theywere serving black tea& candy to the esteemed passengers. Those
were the last few glimpses of business class. After sometime the curtain was closed,
interruptingmyview.
Theflightwasapleasantone.There isnotmuchworthmentioninghereaboutthe
flight.We had to transit atBahrain airport. In the flight fromBahrain toBeirut, Imet a
youngladyfromNepal.ShewasgoingtoBeiruttoworkasdomesticlabourbutshewasnot
verymuchinterestedtogotoBeirut.Itmightbetheconditionsbackhomethatforcedher
towork there.TherearemanyNepaleseandBangladeshisworking inBeirutasdomestic
help.Another
interesting
fact
about
Lebanon
is
that
it
has
got
only
two
permanent
resident
Indians. 181 countries out of 183 countries recognized by UN have got Indians residing
permanently,outofwhichLebanonenjoys181stpositionwithjust2Indiansaspermanent
residents.
As the crewprepared for landing, theenchantingaerial viewofBeirutwas slowly
uncovered through the windows. It was different, definitely different from all other
countriesin
Middle
East.
As
you
touch
down
any
other
airport
in
Middle
East,
the
first
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glimpsesofthedesertcitywillmakeyoureluctantto landthere.ButBeirutwasdefinitely
different,notevenasmallpieceoflandwascoveredwithsand.Itwasfullgreenwithpine,
pear tree,orange treeand themost important,TheCedars.The landscape isuniquewith
thecitylocatedinbetweentheseaandmountain.Insomeareasthemountaintouchesthe
seaforminghighcliffsthatsthebeautyof it.Thesevalleysarenotdesertedbyhumans,
everyinchinthoseslopesarepopulatedwithbeautifulhomesandsmalltowns.OurMam
livesinoneofthose.Butunfortunately,thisthickvegetationwasusedbydifferentmilitaries
andmilitiasasacoverfortheirguerillatacticsfromtimetotime.
Assoonas the flighttoucheddownandhaltedwedisembarkedandmovedto the
immigration.It
was
about
3O
clock
in
the
evening.
We
bought
the
stamp
for
$34
and
queuedfortheimmigrationofficertostamp.Hetookatleasthalfanhourforanindividual,
even though the processwas computerized.After immigration and baggage pick up,we
cameoutsidetheairportwhereourdriverswerewaitingforus.
AhlanAhlan
Theyshoutedatus.SincetherewerenootherIndianstravellingtoBeirutotherthan
those worked in our company, they were damn sure that we were their guests. They
showedusway to thecarandput the luggage inside thebootwhilewe slipped into the
seat.Thecitywasimpressive,youwontfeellikethecitywasdestroyedandreconstructed
frequently.Thestreetswerecleanandwellmaintained.Thebuildingsweretallandpainted
unlikeCairowheretheexteriorofthebuildingisnotpainted.Thepedestrianswereallwell
dressed & beautiful. The Lebanese beauty is world famous. After twenty minutes we
reachedTheParadiseResidency,thehotelwhereouraccommodationwasarranged.
16 hours travel is really tiring for any human being. This is true even for aDar
employee.Sowedecidedtotakeanapinrespectiveroomsinthecomfortofthickmattress,
madeinBeirut,Iguess.
Doyouthinkthatitsgoingtobeatrueandhonesttraveloguedepictingonlymyreal
experiencesandevents? Ifyouguessedsothenyouremistaken. Itllbeboring if Ido the
way
you
expect.
There
will
be
only
a
thin
line
separating
the
real
events
and
events
evolved
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outofmyimagination.Apersonwhosclosetomemightbeabletofilteroutonefromthe
other.ButwhyshouldyoubothertodosoifIamastrangertoyou.
Wewent
to
the
office
next
day
morning
and
reported
to
Mr.
Boss
there.
Since
Mr.
Bigbosswasonleave,wehadtoreportonlytoMr.Boss.Assoonaswetoldhimournames,
hestartedexplainingabouttheprojectwithoutpayinganyattentiontoourbewilderment.
Itsnotsurprisingforthosewhoknowhimalready.Hehadaspecialinterestinmebecause
ofmypredecessorwhohasportrayedmeasahardworking,humble,knowledgeable&loyal
employee.Thoughhisdescriptionwasmostlytrue, thevolumeofworkdumpedonme
washuge. Iwouldvebeatenhim todeath ifhewerenearme.Others in theofficewere
reallygood
and
helpful.
We
met
everyone
and
the
rest
of
the
day
went
without
much
excitement.WealsometsomeIndiansalreadyworkingthereandwentforlunchwiththem.
Itwasreallyexpensive.Beirut isgenerallyanexpensivecityduetohugevolumeofforeign
currencyflowingfromtheNonresidentcitizens.Somehowwemanagedtocontroloururge
toseeBeirutandspentourtimeinsidetheofficetillevening5Oclock.At6pmsharp,we
wenttoMr.Bosstotellhimthatwewereleaving.Toourastonishmenthewassurprisedto
seeusleavingsoearly!!!!!!!!!!!
Somehowwemanagedtoescapefromtheofficewentbacktothehotel.Illtakea
breakhere.Yousawhowmyfirstdaywas;nowyoucaneasilyguesswhathappenedduring
therestofourstayinBeirut.Sobeit,GuessthestorytillImback.
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Chapter2
Beirut city stands tall among all other cities in the Middle East with its exceptionally
beautifulgreeneriesandexoticbeaches.ThewholeLebaneseareveryproudofthefactthat
theyretheonlygreencountry inthewholeMiddleEast.Eventheirnationalflaghasgota
tree on it, The Cedar. Youmight envy Cedars for its lifespan. There are some cedars in
Lebanonwhicharemorethan3000yearsold.Butthemostinterestingthingtousisnotany
of these but the girls there. Lebanon has got themost beautiful girls in theworld, and
majorityofthemdoesnotliketohideit!!!!!!Ihailfromacountry,especiallyastatewhere
beauty is considered a divine gift and it is not to be exposed. So itwas a rejuvenating
experience.ThenaturalbeautyofLebanonwasofcourseofnomuch interest tome.The
Lebaneseeconomyismainlybasedontheinflowofforeignreceiptsbytheexpatriates.The
currency inLebanon isLirawhosevalue isalmostfixedagainstUSD($1=1500Liras).Living
expensesis
equal
or
more
than
any
other
developed
cities
of
the
west.
Food
is
mainly
non
vegetarian.Avegetarianwillreallyfinditdifficulttofindfood.AllkindsofArabicfoodsare
availableabundantly.Butyouvetopayalotmore,morethanevenDubaicity.
Ourfirstoutinginthecitywastoanearbypublicbeachatawalkabledistancefrom
ouroffice. Itwas the first Saturdayafternoon inBeirut.Asusualwewent therewithout
passport.Beirut isconsideredtobeavigilantstate.Butourpassportswereneverchecked
duringourentirestay thereunlikeCairo.Wehada trackhistoryofbeingarrestedby the
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policeinCairofornotcarryingpassport(theofficerdidntrecorditanyway).Thebeachwas
notsobeautifulsince itwasapublicbeach.Thecrowdwasnotuptoourexpectations. It
wasmostly fully covered aunties and associated living things (husbands and kids). There
weremoderatewavesandtheguardsweretryingtostoppeoplegoingdeep intothesea.
This part ofMediterraneanwas not as beautiful as that of Alexandria, but better than
Chavakkadu kadappuram. Thewaterwas lightbluewithmanyboats and yachts in the
view.Theskylinewasamazing.ButnaturallyIwasnotmuchinterestedinthose.
Withoutwastingmuch time inthebeach,wedecided towalktillpigeonrocknear
rouche. Itwasasteepclimbuphillbytheroadside.AsusualSankhewasnot interested in
anythingbut
photo
shoot.
He
might
have
made
at
least
hundred
self
portraits
with
my
camera (pleasenotehere that itwasmycameranothis).Wecould identifyonebuilding
amongallothers,theonedesignedbyourbelovedMam,ourMamsbrainchild.Anyway
thebuildingwasnotsouglyasexpected!Idontknowwhohasreallydonethearchitectural
design.ToappreciatethedesigndonebyourMam, Iwillhavetoseethe interiorsofthe
building.Forthetimebeingourchancesarezero forthat, itsa luxuryapartmentbuilding
withoffices in the lower floors.Withhalfanhours timewepassedby thatbuildingand
reachedourdestinationThepigeonrock.
Thepigeonrock isacoupleofrocks,huge insize, locatedinthesea likean island,withan
archshapedopening through it.Youcango inaboatthrough theopening.Thesearenot
theonlyrocksinthatregion;theentirebeachitselfisrocky.Itsnotevenactuallybeach,its
acliff,notsosteepbutbitsloppycliff.Ithasmanyplacesinvisiblefromtheoutside;hence
manycoupleswerethere.Theresa lotofscopeforpeepingtoms.Wewenttooneofthe
rocks(not
the
pigeon
rocks)
and
sat
there
for
some
time.
There
was
asmall
group
of
natives
swimming between the rocks.Unfortunatelywe had no swimming gears. Therewas an
abandonedboat,Imnotreallysurewhetheritsabandonedornot.Butthewaterwasclear
soclearwithabluishshadeandyoucaneasilyspotfishandothercreatures inside.Toget
youaclearpicturethescenewassomethingsimilartothatbeachinthemovieCastaway.
It believed that those caves were inhabited by those early human beings (Mams
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forefathers).They reallymusthavehada tough& roughskin tosustain those roughrock
surfaces.
Againwe
started
photo
shoot.
There
is
one
thing
common
among
all
those
photos
whichwecapturedthere,Sankhesface!Whenwestartedourreturnjourneyitwasaround
6intheevening.Iwasreallyhungry,butnooneagreedtotheideaofeatingfromoutside
(tooexpensive).Thereisonemoreproblem,thegroupconsistedoftwomoreIndianother
than threeofus. There is a typicalproblemwhen agroupofnot so close friendsgo for
outing.Eatingwillbeenjoyable,but the issuearisesat the timeofpayment (Whollpay).
Thechanceofgettingmoneybackfromnotsoclosefriendsisveryless.HenceIdidnttake
moreinterest
in
taking
all
the
5of
us
to
arestaurant.
Wewalked for somemore distance andhired a taxi tillour hotel. There are two
types of taxis in Beirut service taxi and normal taxi.Normal taxies arejust like a taxi
anywhereelseintheworld.Hewillallowonlythosewhohiredthetaxitogetin.Butincase
ofaservicetaxi,youllhavetopayperpersonandtherewillbemanypeoplegettinginand
outof the taxionyourway,and theyremuchcheaper.This timewe tooka service taxi.
After15
minutes
bargaining
we
agreed
on
2000
Lira
($1.25)
per
person
for
hardly
10
minutesdrive.Aftertakingsomerest inourhotelsuiteweagainwentouttoourregular
internettelephonecenter.
Theinternettelephonecenterisaplaceworthmentioninghere.Thecommunication
systemandtheinfrastructureinBeirutarepathetic.Phonecallchargesareexorbitantlyhigh
andtheinternetisneitherfastnorreliable.Buttheseinternettelephonecentersarereally
cheap.Their ratesarecomparable to those IndianSTD rates.Theymusthavedone some
Jugad (sorry for Indiancolloquial)with the internet.Another interesting fact is thatyou
can find people from all over theworld gathering at those centers. Youll find Indians,
Bangladeshis, Africans, srilankans etc there. EvenAmericans come there tomake phone
calls.Theguythereisreallysmartandmanagesthesehugecrowdsatease.Butmostofthe
people coming there are domestic workers (female). You can identify Sinhalese and
Bangladeshisamongthemveryeasily.ButalltheAfricanslookalikeandtheiralllanguages
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soundsimilar.EventhosenativeLebanesealsocometheretotalktotheirrelativesoutside
thecountry.
EverySaturday
we
spent
around
2hours
there.
Dont
think
that
Ispend
the
whole
timetalkingtomyfriendsandfamily. Iusedtotalkformaximum30minutesandwaitfor
SankheandGoggufortherest1.5hours.ButInevergotboredwaitingthere.Lotofpeople
&lotsoflanguages.Mostofthecustomersarewomen.Itseemsthatthenatureofwomen
is thesameallaround theworld.There isanorange treenext to thatshop. Ialways talk
overphonestandingbesidethatorangetree.Theorangetreemusthavewitnessedallthose
conversations. Had it been a human being, he wouldve learned many languages. We
finishedthe
business
by
around
8pm
and
reached
our
hotels
by
about
8:30
pm.
It
was
a
goodeveninganyways,1weekafterourarrival;wecouldseeatleastsomepartsofBeirut.
Themajorarea inthecity isstillremainingwaiting forusDowntown. Ittookaround1.5
monthswaitingtoreachdowntown.
Thisjunkwriting is really boring. I have enrolled inNaNoWriMo (NationalNovel
WritingMonth).Theirguidingprincipleisverysimpleyoukeeponwriting&writingjunk,
donot
stop,
at
some
point
of
time
these
junks
will
pave
pay
to
beautiful
pieces
of
art.
To
takepartintheircontest,Ishouldwriteatleast50000wordsamonthor1666wordsaday.
Youhavetouploadyourworkattheendofthismonth.TodayIamdue8335words,buttill
nowmywordcount isshowingonly3708.Still longwaytogo.But it isreallyagoodtime
pass,especiallywhenyouhavenothingtodointheoffice.Letmetrytoavoidshortformsto
increasethewordcount.
Ouroffice inBeirut isreallygood,butnotasspaciousasour Indianoffice.Theattitudeof
the native employees towards Indians is not like that of Lebanese expatriates in India. I
didntgetmuchtimetomakefriendsthereduetoworkpressure.Buttherea fewpeople
with interesting characters.Themost strangepersonwhom Ihavemet there ismyboss
itself.HeisbornandbroughtupinLebanonbutwasPalestinianbyorigin.Hehadarefugee
passportwhichhefeltalotbadabout.Icannotevenimaginehowitwillbetobearefugee.
HencehewastryingtomigratetoCanada.He ismarriedtoaLebanesewomanwhomwe
havenever
met,
and
had
3children.
He
owns
aprado,
amotor
bike
(600
cc)
and
a5
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bedroomflat inthemiddleofthecity.Thiswillgiveyouan ideaabouthisfinancialstatus.
ButhewasnothappywithhissocialstatusinLebanon.
Ourboss
works
hard
and
sits
late
night
every
day.
At
least
this
was
our
idea
about
himtillwesawhistimecard.Thankstoabuginthetimemanagementsystem;anyonewho
ishavingalogincanseeeveryonestimeentries.Wereallydonotknowwhetheritisabug
ornot.OurMamwhowasstillapprovingourtimecardswasverystrictaboutthetimecard
entries.Itshouldbeveryaccurate.Sowehadtosomehowgettheexacttimingsofourentry
and exit. One of our friends somehow managed to find a hyperlink to access this
information. But the accesswas not a simple http access; itwas an ftp access to some
directoriesin
the
server.
Curious
to
know
more
about
the
ftp
site,
Istarted
browsing
through the ftp site. It tookjust5minutes forme to locateeveryones timeentries.Our
bossusedcometoofficeregularlyat9amandleaveofficebefore6pmtillourarrival.Any
dayonwhichwe stayed longhealso stayed longwithusand left theoffice immediately
afterus(Caughtredhanded).
Healwaysusedtotellus,Iamsittinglate,whyyoucantsit?Aftertheaboveevent
wenever
took
this
comment
seriously.
Iwas
surprised
by
his
behavior
on
the
first
day.
The
officetimingwasonlytill5pm.Atabout6pmwenttohimtotellhimthatwewereleaving.
BeingthefirstdayinBeirutandinofficeweweretired.Iventuredtoinformhim.
Sir,Weareleaving
Why?,whysoearly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Inthepast4years,Ihaveworkedwithmanybosses.ButIneverfacedsuchaboss.
Wecouldnotevenblamehim,becausehehadputhimself insuchabadsituation.Hewas
handlingaround15buildings,alldue tobesubmittedwithinamonths time.Mostof the
engineershadbadexperienceswithhimandnoneofthemwasreadytoworkwithhim.
Boss sits in a closet (Closetmeans a closed room separated from themainoffice
space)alongwithanotherseniorengineernamedPier.He isaniceguy.Theyusedtofight
some time for silly issues likeACbladesdirection,openingor closingwindows&panes,
mobilemusic
volume
etc.
Pier
is
aworkaholic
and
afoodaholic.
He
sits
late
night
everyday
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andeats throughout theday.Since theydonthaveheavymealsat fixed time,healways
eatssomething.Healmosthasafoodstorebelowhisdesk,butalwaysoffersmewhatever
heeats. Ialways rejecthisofferpolitelyand itmakeshimoffermeconfidently.Heonce
gavemethephonenumberofthebesttawookshopinLebanonMalakaltawook,theking
oftawook.Itrieditonce;itwasreallygoodbuthuge.Hehasintroducedmanydelicaciesof
Beiruttome.ButIforgotmostofthenames.HewasproudofLebanesecuisine.
My boss used to push me too much for getting his work done. With my prior
experienceofabossbehavior,IwascertainthatifIdonotrespondthepushwillkeepon
increasingandIllendupasanoverloadeddonkeyjustlikehim.SoIdecidedtoretaliateand
waitedfor
the
most
appropriate
time.
The
timing
of
the
retaliation
is
very
important.
He
shouldnotfeelthatIamoverreacting.Ihadseenafemalecolleaguefightingwithhimafew
daysback.
MyLebanesepeersweresummonedtohisofficeonaMondayforleavingtheoffice
early on previous Saturday evening. One of the biggest drawbacks of bosswas that he
cannotraisehisvoiceorhehasnotrealizedthetechniqueorraisingvoicetooverpowerthe
subordinate.All
what
he
does
is
abusing
their
work
that
too
in
his
normal
voice.
It
was
then
thegirlstartedshoutingback.Themoment thegirlopenedhermouth,bossstoppedand
started listening toher likeanattentivestudent.Shewenton talking forabout2hours! I
didntreallyunderstandwhattheyweretalkingabout.Butallthosewhowereoutsidehis
cabincouldeasilyhearherandallofthemhadasmiling face.Theywerebehavingas if it
was not a first time event and that was true. In the end my boss came out with a
wonderfullybadface.AnywaywhenImethimintheroomlaterthatday,Ididntforgetto
showmy
sympathy
towards
him
for
her
misbehavior
(My
silly
buttering
technique).
His
conclusionwas:
Thatslife
Poorboss!ButanywayIdecidedtogoaheadwithmydecisiontogiveanhonestfeedback
to vent my anger. Still there are more things to be studied before striking. The most
importantthingwashisinfluenceinhisbossandguysabovehim.Therearenottoomanyof
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13
them. He had an immediate boss,whowas our HOD and above him, our director. The
directorknowsmewell.He isthepersonwho interviewedmeduringrecruitment.Butthe
HODofBeirutofficewasacompletestrangertome.Withhisover30yearsofexperience,
he isaseasonedplayer inofficedynamics.Butmybossdidnothaveagoodrapportwith
him.IrealizedthiswhenIheardtheirconversationonedayinsidemybosscabin.
Itwasanormaldaylikeanyotherday.Ataround10am,Iwaspreparinganexcelfile
relatedtotheelevators.Bosshadsentamailtotheentireteamtosubmitthedetailsand
quantityoftheelevators intheirrespectivebuildings.LiketherestoftheteammembersI
hadsleptonthisissueforaweek.Butunlikeothers,Irememberedthismailafteroneweek
andstarted
preparing
the
document.
While
making
that
naturally
Ihad
some
doubts
regarding theexactcontentof thedocument. Idecided todiscusswithbossabout itand
went insidehiscabin.When Ienteredtheroom,hewastalkingtosomebodyoverphone.
After about 5minutes, he finished his conversation and started attendingmy query.He
didnt showmuch interest tomy questions; it seemed that his brain in preoccupied is
somethingelse,somethingwhichismoreimportant.Aswewerediscussing,hegotaphone
callfromHOD.SincePierwasnotthere intheroomatthattime,heputthephone inthe
speakerphonemode.Though Ididntunderstandhim clearly, itwasdamn sure that the
HOD is shouting athim.Bossdidnthaveany controlor influenceoverhim.Hewasjust
listening&whisperingtayibtayib(OkOK).
With thisevent, itwasclear that the influencehehasoverHOD issameaswhat I
haveonhim,whichwasabsolutelynothing.Itfurtherincreasedmyconfidence.Nowitsthe
timing.IhadnootheroptionbuttowaittillIgetachance.Iwaswaitingforaneventwhere
hebehaves
foolishly.
Inever
thought
such
abeautiful
erroneous
behavior
from
boss
wouldoccursosoon.Healwaysusedtoaskmetomakemysubordinatessit late. Inever
liked the ideaofmaking them sitting late. Theunderlyingprinciplewasplain& simple
greedtransformedyoutoanoverloadeddonkey;Iamnotthatgreedy.Iwantneitherme
normysubordinatestobeanotherdonkeylikeyou.ThisgreatprincipleIhadlearnedfrom
myboss in thepreviouscompanywhere Iworked. Ineverpressedmysubordinates tosit
late.Hewasnotveryhappywithmeforthis.
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OneSaturdayevening,weIndiansandveryfewLebanesewereworkingintheoffice.
Bosshadgoneoutside forhis lunch&oversleeping.Onhisreturnhe foundnoneofmy
subordinatesintheoffice.Sincehisverybasicnaturedidntallowhimtoshowhisangerby
heatedwords,heshowedhisdisappointmentbyabusingme.
Iheardthatyouareencouragingotherstoleavetheofficeearly,hehehe
Alightningflashstruckinmymind.Thisisthechance!!!!!!!!!Thetimeisripeandthe
ignition sparkwas generated. Ijust smiled at himjust like any other guy and sat there
saliently.Istartedplanningtheevent.IfIrespondquickly,itwillbeconsideredjustaweak
guys response.Never takeadecisionwhenyoureupset. I toldmy Indiancounterparts
abouthowIfeelaboutthisinaveryfirmvoiceandtone.Theydidntlaughatmeandtried
to support me. They also felt bad about his comment. Then I started planning the
conversationwhich I should havewith him once he comes out of his cabin. I carefully
articulatedthewholeevent.
He came back to us after about an hour. Hewas talking to goggu and Sankhe,
standingby thesideofmyseat.Hewasnoteven lookingatme.Once they finished their
conversation,Istarted:
Sir,Iamhurt,Iwanttogohomeandrelax
Why,whathappened(thoughheknewtheissue)
Iwasnot infuriatedbyhisresponse. Ineverbehavethatway; itsanywaymybasicnature
(Overlymaturedguy).Iwasmaintainedmycalmandsaid:
Allthethreeofusworkhereeverydaytilllateevening.Theonlydrivingforcewhichmakes
us do that is the tight submission schedule of project.We are ready to contribute the
maximumextentpossibletoachievethesubmissiondatesandwearealreadydoing that.
Whenwearehavingsuchanattitude, ifyoublameus forothers irresponsibility Iwillbe
hurtnaturally.
Noalbert, Ididntmean tohurtyou. Iwasjustjoking. Iknow thatyouworkhardevery
day.And
abig
lecture
followed.
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15
Thatsit;myarrowhashititsintendedtarget.Thereweretwobenefitsfromthisevent.He
nevermisbehavedwithmeandIbecamemorecourageousandconfidentwhiledealinghim.
ProbablehewasscaredthatIllcomplainabouthimtotheHODordirectorlikemanyothers
amongmy peers. Anyway this time Iwon thematch. I hereby expressmy gratitude to
Sankheandgoggufortheirtimelysupportivebehavior.
Chapter3
Our next trip after the pigeon rockswas to a cedar preserve called Shouf cedar
preserve at the north of Lebanon. We were not that scared to travel towards north
compared to travellingsouth.Southern regionofLebanon isadisturbedareawith lotsof
Palestinian camps. Some of our colleagues come from these camps. Lebanons southern
border is sharedwith Israel and lotsof Palestinian refugees used to infiltrate into Israel
throughthatborder.Beforethetrip, Iwas ignorantaboutthedetailsoftrip. Ididnteven
knowwhowillbeaccompanyingus,allIwastoldisthatIhavetoreachtheofficeat6amon
Sunday!Iwasnotverylenienttowakeupatsuchoddhourstogotoatreereserveforest.I
shouldbereadyby5:45inaSundaymorning.Itshardforme.OnanySunday,togetmeup
evenat
8O
clock
is
very
hard.
Back
home,
when
Iwas
akid,
Pappa
used
to
try
it
every
SundayforSundaymass.Buthissuccessratewaslessthan5%.ButthistimeIhavenoother
optionsbuttowakeupat5am.
Itwasonthepreviousdayevening,wehadourprevioustriptothepigeonrocks.So
naturallywewere a bit tired.But allour Lebanese colleagues used to talk about cedars
excitedly.TheonlyexceptiontothatwasoneofourLebanesegroupleadersbackinIndian
office.Thesurvivaltechniquesofcedarsareawellstudiedbyscientistsallaroundtheworld.
Letusnotdiscussaboutthosetechniqueshere.Oneormanyamongthemmaybepatented
orcopyrightedbythem.Thankstocopyrights.Cedarsgrowinmountainregions,Ithinkso.
TheyarenativetothemountainsofthewesternHimalayaandtheMediterraneanregion,
occurring at altitudes of 1,5003,200m in the Himalaya and 1,0002,200m in the
Mediterranean.[1]ThankstoWikipedia.
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SomehowImanagedtowakeupat5:30andfinishedallthemorningformalitiesand
gotreadyby6am.Uhwearelate.Istillhavetoeatbreakfastandwalktilltheoffice.Inany
case I cannot skip breakfast. Its not that I am obsessedwith food, but for the fear of
diseaseswhichmayaffectusifwedonteatbreakfast.ItisarulewhichIhavenotbrokenin
mylifetime.kaanamvittumbreakfastkazhikkanam(Eatbreakfastevenifyouhavetosell
your innerwear for purchasing it). Experts talk only about regular breakfast. But as a
responsible citizen of India, I dont want to overload public healthcare system hence
extendedthisexpertadvicetolunch,eveninghighteaanddinner.
Timewasrunningout. Idecidedtohavea lightbreakfastnowandtohaveaheavy
breakfastonce
we
reach
one
of
the
destinations.
Ipoured
juice
to
the
glass,
took
out
two
apricots andon peach from fridge and spreadjam on the bread loaves. Finished all the
abovewithin5minuteswhilesankheandgogguwerebangingonmydoor.Weleftourhotel
andhurriedtotheoffice.Wemighthavereachedtheofficebyaround6:15am.Wesawtwo
vacantbusesparkedneartheofficewithnoonevisibleinthevicinity!
Mybreakfast!MyunfinishedsleepItisgone.
At6:30amthetourorganizerfromtheIndiansidearrivedwithaninnocentsmileon
hisface.Heisalwayslikethatanyway.
Whereareothers?
Ah,theywillcome.Letuswait
Ooh thatwasareallycomfortinganswer.Byaround7ameveryonecameandwe
startedour
travel
by
about
7:15
am.
There
was
abig
bus
and
asmall
bus.
All
Lebanese
and
AmericanswereinbigbusandtheIndianswereinsmallbus.Sinceitwasnotanofficialtrip
noonetookanypaintominglewithothernationalities.Butstilltherewereveryfewpeople
whom Imetduring the trip.The travelwastooboringand irritating,becauseof fewover
smartindividualsinourgroup.AnywaysIdontwanttomentionaboutithere.Theyarestill
myhaibyebuddies.
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Ourfirststopwasatafamouschurch.Idontknowwhatitisfamousfor.Anywaythe
spiritualambiancewasgoodinsidethechurch.Butthelocationlackedgoodfoodshops.AllI
got toeatwassomestupidhalfbakedbread (similar towheatada).SankheandGoggu
blamedthemselvesfornothavingbreakfastatthehotel.Noonewastheretoguideorto
explainus.ThemainorganizerwasaLebaneseguy.Hehadalargenose.HereafterIllrefer
hisasMookken(Meansapersonwith largenose inmymothertongue). Allweusedto
hearfromhimwasthis:
They demanded us X dollars, but I bargainedwith them for you and reduced it to X1
dollars
Heisanywayafunnyguywithlargenose,buthadaverygoodrapportwithallofthem.
Ournext locationwasBeiteddineopen air theatre. Ihaveheard about thisevent
fromourMam.ShehadexplainedusaboutthingstoseeinBeirut.Whenwereachedthere
theywerepreparingthevenuefortheeventwhichisscheduledtobeginafter1week.Itis
actuallyapalaceofsomekinginBeirut.ThesehistoricallyimportantplacesarerareinBeirut
becauseofthelargenumberofwarsfoughtintheheartofLebanon.Sotheyvaluetothose
monuments.Therewasasmallmuseuminsidethepalace.Imeta ladyinourgroupcalled
Fridaatthatmuseum.Shefoundamade in Indiapistolandnotifiedmeabout it.Allthe
artifactsarebeautifullydisplayed thereand therewere fewguyswhowork thereas free
guidetothetourists.NoneoftheartifactsweremadeinLebanon,probablytheydontenjoy
making,andrathertheyenjoybreaking.
Therewasacourtyardoutsideandawellmaintainedgarden. Itwasbeautiful.We
shotacouple
of
photos
there
and
helped
Frida
for
hers.
Two
newly
wed
couples
came
there
forphoto shoot in theirwestern stylewedding costumes alongwith a cameraman. They
werebitdisturbedbyourpresencethere.Someoftheguystriedtotakepictureswiththem.
AnywayIwasnotinterested,IwasconcentratingonFrida.WecameoutsidetheBeiteddine
soon.Outsideitwasverycoolsinceitwasonamountainside.Thereweresomeconiferous
treesthere.Ithinkthatwaspinetrees.Itriedtoexplorethatarea,butnooneelseshowed
anyinterest.
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Whilewaiting forothers,wedranksomewaterfromanearbysmallstream. Itwas
pureandsweet.Waterresourcesareanotherasset(sometimesaliability)ofLebanon.Butit
doesnthaveanymajorrivers.Watersourceismainlythesespringsandgroundwaterwhich
getsreplenishedeveryyearbyregularrains.Theyneverhavetopurifyseawaterfortheir
needs.Waterisalsobeingexportedtootherpoorcountrieswhocannotafforddesalination
plants.Thesefactsanywaydidntcheermeupwhiledrinking.Iwasstillthinkingofmylost
breakfast,sleepandnottomention Frida.
Westartedagainfromthereandeverythingwassame inthebusexceptthatsome
of the irritants were tired and was not irritating anymore. But till now Lebanese and
Americanswere
in
the
big
bus
and
Indians
were
in
the
small
bus.
Bus
was
taking
us
to
higher
andhigheraltitudesthroughthemountainranges.Varietyoftreesisnotasdiverseasthat
ofanIndianmountainrange,ratheritismonotonous.Youwillfindsametypeoftreefora
longstretchandanothertypeinthenextstretchwhichcreatesafeelingthatthesetreesare
cultivatedbysomeone likearubberestate inkerala. Journeycontinued foranhourorso
andfinallywereachedShoufCedarpreserve.
Ihave
never
gone
atree
preserve
or
areserved
forest
in
India.
There
are
quite
a
numberofreserved forests in India,butno treepreserve,at least Ihavenotheardabout
anytreepreserves in India.Butthistreepreserve is likeaplantationofcedars. Ithasonly
cedars insideandthemost importantthetemperature isreally low likeOoty in India.The
ground is softwithmany layers of decomposed leaves and other organic deposits. This
entire regionwill be covered in snow during thewintermonths. But being summer you
wontfindanysnowthere inthevicinity.TheoldestCedar inthispreserve isaround3000
yearsold.
We
enquired
about
this
Cedar
to
the
guide.
But
he
said
it
is
located
in
the
interior
oftheforestanditwilltakeadayifwehavetocoverthatdistancebywalkcrisscrossingthis
forest.IonlyhopethattheageoftheoldestCedarisnotamyth.Icouldnotevenimagine
itssizeifithasgrownforallthese3000years.ButIheardsomebodytellingmethatCedars
stop growing at some point of time and stays there for the rest of the life like those
creaturesinanimalkingdom.
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I noticed the Americans in our group. Most of them were known to me. I had
attendedameetingwith them theweekbefore.But Ihad a little interactionwith them.
Theyhaveinvolvedthemselvesinshootingpictureindifferentangles,quiteuninterestedin
othersinthegroup,thenaturalAmericanway.Wewerewalkingthoughthepathwayinside
the forest.Wearesupposedtotravelonly throughthispathwayandarenotsupposedto
exploretherestoftheforestourselves.Thisisageneralruleforthatpreserveandwewere
innomoodofbreakingrulessincetherewasnopropergovernment.Sometimesbreaking
rules inLebanonmightcostyouyourtime,careerandeven life.Thereweremanyrulesto
befollowedinsidetheseforestssoIwasnotreallykeentobeinside.Theguidewithuskept
on
explaining
all
about
cedars
and
this
preserve
in
particular,
even
though
no
one
was
interested.Buteveryonepaidattentiontohimwhichencouragedhimtospitoutevenmore
crap.OneoftheLebanesemembersvolunteeredtotranslatetheguidetoEnglish.Butwe
understoodtheguidebetterthanhim.
Attheendeveryonestartedconcentratedinphotoshoot.Inthebeginningofdigital
cameraera,onlyoneortwopersonshadcameras.Soeveryonewillpesterhimwithrequest
forphotos.Butnowdigicamshavebecomeverycommonandalmosteveryonehadone.All
ofthemwereconcentratingofcapturingphotosintheirowncreativewayandhenceitwas
verydifficulttogatherthemforgroupphotos.OurMookkenstartedshoutingatallofus
togatherus foragroupphoto.Butagaintherewerediscussionsregardingwhosecamera
hastobeused. Itcannotbeshotwithallcameras.Sothediscussionwentonandon,and
ultimatelyhiscamera itselfwasshortlisted.Heshotfirstthewholegroupthensubgroups
andsubsubgroupsandshottillhisthirstforgroupphotossubsidedaway.AnywayIdidnt
evenbothertocollectthosephotosafterwards.
Afterthephotosession, itwastimetogo.Themostattractivethingaboutthistrip
wasthatwedidntknowwhereweareheadingto.EvenourIndianorganizerdidnthavea
clue about. I admired him for taking this challenge of organizing a trip without any
informationaboutthelocation.Wehadalreadygotboredandwereinamoodtogobackto
ourhotelandtakerest.Butthetripwasonlyhalfwaythrough.Thenextlocationwasalake
theCaraounLake.Idonotknowthesignificanceofthislake.Probablythisistheonlyone
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lake in whole Lebanon. Though Lebanon is a land of stream and rivers, there are no
navigable rivers in Lebanon.Myminddidntpondermore intowaterbodies in Lebanon,
respectingthestomachscall. IwantedMookkentotakeustoanearbyHotel.But Iwas
surethatitisonlyadistanthope.Theywillneverhavefoodontime.
Tomysurprisethebusstoppedintheparkinglotofarestaurant.Therestaurantwas
inanoddplacebutwasfilledwithtourists.Therewasnothingneartoitexceptwasteland.I
preparedmymind to have a huge lunch,went inside the hotel quicklywith Mookken
beforehefinishedeverything inthekitchen.IwaitedtherewhileMookkentalkedtothe
waiter inArabic.Timewentonandtherewasnooutputpractically, theywentonandon
talking.My
stomach
urged
me
to
interrupt
them.
Whatisgoingon?
Nonothingwearefinalizingthemenuandprice.Theyhavevegetarianandnonvegetarian
lunchbutnonvegetarianswillhavetoeatbeef
Oooooooooooooooh!!!!!!!!!!AdeepsighofangereruptedfromIndianside.Fiftypercentof
non
vegetarians
were
converted
to
vegetarian
on
the
spot.
DontyouhavejustchickeninnonvegmenuIventuredtoask
Yessir,wecanserveyouchickenandsomeextravegdishesinsteadofbeef
75%ofthoseofconvertedvegetariansareconvertedbacktononvegetarianism.But25%
remainedasvegetariansdubiousofextradishes.Mookkenfinalizedthepricewithgreat
difficulty.WhileIwasabouttogotothewashroom,Mookkenannounced:
Guys,letsgotothelakenow
Whatthehell!!!!Whydoeshewanttogoto lakenow?Letseat.Ooh!Theseguys
willneverchange. Iwashelpless;therewasnoonetosupportmy ideaofeating firstand
latergoingtothelake.MylibertyisbeingquestionedhereandIamboundtogotothelake
concedingtothepressure.HoweverIdonthaveanyotheroptionbuttogowiththem.So
beit.Letusgotothelake.
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Thelakewasveryneartothehotel.Wereachedtherewithin5minutes.Itwasjusta
lake.Isearchedallaroundtofindsomethinginteresting.Buttherewasnothing.Justalake.
Ohsorry,thereweresomeboatstoo.Sowhat.
Okguys,letsgoback
Iwantedtoshoutatthem,butdidnt.Tomylucknooneshowedanyinterstogofor
boatingorevenworsefishing.Wespentaround15minutesatthe lakesitewithoutdoing
anythingbutallowingthechickentobecookedbackinthatrestaurant.Wewentbacktothe
restaurant soon and settled down at tables as usual, Indians at one table, Lebanese at
another tableandAmericansatanother.Theguywhos servinghad least respect forour
hunger.Hebrought some salad first.This ishow younormallyget served inanyhotel in
BeirutintunewiththeculinarycustomsofLebanon.Mainmealstheyeatslowlywhichgoes
onforabout2hours.Therewerenotmucheatablesinthefirstsetofsalads.Itwasacollage
ofgreenvegetables.Icouldidentifycucumberandtomatoinit,buttherestofthemlooked
likegrass&shrubscutfromthefieldoutside.
Ifeltreallysorryforthevegetarians.Iknewfromthebeginningitselfthatvegetarian
food in Lebanonmeans green salads and green saladsonly.Butmostofour Indian tour
mates were not really cognizant about this. They were still eagerly waiting for more
deliciousimaginaryLebanesevegetariandisheswhileIatevegetablesonebyonealongwith
Lebanesebreaddipped inhummus.Hummus isnothingbutpeaspaste,made fromour
sameoldwhitepeas(Channa).TheyproudlysayitisaLebaneseDish.Thenextcoursewas
somecooked/friedLebanesedishes.Stillchickenwasvisibleonly in thenearbycourtyard,
nowhere inanyofthetables.Otherswerechattingandcommentingaboutthefood.They
didntshowmuchinterestinthefood.Thankgod.
Indianswillanyway faceproblemof food ifhe traveloutside Indian subcontinent.
SpicesarenotusedsolavishlyinanyotherplaceexceptinIndia.ForaLebaneseguyitwill
beatorturetohavesuchaspicyfood.MycolleagueintheBeirutofficeeventriedonceto
testmy spice tolerancebyorderingdoubleextraspicyMexicanchickensandwichwhich I
told him was average spicy as per Indian standards. By the time chicken arrived, our
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22
appetitewasalmostfinishedandwasinnomoodtoeatfurther.Itwasgrilledchicken,same
asthatofeverywhereinMiddleEast.Vegetarianswerestillwaitingfortheirimaginarymain
course.Iwishedgoodlucktothemandstartedattackingchicken.
MealcametoanendwhenIfinishedchickenandthevegetariansconcluded
thatthereisnomoredishcomingup.Fruitskeptcominginoncewefinishedourmainmeal
and thewaiterswerevery liberal.Theymighthavenoticeduseatingalmostnothing.Our
mealwasoverwithinonehourandwelookedaroundtogetup.ButforLebaneseithasjust
started. Theywere still eating their salads! Some of them had even ordered argheela
(Hookka).Wedecidedtogetupanyway.Wegotupandwhilewewerewalkingtowardsthe
entrancethe
head
waiter
noticed
us
and
being
the
biggest
guy
in
the
group
he
asked
me:
Whydidyoufinishearly?Didntyoulikethefood?
Whatthe ?Weateforaboutanhourandhestellingearly.Thiswastheoneof
theslowestlunchIeverhadinmylife.
Nono, the foodwasexcellent,weare Indiansand Indianseat fast if the food is
good
Ohthankyousir
Youaremostwelcome,whereistherestroom
Towardsyourrightsir
WehadtowaitthereforanotherhourtogetLebaneseoutofthehotelandanotherhalfan
hourto
start
our
journey
to
some
icream
shop.
Thats
what
we
understood
from
our
Mookken
Wewillnowgotoasmalltownnearby;itisfamousforicecream
God!Whenwill I reach back tomy hotel? I dont remember anyonementioning about
travellingforawholedaytogotoanicecreamshop.MostofthemintheIndiangroupwas
havingsamethoughts.Anywaywehadonlyashortstayattheicecreamtown.
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howtoearnacodeBonhisdrawings.Fromhisfeedbackonourcomments,welearntthat
weshouldcommenthisdrawingsinArabicinsteadofEnglish.
AnywayIam
not
the
one
singled
out
here,
most
of
the
engineers
and
draftsmen
feel
likethewayIfeel,relaxedwithnotmuchtodointheoffice.Mamalsoisquiterelaxedand
spentmostof thetime insidehercabin.Shecomesoutjust tosuperviseandoversee
thejuniorswhojustjoinedtheorganization.Theambience intheofficehaschangedever
sinceIjoinedhere1.5yearsback.Itwasasmallofficewithjustover100employees.Nowit
hasgrowntoamoderatelybigorganizationwitharound400employees.Butforourlife in
pune,therewasnomuchchange.Ofcourseweliveinaduplexrowhouseveryfarfromthe
officeand
own
abike
which
increases
my
mobility
or
in
other
way
freedom
to
travel.
Wewatchmoviesalmosteveryweek.Onweekdayswedontprefer togooutside
owingtothehugeworkloadwaitingforusnextdayintheoffice.Mytypicaldayschedule
anyweekdaygoeslikethisWakeupatanytimebetween6amtill6:30am,finishmorning
necessities,leavehomeby7:30am,eatbreakfast,reachofficeby8am,drinkteaandwait
fornexttea,drinkteaat11am,waitfor lunch, eat lunchandbrowse inthe lunchbreak,
waitfor
tea
at
3pm,
drink
tea
and
wait
till
5:30
to
leave
office,
leave
office,
buy
vegetables,
cookfood,eat,talktofriends andsleepby10pm.Howeverwehavetoplantheactivities
fornextweek.OurgreatMam istakingoneweek leavetoroamaround in India.Her last
twoplanswereditchedbythefearofswineflu.Butthistimeshehasnootheroptionbutto
gosinceherrelativeshavecometoseeIndia.
Beirut is not the only international tripwhich I havemadewith the grace ofmy
organization. IhadbeentoCairo in thenameoftraining forabout6monthsandbeento
dubai for aweek for the purpose of attending an exhibition. But how the Beirut trip is
differentisthatitistheonlyplacewhereIworkedintheoffice.DuringthestayinCairoall
whatwehavetodowastogotoofficejustforthesakeofshowingourfacesintheoffice.
The timing in the officewas also excellent, from 8 am till 3 in the evening. Even inmy
college Ididnthave the luxuryofcominghomeat3pm.Weused tohaveparties, trips,
moviesandhelllotoffunaftertheoffice.Eveninofficeweusedtohavefun.Wethreeofus
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25
weresitting insideaclosedroomblockedfromtheviewofothersbybrickwallsandthere
wasasecretarysittingnexttoourdoorkeepingourdoorshutallthetime.
Careerwise,
the
Cairo
stay
was
adisaster.
After
working
in
L&T
for
about
2.5
years,
beingengagedinworkforthroughouttheworkinghourshadbecometheorderoftheday.
The shift fromheavyworkload toapracticallynullworkhashaddrivenmecrazy. Igrew
fattierdaybyday.IfIhadnotjoinedgyminCairo,Iwouldhavelookedlikeacouchpotato
onmyreturntoIndia.Idontknoweventodayaboutthemanagementspurposeofsending
us to Cairo for enjoying life. Probably itwould have been their part of corporate social
responsibilityprogram.Howeverweenjoyedittillthelastdrop.
WehadashortstintintheEgyptianpolicestationalso.Ihadittwice.Onceas
avictimwhen theyarrestedus fornotcarryingpassportandoncetocomplainaboutpick
pocketing. In factwewere travelling to anearby tourist sport inCairowithoutpassport.
Actually themanagerof thehotelwhereweweresupposed tostay tookus to thepolice
stationsincehewasaresponsiblecitizenofEgyptandsuspectedusforterroristactivities.
Overallresultwaswetravelled150kilometersjusttogotoapolicestation!Funnyhuh!But
policein
Egypt
is
not
like
the
police
in
India.
Theyre
very
polite,
kind,
and
lovable
people.
He
wassmilingatuswhenhearrestedus. Iwouldnotsaythathearrestedus,heletusenjoy
hishospitality.
The other occasion when I went to police station was to complaint about pick
pocketing.Somebodypickpocketedmy friend.Hewas ina trauma immediatelyafter the
event. ItwasonaThursdayevening. Ihadcomebackfromofficeandstartedbrowsing in
mylaptop.Igotacallfrommyfriend
DaIlosteverything
Ohwhat?YousurrenderedyourvirginitytoanEgyptianbeauty!Greatyaar
DaIlostmypurse
What?Youarepickpocketed?Howwhenwhere?
Nearmy
apartment,
Ilost
my
cards,
money.
What
to
do
now?
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Dontworrycomeherewelldisableyourcardsfromhere
Iwas horrified anyway by his voice. It seemed like hewas going to cry. After 5
minuteshe
came
in
with
agrief
stricken
face
while
Iwas
searching
for
his
banks
card
theft
reportingnumbers.He lostsomemoney,considerableamountandthecards.Hetalkedto
hisbrother in law inKeralaandentrustedhim forblocking thecards.Aftersometimehis
mood changed.Once he gained back his stance and started thinking about catching the
thief.Pickpocketingincairoisnotarareevent.Someofourcolleagueswerepickpocketed
before.Butnoonehadtoldmeasuccessfulattemptofcatchingthethief.
Ienquiredoneofourcolleaguesabouttheprocedureofcomplainingthepolice.We
knowthepolicestation.Itwasnexttoasupermarketwhereweusedtogoforbuyingdaily
supplies.
Anganevittalengana?Ihavetocatchhim
AnywayIconcededtohisrepeatedattemptsforpursuingmetocomplainaboutthe
theft.We had to get the petitionwritten in Arabic sowewent to the office and got it
written
and
one
of
the
Egyptian
colleagues
accompanied
us
to
the
police
station.
We
went
insideandhetalkedsomethingtothemandthepolicemansmiledatus.Wesattherefora
longtimetillthepolicemantookourcase.TheArabicengineerhelpedusconversingwith
thepoliceandtheytookmy friend intoanotherroomtoshowsomephotographsof local
thieves.He has not seen the thief; he had not even realized that hewas pick pocketed
before reaching theapartment.While theywent toanother room in thepolice station, I
cameoutofthestationandwaitedoutside.Sincethesupermarketandabrowsingcenter
werethere
next
to
the
police
station,
it
was
adaily
commuting
road
for
many
Indian
engineers.
Ourcolleagueskeptoncoming inwithdubious looksandstartedenquiring
about the reason forme standing in frontofapolice station. Ididntexplain themwhat
reallyhashappened indetail. If Ihaddoneso thesmallcongregationof foreignerswould
haveformedwhichirritatesthenatives.Egyptiansareyouyourbestfriendsiftheyreleftun
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irritated. Istoodwaiting there forabout1hour.My friendcameoutwith thepoliceman
andtoldme:
Iam
going
with
them
to
the
main
police
station
forwhat
They have some thieves caught fresh today. Theywill conduct an identification
paradeforme
Areyounuts?
Ihave
to
catch
the
thief
Goodlord!Talktoyourparentsbeforeyourhunt.
Ok
Allofthemgotintoacarandspedaway.
Tobecontinued..