In US again

So back in US, just visiting, and have a different prospective now. 2 years in Europe and now I can almost see why Europeans keep complaining about US. Still love the office and people, but its outside that I am starting to see differences. People's habit of waste has not changed, and I always disliked it, and dislike it even more now that I can see its not a rich country thing. Like Europeans, they can also learn to reduce waste.
But its other things, like yesterday just sitting in office shuttle and looking outside, everything felt bland. Its like houses had no character, one dabba after other, such a far cry from flower covered houses in Switzerland where each house has its own design. Of course we live in a apartment building there also, but still its somehow made in such a way that it appears pleasing. The colours are so completely missing from landscape here.
Then comes the food. I had always complained about food here, but now it just feels even more bland. No vegetables have any taste, everything feels so heavy, full of idk what, but definitely not taste and nutrition. Its so hard to make healthy choices here, can't just each fresh veggies. People say keeping away from wheat is hard in Europe. I say the opposite. Its much harder here because nothing else really taste like anything. I made the mistake of taking what they call cottage cheese at breakfast the other day, and it literally tasted like cardboard! No wonder I never liked cheese here. I did not know what cheese was! The only cheese they can do is string cheese, yum!
Still a trip to US office is always very refreshing, make you believe in life and friendliness again. People are so nice and chatty :). Starting from shuttle bus driver who wished me good weekend, to car rental pickup driver who told me to drive safe and have fun. The girl at car rental this morning, told and asked my whole life history because we were both in Redmond at some point. She was so nice and friendly, that it made my day, something that can happen only in US.

Zurich Ironman

Yesterday for the first time I was part of Ironman. No, not at participant, but as a volunteer. I volunteered to be course marshals. The task - simple, make sure only racers are on track and open the blocks safely to let spectators cross. But Ironman is not just about the run or the bike or the swim, its about endurance, its where racers make personal history. I started around 3:00pm at the marathon course. The beginning was great, there were the strong Ironman veterans navigating the course strong. The course was a 4-10km rounds. There were some racers who were exhausted from second round and I wished they make it, and it was great watching them pass by again still going strong. Then came the rain, like a real storm. The day was literally replay of Zurich Marathon day, rain and shine and rain and storm.

I knew that Ironman is not a race like marathon, its all about finishing, especially the run is a run or a walk or a crawl, probably time to shut down the brain and just keep moving to finish line. I was close to water / food station. I could see some runner's face light up at sight of hot soup, fruits, water. Some hung out, browsed the selection, ate, some just grabbed a handful of something and carried on. Then there were others for who each round was painful. You could see the exhaustion in their whole body. We tried our best to cheer them, tell them they are doing great. By 8:00pm when racers had already been on track for 13hrs., we started seeing the really exhausted ones, those who were in true sense testing their limits. Some runners just had to sit down for a min and we would tell them last round, you can make it! There was one guy who had 2 rounds to go, completely exhausted, thinking that its over. He asked someone - I still have 2 rounds to go, I am not going to make it, am I! It was most likely that he will not make it, but you don't say that, and of course miracles do happen, second wind is true. So I wish he made it, though I don't remember seeing him at the station again. 

There were no more spectators at this time, so we slowly joined in the water/food station. It was run by a group from a Fraungymnastic club. We slowly made our way in and became incharge of a waterbooth. They were all wondering and asking each other who these people are :) Finally someone got the courage and asked us - who are you! It was kind of funny. So we told them we are freewilangers and we were at the pedestrian crossing, but now its all empty so we came to help. Most of them did not know English, so it was great time to practice German. 

By 9:00pm, the final stragglers were pouring in at the station. They still had 2hrs to run / walk the last 10km. We were all cheering each runner, telling them its the last one. By 9:45, all runners had passed our station and were in their final round. So we packed up and went over to finish line. I was hoping to see lot of those who we were cheering in last hour. There was a Malaysian man, somewhat older. I saw him at first round, and second, and then around 9:00pm at the third round. He still had ~10km to go and was barely walking. It was awesome to watch him finish just in time! One guy proposed to his girlfriend at the finish line! That was some drama. In the end it was a lot of fun. The analogy I give, for me Ironman is like Everest. It would be awesome to do it, but I know I can't. Marathon is like Basecamp. So the event at least inspired me to not give up on running and do another marathon next year.

Trip back from US

This time I flew out of SF, that was first mistake. Then I left some water in a bottle going through security. Darn! How dare I leave pure H2O in my bag! have I not heard of that new technology by which its possible to create bomb out of water? Or maybe I will threaten to drown someone in that water! So yeah, they caught me with 1 gulp of water left in my water bottle. And well, it was treated like a bomb! The (obviously does not know how to use his brains) person at security put on his gloves, ran bunch of tests on it, then took the bottle out, ran my bag through security again.

me: I planned to drink it, I forgot can we empty it now? It just water.
But even I knew its lost cause.
him: Its against the rules mam'.
me: I was planning to drink it, its just water can I drink it now.
He was looking at me thinking maybe he should arrest me. But he probably was in good (!!) mood. So did nothing.
me again: Can I have my bag back? Are you going to take the bottle away?
him: I can't do that. Its against the rules.
(well, so what is in the rules can you read that out or you have lost the ability to read also)
me: I said I am going to need my bag back, it has my passport (duh!). Can I drink the water, its very little.
So he shakes the bottle and says its more than little. I said, its ok, I can drink it right here. No mam' that is not allowed. I am getting frustrated now.
Then he finally says, you have to take everything and go out, throw the water and go through security again.
I look at the line, and time, and say are you kidding me. Ok, you can close your mouth, I did not say that, I know that's one way ticket to jail in US.
me: Its a long line, and this is just water.
him: No mam' rules are rules, there is nothing I can do. You can show your boarding pass and come back to front of like.
Well, you can use your brains maybe. So I get ready to take my bag and go out. He won't hand me my bag.
I am like, can I leave all this here since it has already gone through security?
him: No mam' you have to take everything.
me: So, then can I have my bag back (duh!).
him: No, I have to escort you.
Awesome! So I collect my other stuff in hand, he takes my bag and bottle and escorts me 2 ft out the security gate. I stand right outside there, drink the water in front of him and get back in line 2 steps away. It was just all so foolish. These people really need to at some point start using their brains. Its when you stop using brains and just go by rules that its easier to fool you. I always thought US school system at least encourages full development, including the creative side. But then they must be taking all the lower IQ people in airport security.
So I go through security again, swearing that I am never flying out of SF or into US. And then I think of all the wonderful and friendly people I met, and the price seem almost worth. 

Entering Switzerland is completely different. Immigration takes literally 10 min. Though in front of me there was a American family on vacation. The poor souls so traumatized by their American experience looked quite scared at immigration. The immigration person asked them how long is their stay. The woman mumbled 2 weeks, and the man immediately corrected her loudly - 11 days, we are here for only 11 days. Immigration person also looked up, probably waiting for him to tell - 4 hrs 3 min. He smiled and said its ok. And me too thinking poor souls, they can relax now.
While in US you are greeted with warnings - don't use your cell phone, don't open your bag, just keep walking straight, don't look anyone in the eye, head down! In Switzerland you are greeted with cowbells and heidi :)

A trip to US

A trip to US is always very interesting for me. It starts with being excited to visit Seattle again. This time also I decided to stop by Seattle on my way in. Landing in Seattle still feels like returning home. Its all so familiar, the lake, bridges, 405 and the bus. Even the immigration staff feels friendly (of course only relative to US immigration elsewhere). This time at immigration I was giving all the wrong answers -
where are you going?
me: To Redmond
here it says california?
me: Right, to Redmond for the weekend and then CA
Why are you here?
me: (I am sorry I will never commit the crime of coming to US again!) well, we have headoffice in CA and we are here to have meetings with the team.
We? Who else is with you?
me: (oh, my imaginary friend, because I must be crazy to choose to go thru this questioning) Oh! did I say we, I meant I, I am travelling alone.
hmm, I thought you said we.
me: No, I am alone.
(wait for him to take me aside for more questioning, but that does not happen, thankfully I am in Seattle and not NY or SF)
Alright since you have committed the crime of entering US, get fingerprinted and then you can go.

Phew! that went well, which is true everytime you are not arrested.
Then the airlines left my bag in Paris. There was not enough time. I said there were 2hrs, I got myself from plane 1 to plane 2, going through US security. Come to think of it there was no US security this time. So the agent says, "oh well, u know the europeans they don't care about anything. If its time to take their 3 hr lunch, they will take it". I guess I do no Europeans and I happen to think they take their work seriously. But anyway, no big deal except that its really cold and I don't have a jacket. The bag will arrive next day on same flight. The agent leave me with advice to not fly through Paris or London - they are the worst. ok, I knew that actually. My favourite is Amsterdam.

Anyway, so that is how I found myself outside the airport, without luggage, but free. Sadly all this experience is also all so familiar! After spending the weekend in Seattle, I was out to CA. Domestic travel is the same, still a bit pleasant at Seattle airport. After spending a week in US, I always feel like everyone loves me, I have so many friends, the world is so friendly and wonderful. Its just so easy to fit right in US work or outside. But ironically, I also never adjusted to general lifestyle - extremely wasteful from excessive cooling everywhere to refusing to dry clothes in sun, germophobia, take 20 paper napkins at every change etc. It always hurt me to see people just not caring at all about the environment and living like everything is infinitely available, and well, to them it is. Anyway, on to good things. So I ended my trip feeling great, world is all friendly again, till..... I tried to get out of US.

--
tuls

View from office today

View of Alps from uetliberg

On a rare clear day

Lachen

12 mile run after a very long time!! We started going towards ziegelbruke from lachen but then decided to run along lake Zurich to Bach.

Shoes are for profit making!

Like everything else, shoes, especially running shoes is such a sham industry. All the big players run big ad-campaigns, huge deals with popular runners to make janta bewakoof. Yeah, tell us something new! ok, I always knew it and I always said it. But today just browsing through REI catalog of running shoes, I noticed not 1 or 2 but 10 different types of Vibram Fivefingers. I thought the whole point of these shoes was they are minimalist, just a sheet of rubber to protect your feet from harmful things on the road. After that they just feel natural like running barefoot. Then why the hell there are 9 different features of "Vibram FiveFingers KomodoSport LS Multisport Shoes - Women's". And why this piece of rubber costs more than $10? In fact they cost anywhere from $85 - $110, almost same price as my regular running shoes. Poor public just starts thinking that they need specialized shoe for that one specific sport, me included. I have -
climbing boots
hiking boots
light hiking shoes
running shoes
light running shoes
daily sandals
dancing shoes (ok, well they are kind of special!)
high heel party shoes
no heel daily shoes
everyday shoes
That's a hell lot of shoes for one person!

This feels like home....

Hard to believe! When a year ago I was all ready to leave, I was done with US, it was not home,  it was weird foreign place. But today, after living in Europe for 10 months, when I come back, it actually does feel like home. Right from the car-park garage, to malls, to driving on freeway, to everything else. I had great time here, starting from San Diego. I did everything I wanted to do, I loved my life in Seattle. People just feel familiar and wonderful, they talk the way I am used to, and they understand the way I talk :). Its so great when you can a "free" 1-800 number and they greet you with - "how may I help you", and they end with "Is there anything else I can do for you". Little things, but they seem to matter. Even India feels foreign now compared to US. Of course I know the Indian ways, the society like only a native can know, but the way things have changed in last 10 years, its an adjustment to be there. Here, its like I understand how things work, even though I don't really understand the society and culture (or the lack of it as I say :) ). This world works in mysterious ways!

Hate it less here

As things have settled down, I have to say I hate it less here now. Getting hang of language and meeting good people has helped. New Year party in building was nice. Finally I got to meet the "nice neighbours" you only hear about. Snow is back on the mountains and cloudy rainy weather is helping.

Switzerland and India

This December I went from Zurich to Delhi. The first thing that hit me was how opposite Switzerland and India are. While Swiss are the definition of punctuality, timetables have no meaning in India. Right at the immigration counter, you could see the stark difference in Zurich efficiency and in bored kaam-chalu behaviour of "babus" at immigration desks. Some of them were randomly chatting, playing no attention to passengers waiting in line. Some were really rude to Indians and some were equally rude to foreigners too. Baggage as usual took forever. I was not expecting any efficiency there anyway.
While boarding the domestic flight in Aurangabad, the said departure time (after already 2hr delay) was 7:30 and that was when boarding started. Flight left 30min after and there was no apology. As if no once cared that flight was delayed by another 30min.
While Swiss have so much national pride, they seem to always want to use swiss made (that's my impression), take pride in speaking their language, Indians only run after American and other western cultures. In the bus I was speaking to someone in Hindi and he was replying to me in broken English. I almost felt like retorting - Don't you know Hindi? (It was clear that he was native Hindi speaker).
While in Switzerland, or any other developed country I have seen so far, people take their work seriously and responsibly. India of course is complete opposite, there is no accountability or responsibility of work at any level.
These things just make me wonder if our poverty and lack of advancement is really just the fault of this kaam-chalu culture. What if it changed one day and people became responsible and took their work seriously?