Reflections on Day 1

This may get long… I’m sittin’ by the pool at 4:30 a.m., drinking strong coffee (has a bit of a chickory taste to it, for those of you who have had that particular coffee in New Orleans), watching the groundskeepers and a few resident kitty cats mill about. Woke up about an hour ago and could NOT go back to sleep. So I thought I’d pen some thoughts and ramblings for you guys back home… Bear with me. I promise you temples, palaces, and jeweled elephants… but there aren’t any of those at the office. So for now, you’re getting the human interest pieces. :-)

Meet D.C. I couldn’t get his name out of him (“Namaste” is about as far as my Hindi goes), so I’ve nicknamed him D.C. – short for Diet Coke, of which he keeps me in steady supply. It’s interesting here… how there are many many people employed to do tasks of, essentially, servitude. It’s also interesting to see how these folks are invisible to those around them. I’m getting my brain around this concept after Day 1. I had a lovely small pizza for lunch (chicken… with corn! from Domino’s!) and then the IT guy was in my office doing something with a virus scan issue on my laptop. I simply asked where I should drop off the plate the pizza was on – he picked up the phone, dialed a few numbers, and said “send housekeeping to Tonya’s cabin”… (This ain’t no cruise – but, no kidding… they call the offices “cabins” and I feel very accepted that on Day 1 there’s already an acknowledgement across several layers of the organization of where “Tonya’s Cabin” is. Anyway, I digress.) D.C. shows up, halfway bows, takes my plate, and swiftly departs. Of course, I’m my sweet ol’ southern belle self – trying hard to make conversation with and properly express my delight and appreciation at his arrival to clear my lunch plate away. Although he doesn’t understand a word I’m saying, he seems so genuinely appreciative of being NOTICED… of being acknowledged. All the while, the IT guy doesn’t even seem to notice he’s in the room. So when D.C. leaves, I explained to the IT guy that I could absolutely clear my own lunch plates – just where did I need to drop them off? And his response, I’m still trying to internalize. He says “why would you spend any of your efforts or energy doing something so unimportant? That is why we have him. When I need to move a computer, I call him and tell him to move it from room A to room B. I don’t waste my valuable time – that’s why he’s here.” On the surface, Mr. IT is absolutely right. I myself have looked at an over-attended meeting, mentally calculated the $$$-value of all those folks in the room, and decided we were wasting a lot of $$ with the wrong or too many people in attendance. (I’m certain we’ve all done that mental exercise.) I guess my disconnect from this environment is that the people doing that work are really invisible… with no niceties, no greetings, and certainly no “thank yous”… I understand this is not personal – that it’s a matter of cultural upbringing groomed over centuries… yet it still pains me to see people who serve and receive no recognition (not even that of a smile) for making someone else’s day a bit easier. I feel so fortunate for having grown up where and when I did, that these attitudes are not part of the local fabric.

On a little happier note, my southern charm has already earned me a place on DC’s calendar as a frequent checkpoint for him to make. After our morning encounters, he must have stopped by every hour during the afternoon to offer a Diet Coke. I’m already happily planning a small parting gift (tip) when I leave. I suspect it’s rare (he’s at Aspect, not at the hotel) but I can’t help but smile when I think of what he could do with $20. And I most sincerely believe he’d trade the $20 in a minute for the thought of being valued…

I had a lovely dinner last night at an Indian restaurant here at the hotel. I was absolutely too tired to eat. (There’s a “first” for you! ha!) The meal was exceptional and, at Amit’s recommendation, I tried some Indian wine. You who know me know I’m an oenophile and love my wines… so trying some local varietals would be nice. Amit warned that the wine here – like the food and the medicine and the personalities – can be very strong… Whoooooo-eeeeeeeee, I was so glad I was prepped! That wine could have stood alone outside the glass. (hee-hee) All part of the experience. I didn’t particularly like that glass of wine, but am looking very forward to continuing the journey of sampling Indian varietals while here in the country.

Okay. Birds are all waking up and it’s getting quite loud (birdwise) out here by the pool. I’m going to go check my luggage status and get ready for the office.