Still curious?

If the answers to your questions aren’t found below, then you’re out of luck.

Who
And introducing the star of our show… Me.

Supporting cast includes:

• Drew – CF AVS Tech. Edmonton, AB Canada
• Linda – Director. Jacksonville, FL USA
• Anand – Team Leader. Winnipeg, MB Canada
• Bill – Special Guest Star. Akron, OH USA
• Faranak – Manager, Operations. Winnipeg, MB Canada
• Manish – Sr Manager, Operations. Bangalore, India
• Yasho – Manager, Training. Bangalore, India
• Faisal – Program Trainer. Bangalore, India
• Gayatri – Yasho’s sister
• Bindu – Agent. Bangalore, India
• Divya – Agent. Bangalore, India
• Sahana – Quality Agent. Bangalore, India
• Lance – Miracle worker. Winnipeg, MB Canada
• Arpit – Sahana’s friend. Mumbia, India

Occasionally in my ramblings I may make mention of someone who you may not be familiar with. Most of them will be co-workers in Canada, the US, or in India. People I expect I’ll make reference to at some point during this journal are listed above.

What
I decided to create this journal to provide both a personal record of my travels and a quick and easy way for the people I love back home to vicariously experience my voyage.

While in India, I expect to be in regular contact with my co-workers in North America.

Unfortunately, the costs of calling home are somewhat prohibitive for my budget, so I’m planning on using this site as an additional method of communicating with my friends and family at home.

When
The journey begins on 09/22/03. I’ll remain in India through 11/07/03, when I return to North America.

I arrive back in North America on 11/09/03 and plan to sleep for days.

Where
Bangalore, India

Bangalore is located in the southern section part of the state of Karnataka, in the southern region of India. It is 3,113 feet above sea level, on top of a ridge in the Karnataka plateau. The mean temperature in the warmest month (April) is 27.1 C and in the coldest month (January) is 20.4 C. The temperature during the day rarely exceeds 34 C in summer (April and May) and seldom falls below 15.5 C on winter nights (December, January, and February).

Bangalore receives the benefit of the South West and North East monsoons. The average annual rainfall is 87 cm. October and November are rainy months, but the downpour during these months is only 17cms on average.

Bangalore is the capital city of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Legend has it that the name Bangalore comes from “boiled beans” (Benda Kaluru), which was served by a humble old lady to a hungry ruler in the 10th century.

It is the fastest growing city in Asia, home to well over 6 million people and the base for over 1 million industries. It is the fifth largest city in India and is also knows as the Garden City because of its’ many beautiful gardens and parks. Though the origin of Bangalore is ancient, the present day city was founded in the 16th century and has since continued to be an important administrative center. Because of the high concentration of IT industry, it is also known as the Silicon Valley of India.

While in India, I’m staying at The Leela Palace – Bangalore.

Why
The quick answer is that it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to explore an area of the world I might not otherwise have access to.

I love to travel and have always considered it to be the best part of my job. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to get to know new people, experience new cultures and trains of thought.

Drew and I have often talked about the degree of travel that is involved in our jobs and both agree that when any opportunity to travel arises – we should jump on it immediately without having to ask permission first. It might sound like a novel way to approach business travel when you’re married – but when you’re married to a member of the Canadian Forces, it makes perfect sense. Due to the nature of his career, he doesn’t often have a say in where he’s going or for how long he’ll be away. While we were fortunate when we lived in Winnipeg and I traveled to the US on business more often than he was away, times do arise where he is gone for long stretches of time.

Prior to India, my work related travel has been limited to Winnipeg MB, Jacksonville FL, Memphis TN, and Tucson AZ.

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