Navrus Celebration:
Last Monday we were invited to a celebration at the GMUz Garage. This is the headquarters for the folks who move the cars out on trucks. They also drive buses for employees and personal vehicles for those of us not allowed to drive. I have heard that the department is around 600 people. At least a couple hundred of them were at the party. The place was set up like a wedding reception. In our party was one young lady from China. When we arrived we thought she was the only female in the entire room. There were four other women who came. They were all performers. Some of the music was not good. When one of the women was singing I leaned over to my Chinese friend and asked her if this one was on her iPod. She got close to my ear and said no, this is suicide music. I had to laugh. There was a young lady who sang as well. She had a beautiful voice and sang up tempo songs. She was very enjoyable. One other thing I noticed, whenever a man was singing there would be a steady stream of guys going up to put money in his pockets. I did not see anyone tip any of the women. Most likely for the same reason that there were none invited to the party.
The food was not the best I'd had. There were the usual almonds, pistachios, raisins, apples and pears. The soup was a different one that has a sour component. It reminded me of something Greek. The osh had large pieces of fat in the bowl. It was made of whole grain rice. It was nowhere near as good as the Choi Xana. To drink there was tea as well as some juice and soda. As is my custom, I drank the tea.
Vacation:
I am headed over the mountain to Tashkent this Thursday, March 31st. Friday I fly to Istanbul, JFK and then Nashville. I'll be in Bowling Green for a couple of weeks. I return to UZ on Sunday the 17th. I fly Nashville to LaGuardia, shuttle to JFK then fly to Istanbul and Tashkent. I'll be back to work on Tuesday the 18th. I hope I get to see some of you while I'm in the USA.
Think about me while I'm traveling and be grateful for all you have been given.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Happy Navrus
I have gone dark for a while. I hope you missed me. I'll give you a little of the past few weeks experiences.
Tantana:
This is the nicest restaurant we've been to here. It is in a town called Fargona which is 70 Km from Andijon. In addition to actually being heated, they also have a stage show and dancing. The first time we went was on a Sunday so we did not stay until the end. Last week we had Sunday off so we went on Saturday night. The salads were good. There was one with beets and garlic mushrooms that was unique and delicious. The beef and lamb kabobs were both excellent. The first time we were able to get veggie kabobs. They were very good too. Somehow the second time we never got the communication well enough, so the veggies never appeared. You are never quite sure what will come to the table. Their menus do not have pictures. They had an English one the first time but not the second. The waitress we had did not read English so we had to find the item in the Russian menu. As difficult as that was, it worked well. The second time they did not have an English menu and the result was not as good either.
The show was all dancing. Some was a traditional Asian dance, some modern dance, there were some comedic ones and even a break dancing crew. It was fun and entertaining. After the show is over, the stage becomes a dance floor. Most of us got up there and danced. I kinda hope no one really follows through with the threats to post on You Tube.
The Team Shrinks:
The second night at Tantana was a "You Think You Are Going Away" party for two of the folks that have been here sine January. One was my traveling partner, who returned to his life in Swartz Creek, including a newly retired wife and grand kids who couldn't wait to see him. The other was my new Indian friend who I will always remember as our best negotiator. Then the night before they went back over the mountain, the team leaders in Supply Chain threw a party at UZ Turk. Everyone had lamb chops, except of course the vegetarian Indian. The plant manager was eating with his boss on the other side of the room. They sent over a cake. The team leaders all gave toasts to our friends. By the way, UZ Turk does not allow alcohol but apparently they knew who to pay because three bottles of Vodka delivered to that table during the course of the evening. They all said kind and appreciative words about the two who were leaving. A good time was had by all.
We are now down to the ISPs who are all on 2-3 year assignments, 3 Koreans who are helping with Logistics and Material Handling and Me. The four of us are here until June.
The Quest for a Hat:
One of the guys who was leaving wanted to purchase a traditional fur hat. When we went to Fargona the first time, we went to the Bazaar, in search of a hat. It was larger than the bazaars we had been to in Andijon. There were also a greater diversity of people. It seemed like there was a large population of Russians in this area. I was surprised to see blond hair. We searched the place high and low looking for a hat. Since the season for wearing them is about over, we thought there might be a bargain. The only place that we found which sold these hats was a shoe store. The guy went into the back and came out with a lovely fur hat for which he wanted 800,000 cym. That was so much my friend did not continue, as he was clearly out of his league.
The next weekend, an Uzbek friend of ours came to the cottages to lead us on the next part of the quest. First we went out for a brunch. The soup call legmon is a vegetable noodle soup that you put hot sauce in to taste. It is very good. We also had comco (pr: somsa). It is a meat pastry that will remind folks in Michigan of a pasty. It is just chunks of beef fried with onions then baked in a pastry, which you pick up and eat. They are very good. After brunch it was time to go to the Jamon Bazaar (World Bazaar).
Our guide made a deal with a Damas driver to take us there. It was 10-15 Km away so the ride cost us 9,000 cym. Once we arrived we were amazed. This was the largest bazaar yet. According to our guide, the Andijon area has a population of about 3 million people. Fully one third of them were there on this gorgeous sunny Sunday. This marketplace must be 10 acres of awning covered merchant stands selling everything from kids shoes to fur hats, office supplies, foods and spices, appliances and toys. There is some organization but not much. The aisle ways were so small that as you make your way through you are constantly in contact with one or more people. The trucks that service the area are like big wheel barrows. Whenever one of them is coming through the crowd parts then the ones headed the same direction as the truck fall in behind to make good progress, through the crowd. It was not quite packed like Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras but it was significantly worse than shopping malls during the Christmas shopping rush. I have no great desire to return. One thing did strike me while we were there. The people were dressed very nicely and many of the items for purchase seemed decent quality. There were many cars in the parking lots, in addition to the long lines of Damases and taxis. It seemed to me like there really is a middle class beginning to emerge, in this valley.
The mission was of course for a hat. Our guide knew where to go so we proceeded through the throng in search of the hat. Once we got to the "Hat Department" there were a number of pushy vendors who wanted to sell a foreigner a hat for dollars. We had to convince them that we were paying cym. Our friend made his purchase. It was a classic brown one, most likely of otter. It cost him a bit over 200,000 cym. That was his price range.
Just Having Fun:
Today, our same Uzbek friend came by to pick up some items one of those who returned home had left behind. We repeated some aspects of previous trips. We had legmon and comco. He and my boss got haircuts. My boss was really surprised by the place because it is a salon full of beautiful women. Since he is a single guy, they found him very interesting as well. The manager in that place is the one who asked me if I wanted another wife the last time I was there. She is very out spoken and has the girls in there laughing all of the time. The power was out much of the time we were there. The two of them moved closer to the windows and the haircuts continued electricity free. The power did come back on when they were finishing up. However, there was no time for me to get a cut. I may try one more time or I might just wait until I return to my favorite barber, who gives me special haircuts, in my own driveway. After the hair salon we were off to the Yangi Bazaar, to get my weekly supply of apples. When my apple girl put them on the scale, she entered 6500 cym/kg. I gave her a look as if I were feeling a little hurt. She reduced it to the price I had been paying, 6000 cym/kg. The total was 8700 so I gave her 9000. She added an orange to my bag. While I was there the woman from the next stand over got my attention. She did that thing with her left ring finger again. The guys want to know if the shop will change names after the wedding. When we got back I cut up an apple for them. They all agreed it was simply delicious. I think maybe I convinced them that I go there because she gives me the best apples, not because I am looking for another wife.
The Weather:
OK, this was weird. Last week the temperatures were climbing each day. The forecast was calling for snow on Wednesday. I kid you not, it was 77 degrees on Tuesday and we woke up to a half inch of snow on the ground on Wednesday. The people here said it was very strange to have such a variation over night. I was amazed by the accuracy of the forecast. They had been calling for the increasing temperatures and the snow for an entire week. We are now back up in the 60s with the 70s just around the corner and no snow in the forecast.
Navrus:
Today is the third day since I have been here that I did not go to the plant. Tomorrow will be the forth. It is a New Years type holiday in celebration of the vernal equinox. In ancient times the holiday was a celebration of the light overcoming the darkness. We don't have any plans but I hope to at least take a walk to see what people do to celebrate Navrus.
In the End:
I am really having a wonderful experience. I can not thank GM and my family enough for affording me this opportunity. I suspect that there will be more opportunities in our future as a result of this one. I am grateful. Now that you have finished another account of mine, take some time to think about some of the things in your life, that you take for granted and be grateful, today.
Tantana:
This is the nicest restaurant we've been to here. It is in a town called Fargona which is 70 Km from Andijon. In addition to actually being heated, they also have a stage show and dancing. The first time we went was on a Sunday so we did not stay until the end. Last week we had Sunday off so we went on Saturday night. The salads were good. There was one with beets and garlic mushrooms that was unique and delicious. The beef and lamb kabobs were both excellent. The first time we were able to get veggie kabobs. They were very good too. Somehow the second time we never got the communication well enough, so the veggies never appeared. You are never quite sure what will come to the table. Their menus do not have pictures. They had an English one the first time but not the second. The waitress we had did not read English so we had to find the item in the Russian menu. As difficult as that was, it worked well. The second time they did not have an English menu and the result was not as good either.
The show was all dancing. Some was a traditional Asian dance, some modern dance, there were some comedic ones and even a break dancing crew. It was fun and entertaining. After the show is over, the stage becomes a dance floor. Most of us got up there and danced. I kinda hope no one really follows through with the threats to post on You Tube.
The Team Shrinks:
The second night at Tantana was a "You Think You Are Going Away" party for two of the folks that have been here sine January. One was my traveling partner, who returned to his life in Swartz Creek, including a newly retired wife and grand kids who couldn't wait to see him. The other was my new Indian friend who I will always remember as our best negotiator. Then the night before they went back over the mountain, the team leaders in Supply Chain threw a party at UZ Turk. Everyone had lamb chops, except of course the vegetarian Indian. The plant manager was eating with his boss on the other side of the room. They sent over a cake. The team leaders all gave toasts to our friends. By the way, UZ Turk does not allow alcohol but apparently they knew who to pay because three bottles of Vodka delivered to that table during the course of the evening. They all said kind and appreciative words about the two who were leaving. A good time was had by all.
We are now down to the ISPs who are all on 2-3 year assignments, 3 Koreans who are helping with Logistics and Material Handling and Me. The four of us are here until June.
The Quest for a Hat:
One of the guys who was leaving wanted to purchase a traditional fur hat. When we went to Fargona the first time, we went to the Bazaar, in search of a hat. It was larger than the bazaars we had been to in Andijon. There were also a greater diversity of people. It seemed like there was a large population of Russians in this area. I was surprised to see blond hair. We searched the place high and low looking for a hat. Since the season for wearing them is about over, we thought there might be a bargain. The only place that we found which sold these hats was a shoe store. The guy went into the back and came out with a lovely fur hat for which he wanted 800,000 cym. That was so much my friend did not continue, as he was clearly out of his league.
The next weekend, an Uzbek friend of ours came to the cottages to lead us on the next part of the quest. First we went out for a brunch. The soup call legmon is a vegetable noodle soup that you put hot sauce in to taste. It is very good. We also had comco (pr: somsa). It is a meat pastry that will remind folks in Michigan of a pasty. It is just chunks of beef fried with onions then baked in a pastry, which you pick up and eat. They are very good. After brunch it was time to go to the Jamon Bazaar (World Bazaar).
Our guide made a deal with a Damas driver to take us there. It was 10-15 Km away so the ride cost us 9,000 cym. Once we arrived we were amazed. This was the largest bazaar yet. According to our guide, the Andijon area has a population of about 3 million people. Fully one third of them were there on this gorgeous sunny Sunday. This marketplace must be 10 acres of awning covered merchant stands selling everything from kids shoes to fur hats, office supplies, foods and spices, appliances and toys. There is some organization but not much. The aisle ways were so small that as you make your way through you are constantly in contact with one or more people. The trucks that service the area are like big wheel barrows. Whenever one of them is coming through the crowd parts then the ones headed the same direction as the truck fall in behind to make good progress, through the crowd. It was not quite packed like Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras but it was significantly worse than shopping malls during the Christmas shopping rush. I have no great desire to return. One thing did strike me while we were there. The people were dressed very nicely and many of the items for purchase seemed decent quality. There were many cars in the parking lots, in addition to the long lines of Damases and taxis. It seemed to me like there really is a middle class beginning to emerge, in this valley.
The mission was of course for a hat. Our guide knew where to go so we proceeded through the throng in search of the hat. Once we got to the "Hat Department" there were a number of pushy vendors who wanted to sell a foreigner a hat for dollars. We had to convince them that we were paying cym. Our friend made his purchase. It was a classic brown one, most likely of otter. It cost him a bit over 200,000 cym. That was his price range.
Just Having Fun:
Today, our same Uzbek friend came by to pick up some items one of those who returned home had left behind. We repeated some aspects of previous trips. We had legmon and comco. He and my boss got haircuts. My boss was really surprised by the place because it is a salon full of beautiful women. Since he is a single guy, they found him very interesting as well. The manager in that place is the one who asked me if I wanted another wife the last time I was there. She is very out spoken and has the girls in there laughing all of the time. The power was out much of the time we were there. The two of them moved closer to the windows and the haircuts continued electricity free. The power did come back on when they were finishing up. However, there was no time for me to get a cut. I may try one more time or I might just wait until I return to my favorite barber, who gives me special haircuts, in my own driveway. After the hair salon we were off to the Yangi Bazaar, to get my weekly supply of apples. When my apple girl put them on the scale, she entered 6500 cym/kg. I gave her a look as if I were feeling a little hurt. She reduced it to the price I had been paying, 6000 cym/kg. The total was 8700 so I gave her 9000. She added an orange to my bag. While I was there the woman from the next stand over got my attention. She did that thing with her left ring finger again. The guys want to know if the shop will change names after the wedding. When we got back I cut up an apple for them. They all agreed it was simply delicious. I think maybe I convinced them that I go there because she gives me the best apples, not because I am looking for another wife.
The Weather:
OK, this was weird. Last week the temperatures were climbing each day. The forecast was calling for snow on Wednesday. I kid you not, it was 77 degrees on Tuesday and we woke up to a half inch of snow on the ground on Wednesday. The people here said it was very strange to have such a variation over night. I was amazed by the accuracy of the forecast. They had been calling for the increasing temperatures and the snow for an entire week. We are now back up in the 60s with the 70s just around the corner and no snow in the forecast.
Navrus:
Today is the third day since I have been here that I did not go to the plant. Tomorrow will be the forth. It is a New Years type holiday in celebration of the vernal equinox. In ancient times the holiday was a celebration of the light overcoming the darkness. We don't have any plans but I hope to at least take a walk to see what people do to celebrate Navrus.
In the End:
I am really having a wonderful experience. I can not thank GM and my family enough for affording me this opportunity. I suspect that there will be more opportunities in our future as a result of this one. I am grateful. Now that you have finished another account of mine, take some time to think about some of the things in your life, that you take for granted and be grateful, today.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Winter Returns to the Fargona Valley
The weather was cold but everything else was warm this week. On Wednesday we celebrated Men's Day. From what I understand this was a Soviet holiday that they still celebrate. The women of the office made traditional Uzbek Osh. It is known in Russia as pilov and elsewhere as pilaf. It is similar to dirty rice but with different spices. There was non, which is the round loaves of bread you see everywhere, marinated salad of cabbage and carrots as well as some sliced fruit. It was very nicely done and wonderful to eat.
When I awoke on my birthday I had to trek through an inch of snow to get to Cottage K4, where the workout equipment is located. Yes I did start working out again. That is a good thing as I have more energy even though we still work dark to dark daily.
My birthday was fun. I did post a picture of me and my cake that day. I know most everyone saw it because of the number of FB posts. The ornaments on the sides and the shavings on top were chocolate. The cake was similar to a spice cake. It was triple layer with cream between the layers. The balls were also made of cream. It was very delicious. It was cool that a bunch of guys from all over the world wanted to celebrate with me.
When I was getting ready for bed I noticed that my phone had lost it's signal. I thought, that might not be such a bad thing as I figured there would be some FB posts wishing me happy birthday and commenting on the picture I had just posted. That was a good call. When I enabled my phone service again after I woke up the day after my birthday, there were 40 texts queued up. Most FB posts, others just texts. Lesson of the day: If you are ever on the opposite side of the world of most of your FB friends on your birthday, put the phone on airplane mode or you will not sleep well.
We ended the week by actually making schedule two days in a row and on Saturday produced enough to catch up to the number required for the month. Baring a catastrophe, we will make the February number.
Today we had some fun. We started out with a little time in the plant. It was good that we did. There were some mistakes in the system, which lead people to believe that we were out of a part to build the Matiz. When we did some digging we found enough for a couple of weeks. We have been fighting to clean up bad data from the day we arrived. After a couple of hours there, we went to the cottages to drop off our stuff and pick up one more guy. We packed four into the back seat of a Lacetti. That is a car the size of a Chevy Cruze. You do what you have to sometimes. When we got to Andijon, our driver dropped us in town. We told him to enjoy the rest of his day and we would find our own ride back to the cottages.
We started with a money transaction. Our Korean friend had done it before and had a broker. He spotted us on the street and approached. We made a deal for 2350 cym per dollar. That was good enough for me so I changed a hundred. Remember the exchange rate published by the government is 1648. The variance is certainly worth having a broker on the street.
Next we headed into the Yangi Bizarre to do a little shopping. We went to see our favorite fruit vendor. She remembered us, as I expected she would. We bought our fruit with only a little negotiating. She did charge the first guy, who did no negotiating, 500 cym/kg more than the other two, for the same apples. She gave another guy a tangerine, in compensation. I guess she saw him coming and knew my Indian friend and I were not as much of a push over. She just put the lower price into the scale without saying a word. I told him as we walked out what had happened. He was not surprised. It was a difference in reality of about a quarter.
There was a crowd around us when we were doing business with her. Hard to understand why three Americans, a Korean and an Indian negotiating with a young Uzbek female fruit vendor would draw a crowd. One of the older ladies, maybe her Mother, was pushing me toward our vendor friend. It surprised me. When I looked at her she held up her left hand and with her right index finger and thumb stroked her left ring finger. I think the message was that I should be marrying this young girl. I put my arm around her and tried to let them know I already had a wife. The guys really teased me about what I was really in the market for today.
After the fruit purchases we went to get some nuts. The almonds are so good. We keep them in the office for folks to munch on during meetings etc. The merchant we generally do business with quoted us a price higher than our Indian friend was willing to pay. He is without question the best negotiator of the bunch. The guy started at 22,000 cym/kg. The counter offer was 16,000. We ended up buying a total of 3.5 kg for 17,000 cym/kg. It was a pretty brutal negotiation that could have gone either way. I am pretty sure when we first purchased these highest quality almonds we did pay 22,000. At any rate, we now have plenty of nuts, for a while. My friend who was taken by the fruit vendor did no better here. He paid 22,000 for a kg of raisins. The next guy got them for 16,000. Some people like the sport better than others.
After the fruits and nuts we all wanted some beverages. One loves the juice. One needs the coke. One got some tea and some beer. For me, a couple of bottles of a dry red Uzbek wine. Once we had all of our purchases, it was time for lunch. We were surprised to meet up with a guy from the plant, who had been sick much of the week. He joined us for lunch. UZ Turk was really packed today. I had something like chicken wings and some salad. Another guy had a spiced meat loaf. Our Korean friend had a barbecue chicken wrap that was excellent. Actually all of it was really good. It is an excellent place to eat.
Our friend from the plant, who is from Asaka, was in town for a haircut. I told him I really wanted one too. He called his barber and worked me in, even though it is a very busy day. We put the other 4 guys in a cab to the cottages and the two of us headed to the barbershop. When we stepped inside it was hot and humid. My glasses fogged up immediately upon entry. I felt a little disadvantaged as it was a new place full of people that I could not see. I got my glasses clear by using a shirt tail. Once I could see, I found myself not in a barbershop full of men but a salon full of women. The room was entirely pink with red and burgundy decorations. It was about 10 feet wide and 60 feet deep. The air was thick with the chemicals women use in such places. There was a manicure station and four stations for hair stylists. The only guy in there was working on a lady in the very last station. I waited near the door as my Uzbek friend went to speak with his "barber". He asked us to come back in 30 minutes. We agreed and went back outside. We just walked and talked. He and I know quite a bit about each other as he and I often lunch together. We did use a public bathroom. It cost 200 cym and you do not breathe through your nose in there. Real, real, real bad....
When the time came for us to return, we did. To our surprise, the guy we had made the appointment with just 30 minutes earlier was gone. There were no less than a dozen women in the shop. Many of them worked there and a few were customers. They were talking to my friend and he was translating, for me. He said they were excited about an American being in the shop. He said to me that he had told them I was married. He said one asked if I wanted another wife. It has really been a long time since I received two proposals for marriage, in one day or one anything. I gracefully declined, again.
A young lady offered to cut my hair. I agreed. She was meticulous. She used an electric clipper and a comb. There was no guard on the clipper. She did a good job but it took a long time. When she was done she brushed me with some talc and then washed my hair. Then she sat me in a different chair and blow dried it. Once dry she rubbed my head with some product called stick up. My friend said to give her 10,000 cym and she would be happy. She tried to give me 4,000 back. I refused and thanked her. Katta rahmat is the way you say thank you very much, in Uzbek.
I will post pictures again soon. Today the Internet was so slow I could not do my banking and I wrote this in MS Word hoping to be able to paste it into the blog writer. When you think your computer is slow you simply have no idea. It is time for me to head to bed. Since we have no gas I expect it to be a little cool in here tonight and a clod shower tomorrow. I have the window closed for the first time since I have been here. I tell you all this so when I tell you to be grateful, you understand why. You and I are blessed in so many ways that we do not even appreciate. Take time after you read this to think about how good your life really is and be grateful!
When I awoke on my birthday I had to trek through an inch of snow to get to Cottage K4, where the workout equipment is located. Yes I did start working out again. That is a good thing as I have more energy even though we still work dark to dark daily.
My birthday was fun. I did post a picture of me and my cake that day. I know most everyone saw it because of the number of FB posts. The ornaments on the sides and the shavings on top were chocolate. The cake was similar to a spice cake. It was triple layer with cream between the layers. The balls were also made of cream. It was very delicious. It was cool that a bunch of guys from all over the world wanted to celebrate with me.
When I was getting ready for bed I noticed that my phone had lost it's signal. I thought, that might not be such a bad thing as I figured there would be some FB posts wishing me happy birthday and commenting on the picture I had just posted. That was a good call. When I enabled my phone service again after I woke up the day after my birthday, there were 40 texts queued up. Most FB posts, others just texts. Lesson of the day: If you are ever on the opposite side of the world of most of your FB friends on your birthday, put the phone on airplane mode or you will not sleep well.
We ended the week by actually making schedule two days in a row and on Saturday produced enough to catch up to the number required for the month. Baring a catastrophe, we will make the February number.
Today we had some fun. We started out with a little time in the plant. It was good that we did. There were some mistakes in the system, which lead people to believe that we were out of a part to build the Matiz. When we did some digging we found enough for a couple of weeks. We have been fighting to clean up bad data from the day we arrived. After a couple of hours there, we went to the cottages to drop off our stuff and pick up one more guy. We packed four into the back seat of a Lacetti. That is a car the size of a Chevy Cruze. You do what you have to sometimes. When we got to Andijon, our driver dropped us in town. We told him to enjoy the rest of his day and we would find our own ride back to the cottages.
We started with a money transaction. Our Korean friend had done it before and had a broker. He spotted us on the street and approached. We made a deal for 2350 cym per dollar. That was good enough for me so I changed a hundred. Remember the exchange rate published by the government is 1648. The variance is certainly worth having a broker on the street.
Next we headed into the Yangi Bizarre to do a little shopping. We went to see our favorite fruit vendor. She remembered us, as I expected she would. We bought our fruit with only a little negotiating. She did charge the first guy, who did no negotiating, 500 cym/kg more than the other two, for the same apples. She gave another guy a tangerine, in compensation. I guess she saw him coming and knew my Indian friend and I were not as much of a push over. She just put the lower price into the scale without saying a word. I told him as we walked out what had happened. He was not surprised. It was a difference in reality of about a quarter.
There was a crowd around us when we were doing business with her. Hard to understand why three Americans, a Korean and an Indian negotiating with a young Uzbek female fruit vendor would draw a crowd. One of the older ladies, maybe her Mother, was pushing me toward our vendor friend. It surprised me. When I looked at her she held up her left hand and with her right index finger and thumb stroked her left ring finger. I think the message was that I should be marrying this young girl. I put my arm around her and tried to let them know I already had a wife. The guys really teased me about what I was really in the market for today.
After the fruit purchases we went to get some nuts. The almonds are so good. We keep them in the office for folks to munch on during meetings etc. The merchant we generally do business with quoted us a price higher than our Indian friend was willing to pay. He is without question the best negotiator of the bunch. The guy started at 22,000 cym/kg. The counter offer was 16,000. We ended up buying a total of 3.5 kg for 17,000 cym/kg. It was a pretty brutal negotiation that could have gone either way. I am pretty sure when we first purchased these highest quality almonds we did pay 22,000. At any rate, we now have plenty of nuts, for a while. My friend who was taken by the fruit vendor did no better here. He paid 22,000 for a kg of raisins. The next guy got them for 16,000. Some people like the sport better than others.
After the fruits and nuts we all wanted some beverages. One loves the juice. One needs the coke. One got some tea and some beer. For me, a couple of bottles of a dry red Uzbek wine. Once we had all of our purchases, it was time for lunch. We were surprised to meet up with a guy from the plant, who had been sick much of the week. He joined us for lunch. UZ Turk was really packed today. I had something like chicken wings and some salad. Another guy had a spiced meat loaf. Our Korean friend had a barbecue chicken wrap that was excellent. Actually all of it was really good. It is an excellent place to eat.
Our friend from the plant, who is from Asaka, was in town for a haircut. I told him I really wanted one too. He called his barber and worked me in, even though it is a very busy day. We put the other 4 guys in a cab to the cottages and the two of us headed to the barbershop. When we stepped inside it was hot and humid. My glasses fogged up immediately upon entry. I felt a little disadvantaged as it was a new place full of people that I could not see. I got my glasses clear by using a shirt tail. Once I could see, I found myself not in a barbershop full of men but a salon full of women. The room was entirely pink with red and burgundy decorations. It was about 10 feet wide and 60 feet deep. The air was thick with the chemicals women use in such places. There was a manicure station and four stations for hair stylists. The only guy in there was working on a lady in the very last station. I waited near the door as my Uzbek friend went to speak with his "barber". He asked us to come back in 30 minutes. We agreed and went back outside. We just walked and talked. He and I know quite a bit about each other as he and I often lunch together. We did use a public bathroom. It cost 200 cym and you do not breathe through your nose in there. Real, real, real bad....
When the time came for us to return, we did. To our surprise, the guy we had made the appointment with just 30 minutes earlier was gone. There were no less than a dozen women in the shop. Many of them worked there and a few were customers. They were talking to my friend and he was translating, for me. He said they were excited about an American being in the shop. He said to me that he had told them I was married. He said one asked if I wanted another wife. It has really been a long time since I received two proposals for marriage, in one day or one anything. I gracefully declined, again.
A young lady offered to cut my hair. I agreed. She was meticulous. She used an electric clipper and a comb. There was no guard on the clipper. She did a good job but it took a long time. When she was done she brushed me with some talc and then washed my hair. Then she sat me in a different chair and blow dried it. Once dry she rubbed my head with some product called stick up. My friend said to give her 10,000 cym and she would be happy. She tried to give me 4,000 back. I refused and thanked her. Katta rahmat is the way you say thank you very much, in Uzbek.
I will post pictures again soon. Today the Internet was so slow I could not do my banking and I wrote this in MS Word hoping to be able to paste it into the blog writer. When you think your computer is slow you simply have no idea. It is time for me to head to bed. Since we have no gas I expect it to be a little cool in here tonight and a clod shower tomorrow. I have the window closed for the first time since I have been here. I tell you all this so when I tell you to be grateful, you understand why. You and I are blessed in so many ways that we do not even appreciate. Take time after you read this to think about how good your life really is and be grateful!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Another Busy Week Living in the Ooze
In case you didn't get it, the way to pronounce UZ is with a long oo sound, just like ooze.
Our weather took a nasty turn today. It is 40 and raining. Rotten for the only day of the week we have a chance to see daylight. The only real change this week is that there are fewer of us. One guy who took a lot of pictures left. I'll post good ones, when I get a chance. My boss also left. He has to take care of his relocation from Korea to his new house in Florida. He'll be back in early March. Needless to say this leaves me and my traveling partner in charge of solving the myriad of problems this sprawling plant has, in the supply of material. We have already begun using the problem solving techniques we know from our experiences in North American plants. Each failure is another opportunity to make positive change. Our mission is to teach these techniques to the folks here and attempt to make permanent improvements. We will not be getting bored anytime soon.
Today, Sunday, is the exception. We only went to the plant for about three hours. Our main goal was to understand what held the body shop for so long this morning, at the end of the shift. We also wanted to be certain that the crew unloading sea containers was on schedule. We learned what we needed to, devised an improved method of tracking performance and checked on the warehouse. Then we left and headed to UZ Turk. I had a fresh salad in addition to the lamb chops today. The salad was tomato, cucumber, onion, parsley and a couple leaves of lettuce. It was dressed in vinegar and oil with orange wedges on the side. I liked it. The lamb chops were delish, as usual. They seemed to have everything on the menu today. The English speaking waiter, the one that was chastised last week, seemed concerned that the boss was not with us. We could have not told him he was on vacation and let him think he really quit coming but we didn't.
After our lunch we headed to the Yange (pronounced Yangee) Bazaar. Yange means new. This is where I had purchased dried fruit and almonds, in the past. I got some more of the dried fruit and I also bought some apples. My Indian friend also wanted some apples and bananas. We chose a young lady vendor as her fruit looked good. When she told him the price of bananas, he negotiated her down. He never just pays the price asked. In this case he paid about 300 cym less than she asked. For reference, that is about 8 cents. He gave her an extra 500 cym just for the fun. She did not want to keep the extra money. When he refused to take the change, she offered him an orange. He would not take it either so she offered it to our driver. He agreed to take it. I took her picture while she was unaware. I will post it on FB later. She seemed pleased when I showed it to her. We will purchase from her again and she will know what to expect.
This week will be incredibly difficult. I realized today that one of the things they are doing is really messing things up. I called on an expert to help me understand what I was seeing. I was hoping for the best but fearing the worst. I got the email back, my fears were confirmed. Our most important assignment this week will be to get the folks screwing things up to understand, fix it and stop screwing it up. This one may impact my sleep this week.
Remember, be grateful.
Happy Valentines Day
Our weather took a nasty turn today. It is 40 and raining. Rotten for the only day of the week we have a chance to see daylight. The only real change this week is that there are fewer of us. One guy who took a lot of pictures left. I'll post good ones, when I get a chance. My boss also left. He has to take care of his relocation from Korea to his new house in Florida. He'll be back in early March. Needless to say this leaves me and my traveling partner in charge of solving the myriad of problems this sprawling plant has, in the supply of material. We have already begun using the problem solving techniques we know from our experiences in North American plants. Each failure is another opportunity to make positive change. Our mission is to teach these techniques to the folks here and attempt to make permanent improvements. We will not be getting bored anytime soon.
Today, Sunday, is the exception. We only went to the plant for about three hours. Our main goal was to understand what held the body shop for so long this morning, at the end of the shift. We also wanted to be certain that the crew unloading sea containers was on schedule. We learned what we needed to, devised an improved method of tracking performance and checked on the warehouse. Then we left and headed to UZ Turk. I had a fresh salad in addition to the lamb chops today. The salad was tomato, cucumber, onion, parsley and a couple leaves of lettuce. It was dressed in vinegar and oil with orange wedges on the side. I liked it. The lamb chops were delish, as usual. They seemed to have everything on the menu today. The English speaking waiter, the one that was chastised last week, seemed concerned that the boss was not with us. We could have not told him he was on vacation and let him think he really quit coming but we didn't.
After our lunch we headed to the Yange (pronounced Yangee) Bazaar. Yange means new. This is where I had purchased dried fruit and almonds, in the past. I got some more of the dried fruit and I also bought some apples. My Indian friend also wanted some apples and bananas. We chose a young lady vendor as her fruit looked good. When she told him the price of bananas, he negotiated her down. He never just pays the price asked. In this case he paid about 300 cym less than she asked. For reference, that is about 8 cents. He gave her an extra 500 cym just for the fun. She did not want to keep the extra money. When he refused to take the change, she offered him an orange. He would not take it either so she offered it to our driver. He agreed to take it. I took her picture while she was unaware. I will post it on FB later. She seemed pleased when I showed it to her. We will purchase from her again and she will know what to expect.
This week will be incredibly difficult. I realized today that one of the things they are doing is really messing things up. I called on an expert to help me understand what I was seeing. I was hoping for the best but fearing the worst. I got the email back, my fears were confirmed. Our most important assignment this week will be to get the folks screwing things up to understand, fix it and stop screwing it up. This one may impact my sleep this week.
Remember, be grateful.
Happy Valentines Day
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Early Spring in Uzbekistan
We were in the 50s most of the week. It cooled off on the weekend. It is almost spring. The fields have the beginning of green. It rained once and cleared the air a bit. I'd say we are about 3 weeks ahead of Kentucky. Maybe even a week or so ahead of Louisiana. There will be cotton growing along the silk road soon. By the way, the traffic I hear out my window is actually on the Silk Road, connecting China and Europe. Pretty cool stuff.
This week was another of solid work. We did the usual breakfast at 6:30, cars at 7:15, work the morning, lunch at 12:30, work the afternoon, dinner at 18:30, catch the 19:00 bus back to the cottages, then read, watch a movie or whatever. I stayed up too late all week. I never got up to work out. It is so easy to get into the habit of staying up and sleeping in. It is not good for me. I will get back to the morning workouts.
Friday we went out to eat instead of eating at the plant. Uz Turk, as has been our place, was where we went. This time we ate downstairs. We had a bigger party than usual. The Plant Manager, Supplier Quality Manager and a couple of drivers joined us. The "pizza", which is actually a thin bread with cheese on it, was really quite good. I also tried a pepper salad. It was spicy yum delicious! The Supplier Quality Manager and I split our entrées. She got a chicken kabob and I of course got lamb chops. The chicken was delish too. The thing about the place, they don't have what is on the menu. My boss love fries so he ordered 4 or 5 servings, for the table. The waiter came back to tell him they had no fries. One guy ordered something, the waiter came back because they were out, so he chose another thing. Then the waiter came back because they were out of that. He said I'll just have lamb chops too, figuring that would solve it. Than the waiter came back to my boss and said they didn't have enough lamb chops for everyone who ordered them. My boss lost it a bit and told the poor guy off. He read him the riot act about how we work hard all week and expect good service when we come. We all knew it wasn't his fault but so goes the life of a messenger. That end of the table shared their chops with him so everyone ate fine.
The Supplier Quality Manager was not happy either. What she had ordered was not in stock but the waiter did not get her to understand. He was pointing to the chicken that was available on the menu. She said no, I'll just have what I ordered. He brought what they had and she was displeased. I saw it coming from a mile away. Imagine the barriers to communication. The Plant Manager and one other guy are from India. The Supplier Quality Manager is from China. The two drivers and the waiter are Uzbek. There were four English as a first language American at the table as well. We are a diverse bunch, especially when you consider the Koreans, the Mexican and the Belgian, none of whom attended this meal. Many of these folks have worked in overseas assignments for years and have traveled the globe. Our moves to LA, VA and KY are pretty short, in comparrison.
Saturday we stayed too late to eat at the cottages. My boss held to his promise not to return to Uz Turk, at least for a day. We went to a place called Uz Antalia. It was cool. Next time I'll get a photo of the outside. I'll upload some pictures of the inside and our HUGE shish kabobs (2 foot long I think) onto FB later. It was the first place we've been that served alcohol. Most had a beer, which we had sampled in the past so there was no risk. I surprised them all when I asked for vino. I had no idea what would come but the young lady brought a slightly sweetish dry Russian wine that I liked. We had a really good time.
Today, you guessed it, we went to work. If you haven't already figured it out, our department is actually the bottleneck of the plant. At 16:00 the computer system went down, like it does every Sunday, to begin the Asia Pacific weekend batch. It is a huge set of jobs that generates requirements and ship schedules for material required in all of the plants, in this part of the world. We quit for the day and went to the Asaka Bizarre. I got some apples and went in on some almonds for the office. Then we went to Karzinga, which is a convenience store. I bought a bottle of wine for 4000 UZS (~$2.00) and a can of Nescafe for work. It was 17,500 UZS. I didn't believe the clerk, When he turned the calculator toward me, I pushed it back and shook my head. They are kept behind the counter so I could not see the price but I saw that some had stickers. I had the kid get me one with a sticker. I was stunned, 17,500. I paid it.
Well, that is it from here for now. I'll get the next bunch of pictures up soon. Don't forget to be grateful.
This week was another of solid work. We did the usual breakfast at 6:30, cars at 7:15, work the morning, lunch at 12:30, work the afternoon, dinner at 18:30, catch the 19:00 bus back to the cottages, then read, watch a movie or whatever. I stayed up too late all week. I never got up to work out. It is so easy to get into the habit of staying up and sleeping in. It is not good for me. I will get back to the morning workouts.
Friday we went out to eat instead of eating at the plant. Uz Turk, as has been our place, was where we went. This time we ate downstairs. We had a bigger party than usual. The Plant Manager, Supplier Quality Manager and a couple of drivers joined us. The "pizza", which is actually a thin bread with cheese on it, was really quite good. I also tried a pepper salad. It was spicy yum delicious! The Supplier Quality Manager and I split our entrées. She got a chicken kabob and I of course got lamb chops. The chicken was delish too. The thing about the place, they don't have what is on the menu. My boss love fries so he ordered 4 or 5 servings, for the table. The waiter came back to tell him they had no fries. One guy ordered something, the waiter came back because they were out, so he chose another thing. Then the waiter came back because they were out of that. He said I'll just have lamb chops too, figuring that would solve it. Than the waiter came back to my boss and said they didn't have enough lamb chops for everyone who ordered them. My boss lost it a bit and told the poor guy off. He read him the riot act about how we work hard all week and expect good service when we come. We all knew it wasn't his fault but so goes the life of a messenger. That end of the table shared their chops with him so everyone ate fine.
The Supplier Quality Manager was not happy either. What she had ordered was not in stock but the waiter did not get her to understand. He was pointing to the chicken that was available on the menu. She said no, I'll just have what I ordered. He brought what they had and she was displeased. I saw it coming from a mile away. Imagine the barriers to communication. The Plant Manager and one other guy are from India. The Supplier Quality Manager is from China. The two drivers and the waiter are Uzbek. There were four English as a first language American at the table as well. We are a diverse bunch, especially when you consider the Koreans, the Mexican and the Belgian, none of whom attended this meal. Many of these folks have worked in overseas assignments for years and have traveled the globe. Our moves to LA, VA and KY are pretty short, in comparrison.
Saturday we stayed too late to eat at the cottages. My boss held to his promise not to return to Uz Turk, at least for a day. We went to a place called Uz Antalia. It was cool. Next time I'll get a photo of the outside. I'll upload some pictures of the inside and our HUGE shish kabobs (2 foot long I think) onto FB later. It was the first place we've been that served alcohol. Most had a beer, which we had sampled in the past so there was no risk. I surprised them all when I asked for vino. I had no idea what would come but the young lady brought a slightly sweetish dry Russian wine that I liked. We had a really good time.
Today, you guessed it, we went to work. If you haven't already figured it out, our department is actually the bottleneck of the plant. At 16:00 the computer system went down, like it does every Sunday, to begin the Asia Pacific weekend batch. It is a huge set of jobs that generates requirements and ship schedules for material required in all of the plants, in this part of the world. We quit for the day and went to the Asaka Bizarre. I got some apples and went in on some almonds for the office. Then we went to Karzinga, which is a convenience store. I bought a bottle of wine for 4000 UZS (~$2.00) and a can of Nescafe for work. It was 17,500 UZS. I didn't believe the clerk, When he turned the calculator toward me, I pushed it back and shook my head. They are kept behind the counter so I could not see the price but I saw that some had stickers. I had the kid get me one with a sticker. I was stunned, 17,500. I paid it.
Well, that is it from here for now. I'll get the next bunch of pictures up soon. Don't forget to be grateful.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tired....
Updates:
I do have a couple of updates. Last night I made a tactical mistake. I left my phone on Skype because I thought Cat might call. I did not plug it in so the battery died during the night. I woke up in the usual "what the heck time is it?" panic, when you realize you have no alarm and don't know the time. I plugged the thing in to find out it was still an hour before I planned to get up. Whew!!! Anyway, when the thing powered back up it started ringing off the hook with text messages. Every Facebook update anyone I follow had posted for the past 2 weeks rang onto my phone. I thought it would never quit. It finally did. Today I am receiving texts and I could receive a phone call. However, please don't call unless it is an emergency. There is no plan here so the calls are $5/minute + taxes and fees, so more like $6. I can receive texts for free, so feel free. Don't expect one back as they are $0.5 each to send. I'll hit you back on FB or EM, which I can do for free.
Dish:
OK, the team here gave the HP guys one last bunch of data to load before they left today. It was supposed to be the last of the containers in the yard that were not in the system. Then today I get an e-mail form one of the guys from HP who helped. He said it looked like it was all duplicate data. I got a look and agreed, that is what it appeared to be. If the data problems weren't bad enough we now had 197 suspected duplicate shipments in the system. I spent the rest of the day and enlisted a couple of guys to help, manually deleting all of the shipment and reject records associated with the ones I determined to be duplicates. It really sucked! I actually did not finish finding and purging all of it from the system until 9:00 PM tonight. I am absolutely exhausted from mining for data.
Other than that, it was in the low 50s here today and the sun did shine in the hazy way it does here. When the system went down for weekend processing, we wrapped up at the plant and went out to dinner. Lamb chops at Uz Turk again for me. Then we headed to a store. On the way our driver got pulled over. I have no idea why. It looks like anarchy on the streets so I don't see any objective way a cop could judge who violated some "law". I really think he saw a new car full of non-Asians and pulled us over, on general principles. The driver was clearly pissed and I think he got a ticket. He said everything was fine. We all knew what he meant.
We hit the little store to get some snacks. Not that we drink often but we have decided on our favorite Russian beer. It is the one with the 7 on the label. The 9 was too thick. So I have more Dove and Peanut M&Ms to share at work and a beer for our next movie night.
My cold lasted about 7 days. I plan to begin working out again in the morning. I need to get to sleep.
Enjoy where you are. Trust me, you are truly blessed.
I do have a couple of updates. Last night I made a tactical mistake. I left my phone on Skype because I thought Cat might call. I did not plug it in so the battery died during the night. I woke up in the usual "what the heck time is it?" panic, when you realize you have no alarm and don't know the time. I plugged the thing in to find out it was still an hour before I planned to get up. Whew!!! Anyway, when the thing powered back up it started ringing off the hook with text messages. Every Facebook update anyone I follow had posted for the past 2 weeks rang onto my phone. I thought it would never quit. It finally did. Today I am receiving texts and I could receive a phone call. However, please don't call unless it is an emergency. There is no plan here so the calls are $5/minute + taxes and fees, so more like $6. I can receive texts for free, so feel free. Don't expect one back as they are $0.5 each to send. I'll hit you back on FB or EM, which I can do for free.
Dish:
OK, the team here gave the HP guys one last bunch of data to load before they left today. It was supposed to be the last of the containers in the yard that were not in the system. Then today I get an e-mail form one of the guys from HP who helped. He said it looked like it was all duplicate data. I got a look and agreed, that is what it appeared to be. If the data problems weren't bad enough we now had 197 suspected duplicate shipments in the system. I spent the rest of the day and enlisted a couple of guys to help, manually deleting all of the shipment and reject records associated with the ones I determined to be duplicates. It really sucked! I actually did not finish finding and purging all of it from the system until 9:00 PM tonight. I am absolutely exhausted from mining for data.
Other than that, it was in the low 50s here today and the sun did shine in the hazy way it does here. When the system went down for weekend processing, we wrapped up at the plant and went out to dinner. Lamb chops at Uz Turk again for me. Then we headed to a store. On the way our driver got pulled over. I have no idea why. It looks like anarchy on the streets so I don't see any objective way a cop could judge who violated some "law". I really think he saw a new car full of non-Asians and pulled us over, on general principles. The driver was clearly pissed and I think he got a ticket. He said everything was fine. We all knew what he meant.
We hit the little store to get some snacks. Not that we drink often but we have decided on our favorite Russian beer. It is the one with the 7 on the label. The 9 was too thick. So I have more Dove and Peanut M&Ms to share at work and a beer for our next movie night.
My cold lasted about 7 days. I plan to begin working out again in the morning. I need to get to sleep.
Enjoy where you are. Trust me, you are truly blessed.
Monday, January 24, 2011
A New Experience
Thanks for all of the kind words about the photo album. I uploaded more today. Some I had neglected and others that another guy had posted, that I decided to share. I hope you like.
OK, at the risk of sounding inappropriate I need to report on the women. Please don't take any of this as more than my observations. They wear long skirts and dresses, knee high boots with high heels or colorful socks and open back slip on shoes. I've seen none in traditional Islam hijab but they do wear scarves or hats and long winter coats and always look dressed up. There are many who are quite beautiful, in a south central Asian way. There is a perfume that is very common that I have never smelled before but it is very nice. There are a couple in the office who are very pleasant. They are kind of the unofficial hostesses. I really enjoy them. Their names are Zilola and Gulzima. Gulzima wears the nice perfume. Zilola is young and lights up the room when she enters. They are both bright spots in a factory full of men.
This morning we were getting to work in our second floor office. The building began to sway. Initially we all thought it was a truck. But it was really exaggerated and continued for what must have been 20-30 seconds. I knew it had to be an earthquake. Nothing else could have caused the motion we were feeling. Sure enough...
== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==
Region: TAJIKISTAN
Geographic coordinates: 38.437N, 72.749E
Magnitude: 6.1 M
Depth: 89 km
Universal Time (UTC): 24 Jan 2011 02:45:29
Time near the Epicenter: 24 Jan 2011 07:45:29
OK, at the risk of sounding inappropriate I need to report on the women. Please don't take any of this as more than my observations. They wear long skirts and dresses, knee high boots with high heels or colorful socks and open back slip on shoes. I've seen none in traditional Islam hijab but they do wear scarves or hats and long winter coats and always look dressed up. There are many who are quite beautiful, in a south central Asian way. There is a perfume that is very common that I have never smelled before but it is very nice. There are a couple in the office who are very pleasant. They are kind of the unofficial hostesses. I really enjoy them. Their names are Zilola and Gulzima. Gulzima wears the nice perfume. Zilola is young and lights up the room when she enters. They are both bright spots in a factory full of men.
This morning we were getting to work in our second floor office. The building began to sway. Initially we all thought it was a truck. But it was really exaggerated and continued for what must have been 20-30 seconds. I knew it had to be an earthquake. Nothing else could have caused the motion we were feeling. Sure enough...
== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==
Region: TAJIKISTAN
Geographic coordinates: 38.437N, 72.749E
Magnitude: 6.1 M
Depth: 89 km
Universal Time (UTC): 24 Jan 2011 02:45:29
Time near the Epicenter: 24 Jan 2011 07:45:29
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)