First day of training started today. I have 19 students, and each one of them is eager to learn their new job. It’s such a refreshing change from your typical “I’m just here for the paycheck” employee that still reeks of McDonalds fry grease. Throughout the first part of the day, everyone (whose American names ranged from Sam, John, and Vicky….all males, mind you) was in very high spirits. I actually felt good about this class.
And then something horrible happened.
I knew something was wrong right after lunch when class morale dropped like a brick through water. I could see the look of pain and agony on a few student’s faces. Was it the American music I was playing? Did I grow a third, gruesome arm in the past five minutes that I wasn’t aware of? No. It was worse. It was….food poisoning.
Yep, apparently the site cafeteria was serving up salmonella with a heaping side of E. Coli, because nearly each and every one of my students was vomiting, rolling in agony, and basically wanting to die. Awesome. Class was ended early, and I have no idea if poor little Steve or Becky was going to make it back to work tomorrow.
Ugh. Thank god this hotel minibar has a nice selection of whisky.
Good note for the day: I went to see the Gateway to India. Nice structure, could use a good wash, though.
So yea. I started responding to your students’ emails. Most of them inserted some fun sound effect such as “American Eagle” or made a comment about having a “blast” on my side of the world. I love how there were two very specific strings of emails. One said:
Greetings from Mumbai
Greetings from mumbai
greetings from mumbai
Greetings from Mumbai(india) – in case I forgot where that was.
None said greetings from India, or even Bombay…
Then there was another string of emails:
Turn up the speakers
Turn off the speakers
Turn of the Speakers
TuRn up da SpeaKers!
So while I go along my merry way responding to all of these well written yet overly similar messages I throw in comments like “Zach is a cool trainer” or “I hope you are enjoying AOL training.” or the best response evar.. “Tell Zach to bring me back some wonderful Indian food.”
Thirty minutes after reading and responding to the first wave of emails, I read your blog and found out about the food poisoning. Please do not consider bringing any of THAT food back here.
-p.s. I asked one of the students to record Indian Peacock and put it in an email, instead of all the American Eagles I got. Lets see how that goes.
how did you happen to avoid getting food posioning…are you brown-bagging minature bottles of whisky for lunch?
Food poisoning is not funny.
Yet after reading this there were tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard.
Haha. Thanks, guys. I’m having as much fun living here as you are reading these posts. I really think that my words are not doing this place justice. Mumbai really is a magnificent city, full of many stories. I could spend a lifetime here and not be able to see everything. So special.
And hi, Claire! Long time no…um…see?