Ramkumar, Our Driver

We (Sherri, Jenny, Tim, and I) are very fortunate to have Ramkumar as our driver. He's absolutely an amazing person. We have learned so much from him. He has made our stay much more enjoyable and less stressful. We are so happy to have him as our driver. We wouldn't trade for him any other driver in India.

We all hit it off with "Ram" the first day he drove us to work...He's always smiling and laughing. He has shared stories with us...He has allowed us to ask questions about his family, his culture, his religion, etc. He speaks six different languages. He has two daughters and a beautiful wife. He works non-stop to provide for his family. He lives day to day...Some days I wonder what his life must be like...

We were so happy to see him at the airport on Sunday evening. We just had a long weekend in Agra and it was great to see a familiar face at the airport. We were excited to see him and he was excited to hear about our trip.

I don't even consider him a driver anymore...He's a friend of mine...I told him the next time I come to India I'm staying with his family. He laughed...I told him I was serious and he say my family and I are always welcome....I asked him the other day, if I won the lottery, would you come to the United States and be my driver...He smiled and say, "yes". I'm buying a ticket once I get back.

I could go on forever about Ramkumar....I have learned so much from him. Everyday he makes think about life in general. I'm excited to get home to my wife, my family, and friend. However, I will miss my daily talks with Ram. I will cherish those forever. Thanks Ram!!!!

Taj Mahal Pictures

Taj Mahal Pictures

Taj Mahal...Part Two

On Sunday morning we decide to go tour Fort Agra. This place was just amazing. This is up the river from the Taj Mahal. However, we couldn't see it the evening before because of the Fort we go to a Marble Store. The next thing I know I'm buying everything in the store. This is crazy. The pieces were just so beautiful and very reasonable. After an hour or so I'm finally able to drag myself out of that store.

We head back to the Taj Mahal to get a different view. The fog is finally gone and the sun is out. You will be able to tell by the pictures how different this place looks throughout the day. We spend an hour or so taking pictures...

While we are here I finally have my celebrity moment. I had some locals come up to me and want their picture taken with me. I tried to get them to do the John Wall, but was not successful.

We had back to the airport. We arrived in New Delhi in Arrivals...We get to go through security again and be Violated. We have two hours or before our next flight. I ended up having KFC for dinner. Let me tell you what. It was absolutely amazing. It was a process to get what I wanted, but it was worth it...It was so good. I can't wait to get back so I can get a drink with ice...

Well, it turns out our flight is delayed again due to the fog and the military. I tried to spend more money in the airport but I couldn't find anything I wanted. Luckily, I found the O2 Spa...We had 2 hours or so to kill. Three of us decided we would get chair massages...Let me tell you what. That was the best massage ever. It was heaven... We finally get to leave...Back on the plane back to Bangalore. We arrived to our hotel around 11 or so...I think we spent more time in the airport then we did anything else. It was worth the hassle and the stress to see the Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal Trip....Part One

Last weekend we decided to head north to Agra to visit the TAJ MAHAL.....I would have thought this would be an easy trip. Boy was I wrong!!! By plane it's only about three hours (Bangalore to New Delhi to Agra). Remember everything in India is a PROCESS.

We leave our hotel around 4:30 A.M. on Saturday morning for the Bangalore airport....It takes about an hour or so to get to the airport. This is not an easy commute...There are plenty of dogs, cows, people, cars, bikes, rickshaws, etc. on the road at this hour....We arrive at the airport. We get our tickets and head to the security line. Five minutes or so go by and I start talking to women in front of me. I was trying to figure out why the other two lines were so much longer than the one I currently standing in. She quickly points out that I’m standing in the “Women Only” line. Well sure enough I look up and Tim and I are the only two men in this line. In India, women and men have separate lines at the airports. Why? Every person is searched (Violated) very thoroughly at the airport. Women even have to go into special booths to get searched.

We finally get through security and realize that our flight to New Delhi is delayed because of FOG...This is a big issue in India especially in New Delhi. Also, all of the airports in India are at RED ALERT. This is due to threats of Mr. Bin Laden. Apparently, we wanted to hijack an India Air plane. I'm feeling pretty comfortable about flying the friendly skies in India….

An hour or so later we finally get to leave. While on the plane I noticed there was MILITARY standing in the in-field of the airport. They stand there while planes land and take-off.

While on the plane, the pilot mentions that the New Delhi airport will be closed for an hour (11:15 to 12:15), so the military can practice for Republic Day (January 26th). We picked the wrong time to fly in India....We land in New Delhi and let me tell this is one big airport....However, it was difficult to see how big it was due to the fog...

We arrived and we were dropped off in Arrivals. WHAT!!!! I ask. We have to go through security again!! It took about an hour or so to get our tickets and get through security and there was hardly anyone in line....Process....We get to our gate and they bus us out to our plane...We get out to the plane and we notice the hood on one of the engines is open. They realized they have an engine problem and that the engine won’t start. Great!!! This is the only plane into Agra and they decide now to check the engine. The plane had been on the ground for several hours. They inform us that it will hopefully take an hour to fix.

We have to make a decision either wait or get a car to Agra...There's only flight into Agra. The car ride is about four hours long and apparently it’s not a pleasant ride. We decide to wait it out...To our surprise they drop us off at arrivals again instead of departures...Guess what? We have to go back through security. It’s time to get VIOLATED again.....

We arrive in Agra and we notice very quickly this is not a nice place...The airport is guarded by the military...Luckily we have drivers and a guide to show us around...It’s about five or so and we decide to go see the Taj Mahal at Sunset because we were afraid that it would be too foggy in the morning...

It’s absolutely chaos in Agra...I think to myself there's no way the Taj Mahal is here. I would have thought the area would have been a lot nicer...The Street that Taj Mahal is on is very dangerous. You name its going on here...

Once we are in the gates I'm just blown away by how magnificent this place is...It took 20,000 workers twenty two years to build the Taj Mahal. It’s so grand, marvelous, beautiful, overwhelming, majestic, etc...This place is heavily guarded...We stay a 1.5 hours or so taking pictures and touring the grounds.

It’s quickly getting dark and we all realize we have to walk back down the street that we came in on after dark. Even our guide tells us to stay close together as we walk back and to watch out...Once we get out of the gates it’s just chaos...Our group consists of five women and three men...We literally had to muscle people out of the way to even get down the road..I had to push people out of the way just to get the women into the car...I'm thinking to myself this is not good. We need to get out of here as soon as possible. However, some of the women decided they wanted to start a riot by purchasing items from the car...At this time I'm saying some choice words because this has started a frenzy and now our cars are surrounded by locals....Somehow we get out of there and we head to the hotel.

Mr. Kentucky....

Today in the hall way at work one of the staff called Mr. Kentucky....I can go home now because I have accomplished my goal.

In regards to those CATS...I have followed every basket from India...I have had to get up at crazy times to watch them play, but it has been worth it....Next time I will be purchasing a sling box so I can watch them a little easier.

Hampi Pictures

The Blessing


View from the Mango Tree Restaurant

Boat Ride

Train Ride

Hampi Trip.....

Last weekend, we took a train ride to Hampi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampi). The train ride was eight hours long.....Luckily I had some "Happy Pills" (Ambien) so I could sleep through the train experience....Smart move on my part...You definitely didn't want to go to the bathroom on this train...They had two bathrooms, one named "Indian Style" and the other "Western Style"...Neither on was really that clean...I decided I would choose the toilet (Western Style) over the hole in the floor (India Style). Also, on the train there are different classes...First Class, Second Class, Third Class, etc...My trip to Hampi I was in Second Class...It wasn't too bad...The bed was long and wide enough and I had a curtain..Apparently in first class you have a door on your bed...Now coming back to Bangalore I was in Third Class...Big difference...I couldn't imagine what it would be like to sit in general seating...

We arrived at about 8-9 in the morning....Let me tell you this place made Bangalore look like the Emerald City....It was unreal...Word can't explain what I saw and witnessed during my stay....I think the pictures will explain it. The whole weekend (Train Ride, Hotel, Personal Drivers, Personal Guide, Lunches, etc.) cost only around $150 or so...

Highlights of the trip:

1. Being blessed by an elephant..Yes I had my Kentucky hat and t-shirt on that day...and Kentucky beat Auburn that day...Maybe I should get blessed by an elephant every game.
2. Mango Tree Restaurant....You have to walk through a Banana Grove to get to the restaurant...The entire restaurant is under a Mango Tree...Your view is of a flowing river...The entire group (nine of us) ate for $30...The view was to die for....Its right up there with Mama's Fish House in Maui, Hawaii... Make sure to check out this view...This is what it looked like from my table. http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1226702
3. River Ride in Thatched Saucers...The pictures I will add will do this experience justice.
4. Bodyguard...Having to play bodyguard for Natalie...All of the locals (men and women) were following us because of her....They are fascinated by blonde's...Everyone wanted a picture with her...The women were fine but the men were a little creepy...

Stephens Brothers in Bangalore...

I decided while I was here that Josh and I would open our own clothing store....We pass this store everyday going to the office.

Thinking out Loud.............

Did you know that one billion people live in India? Of that one billion, 300 million are illiterate (that's the population of the United States). There are more millionares in India then there are in United States....


You have to wear a "Langote" (special disposable underwear) when receiving a massage at my hotel...You ask what's a "Langote"...Well you know what the Summo Wrestlers wear...Thank goodness no pictures are being taken....However, you can get 60 minutes for $30 or so...That could explain why I have been getting two massages a week.

Process...If you go to eat or to the grocery store in India its a process...The only way you get your bill is if you get up and walk out....If your hungry you better go 30-45 minutes before you realize your even hungry....

Today I was a part of a meeting in India that included Seniors and Above...The Seniors were receiving a Market Adjustment (Salary Raise) and all they were concerned about was, if the staff were going to receive one to...What a difference from the United States...If you held the same meeting in the United States no one would be worried about anyone else except for themselves. We are definitely spoiled in the United States....Its a race out there....Here, they challenge themselves to get ahead. In the United States we challenge ourselves to make more contacts to get ahead....Honestly, we better get our act together.....

Southern India - Vegetarians
Northern India - Meat

Cricket - These matches last for 3 days....That must be one heck of a party....I must attend a match before I leave....

Sign at the office "No Tailgating" - I'm still trying to figure out what this means....

Clubbing means "combining" in India...Pass out means "I passed a test or I passed out of school"

Five on a Scooter!!!

That's right...This family decided to all travel on one scooter. Its very common in Bangalore to see multiple people on motorcycles and scooters. Our driver, Ramkumar, has seen six people on one scooter. Amazing!!!! Also, check out the little boy in the front...He's asleep.

Pics from Thursday Sightseeing

Bull Temple

The Bull Decorated for the Holiday!!!

Ross, Sherri and I at the Bull Temple..If you look closely I was blessed (red dot)

Yes that's a large Monkey

Thursday.....Holiday

Last Thursday was a Holiday (Sun God Festival) in India.....A couple of us decided we would do some sightseeing in Bangalore...Our driver, Ramkumar, decided he would take us to the Bull Temple (http://www.indiasite.com/karnataka/bangalore/bulltemple.html), Ross's Cat Temple (which we never found), and to do some shopping....

Bull Temple - One of the more visited Temples in Bangalore..The Bull is made of rock and is approximately 15 feet high and 20 feet wide...Ross and I decide to go into the Temple to see the Bull and to be blessed...I found it interesting that I had to pay someone to watch my tennis shoes...I figured I would comply and not take a chance of losing my shoes.

Cat Temple - We are still looking for this Temple...Apparently, there's a Temple that worships CATS. I don't think this Temple really exists, but Ross claims he has visited this Temple before. We drove around for a little while looking for this Temple. Our driver and the locals looked at us like we were crazy when asking for the CAT Temple. Here's the so called story about the CAT Temple. Apparently, you have to crawl in a tunnel on your hands and knees with CATS...Are you serious? I must find this Temple.

Shopping - Always adventure in this city...You can get really good prices on about anything in Bangalore, but just expect an event...I had never been shopping for rugs before...Wow what a production..Before I knew it they had 10-20 silk rugs laid out for us to view. They were pretty cool. I was amazed by how the pattern and color of the silk rug would change depending on where you stood in the room. Absolutely amazing!!!! Unfortunately, even with the deep discount I couldn't afford one of these rugs...A 5x8 rug starts off around $1,800 US dollars in India, which is a 50% savings of what someone would pay in the US...I want one of these rugs...I kept telling Ross he could buy Jill and I one for our wedding present. Instead, Ross bought two of them for himself.

Partnerships 201, Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday morning I taught my first TECHNICAL training course ever. As you could imagine, I was pretty nervous the night before…The course material was very challenging for me. Some of the material was way over my head. I stayed up all night trying to teach myself the material…I didn’t get much sleep on Monday. I even went to the gym at 3 A.M. to try to calm the nerves…but I wasn’t able to….

All twenty-nine students were present ten minutes before class even started. Once I started to teach I realized very quickly how much they already knew. I thought to myself they should be teaching me instead of me teaching them….Haha…The class was just amazing…I had been warned that the level of participation would be extremely high…Wow…I wasn’t expecting that. They really wanted to learn…They were very attentive. Anytime we asked a question we would get twenty-nine responses. It was just amazing how smart they were…I asked a fellow E&Y senior how do they know so much already. He goes because they take teach themselves tax by taking the Code home at night….WHAT? Are you kidding me? Absolutely amazing…They work all day and then they go home to learn some more. He continued by saying, “it’s a race here, they are always afraid to get behind. They are afraid that person sitting to next to them will know more”. I wish I was motivated like this all time…I tell you one thing for sure their attitude alone has motivated me to challenge myself to learn more.

After class on Wednesday, all twenty-nine students came up individually, to shake my hand and to tell me, “Thanks”.

Morning Commute in Bangalore

Morning Traffic

Just outside of E&Y's office

Morning Traffic

Milk Delivery

First Day at the Office

Sorry for the delay....The last couple of days have been rough for me....I have been a little overwhelmed the last couple of days. I know those are words that Jill hardly hears from me..I admit that I have been a little overwhelmed.

Monday morning was my first day at the E&Y office in Bangalore....E&Y has three locations in India with over 2,000 people....I'm working in the most modern of the three buildings (RMZ Infinity).

This morning our commute only took thirty minutes....I'm really surprised by this. Imagine New York City rush hour with very few traffic laws...There are very few lights in the city....Even if there are very few people obey them...The funny thing is off and on you see a sign posted that reads, "Please follow the traffic laws". Every day I wonder what laws are they referring to.

During our commute I noticed a very large bird flying above our vehicle. I knew it wasn't a Hawk and for sure it wasn't an Eagle with all of the pollution. I asked our driver, Ramkumar, exactly what type of bird it was. To my surprise it was an Eagle. I was shocked because you can hardly find an Eagle in the United States unless you go to the Zoo.
We arrived at E&Y's office. In India, all Hotels and Office Buildings do bomb sweeps on all entering vehicles. These security measures are required now because of the attacks that took place in Mumbai in 2008. I'm totally convinced the security detail doesn't know what a bomb really looks like though. I think these measures are more for a deterrent reason than anything else.

Office dynamics....Wow....Just amazing. These people are excited to be at work. They are smiling and working diligently. You can hear a pin drop in this office even with three people sitting to a cube. Imagine if we sat three in a cube in the United States. That would be a great reality show.

I realize quickly how I miss my office back in Nashville. The Internet is slow, some of my favorite websites are blocked, it’s very hot in the office (A/C really doesn't work that well in India), and very hard to get basic work supplies. I'm definitely flustered at this point....Haha... The funny thing is you never once hear anyone in the office complain about this!!!!

I decided at lunch that day I needed some Pizza, French Fries from McDonald's, and a Bottle of Coke to calm me down....It did the trick!!!!

My Hotel, Mercure

Lunch at the LeeLa Palace

(Natalie, John Wall, LeeLa Palace Employee, and Ross)


We decided to have lunch at the LeeLa Palace....I'll tell you what this is by far one of the nicest hotels/resorts I have ever been into. http://www.theleela.com/hotel-bangalore.html Apparently, this is the place that EY use to put instructors in before the resort was completed. At that time it was only $90 a night and now its $350 a night, which is still cheap compare to how nice it was...I even decided to have a little Indian Cuisine for Lunch...I went with Chicken Curry...It was hot and spicy...I think I ended up drinking 2-3 cokes and 3 bottles of water...It was really good, but spicy...Holy Curry!!!! We RickShaw it back to our hotel....It was around rush hour and as you can imagine things were crazy on the roadways...We kept stopping every 5-10 minutes. I quickly realized that our drivers were lost...It sad when a Hillbilly is trying to help them and give them directions...

Ross and Natalie in a RickShaw

John Wall Local Style

Commercial Street

Saturday morning a couple of us decided to get a little breakfast (best pancakes ever!!!) then head into town to do a little sightseeing and some shopping...We decided to go via Rickshaw (Auto)....For 100 Rupees (equal to about $2) you can go 20-30 minutes in one of these vehicles...Think about that for a second. It costs around $60 via cab to go from downtown Nashville to our house in Franklin....

I realized quickly there are lot of people in Bangalore. There's around 8 million people in the city alone...Its crazy...There are no traffic laws and very few traffic lights...Its total chaos. The road is dominated by Rickshaws, motorcycles, scooters, and some cars...Cars and gas is very expensive here. The sidewalks are dominated by COWS, WILD DAWGS, people peeing, and a guy with no pants. I'm not kidding you about the COWS. My goal is to do get my picture taken with a herd of them.

My twenty minute ride was only 125 Rupees, but I decided to give the driver 300 Rupees ($6 dollars)...You had to see the smile on his face...You would of though I had given $300 dollars...I totally believe I could hired him for the day to wait on me...Right when we stepped out of the Rickshaw the locals were very interested in us....especially if you are just standing in one place....You want to be constantly moving in Bangalore unless you want to be swarmed by the locals...You name it, watches, sunglasses, etc. are being offered to you at a cheap price. I felt like I had entourage for the duration of the day....

However, I did get my picture taken with a local kid doing the "John Wall". It was the highlight of my day!!!

Paris to Bangalore, India

Nine more hours to Bangalore, India....I'm arrived into Bangalore on AirFrance..More champagne and wine. Yipee. That will definitely put my mine at ease. I end up meeting some fellow EY instructors while I'm on the flight. I end up sleeping for half of the flight. I was well rested when I arrived into Bangalore. The airport was very modern..It's only 2 years old...I was a little disappointed b/c I had heard some great stories about the old airport. Darn....Things went pretty smoothly....Customs was a breeze even though I was questioned for a couple of minutes about having 2 labtops...I told security I didn't have two labtops and they told me I did...We had a little back and forth then I quickly realized that we were talking about my portable dvd player. Apparently, you are only allowed to bring in one labtop into the country. Once we got through customs we had to get our Money exchanged and find our driver...That's right EY provides you with a driver...I was excited to see my name (Mr. Stephens) on a sign when I arrived. Unfortunately, there was no sign...I must of stood out b/c right when I walked out the door I was approached by someone that say, Mr. Stephens. It was unreal b/c there was 100's of people there holding signs for people and you couldn't hear a peep. I felt like I was on the red carpet at the grammy's....b/c so many people were watching you.

Going Global

Wow!!! I have only been in India for a day or so and I have learned so much already....I keep trying to find the words to describe what I have seen and experienced already, but I can't.....Let's just say its been an eye opening experience for me already.....

I realized very quickly though that this was going to be an interesting journey for me. My journey all started with me attempting to order a "Bourbon" on the my flight from Atlanta to Paris. I thought to myself I should of purchased that French Edition of RosettaStone at the Airport in Nashville before boarding this plane....It took several tries to communicate my order to the Flight Attendant, but I finally was successful with, "I like to have some brown water to drink". Haha...She nodded her head and brought back a lovely glass of Bourbon....Later on I was able to get the Flight Attendance to say "Go Cats" in her French accent....It was awesome!!!

Let me just say, business class (first class for international) is the way to go if you are traveling!!! Pod seating (allows your chair to lay flat), personal television, 4 course meals, unlimited drinks, etc. is just awesome...I know I'm spoiled...There's no other way I could ever afford to fly in business class unless the firm was paying for it. To top things off...AirFrance starts each flight off (in business class only) with a class of champagne...Maybe the French are not so bad after all....My flight was 8.5 hours...I tried to sleep but was not successful. Instead I watched three movies (Public Enemies, GI Joe, and Michael Jackson movie)...I will say the Michael Jackson movie was very interesting. He definitely was talented.

Arrival in France....17 degrees...Are you kidding me? I'm wearing a t-shirt and its this cold outside....My next adventure was trying to find my connecting flight in this massive airport...Let's say I had fun time asking people where I go for my flight to Bangalore. You RosettaStone kept popping into my mind....

Back to bed, I got up early this morning to follow Kentucky play Georgia in basketball..That's right 2 A.M. in the morning... To be continued.

My Wedding Present

My new addiction is my camera that Chris gave me as a wedding present. I immediately signed up for our wedding photographers (Dove) photo class when we returned from the honeymoon and I've been addicted ever since! They taught us how to use our cameras on manual, tips and tricks, and then brought in a bride to photograph downtown and another bride/groom couple at Cedarwood (one of the first wedding venues we looked at using). It was a blast!!

Check out some of the photos I took in class and then edited in the program they told me about: