tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50980755929292102882009-11-13T18:03:06.239+05:30This is the official documented transcript of my journey to India as an expatriate with Target Corporation. *Please note: the contents in this blog are not an endorsement nor sponsored by Target Corporation and are not meant to reflect views or opinions of the company or any of its subsidiary partners. The content of this site is solely the views and opinions of the writer.The Ambassador of Goodwillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04574257597219308936mthomas29@gmail.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098075592929210288.post-44658244737757696942008-12-02T12:41:00.019+05:302008-12-16T10:26:00.235+05:30

So not only is "Incredible India!" the official slogan for the Indian tourism campaign, it also expresses my deepest sentiments about an amazing year of sights, sounds and colors. India, truly, is incredible.Now that I have arrived back in Minneapolis and I'm digging my feet back into the soil of Minnesota, I am moving my blog entries to my newest blog site: In The Zone (click and bookmark now).

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My last weekend in Bangalore was the celebration of Diwali (pronounced “deevolly”), meaning the “festival of lights”—an annual holiday celebration throughout India. Much like Christmas, the tradition of Diwali is to give gifts, hang colorful lights, and light off fireworks and firecrackers… okay, so maybe it’s more like Christmas meets the 4th of July! Everyone in India knows that Diwali is a

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So just when I thought my last trip while living in India would be the big 9-day long whirlwind tour of Asia, Curly and Pamelita (Michael & Pam) asked me if I'd like a short hop over to Pondicherry (also known as Puducherry) --a cozy French-Indian city on the east coast of India. Of course I went! Another Target teammate, Gail--who was visiting from corporate HQ--joined us, and the four of us had

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After exploring the excitement of Bangkok and experiencing the beauty of Vietnam, it was time for the third and final country on our whirlwind tour--Cambodia. Our main objective was to visit the city of Siem Reap--the home of an amazing archeological discovery, Angkor Wat. We flew from Danang, Vietnam, to Siem Reap, got through customs and passport control (don't worry, Pam--they'll let you in! :

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After Bangkok, Pam and I hopped on a quick 2 hour flight to Danang, Vietnam--a city located in the center portion of Vietnam. Will had been up in Hanoi and Paul down in Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) while we were in Thailand, so it was time to rendezvous in the middle. Luckily, Pam and I were prepared to enter Vietnam--in fact, we had to apply for visas weeks in advance, pay for them online, have the

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Last week I had the opportunity to travel on an amazing journey through three countries that have been on my "list" for years--Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. In short, Thailand for the temples and food (mmmm...); Vietnam for the history; and Cambodia for the legendary Angkor Wat. As opposed to my usual "weekend trips", this time I took 3 days in each country and made a whole week of it. I will

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Last weekend I took a trip up north to explore Nepal, and most specifically, the infamous capitol city of Kathmandu. What do you say about a destination that has been touted as a "hippy hangout" since the 1960's where many came in search of tranquility and nirvana? Or a central hub for trekkers and backpackers as they seek to set down their footprints on Mount Everest? One word: interesting.I

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This past weekend our family of expatriates threw a few parties, had a few dinners, said our goodbyes, and put Todd on the plane back to Minnesota--his contract was completed and was time to return home. What's harder to believe than the fact that Todd has already completed his 12-month assignment for Target India is that I am only six weeks behind him! Yes, I will complete my assignment and head

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Today I decided to take another one of "muse walks" and just see what's going on in my neighborhood. I grabbed my camera and decided to walk the "100 foot, CMH loop"--a favorite walking path of the expat walkers (thank you, Todd) which takes you on a nice one-hour walk--approximately 3 miles--around some of the neighborhoods in central Banglore--Indira Nagar, Cambridge Layout, and Ulsoor. On the

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This past weekend I decided to take a trip to another location I've never been but always wanted to visit--Barcelona, Spain. Ever since the 1992 Olympic Games (can you believe it was that long ago...?!), I've admired the beautiful city located along the western coast of the Mediterranean riviera--a city of art, culture, and architecture like none other.Very much like my weekend trip to Rome, I

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Last weekend a group of us headed to Sri Lanka for a weekend visit. Pam, Todd, Davin and I flew over on Thursday night (a short one-hour flight) and spent the weekend relaxing by the ocean, visiting the elephants, and touring the tea plantations in the mountains. It was wonderful to visit Sri Lanka again (the only location I've visited twice in my travels this year!) and enjoy the rich tropical

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Another place I visited when my friend Tom was here in July was Bannerghatta National Park and wildlife preserve in southern Bangalore. The 25,000 acre park is home to panthers,

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This month my good friend Tom was visiting India from Minnesota for a few weeks and one of our touring stops was in southwest India in an area known as Kerala, referred to as "God's Own Country"--a highly populated region of India running along the southern part of the Indian peninsula. This amazing region is well-known for being one of the most literate, healthiest, and gender-equitable regions

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Last weekend a group of Target expats and my friend Tom, who's been visiting in India for the past three weeks, took a trip to Singapore--time to take a break from India and experience another part of this amazing world. The trip, however, became quite different than originally expected.For starters, there was a group of us: Michael, Todd, Tom and myself, who flew on Tiger Airways--and Pam and

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Last month I had the unique opportunity to go with my friend, Raghu, to his village to celebrate Ramu Naumi, a festival celebrating the birthday of Lord Rama, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to Hindu legend, Rama, the legendary King of Ayodhya, is considered to be the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu while his wife, Sita, was believed to be the incarnation of the Goddess Lakshmi. This

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A couple of years ago I made a decision. Since I've always enjoyed the benefits of traveling (relaxation, refreshment, perspective, introspection...), I decided that every month I would devote at least one weekend to traveling somewhere new. Now, my definition of "traveling" didn't mean it needed to extravagant... or expensive... or even far from home--I just needed to get out of my element for a

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This past weekend a group consisting of 10 of our Target expats decided to take a weekend trip to Kabini Park, a wildlife preserve in Southern India. Since earlier this past winter Paul had been to Banipur--another park next door--and really enjoyed the visit, he took the task of putting together a group trip to the same vicinity this spring.Since nearly all of us are living in the same apartment

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As I have recently passed my six month mark in Bangalore (!!), I wanted to take the opportunity to continue highlighting Indian history, culture, and most importantly, India's people. So I decided it was time for another gallery--this time a compilation of photos depicting the children of India.Through my travels within the cities of Bangalore, Mysore, Delhi, Agra, and other areas of the country,

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This past week marked an important event for Target--the first visit of Gregg Steinhafel as our new CEO! As usual, a team of our executives flew out to join Gregg during this exciting series of events. Throughout the visit we were able to tell Gregg more about Target India and the valuable progress that we've accomplished over these past three years.This visit also gave us an opportunity to

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This past week our training team visited a local NGO (Non-Government funded Organization) named Narendra Nele--local care centers/orphanages for boys and girls here in Bangalore. Established in August 2000, these centers provide food, shelter, health supervision, and formal education to children whose former ‘"home" was the streets of Bangalore. Target teams spend time with local NGOs to connect

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This past week I returned from an amazing vacation with two of my best friends, Tom and Yvonne... who also just happen to be my parents! I am one of those individuals who, as an adult, has been fortunate enough to develop a fantastic relationship with my parents who remain an integral and active part of my life, and I am so grateful for that gift. Since Tom & Yvonne live in Minnesota, my home

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This weekend, Michael (aka "Curly"), Paul, Will, and I took a hop flight down to Sri Lanka to see the country and check out the sites. It was absolutely amazing... I tell ya, between riding elephants, strolling along the ocean, wearing boa constrictors, visiting the over 70 elephants at the elephant orphanage (and then watching them bathe in the river), touring the spice garden, jump starting the

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Well, this weekend was surely nothing less than eventful--if there isn't a holiday to celebrate, we'll just create our own! Whereas last weekend consisted of national and international holidays, this weekend was several social events creating all sorts of opportunities to connect with coworkers, charities, neighbors, and friends.Friday night was the BEC's Black & White Ball held as a benefit for

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These last two weekends have been quite busy--St. Patrick's Day, Holi (an Indian holiday marking the start of spring), Good Friday, and, of course, Easter weekend. Never before do I remember St. Patrick's Day and Easter being so close in the calendar, but it's rather strange to think that it's spring anyway since in India it always feels like summer--reminds me of living in Hawaii all those

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I know, I know--the title is a cheap play on words (but can't you just hear our familiar Target "Hello, Goodbye" song singing through your mind? :o)Any guess where I went this past weekend? That's right--the "City of the 22nd Century"--Dubai of the U.A.E. (United Arab Emirates)--an amazing city on the grow. Not only is Dubai the fastest growing city in the world, but it is already home to the

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