Nameste!
The people in Mumbai that i had met during my first few days were absolutely wonderful and the people in the office were not different. As i walked out of my hotel building on Wednesday to head to work, a woman named Sarikha kindly greeted me with "Good Morning Ma'am" as many of the hotel staff greet me throughout the morning.And most of time i kindly ask them that they should just feel free to call me "Jessica". The drive to the office was an interesting one. Much like the YouTube videos i had seen of traffic in India, this was no different. There were hundreds and hundreds of taxis sharing the streets with cars, buses, bikers and motocyclers. Not to mention people including infant children trying to cross the street at all times and always almost 2 inches from being hit. To top it off, the journey was filled with constant rain as it is currently Monsoon season in India so it rains all the time.
The office is very similar to the office in New York except a bit more stuffy and a lot more crowded. I walked in the office and sadly looked for the first foreigner i could find and what are the odds that i ran into Whitney Bush, an American from Chicago who took me to exactly where i needed to be. By 10am, i had met my entire team and met some team members on a different floor. Everyone welcomed be with open arms. Some assured me not to be worried about safety (in regards to the July 13th bombings). One girls noted, "You'll be fine...see, we survived!" I wasn't sure how reassuring that was but i wasn't too worried. Another person called the three bombings a "firecracker"...a small bump in the road.
So, other than work, i have been taking this time to work on me...and watch as much Bollywood as possible! I have been learning a little Hindi day by day, lost 1kg on my new work out plan and and now accpeted Kareena Kapoor as my idol (Bollywood actress)!
The people in Mumbai that i had met during my first few days were absolutely wonderful and the people in the office were not different. As i walked out of my hotel building on Wednesday to head to work, a woman named Sarikha kindly greeted me with "Good Morning Ma'am" as many of the hotel staff greet me throughout the morning.And most of time i kindly ask them that they should just feel free to call me "Jessica". The drive to the office was an interesting one. Much like the YouTube videos i had seen of traffic in India, this was no different. There were hundreds and hundreds of taxis sharing the streets with cars, buses, bikers and motocyclers. Not to mention people including infant children trying to cross the street at all times and always almost 2 inches from being hit. To top it off, the journey was filled with constant rain as it is currently Monsoon season in India so it rains all the time.
The office is very similar to the office in New York except a bit more stuffy and a lot more crowded. I walked in the office and sadly looked for the first foreigner i could find and what are the odds that i ran into Whitney Bush, an American from Chicago who took me to exactly where i needed to be. By 10am, i had met my entire team and met some team members on a different floor. Everyone welcomed be with open arms. Some assured me not to be worried about safety (in regards to the July 13th bombings). One girls noted, "You'll be fine...see, we survived!" I wasn't sure how reassuring that was but i wasn't too worried. Another person called the three bombings a "firecracker"...a small bump in the road.
So everyday around 1pm they shut off all the lights in the office to signal lunchtime. Apparently by switching the lights off, employees are supposed to stop their work completely and eat. Although a handful of people continue to work, i loved the concept! At that time, your supposed to flag down Ji-Too, the "office boy" and place your lunch order and he'll bring your lunch right to your desk! How cool is that? Since i haven't adjusted my stomach to Indian food, I've been having Subway and cheese sandwich that they bring me with ketchup! Interestingly enough, Indian's each ketchup with everything! Even with Chinese rice....and noodles!
So i walked into the office on Friday and had some serious issues with my laptop so i called IT. To my amusement, i could not reach one person in IT that knew how to get me connected to the server. I would never imagine in a million years, that i would be in India and not find a single person in IT to help me with my computer problems. After getting my laptop fixed, the rest of the day went well. I ended the day filled with excitement that this was exactly the kind of experience i wanted. The people in India were so different...they think different act differently and always have a unique perspective. I chatted with one coworker who pointed out that if i just continue to have an open mind, I'll leave India a completely different person. I'll be able to take a with me a new perspective and a new frame of mind back to new york. This was refreshing. He said, "In India, people care about the "whole"...there is a warmness about the people here that is hard to find in Americans...in the U.S people are very individualistic and usually put their self interest first" With that, I've been making every effort to keep an open mind and to open my ears as much as possible...to deliberately listen and not just hear.
So, other than work, i have been taking this time to work on me...and watch as much Bollywood as possible! I have been learning a little Hindi day by day, lost 1kg on my new work out plan and and now accpeted Kareena Kapoor as my idol (Bollywood actress)!
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