A Passage on India

Return Flight Details

2009-10-15T16:05:00.000-05:00

Bangalore to London
British Airways flight BA0118
Departs 6:50am (India Time)/Arrives 12:35pm (London Time)

London to Chicago
British Airways flight BA0297
Departs 2:40pm (London Time)/Arrives 5:35pm CST

Chicago to Minneapolis
British Airways flight BA5077 (operated by American Airlines)
Departs 10:25pm CST/Arrives 11:45pm CST

A Fond Farewell

2009-10-15T15:54:00.000-05:00

In my hotel room with less than an hour and a half left until I leave for the airport for my flight home is a good time to reflect on my time here in India. It's fitting that I'm writing from my hotel room since this is where I spent the majority of my time. That kind of saddens me, but I was still able to experience a lot of cool things when I did get out.

If asked to mention the highlights of the trip, I have a few that I could answer with. I think that the trip to Goa, as intense as it was, would probably one of them. Also, I would have to say that going out to watch the cricket match was a good time too. Ultimately though I would say that work was probably the best part.

Since other than the hotel, the bulk of my time was spent working, it's only natural that most of my memories will be from that. I worked an average of 49 hours a week and got to know my team pretty well. It was always nice walking in & having all of them greet me with a smile & sometimes hand shakes. They were eager to learn from me & appreciative of me being there. It was pretty hard leaving them yesterday. They all pitched in and got me a gift (a replica of the Taj Mahal in marble) and did a little ceremony to present it. I'll definitely miss them.

So now I'm packed & almost ready to go. I'm going to take a shower and then recheck (multiple times) that I have everything packed & I'm not forgetting anything. Once I get to the airport, I'll be on another 30 hour adventure back home. I'm time travelling a lot this time, since I'm packing all 30 hours of travel into the hours between 7am & 11:45pm Friday. I'll miss the welcoming and smiling faces that always greeted me at work & the hotel, but I get to go home to the best smile in the world.

My team on my last day

Goa

2009-10-06T19:52:00.000-05:00

Here is a photo trip through our trip to Goa. The weather could have been better, the timing could have been better, but over all I am happy I went. Enjoy!

The statues welcoming us at the airport

Little known fact that Bill Withers loved penguin trash cans.

The hotel "bar/restaurant" that we had to wait in for 5 hours for our room.

The beer that made the 5 hours worthwile.

The beer that made the evening worthwile.

Souza Lobo, the restaurant that we ate at our first night.

Our bedroom. We made them separate the "king" bed into the two twins it really was.

The TV & wardrobe.

The toilet/shower room.

The shower. "Hot" was just a suggestion on the faucet.

The restaurant at Anjuna beach. First thing heard here "Would you like a room? No? Hash...joint?" First thing said, " No, thanks"

Another shot from the restuarant.

The market with the most aggressive sales people in the world.

Anjuna beach.

Cliffs off of Anjuna beach.

Arabian Sea

Sea/beach.

Cow/parking lot.

Arabian Sea

Arabian Sea.

Beach goers/Sea

Cool rocks on the beach.

A cross on top of a rock. Paraglider in the background.

Really cool rock by the beach

More Beach.

Cool rock.

Rocks, Lindsay, Paul.

Rocks.

Rocks, Paul.

More beach.

Beach & palm trees.

The market.

Sunset on Anjuna Beach.

Sunset & people on the beach.

A cow, in the street.

The view from the reception counter at the hotel.

A bar that I had to take a picture of for all you Bob Schneider fans. I'm good now.

Church of St. Xavier, Old Goa.

Inside St. Xavier Church

Courtyard outside St. Xavier Church.

St. Francis of Assisi Church.

Cannon protecting the Canon.

Inside St. Francis of Assisi Church

Chapel of St. Catherine

3 weeks on either side

2009-09-25T05:39:00.001-05:00

Well, I have hit the midway point of my trip to India. The weeks have become a routine of waking up later than I want to, not doing all the things I hoped to do during daylight, and having work take up 12 hours of my day. I also think this weekend will mirror the other 2 that I've experienced; hanging out with work people on Saturday & shopping/relaxing on Sunday.

One of the things that makes this upcoming weekend somewhat different is Saturday. We're planning on going to a sports bar and watching a cricket game. Sports, and especially cricket, have never really been at the top of my list of favorite things, but I'm excited. I don't know anything about cricket, so it will be fun to hang out and learn about it while having a few beers. Also, it's a big game between India and Pakistan, so I'm sure the bar will be amped up, which always makes for a better sports viewing experience.

A really exciting thing that is now a solid plan is our trip to Goa. We're heading up there next weekend right after work to spend some time on the beach. The water is supposed to be 75-80 degrees! We're utilizing the entire weekend for the trip by leaving 2 hours after work on Saturday morning & getting back an hour after work starts on Monday. I haven't been to too many beaches, and never one on the Arabian Sea, so I am excited. I'll be taking a lot of pictures, but for some reason I haven't been able to add any to my blogs since the first week I was here.

Anyway, it's off to work for this guy. Hopefully we can leave a little early if everything gets done on time & then I can get into my weekend sleep schedule. I hope to spend at least a couple hours reading by the pool tomorrow before the cricket watching adventure. Have a good weekend everyone!

Week 2

2009-09-20T06:14:00.001-05:00

Well, a third of my adventure is already over and in less than 4 weeksI will be back in the states. It seems like I've been here longer than just 2 weeks.

This past week was a lot like the first week. A lot of work and a lot of struggle to wake up and be productive. I did make it to the gym one day, and on another I walked down the road & went grocery shopping. I got a couple bags of chips and some soda. The hotel jacks up the price for a soda like 300% so I decided to get some from the outside.

Saturday night we went to a clothes shop & are having the guy make a couple traditional shirts for us. He took some measurements & should have some custom tops in a matter of a week & a half. They should come in handy for some upcoming festivals.

After going shopping I watched some TV then went down to the hotel bar, which is the most happening place in town on a Saturday night. One of the guys that works at the same campus as we do met us there for a couple drinks. It was pretty fun, but I was reminded why I don't like going to clubs; tons of people, bad music cranked way too loud, and never feeling "cool" enough to be there.

Today we went shopping and I got a couple things. Our driver took us to a couple of shops and they tried super hard to sell me stuff I didn't want. The thing about these shops is that they pay the drivers to bring people to them, so even if you don't ask to go there, you will end up going there. The shops are a bit more expensive than the ones in the markets too.

So like I said, this week was a lot like last week; work, go out Saturday, & shop on Sunday. I have a feeling that most of my weeks are going to be like that. There has been some discussion of flying up to Goa for a weekend, but nothing solidified yet. I think that might be a fun little trip to do since it is said to have one of the best beaches in the world. I'll keep you posted.

Now I'm going to maybe take a little nap, read my book & watch some TV. I am really looking forward to just chilling out in my room for a while. I have to try to stay up until 2 or 3 so that I can stay on my weekday sleep schedule. Four more weeks, & then I can maintain a normal person's schedule.

PS - I hope Sister Act is on again today, because Jumper is a horrible movie.

Quick Post

2009-09-15T05:40:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to mention a couple of things.

The first day of the pilot at work went fairly well. We exceeded our quality goals, which is a promising way to start.

I actually made it out of bed by noon today and made it to the gym! I felt so good I took a nap to celebrate.

First Weekend in India

2009-09-13T07:53:00.002-05:00

So my first full week has wrapped up with my first weekend here. It's Sunday night and I have to say that I had a really good weekend.

Friday night we got home from work at about 4:30am, a little later than usual. Since we can't really have a "Friday Night" do the the late return we tried to make the best of it. Paul, Lindsey & I hung out in Lindsey's room and had a couple glasses of wine & watched the countdown of the "Top Ten Most Marriagable Bollywood Stars." I chatted with Adrienne a bit, got the morning buffet at 6:30am and went to bed.

Yesterday we went out with a couple of our coworkers and their wives. They took us to a little pub and then we went bowling. They asked me how well I would do and for some reason I said 120. They then said that if I didn't reach that number, they would make me eat some food at a spice level an Indian would think to be spicy. I don't bowl, & when I do, I am not very good so my prediction of 120 was quite unfounded. it turned out that I bowled a 136 and had the best score of anyone. After bowling we went to a buffet in a restaurant set up to look like a train station & 2 trains that look like dining cars. It was pretty good. I learned that I have to cut back on the buffets, 3 in 2 days isn't the best idea.

Today we went walking down MG (Mahatma Ghandi) Road by our hotel & did some shopping. There were tons of people out & it was really hot & humid. I have to say that the Indians are some of the most persisten & persuasive salesmen. Luckily, I was able to avoid most of these salesmen & only spent about $40 on some really nice silk scarves. I'm sure I'll make a few more trips out to get some more stuff, so today could just be called a recon mission.

I also bought some cola called "Thums Up" at the grocery store. I keep seeing signs that says "Thums Up: Taste the Thunder," so I had to try it. Once it chills down in my fridge, I'll see what thunder tastes like. I'll let you know how that goes.

So tonight, we're going to head to the Ice Bar in our hotel & have a small dinner and maybe some more drinks. I think one of our co-workers is going to come meet us as well. It's nice getting to know these people outside of work. They are all very friendly & fun to hang out with. I'm going to try to make it to bed a little early so that I can get up in time for my haircut at 1. Wish me luck!

Friday Reflections

2009-09-11T05:21:00.001-05:00

Well, it has officially happened...I have not kept up with my blog like I wanted to. I was hoping to write a new post everyday, or at the very least every other day. Now it's Friday & I have to catch you up on everything that has happened since Monday.

I started work on Tuesday afternoon 5:30pm India time, or 7:00am MN time, whichever you prefer. I was really excited to finally get there, meet the team, and start doing what I came here to do. I met my team lead first & I was very impressed with his knowledge & ability. He will definitely make this easier for me, and it is nice to have him there to bridge the cultural and language gap. The team all speak English but I don't think that they are used to how fast I speak or any cultural nuances/slang that I might use. The team is very nice and very sweet and I think that they have the potential to be very successful with this project.

One of the bad things about starting work is that my sleep schedule is all messed up. We leave for work at 4:15pm and get back to the hotel at about 4:15am. We are working for 10 of the 12 hours, so by the time we get home I'm fairly tired. Back home, I usually don't go right to bed after work, so I'm finding it dificult sometimes to fall asleep when I should. My goal is to go to sleep shortly after work and wake up by noon or one so that I can do something before I go to work. So far, I have been hitting snooze for 1.5-2 hours (my travel alarm clock's snooze goes off every 4 minutes)and not getting up until 2 or 2:30. That gives me enough time to go to the lunch buffet, check a couple of emails, and get ready for work. I know that work is the priority here but I feel like I should do more than just watch TV in my room and go to work.

The hotel continues to astound me. I get 3 free cookies everyday, they continues to exponentially stock my room with bottled water, and most of the front desk people and other workers know my name (even ones I've never met before). I scheduled a haircut for Monday at 1pm, as a reason to wake up earlier. I am excited to see how awesome they treat me at the spa. The food is still pretty good here, though I have run across a couple things that tasted REALLY bad. Luckily that is a rarity. I do miss cooking and eating meals with Adrienne.

For as luxurious as the hotel is, I would much rather be do my own laundry, cook my own food, drive my own car, and do my own cleaning as long as it meant that I could be with Adrienne. We are able to talk almost every night, as long as my IP phone is working, but that really doesn't cut it. We also are able to email back and forth at work since we work the same hours. We are both coping pretty well, and we are both excited that I am over here, but sometimes it gets hard.

Well, since I got up so late, I have to start getting ready for work now. I thought I would just let you all know that things are going well here and that I look forward to the experiences of the next few weeks. We are going to go out this Saturday with a couple team leads and try the local pub seen. I think we might also go out shopping on Sunday, or as our driver Yogish says, "Sir, will you do 'The Purchasing' on Sunday?" I'll take some more pictures this weekend and try to get them posted on here. Right now I'm trying to, but for some reason it isn't working.

"Please do the needful"

Photos from my trip to Mysore

2009-09-07T10:43:00.000-05:00

I'm Here!

2009-09-06T09:53:00.001-05:00

Right now I am sitting in my hotel room, watching a movie, chatting with Adrienne, and drinking a cup of tea. I landed at 4 this morning and it is currently 7:15 in the evening. A lot of things have already happened since I left Minnesota, and it seems unreal.

My flights were not nearly as bad as I thought. I really thought that I made the wrong decision when work gave me the option of going business class or coach & a bonus. Walking past their little thrones on my way to the back of the plane, I had some buyers remorse. But now that I'm here, I am happy that I decided to be cheap and take the little bonus. Although the trip from Chicago was a little tight, I was able to get a little sleep and was able to get up and stretch the legs quite often. The trip from London to Bangalore was longer, but better because I had an empty seat next to me & was able to get my lounge on.

A great thing about British Airways is that each seat has an individual screen with on demand movies. I wasn't forced to watch any bad movies (e.g. Hannah Montana) & I could watch movies when I wanted to. Also, they provide wine with dinner at no extra charge & complimentary beer or wine with beverage service. The Brits know how to do it.

All in all, I am very pleased with my adventure so far. The room is comfortable, I was able to talk to Adrienne right when I got here, and nothing has gone wrong yet. I am going to grab a small bite to eat with Paul in a little while and then I'm going to try to sleep some more so I can be rested for our trip to Mysore in the morning. Here are some pictures of some of what I've seen so far.

My lunch at Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food at Heathrow. An amazingly delicate salmon & haddock fish cake with Harissa mayonaisse. That guy can scream AND cook.

My room. (I'm sitting in that exact chair right now)

The view from my balcony. That is Mahatma Gandhi road.

The amazing room service meal I got. Chicken, flat bread, & beet stained onions. Mmmm.

Flight Numbers

2009-09-04T09:29:00.001-05:00

Not sure if anyone is like my dad and loves to track people's flights, so here is the information if you would like to. FYI - I was able to get pretty good aisle seats when I checked in last night, so I won't be the big guy stuck in the middle of the middle row in a 747!

Minneapolis - Chicago:
British Airways, operated by American Airlines Flight 5020.
Departs 7:10pm Arrives 8:40pm

Chicago - London Heathrow:
British Airways Flight 298.
Departs 10:05pm Arrives Sat. 11:40am (5:40am US Time)

London - Bangalore:
British Airways Flight 119.
Departs Sat. 2:10pm (8:10am US Time) Arrives Sunday 4:15am (6:45pm Sat. US Time)

Less than 24

2009-09-03T23:02:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am, sitting in my living room with less than 24 hours left before I travel. I have yet to start packing, which I am actually fine with since I have all day tomorrow to do that. I also keep thinking that it is only six weeks, and that when I packed for my year in Japan I packed it all within an hour. I guess I get to do it all tomorrow.

I do have some good news. Everything that needed to come together before I leave has come together. I have my corporate credit card, my laptop, my visa and pretty much everything else I will need. One of my favorite things is seeing my passport fill up with stamps and visas, and I have a whole page devoted to my Indian visa. One of my goals is to fill up all of my pages before I need a new one. I am a little over half way there & I have 5 more years! Nice!

Adrienne & I decided to go out for one final American meal before I left. We decided on Bulldog Northeast, since it's kind of close to the house & I knew I could get a good burger and good beer. Both of the beers that I ordered came in a glass promoting an IPA beer that had nothing to do with the beer I was drinking. We found it somewhat serendipitous that each glass was talking about my trip.

Well, I better see if I can check in for my Chicago to London flight. Being cheap, I decided to fly coach which means that I have to be aggressive on finding a seat that isn't the size of a toddlers potty training seat. Few things are worse than flying 8-12 hours in a seat that is the size of my wallet with only enough leg room for Gary Coleman. Wish me luck!

3 More Days

2009-09-01T22:51:00.002-05:00

So there has been a little bit of progress in my preparations for India, I got my corporate credit card today. It feels weird that someone in my lowly position is entrusted with one. Thinking about it though, I am surprised in general that I was chosen to go to India. Throughout most of my time at work, the department that I worked for had a reputation for being the lowest rung of the company ladder. The department was created pretty much for the purpose of later being outsourced. The strange thing is that the majority of the people that work and have worked for that team have proven themselves to be capable and an asset to the company. Being successful has always come with a feeling that your success isn't warranted, and would mean much more if you had been done the same thing but in a different department I guess that's why I find it weird that, even though I have been a huge part of the process for which I'm traveling, I was chosen to be one of a select few people to actually travel to India and act as an expert.

I know I am qualified to do what I am about to do, I am just happy to know that it is being recognized for the hard work that I put in for over 2 years. I just need to go over there and keep trying to help out the onshore team the best that I can and not screw up all the work that they have done since I left the department earlier this year.

I am starting to get more excited now that it's drawing ever closer. Last week I heard from my coworker and co-traveler, Paul, that he and Lindsey, another coworker/co-traveler, were going to be at the Taj Mahal when I arrive on Sunday (they both are already in India). I was a little bummed that they wouldn't be around & I would end up staying in the hotel until Tuesday night for work. They don't recommend going around town alone, and even though I am daring in things like that, I don't think it would be a good idea for me to do that on my first day or two. It turns out, however, that they will not be going to the Taj Mahal due to being so tired and that instead they will be traveling to Mysore, which is 2 hours west of Bangalore. They won't be going until Monday and asked if I wanted to go with. So as long as I am not too worn out from the plane trip, I will be joining them. I like doing cultural things & seeing historical places so I am very happy that I will kick of my adventure doing just that, instead of lazing around the hotel.

4 More Sleeps

2009-08-31T09:25:00.002-05:00

Only 4 more sleeps separate me and my little adventure to the other side of the world. My flight leaves Minneapolis Friday at 7:10pm, which marks the start of about 18 hours and 40 minutes in the air interspersed with about 3.5 hours on the ground. I'll have a brief layover in Chicago, and another in London. It would be much better if I could have a whole day in London, or at least long enough to leave the airport & see a few things. I guess I'll just have to go back for a real trip to England.

I still have some unanswered questions, but for the most part I am feeling good about the travel details. My passport is still at the Consulate getting my Visa and I am supposed to be getting a laptop and a corporate credit card soon. Hopefully everything will come together before this Friday. With everything being so rushed (I didn't know I was going until a week and a half ago) I just have to trust that everything will work out by the time it needs to.

So this week is going to be a lot of organizing, packing, double checking I have everything, repacking, hanging out with friends, hanging out with Adrienne, and relearning my old job so I can be an expert in India. I have a lot to do, but I know it will all work out. I feel lucky to be able to have this opportunity, and I want to make the most out of it. The excitement and nerves are starting to build, as well as the reality that I will not see my wife for a month and a half. Soon I will know for sure how difficult that will be.