The first picture here is one of me on a friend's bike, who would actually have started it and allowed me to ride around the garage, having full faith that I would not have knocked down every bike in my path, as shown in the second picture!
Below are my conclusions as I close out this blog. I have had a great time sharing my pictures and experiences, as well as viewing the number of people that log in daily “by country”. I do have to admit that I always wonder who you are. Please do feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, or comments, or would like any other info regarding India, and I will provide my experiences. My personal email address is:
I have had the valuable experience of getting to know quite a few different individuals through this blog and had a couple of opportunities where I could share my experiences with “future expats”, with one organization making a donation to a charity of my choice.
Below listed are my final thoughts, and represent a “close” to this blog. Thanks again for reading and please keep in touch:
* There were 3K staff in the building where I worked on any given day (my organization only), in addition to the 5 other floors. It was the friendliest office experience you could imagine. I felt just “as welcome” as I feel in the US. Just a great group of people. Indians are one of a kind when it comes to “the friendly factor”. I learned so much from everyone, and am most thankful to my counterpart, while there, an executive hire, transferring to my organization from Barclay's Bank.
* I did not want to leave India at the end of my assignment!
* Hiring in India is a very efficient process. I have worked in recruitment, interviewing and hiring for 12 years, and I love my local recruiting partner. He has always provided the best and the brightest (the key to your success), and for our incremental needs, it of course has worked great. In India, it is just a different process (for all companies, not simply tied to mine alone), and quite efficient. They have “Friday interviews” (or Saturday interviews) where ads are placed, with requirements included, and a large group of people show up to a location, and interviews are done on the spot. Kind of like a “casting call”, yet taking into account your business requirements. The talent that was hired in the Bangalore building by the managers in my group was phenomenal, and it worked very well. Not a lot of back and forth communication required beforehand, but rather instead an intense high volume interviewing “blitz”. If you are a seasoned interviewer, this works quite well!
* Indians love sweets after a meal. I do not. I just don’t have a sweet tooth. Many Indians say “Just try it”, and I have tried them. I have tried them ALL. I know I just do not like them. From the sandy brown diamond squares to the purple balls. I have never wanted to appear rude, but there were times, after I “tried them” that I decided to no longer “try them”. Ha (More for you, guys!!?!?)
* The “Just try it” phrase is very common, and extends to other aspects, such as…..clothes. There are times I can hold up a tunic and I KNOW this will not fit me, and am just not willing to “try it”. Indians are optimistic that my hips are just smaller than they really are. Like I said, a nice group of people (who think you are in better shape than you actually are)!
* The India office where I worked had the largest concentration of six sigma professionals from whom I gained a GREAT DEAL of knowledge and practical business knowledge. These guys were awesome and were such an asset to our organization. The best classes I took in my career were taken in the Bangalore office, and some of the meetings I looked forward to the most, though unfortunately few, involved the six sigmas. So much valuable knowledge gained there.
* I have never seen more motorcycles in one office basement garage in my life, and that extended to the streets. So many people would make comments that “bikes cause crashes”. HOWEVER, in my opinion, if these volume of people were in cars (including autorickshaws), traffic would NEVER MOVE as this many extra full size cars would lead to permanent gridlock. Buses, bikes and autoricks…keep Bangalore traffic from coming to a complete stop.
* This above statement leads to my concern for “Indian population explosion” and how an export of Indian citizens to less populated countries could possibly be of help. It is funny to me that there are rare to none Indian sports professionals that move to MLB when they would be so GOOD at it! I know of Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, but those are the ONLY 2 baseball players I have heard that have moved to the US. As cricket is such a similar sport, I suppose this confounds me a bit. There is so much pitching and other baseball talent that could easily “make it big” in the US if they wanted. I am sure I am not connecting some critical dots here.
* I thank God that I never saw a dog or cow get hit by a car or bike. I did see 3 motorcycle crashes (hit by cars I was in, or in front of me), but these guys were wearing proper gear and helmets and were never hurt. They popped up faster than I could have ever imagined and I always thanked God for that.
* I am pretty sure I was the only person in my building who listened to Phish songs on my headphones, whenever I did listen to music at work. Interestingly enough, there was a guy who had a Johnny Cash ring tone on his phone of “I walk the line”. I stopped on a dime when I heard this in the middle of all of these cubes! I did find that I came to love Indian Bollywood or fusion/dance music as well, as I LOVE MUSIC in general. I found I loved the song “Sunny Sunny” from the movie, as an example of one of the songs I listened to daily after hearing it (through the hostel wall) during a medical volunteer trip.
* If I got into a car and the radio was blaring, the driver would immediately cut it off, thinking it would offend me. I told him, “Oh please, cut the radio back on”. He would leave it off, and a smile would simply be extended. (language issue) Silence would ensue. At times I almost reached into the front seat to cut that radio back on myself, as I am at times that kind of a person. haha
* For some reason, as much as I was warned prior to moving to India, I never once experienced a cab driver try to take advantage of me. At the end of the trip, they could have easily asked for 1K rupees (16 USDs) after 7 hours, but yet rather, they always looked at me nicely and said 600 ma’am (less than 10 USDs). I am positive this was due to me talking to them and asking “about them”, “about their family” and getting to know them. Most people here in India are honest in general, and it is hard to take advantage of someone who you have just shared videos of your children and developed an initial relationship with. I gave more than was charged on all occasions, as no one took advantage, and this created goodwill.
* It takes years to understand the political climate, history, religion and of COURSE cricket, so I gave myself a break when I felt a bit behind during conversations on any of these and just tried to figure it out later.
* Indians know a LOT more languages than most Americans do!
* Indian schools (that I have witnessed) and colleges conduct classes on Saturday. In India, education is so valued and important a lot due to competition of the masses.
* India is the only place I have ever lived where the lights can go out where I live, and yet I hear loud cheers from the neighborhood next door. Talk about finding a “bright side” sans light!
* You know you have been in India for a year when you suddenly have more Indian Facebook friends and linkedin connections than Americans!
* There are very short power outages about every 2 days. Literally for 30 seconds, 5 minutes at most, that I experienced. Power outages never created a problem for me. I was on an elevator once, and when the power went out, it gently stopped on the floor below. When the doors opened, the floor was level with the outside. So if you are living in a hotel and worried about this, I researched it and there are 3 different checks they have in place, and I personally experienced a power outage on an elevator and it was a fine outcome.
* Bangalore is one of the most progressive cities in India. There are restaurants that play Motown and Stevie Wonder songs. (hearing “Living for the City” or “Boogie on Reggae Woman” makes you wonder where you really are?)
* Cricket is always on TV. Sometimes wrestling, but 90% cricket. After the Cricket Final games, the next day…more Cricket. I often ask myself how I was here for so long, and am about to leave without a COMPLETE understanding of the sport. That is one of the biggest regrets I have—I talked to so many guys, and with my love of sports, why didn’t I learn “all there is to know about cricket”?
* The McDonald’s in India does not serve beef (of course!), yet they have other cultural delights! In addition to cows being most revered, there are cows in the parking lot, so this is just not gonna happen, as far as them “serving them up inside”. They do have “the same French fries”. I had McDonald’s French fries once while in India and remember they tasted just like the US.
* Arranged marriages happen a lot, in all areas of India, along with a mix of “fall-in-love” and proposal marriages. I knew a very young girl (sweetest girl) whose family arranged her marriage and she had only skyped with the man, and she was off to marry him without ever meeting him. (I wish the best for her and hope all is well.)
* Alcohol consumption is a bit more taboo than in other countries, and therefore you will not see a woman in a liquor store. (or it is very rare). You will see a lot of men in there!
* You will find yourself adapting to a new culture and at times, getting impatient and “trying to help things along” in your own way. One day while visiting a grocery store, my package of cheese was not recognized by the computer, and would just not ring up. The attendant just placed it under the counter (after saying something to me that I did not get), and at the end of the transaction, when he did not take it out, I found myself lying across the counter, full body across conveyor belt (great visual here) grabbing that cheese and helping to ring it up. (I left with the cheese.)
* If you have no knowledge of the local languages, making a phone call….to schedule a reservation, cab, etc, is going to…ahhhh…at times….be prolonged, and you will find yourself raising your voice to try to ensure you are understood. If you have a shorter fuse, you will need a bit of help in your daily life…..consider an assistant or keep an Indian nearby!
* I was in India, in rural and suburban areas, for 10 months, and never had one GI issue. Did not get sick from food or water one time. Sometimes I think I have an iron gut, but mostly, I think it is just not as “scary” as portrayed.
* Most people in India think that there is no poverty in the US. Comparatively, it is just a different level, and different forms. You have to be in each country for an extended period, in many different cities, to see “the truth”. India is a place where I truly enjoyed placing my volunteer efforts, and was able to partner with a Masters grad/future MBA entrepreneur, and a dentist to place a water filtration system in a school for only 200 USDs (where I donated 85). I can only hope that it upgraded the experience of the students who attend this school. This particular entrepreneur works “Bangalore and beyond” with a group of medical doctors (local and Cleveland Clinic, etc) to move forward various initiatives, and there are medical health camps and polio drives, etc every week or weekend. The drive behind this is amazing, and was the most fulfilling part of India for me personally.
* Buildings go up quickly in Bangalore! 10 years from now, this city will quite possibly be unrecognizable to me. In one week, I swear, the Adobe bldg. beside Prestige Park was fully constructed, and it is bright white and sky high.
* OK……public urination by men is common. They are outside a lot and there are not a lot of places to “go”. It is just a fact! (When you have to go, you have to go!) I saw this every day I traveled, on the sidewalk right near the main roads. I often think “where the women went”. (Women find a way!)
* I am a firm believer that on an individual level, you are safer from a crime perspective in all of Bangalore that in “certain parts” of NYC or Chicago, as 2 US city examples. Considering population ratios, and differences in crime, there are a lot of factors at play. I never felt unsafe at any point during my stay in Bangalore.
On my last morning in Bangalore, I was due to leave the hotel at 4AM to make a 7AM flight. 2 of my closest friends sent me notes the week before saying, “I will join you for your airport send-off”. I thought to myself, “OK, when I tell them I am leaving at 4AM, they will politely say goodbye the day before, as NO ONE I KNOW goes to the airport with someone unless you are “family” when the airport is an hour away and it is 4AM! Well, I told them “that is nice of you, I will see you the day before, I am leaving at 4AM, etc” and they still insisted on coming. Just about everyone I met in India was like this, just so kind, going out of their way, without making you ever feel as if they did.
Below are pictures of me, in between Robert and Mohan (both from Guntur, but they did not know each other prior to meeting me, so I was able to introduce 2 Indians from Guntur to each other!), who travelled an hour to the airport, and then traveled an hour back, on a weekday, before work, adding 2.5 hours to their day, just to say goodbye to me. There is one picture of Robert working with my driver to exchange numbers so they could find each other after waving goodbye. (This is the only picture that I have of my amazing driver, Manjunath, and in the scurry that morning, did not get another one. I have told him I am coming back and will hire him again one day!)
I was so touched by this send-off, and these 2 amazing individuals (in addition to many others), with whom I will definitely keep in touch. I simply can’t wait to see what they are doing 5 and 10 years from now, respectively.
I am so extremely grateful to my organization for providing me with the most amazing experience of my life.
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