Day 4 - A Slice of America in India

I'm starting to settle into life in India. Late mornings and late evenings. Since I have always been a night owl, this type of schedule is perfect for me.

My fourth day started similar to the others - except Mike and I passed on working out, I needed a little more sleep. At work, I got the pleasure of meeting the largest team at TCS supporting the Nielsen account. The team works on the many processes that generate our Consumer Insights products - all survey products. The team lead, Sundarrajan Devaraj, introduced me to each process team starting with the Survey Change team, then the Data Processing team, then the Weighting Team, then the Charting team. Each team walked me through their process and then gave a little presentation on who makes up the team, the recognition/achievements they have received and their goals for the future of their process. I was overwhelmed by their warmth, knowledge and desire to produce excellent work. They are very proud of the recognition the US leadership team gives them. So much so that they printed out an email that was sent on behalf of one of my managers and myself thanking the CI team for meeting all the quarterly deliverables on time and under significant change and challenges. They printed it out on a poster about 2' by 3'. It's hanging on a column in the middle of the floor where the team sits. They say that it reminds them of why the work so hard - it keeps them motivated. I'll tell you, each and everyone of these amazing individuals have given me a new level of motivation. They gave me more than I could ever give to them. A heart felt THANK YOU to this amazing team!

At the end of the day, the entire Telecom team stopped working for about 30-45 minutes for "SPOT Floor Fun". They do this every few weeks and wanted to make sure that Mike and I could participate while we were there (we invited Schick too). This event was sponsored by the Fun Committee. This is something I am definitely taking back with me to Florida. We will be having SPOT Floor Fun in the future. The fun event was a take on Queen of Sheeba. The MC would call out a combination of articles that someone had to find and then present to the judge first to receive the prize, a piece of Cadbury chocolate, presented by yours truly. It was so much fun watching team members scurry around looking for pictures of gods, hair clips, scissors and pads of paper. Everyone had a wonderful time, including Mike who won for "Biggest Fatty Body", Schick who won for "Tallest" and me who won for toe nails painted pink and wearing high heels.

Because of the fun event, we didn't leave the office until after 9 pm. We headed straight to Taj MaSchick for dinner - Schick on his scooter, Mike and I on foot.

And what do you think was on the menu tonight? Pizza Hut stuffed crust pepperoni pizza, exotic garlic bread and beer. It took Schick nearly 10 minutes to order the pizza and another hour for it to be delivered. We didn't eat until 11:30 but here we were enjoying a Slice of America in Baroda, India.

While waiting for our pizza, Colin stopped by with some homemade Bruschetta (thank goodness because I thought Schick was going to pass out due to low blood sugar). Colin is a really cool guy - the kind of guy that can walk into any situation/room and make everyone laugh and have a great time. He is a great story teller and has a lot of stories to share. His girlfriend, Emily, wasn't feeling well but did join us for a few minutes toward the evening.

On our way home, we passed a sacred cow. We had to take a moment to pay homage to such an amazing beast. ;)

Although the day/night wasn't too eventful, it was another fantastic day in India.

Namaste

Day 3 Part 2 - Motivation & Exhaustion

I have now learned first hand that traveling to Asia is different than traveling to Europe. Certainly there are a lot of obvious reasons - culture, language, topography, etc. What I didn't realize is that jet leg sets in on a different timeline too. According to many of my friends that travel frequently to Asia, jet leg doesn't set in until the third day (usually the second day when traveling to Europe). I am proof of that fact. Day 3 was brutal!! Physically, I haven't been that drained in years. Luckily, I was able to shake it off with some Excedrin and a quick cat nap. Note to self, don't make the biggest day of your trip the third day - it will NOT end well.

As I eluded to, Day 3 was a big day for Mike and me. We were hosting an all team Town Hall. Our team in Baroda is about 65 people at the moment (quickly increasing to nearly 80 by the end of the summer). I thought it would be a little team meeting - NOPE. Team leadership had commandeered the cafeteria, turning it into a lecture hall with lots of A/V equipment, including a microphone. (One thing I know about myself - I talk very loudly. I didn't need a microphone.).

Mike and I prepared a little presentation focusing on a few key themes, including teamwork, communication and process improvement. The Town Hall was meant to be a celebration of all the work the team had already done, as well as a motivational message about the future. I was never a cheerleader (I would have looked ridiculous in those little skirts) but I do feel very passionately about the people on my team. Keeping that in mind, I tried my best to channel Tony Robbins to be as motivational and inspirational as possible.

When the time came, our main contact at TCS, Monto, wanted us to 'make an entrance', so we waited and prepared in the small conference room I have made my office while here. Upon entering the cafeteria, the entire team rose and applauded our arrival. I got the goose bumps and started to tear up. I'm known for shedding tears of joy at some pretty strange times but this was a magical moment. I felt so loved and wanted to return their love three fold.

Mike and I spoke to the team for about an hour during which time we got the opportunity to give out some awards for process improvements, teamwork, quality and good ideas. It was amazing meeting each of these talented, dedicated associates. Each one had a broad smile on their face when I handed them their certificate and shook their hands. If Indian culture (and business culture for that matter) allowed it, I would have wrapped my arms around each one of them, giving a big hug of appreciation.

After the Town Hall, we all made our way next door to Nielsen building (TCS and Nielsen have office buildings next to one another). We wanted to take a team picture on the steps of the building. Here is the result. Look at the beautiful faces of our team!! WOW!!

Have I mentioned that Mike is big in India? Or at least that's what he told me when talking me into bringing him with me. Well, it turns out he IS big in India. Check him out with his entourage!

Once the pictures were done, I realized that I had hit a wall - head on without a helmet! I nearly passed out on my way back to my office. I had a mild fever, blurred vision and could barely stand upright. Schick brought me some Excedrin and then I headed back to the hotel for a quick rest. I was afraid that I wouldn't make it to dinner - which would have made me so sad as my dear friend Nick was in Baroda and had stayed over just to have dinner with us. Luckily, I have wonderful friends who brought the party to me and encouraged me along the way. We had a delicious dinner with great conversation. These four men may be the most interesting, intelligent, kind men I know. I am one lucky girl! I am thankful for their friendship!

By the way, each of these guys have amazing futures ahead of them. Kevin, Nick and Schick will all be taking on new challenges soon and I wish them the best of luck! As for Mike, I will probably be working for him by the end of the year. :)

Namaste

Day 3 Part 1 - Bomb Threat & Volcanic Ash

I awoke today to a cautionary note from the TCS Delivery Leader of my team. This is what it said.

"Also, just to keep you posted, that a bomb treat has been announced in the state of Gujarat. In case you plan to move outside the hotel to do any shopping or to have lunch at a restaurant, I would say be cautious & alert. It will be great if you can avoid it."

Gujarat is the state that Vadodara/Baroda is in. The state is on high-alert of Pakistani terrorist threats due to the recent problems between the two countries (as recent as Sunday/Monday of this week).

The other big headline in International news today is the cancellation of 1600 flights in Europe due to the Icelandic volcano eruption. For those that know me, you know that this volcano has been the bane of my existence for months. Last spring, when it erupted the first time, I was in Oxford, England and had to spend hours and days on the phone with our corporate travel company to find a way home. I was finally put on the first and only flight out of Heathrow Airport in London. I was only delayed several hours, while some travelers were delayed days. The plane erupted (pun intended) with applause when we took off, heading for Washington DC.

Later that summer, it erupted again, while I was in Haarlem, The Netherlands (just outside Amsterdam). It was the day my parents were to travel home to Michigan and I was to travel to Madrid, Spain for a team meeting. Similar to the first time, our flights were cancelled and rescheduled for the same day so we were only delayed several hours (but after much angst and conversations with the travel company).

Fortunately, my flight home from this trip is scheduled for Friday, June 3 and the flight path will take us far North of Iceland and any residual volcanic ash.

That's the news from India this morning. Nick will be in Baroda today so I am sure I'll have great stories about our evening.

Until then . . . Namaste

Day 2 - Meeting the Team

Now that I'm here, I can't understand why I was ever anxious about this trip. Yes, they do things differently here but I can adapt very easily and have really enjoyed every minute here.

Monday night was hard for me though. Around 1:30 am IST, my Blackberry stopped receiving/sending email, texts and Blackberry Messages. That brought me significant angst because someone very close to me at home is going to an extremely difficult time, and although there isn't much, if anything, I can do here, I want to be available, accessible, useful if the opportunity presents itself. I slept less than 3 hours and kept sending test emails wishing the network would go back on line. Although I'm a rational person, I have a hard time accepting that there are forces greater than me - specifically Blackberry networks and international wireless networks. You would think since Telecom is my business, that I would bow down to the gods that run the show. I'm too stubborn for that! :)

Mike and I kept to our schedule of working out in the morning. We found the treadmills and began to run. Although I now live in Florida, I always forget how challenging it is to run in 100% humidity. About 3/4 of a mile into my run, I was dripping with sweat and gasping for air. Again, because I'm stubborn, I kept going until a little after 2 miles when the treadmill gave up on me (thankfully).

Today was set aside to begin meeting the Telecom team in India. Wow - I was blown away by these associates. Not only are the intelligent, they are incredibly dedicated and so very kind human beings. I only met a few associates, from 3 processes within the 7 products (and many more processes) within Telecom, but I left the office with a huge grin on my face. In particular, I met the four beautiful Indian woman that work on one of our products called On Device Metering. This product is very similar to the traditional Nielsen TV ratings but is geared towards tracking, measuring and reporting how consumers use their cell phones. These woman were so warm and generous with their time. They walked me through a few examples and discussed the large quantities of work they perform each day - all with large smiles on their faces. I left the office so content. Although many people don't like that US based companies employ people outside of the US, I believe differently in that we are a global community and providing jobs to anyone is a good thing. After meeting the associates on my team in India, I feel like a better inhabitant of the planet Earth.

I have slept very little since arriving in India. I hit a wall at about 6 pm IST and had to take a nap. For one hour, I slept soundly and recharged my body for the remainder of the day. The usual suspects (Mike, Schick, Kevin) and I took motorized rickshaws to a Chinese restaurant called Mainland China.

Again, we had an amazing meal (cheap) with terrific conversation. We then made our way to Taj MaSchick to partake of bootleg beer on the roof of his apartment building where we ran into other ex-pats, Colin and Emily, from the US.

On the roof, we were removed from the hustle and bustle of the Baroda streets. We were also targets of the very, very large bats that fly high above Baroda. These bats have bodies 18-24 inches in length and wingspans of 3-4 feet. I will be completely honest when I say they are scary, creepy creatures and I wouldn't want to get too close to one - EVER.

After great conversation about philosophy, the future and other heavy topics, Mike and I returned to our hotel  to retire for the night. Here's to a solid night's sleep and a new adventure tomorrow! :)

Namaste

Day 1 - Vadodara

After nearly 2 days of traveling, I have finally settled into my new home at the WelcomHotel in Vadodara, India.

The hotel is lovely but the sheets are like sandpaper so my first night's sleep was not too restful. I awoke at 5 am on Monday morning - wide awake but craving more than the 3 hours of sleep I actually got. I made my way to the Fitness Center, to find a Stairmaster, recumbent bike and an old Nautilus-like machine. According to Mike, there used to be a couple of treadmills which is what I really wanted but no luck this morning.  After a decent workout, the attendant told us that there are treadmills but they are on the other side of the hotel property - we'll find them tomorrow.

Like I said, the hotel is quite nice and I had done my research ahead of time to see what amenities they had to offer. On the website, there were pictures of a beautiful pool, all decked out with lounge chairs and umbrellas. I was really looking forward to a little R&R after our long days at the office. On my way back to my room, I went looking for said pool. I found it - or rather I found where it used to be. The location of the pool is now a huge gaping hole in the Earth with mounds of dry dirt all around. The pool is being reconstructed...of course, just like my first trip to London when Big Ben was covered by scaffolding and my first trip to Florence where the Duomo was covered in scaffolding and my first trip to Paris, yes, Notre Dame was covered in scaffolding. I'm detecting a trend and I don't like it. :(

Upon arriving back at my room, I received a message on my Blackberry from Mike - he was notifying me that he had to take his first shot of Kaopectate - it's day one and he's already hitting the meds. This may be a long trip.

The trip into the TCS office was an adventure. First the driver was MIA, then we had to survive the craziness that is driving/riding in a car in India. Once we arrived at the office, we proceeded through two security checkpoints, the second of which confiscated my camera and Mike's iPod. Once we were signed in and allowed to proceed to our floor, we were greeted by huge smiles and warm welcomes from our team leads. They presented me with pink roses (that one team lead noticed matched my "toe enamel" - nail polish) and Mike with yellow roses. This was the first time anyone had ever given Mike roses - although he looked awkward holding them, you could tell he was very touched by the gesture.

At the office, I reunited with my work 'little brother' - Mike Schickner, aka Schick. He is now a much slimer version of the Schick I know. In a previous blog, I mentioned some 'trouble' he had when he first came to India - the result is a slimed down version of the guy everyone loves!

The work day was uneventful and short since Mike (Pate) knew that we would be dragging and would need to rest a bit. We returned to the hotel to nap before dinner. Schick rode his scooter over to the hotel so we could all go to dinner together. Schick purchased a scooter after a near-kidnapping and after his driver was fired. This scooter has been a bit of a money trap but definitely the genesis of a lot of good stories (some of which I'll ask Schick to guest blog for you in the upcoming days). The scooter is a girls scooter according to the locals but that doesn't stop Schick from riding it with pride. I think it helps that his helmet says STUD above the visor. Turns out the high-end helmet maker here in India is STUDDS. Schick scratched of the last D and S to make sure that everyone that saw him coming knew exactly what he was. ;)

The hardest decision we had to make all day was what to have for dinner. After mulling over the options, we chose an Italian restaurant. Yes, you read that correctly - we were going to an Italian restaurant in the heart of Baroda, India. Schick escorted us down dark alleys, complete with 5 feet deep holes in the road, fluorescent lights hanging from the trees as street lamps and many stray, but not mangy, dogs. We had to cross the main road, which was probably more dangerous than anything I've ever done - and remember I've jumped out of an airplane.

When we arrived at the restaurant, you would have thought you were anywhere in Italy or the US. Little Italy was a quaint little restaurant with pictures of wine bottles and Italian landmarks on the walls.

There were three main differences from a restaurant you would go to in the US, but none were too noticeable. 1. The staff was entirely Indian. 2. There was no wine (only pictures of wine) because Baroda is a dry state. 3. The entire menu was vegetarian. The meal was delicious, the company (including our friend Kevin who joined us) was wonderful and the waiters were attentive. We had a wonderful time catching up.

Since there is no rest for the wicked, Schick had to join a work call at 9:30 pm local time so we all went with him back to his apartment. Taj MaSchick is a three bedroom, two bathroom apartment with a 50 inch flat screen television, marble floors and full service kitchen. It is a beautiful place. However, there is one small problem . . . the mattresses in his bedrooms are like futon mattresses - hard as rocks. Mike jumped on one only to nearly dislocate his elbow. Hey, you can't have everything!

On our way back to our hotel, we came upon a local favorite - Lucky the three legged dog. He was very sweet - I hope we see him again.

I have been asked to clarify all the participants in my adventures - probably because there are so many Mike's/Michael's in my life it's hard to keep track. So, for those of you that are interested....

Mike Pate - One of the Telecom Operations Managers at Nielsen and my travel companion
Mike Schickner (aka Schick) - My work 'little brother'; an Associate in the Nielsen Emerging Leaders Program living in Baroda for 5+ months.
Kevin Derrick - Another Associate in the Nielsen ELP living in Baroda for the last few weeks after visiting 7 other countries on his way to India. Kevin is also a fellow Michigander, although he went to the other Michigan school - we don't talk about it! :)
Nick Naber - Another ELP Associate, who has lived in Mumbai the last 4 months and is moving to Singapore for 4+ weeks this weekend. Also a fellow Michigander but his pedigree is acceptable as he attended Purdue University.

Hopefully there will be others characters that we meet along this great journey...adventures are always made better by the people that you take them with!!!!

Namaste

Travel Day 2

The airport in Delhi is quite nice. I was warned that the airports in India leave much to be desired so my expectations were low. I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and modernism of this 'newer' airport.

Customs was a breeze; after which we proceeded to the Duty Free shop to buy the 'bootleg' liquor that the guys had requested. We bought a some Goose, Bombay and Jameson. Not a bad stash for a week in a dry state (we'll be back in Delhi half way through our trip and will pick up more for week two). We took our time and proceeded to Departures to check-in for our flight to Vadodara (aka Baroda). As we were waiting to check our bags, a lovely woman with the airline came up to Mike and asked his name. They were looking for us. Our flight was leaving in 15 minutes and we had not checked our bags, let alone gone through security. She and another airline employee rushed us to the front of the line and helped us check our bags. They then escorted us to the front of the security line. I passed through security - which included a full pat down in a secluded area (for women only). Mike passed through easily as well. Our booze did not! Even though we had not left the airport and had purchased our alcohol downstairs at the Duty Free, we could not carry it on. Normally, I would have been the one that noticed the problem, but with all the rushing and escorting, it completely slipped my mind. Both Mike and I had accepted the fact that we would be drying out in Baroda next week when the security guard suggested Mike rush back and check his carry-one. "It would be a great loss if you don't" were the guard's exact words. So, Mike ran back to check the bag, cutting in front of a lot of unhappy Indian travelers. (I sure hope they realize that we aren't usually this rude.) He went through security a second time and we were off. We (nearly) ran to our gate, arriving at precisely the time the plane was to take off, only to find that the flight was delayed 45 minutes. Thank goodness! Someone is watching over us - whether it's our god or the Indian's god.

While waiting to board, we experienced top notched people watching. We saw a guy with a full-on mullet. We saw another guy with white pants and white dress shoes. We saw a guy with his polo shirt collar 'popped' sporting a band tattoo on each arm. Then, the trifecta, a guy with a mullet, a polo shirt and tattoo (no popped collar) and white dress shoes. The last 3 decades were represented in that little corner of the New Delhi airport.

Finally it was time to board. During the chaos at security, Mike didn't get a tag for his backpack that proved it had gone through security. So, we had to step out of line while a guard went through his backpack, slowly and with meticulous focus. We were approved to board. We boarded the small Air India plane. It was old, dirty and smelled like what everyone said everything will smell like in India. We took our seats, me in the front with a bunch of strange Indian men, and Mike in the back with some more Indian men. Like I do when I'm in an uncomfortable position, I closed my eyes and kept them closed the entire 1 hour and 10 minute flight.

Before I closed them, I did gaze upon some of the most beautiful flight attendants I have every seen (and that's saying something since I fly Virgin Airlines occassionally.) Not only did they have beautiful faces, they were dressed in traditional sare's (I'm not confident of the spelling). For a country that is known for it's modesty, I struggle with the fact that traditional dress for woman exposes their stomachs, including their belly buttons. I'm going to look into this further - there must be a loop-hole in the whole modesty topic.

When we landed in Vadodara (Baroda), we were greeted by 4 TCS associates, 1 driver and 1 mystery girl. It was great to finally put names to faces. It was so nice of them to come out so late on a Sunday night. I can't wait to meet the rest of the team, as I can only imagine this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I had been warned that driving/riding in India is an adventure. I think that is an understatement. From what I can tell, there aren't any traffic rules. Drivers use their horns to simply let someone know that they are near them and that any small movements could result in a 10 car pile up. There are an insane number of scooters, the most disturbing being the scooters driven by a man, ridden by a woman with a small child wedged between the two - no helmet, no seat belts, no rules. There were so many people on the road, the sidewalks - people were milling about all over and from what I have been told it is like this until 2 am everynight.

As we were approaching our hotel, the most sacred of acts occurred. A family of 5-6 cows stopped traffic and sauntered across the road. Baroda is a good size city but cows rule all in this country. It was clear that these cows knew just how special they were. It was quite a moment - a great welcome to India.

Mike and I settled into our rooms, had a couple drinks, ordered dinner and unwound a bit. So far, this trip has lived up to all my expectations. My excitement is as high as it was before I left. I am really looking forward to my first day in the office meeting all the wonderful people that work on my team.

Until tomorrow....Namaste

Travel Day 1

The day is finally upon me. Leaving the comfort of the US for an adventure in the East.

After hauling all my bags, remember I ended up with 3 checked bags, one carry-on and my purse, down three flights of stairs, my cabbie picked me up and kept me occupied (aka annoyed) the entire trip to the airport of stories about everything he has ever heard or read about India. Note to self - never tell your cabbie where you are headed or else.

Upon arriving at the beautifully pristine Tampa International Airport, Mike and I checked in as First Class travelers. When all was said and done, my checked bags weighed a total of 128 pounds. Crazy. In fact, the handle of the bag carrying all the chotchkies for the team broke. I love that bag and need to get it fixed. (If you have any idea where to get luggage repaired, please let me know.) I anticipate the broken handle will cause us more trouble and generate some laughs throughout the journey.

The flight from Tampa to Chicago was typical, although I never tire of First Class. Cocktails and a meal, along with comfortable seats and wonderful attendants.

We boarded the Boeing 777 that would carry us from Chicago to Delhi. It is a 14.5 hour flight. My  company allows flying business class for any flights over 10 hours. Wow, what a treat!!! After Mike and I played musical seats so we could sit together, we explored the mini-cabin we had for all the bells and whistles. We then donned our comfort wear - me in my aloe infused socks and he in his old man slippers (brown pinstriped to be precise). Our attendant, Missy, introduced herself by offering us glasses of bubbles. For those that know me well, you know that I have a thing for bubbles. For those that don't know me well, I LOVE CHAMPAGNE!!!

There was a large selection of entertainment options - of which Mike and chose to watch The Fighter. What a fantastic movie! Since I travel so much, I have not seen many of the recent releases. I used to be the one person that had watched every single movie nominated for an Academy Award. Not lately. I was shocked by the appearance of Christian Bale. He is one of my favorite actors and I have seen him transform himself for a part before (i.e. The Machinist). But this was unreal...I barely recognized him. His performance was absolutely outstanding.

After the movie, Mike decided to take a walk to stretch his legs. When he returned, he brought more with him than the glasses of wine I had summoned him for. He brought the story of 'the sleepwalker'. Mike figured he would take advantage of the facilities while he was up but got much more than he had expected. As he walked into the lavatory, he realized that it was already occupied. Occupied by a woman sleeping on the toilet. Being the gentleman that he is, he turned his head not to embarass the woman (nor himself) and notified a flight attendant. Later in the flight, Missy came back to let us know that the woman was ok, she had drank several glasses of wine, took an Ambien and sleep walked into the lavatory. I used to sleep walk. And most nights when I did, my Mom would find me on the toilet. I thank god I no longer sleep walk and it wasn't me that Mike found on the toilet 37K feet in the air.

After a delicious meal and another movie (The Adjustment Bureau - not as good as the previous movie), we settled in for the evening. The seats in Business Class recline nearly all the way to a lay flat bed. Unfortunately, my seat was not functioning correctly and I was only able to get about 3/4 of the way down. Regardless, I was able to sleep 8 hours - probably thanks to the near bottle of Malbec I drank and the two Advil PM I took.

When I awoke, my TV monitor displayed our flight path. And where were we when I awoke - directly above Kabul. For a split second, I thought maybe I would be tomorrow's news and would never actually touch down in India. Fortunately, that was just a 'dazed and confused' reaction to what I saw and we safely landed in Delhi.

Travel Day 2 will be in the next post

Namaste