India - Week 1 Summary

So, let's see.  The week started out with me in front of 14 people who eagerly want to learn everything quickly, so they can start working.  The eagerness and enthusiasm was very exciting and encouraging.  There were a few unpleasant things about the first day though:

·         We were in a room that had a malfunctioning air conditioner; it was ~109 degrees that day and I had on jeans and a long sleeve T-shirt (guess who wasn’t eager to get too close to anyone for the remainder of the day).

·         It also was the first time in a very long time that I spent that much time in front of people talking (now I remember why I tasked my analysts with this responsibilityJ). 

·         Internet connection SUCKED (really? People aren’t able to function without cell phones that can essentially hold a conversation with you and this 12-story, brand-new building is not properly setup with Wi-Fi.  You can get Wi-Fi at TCBY)

·         Random power outages were not limited to the area of Gurgaon that the hotel is located in (funny thing is they happen so often that whenever it happens, no one flinches)

But you know me; I can find the good in every situation:

·         Because most people in this area carry a smell naturally, I still smelled pretty good by the end of the day by comparison and hopefully I managed to shed a couple of calories with all of that sweating.

·         A good refresher is an admired skill is always a plus

·         Since I had no internet connection, I didn’t have to worry about responding to emails from crazy people or receiving random IMs from people asking “Tammy, are you really unavailable?”

·         Lights out for a little while allows for a quick break.  J

So, that was just Day 1 J  The other days will be summarized. 

The driver arrives every day at ~12:20 p.m.  Every day, we see goats and cows roaming the streets or simply sitting on the ground with no immediate plans.  While I noticed it every day, it wasn’t until Wednesday that I realized that the big dead animal on the side of the road (cover up by some sort of too small sheet) was never going to be removed from that spot.  For those that don’t believe me, I didn’t capture a pretty good picture of it.  Security is not to be taken lightly either.  Every day upon entry into the office, we go through the security tower and our bags go through the scanner; when we return to the hotel, there is a quick check in the vehicle then another walk through security checkpoint and bag scan. 

The connectivity issues lasted until Thursday when I informed the manager and project lead that I would be escalating the issue because we could not impact our training plan any longer (frustrated Tammy came through in discussion and emails to my management).  After which, they found a way to get us access and confirmed that their IT team would be installing Wi-Fi in the need areas on Saturday and testing on Sunday for us to continue with training and practice on Monday.

Oh yeah, I successfully learned all 14 of the team’s names by Thursday morning; which apparently impressed the team members (my guess is that we have been so arrogant that we don’t even take the time).
I just want everyone to remember how blessed we truly are.  We have so many luxuries that we take for granted simply because they have become commonplace to us.  There are people in this world that can’t even dream of having the things that we enjoy with little effort.

Oh yeah, I am guessing I will only be able upload photos via a LAN connection so I will try that this weekend.

This weekend, TAMMY TOURS DELHI!!!  Talk to you soon.

Sorry this one was so long, it's been a minute