I found out yesterday "My first day at the office" that India goes through routing in China to reach the internet and as many of you know, China have blocked/filtered internet video sites. Specifically, sites like Google Video and You Tube just aren’t accessible which is a real disappointment. I really like watching comedy routines and frequent free South Park episodes etc. help pass time and make me laugh. This is definitely another unexpected luxury missing and one I was counting on to help pass the time for my four month stay. The good news is that I do see the brighter side of this dilemma. Someone up top is telling, even pushing me out into the culture. Telling me to break away from American X Generation customs/habits and become involved in this wonderful place. Lots of changes ahead!
This morning I met Gulshan, another bank associate on the assignment with me. He’s already been here a week and was born in India. He’s been an invaluable asset in my process to assimilate. Gulshan showed me how to get to the office and helped with many introductions. I was greeted heartily and even found a billboard at the security desk that said ‘ We Welcome Mr. Jason Delmar ”.
The main focus of my day today was to meet with our Relocation Expert (RE). Gulshan had arranged for us to see some corporate housing so that we could consider a more relaxed and less sterile stay. After a while, having maids in your room daily gets old and the built in safe is to small to fit many of my valuables “most notably this personal laptop”. As, I have mentioned, I wasn’t to shocked by the state of the infrastructure or even the poverty I’ve seen however, I was surprised by the standard of living for what is considered “up-scale”. Our RE showed us a top property right down town in what’s known as City Center. A wonderful bustling and somewhat modernized mall filled with stores and shops which offer a glimpse into the variety of styles popular in India right now. As I understand it, apartments here have a 6 month waiting list but we’re looking at spending more than an average local so some locations have openings. I was shocked by what we saw. The property was clean but nothing like what I would expect, especially for the amount of American dollars we would have to spend to be there. There are so many new buildings scattered around (Dell, IBM, Oracle and many office parks), I really expected that American money would have carried over into the housing market however, it looks like that isnt the case and most business stays must continue to be in hotels for the duration. Since we’re not allowed to take a camera into the offices, I have no pictures to show unfortunately. On another positive note, the India culture functions much like America. They have a primary offer and many value adds to sell their product. In this case, the property manager talked about location, location, location and showed us a small pool. He also had an arrangement with a hi-tech gym around the corner so we could work out daily. Unfortunately, these amenities are nothing compared to your average 24hr fitness or local gym at home.
Ultimately, while I would really love to be right in the middle of the culture, I think an apartment is to much for me right now. What Gulshan and I are discussing is a move to the Taj Krishna which is another hotel but it's right on the main City Center street across from the mall. The noise and traffic will be a switch from the distant peacefulness of the Novatel however, the shorter trip into our office and access to shops (Novatel ahs none) is a major bonus. The Taj is also rated #1 for hotels in India.
Well, I’ll try to get some pictures today and I’ll be going on a hotel sponsored tour tomorrow so I’ll have some images to upload and probably more to say.
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