So today we had a meeting with the head of HR for my business unit. That unit happens to be Communication Service Providers (CSP). They handle business for the various telecommunications companies that work with Infosys. We asked questions like where we'll be after Mysore, what kind of work will we be doing, when we'll be going back to America etc.
They haven't told us for sure yet on where we'll be going in India, but they said it would be either Pune or Chennai. I'm hoping it's Pune rather than Chennai just because it's so close to Mumbai and I've heard better things about it. I'd also be closer to Gujurat so it wouldn't take me much to visit family while I'm there.
One of the most interesting tid-bits of information I received today was concerning our return to the US. Apparently, production training is supposed to last for 4 to 6 weeks. And that's suppposed to start after we leave Mysore, so it will start on or around October 10th for me. Four to six weeks from October 10th would land me somewhere around mid-November. So I could be coming home by mid-November! Although the people did say this was tentative and the length of production training depends on a lot of things, it's an exciting prospect. I know in my last post I said if Infosys offered me a chance to leave early I'd think twice, so it's ironic that this happened today. I don't think I'd take the offer to leave in November though. I can't leave without having visited relatives first of all, and I still have to see things like the Taj Mahal before I leave! I asked if we would be allowed to stay longer in production if we wanted, and they said it wouldn't be a problem (obviously it wouldn't, it's a hell of a lot cheaper for them to keep me here than to send me back and pay me in dollars).
So I have to see when the time gets closer, if I want to go back then or stay a little longer here. Also, we booked our travel plans for Rajasthan this weekend. It should be a blast, we're gonna be traveling a lot and our sleep for the trip will either be on trains or a tent in the desert, no hotels this time. We'll really be roughing it, I wonder how we'll shower haha.
I'll be glad when the end of friday rolls around because it will mark the end of this post project, the beginning of our trip to rajasthan, and the beginning of the next phase of work in India. This project we're doing is really very tedious. Soooo much documentation for such a simple project seems a little absurd, but I suppose it's for the sake of mimicking a real-life project.
Just two more days to go ahhhhhhhhhhhh
P.S. the two people we met with today for our business unit meeting are probably the most straight forward people we've talked to here. If they didn't know something, they said so, they didn't say they would get back to us and brush it under the rug. It was nice, if those are the kinds of people running my business unit then working for Infosys should be an even more rewarding experience.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Insomnia
For some reason I can't seem to fall asleep tonight. I had a great plan of waking up early and starting some work for our project a little early, I dunno if that's gonna happen now.
The great thing about being up late here is that all my friends from back home are now awake, so I always have company online. I do miss home a lot though. I miss all the people, the food, the family and everything. This place is super nice and I am having a great experience and what not, but it's still not home! It's kinda funny, all the rap music makes me miss home more. The general attitude that rap music exudes makes me want to throw some dubs on a rickshaw and ball out.
I do miss the conversations I could have back home with people though. I can have similar conversations with people in the US batch here, but it's not the same because I haven't known them for nearly as long as my friends back home. I still can't seem to have any kind of conversation with any substance with the Indian trainees though. I guess it's the cultural difference but everytime I try talk about something like my experience here or how crazy it is that I'm here, all I get is "yeah India's great right?" AHHHH it's so frustrating some times!
Even though I have a lot of India that I still want to see, I'd think twice if Infosys offered to let me go back home tomorrow. I don't know if I'd actually take the offer though, I'm trying to ride a camel in the desert and maybe check out the himalayas before I go back.
Well, it's 1:20 a.m. and I guess I should try to sleep before I fall asleep at work tomorrow. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll have a dream about eating a half pound cheesy bean and rice burritto....yummm
The great thing about being up late here is that all my friends from back home are now awake, so I always have company online. I do miss home a lot though. I miss all the people, the food, the family and everything. This place is super nice and I am having a great experience and what not, but it's still not home! It's kinda funny, all the rap music makes me miss home more. The general attitude that rap music exudes makes me want to throw some dubs on a rickshaw and ball out.
I do miss the conversations I could have back home with people though. I can have similar conversations with people in the US batch here, but it's not the same because I haven't known them for nearly as long as my friends back home. I still can't seem to have any kind of conversation with any substance with the Indian trainees though. I guess it's the cultural difference but everytime I try talk about something like my experience here or how crazy it is that I'm here, all I get is "yeah India's great right?" AHHHH it's so frustrating some times!
Even though I have a lot of India that I still want to see, I'd think twice if Infosys offered to let me go back home tomorrow. I don't know if I'd actually take the offer though, I'm trying to ride a camel in the desert and maybe check out the himalayas before I go back.
Well, it's 1:20 a.m. and I guess I should try to sleep before I fall asleep at work tomorrow. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll have a dream about eating a half pound cheesy bean and rice burritto....yummm
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Time to relax
So now that taking tests, stressing over completing assignments, and sitting through long lectures are over there really isn't much to do. That post project is going along but once the documentation phase is over, the coding should go by fairly quickly.
October 2nd is Mahatma gandhi's birthday, so we have off that day. Naturally, we look for when we have off and try to take days off before or after to get 4 or 5 day weekends. This time it happened to work out for us. We'll have a 4 day weekend if we take october 1st off. A group of 4 of us are planning on going up to Rajasthan that weekend for some camel riding. We've planned out most of it so it seems good to go. The only problem is it's impossible to find train schedules and road routes unless we're actually at the place. We need to take a train from Jaiselmer (where the ride will begin) to Jaipur to catch our flight back. We have no way of knowing when the train is and how long it takes though, Google can only do so much if no one uploads the information online!
I'm looking forward to that, it's something I always wanted to do in India but never got the chance to. We spend the night in the desert with tents that the trekking company provides for us.
Now if Infosys would just tell me where i'm being placed after Mysore, I wouldn't have any worries at all!
October 2nd is Mahatma gandhi's birthday, so we have off that day. Naturally, we look for when we have off and try to take days off before or after to get 4 or 5 day weekends. This time it happened to work out for us. We'll have a 4 day weekend if we take october 1st off. A group of 4 of us are planning on going up to Rajasthan that weekend for some camel riding. We've planned out most of it so it seems good to go. The only problem is it's impossible to find train schedules and road routes unless we're actually at the place. We need to take a train from Jaiselmer (where the ride will begin) to Jaipur to catch our flight back. We have no way of knowing when the train is and how long it takes though, Google can only do so much if no one uploads the information online!
I'm looking forward to that, it's something I always wanted to do in India but never got the chance to. We spend the night in the desert with tents that the trekking company provides for us.
Now if Infosys would just tell me where i'm being placed after Mysore, I wouldn't have any worries at all!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Daler Mehendi
For those who know him, (he sings the infamous tunak tunak song), he has a new album coming out and yes, it's still horrible.
Just some stuff
I was watching t.v. just now and I realized that maybe not all Indian t.v. is bad haha. Usually the things I see are the usual corny dancing and singing. I was watching this channel called "V" and I guess it's supposed to be a channel like MTV or VH1. They do show music videos on there but in between they have pretty cool things. There's this one project they're going to be showing called "My India Report" . It's about a group of people about 21 or so going around India and just reporting on it. I think the main theme is supposed to be how westernization and the tremendous economic growth have effected the youth of India. It seems like an interesting theme, the India that my generation is growing up in is completely different from the India of the previous generation. It sounds interesting, I'll have to tune in. Each of the participants has a blog online too, you can check it out at http://www.myindiareport.in/
They also have pretty neat commercials about HIV/AIDS. One commercial shows a family sitting in front of the television and a commercial on their t.v. comes on about AIDS. The father of the family, obviously uncomfortable with the subject matter, asks his kids to get something from the kitchen while he changes the channel. The commercial then goes on to say "how can children learn about AIDS if the parents don't give them a chance" and then the commercial goes blank. I thought it was a good way to convey the message, especially in a country where the number of people with AIDS is exceptionally high.
Of course right after the commercial for that there's a beef cake of an Indian guy with sunglasses two sizes too big for his head splashing in the water for a beautiful woman that he "imagined" seeing in the water. Seriously, he looked so sad that he couldn't find her...IN THE WATER.
They also have pretty neat commercials about HIV/AIDS. One commercial shows a family sitting in front of the television and a commercial on their t.v. comes on about AIDS. The father of the family, obviously uncomfortable with the subject matter, asks his kids to get something from the kitchen while he changes the channel. The commercial then goes on to say "how can children learn about AIDS if the parents don't give them a chance" and then the commercial goes blank. I thought it was a good way to convey the message, especially in a country where the number of people with AIDS is exceptionally high.
Of course right after the commercial for that there's a beef cake of an Indian guy with sunglasses two sizes too big for his head splashing in the water for a beautiful woman that he "imagined" seeing in the water. Seriously, he looked so sad that he couldn't find her...IN THE WATER.
Hope?
I had always heard that hope was really all that humanity had left really and truly. I never paid it much mind though, until I came here. I sometimes forget that India is still a third world country, being in the Infosys bubble and what not. When I go out into the country I'm reminded of it though. Things are so messed up here, bad roads, poverty, corrupt government, overcrowded areas, it's enough to make someone go crazy. It's also strange because it's not ALL poor. There are elements of a more prosperous nation mixed in within the third worldliness. This company for example, kind of like a glimmer of hope for a better future. I think this country can be economically and politically successful, if only the leaders of this country leverage the numerous advantages this nation has and utilize them successfully.
I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all and I've only been here for close to two months. I can only imagine how people who have lived here all their lives must feel. Yet they still go on living their lives and trying to make the best of whatever situation they've been placed in. It's inspiring to say the least. I do wish the youth of India that have been educated (like my co-workers) cared more about the political situation in their country and were more proactive about things though. I wish I could help in some way, but even though I'm Indian by heritage, the politics of it all keep me from being able to do much.
This country is still 60 years young though, it has a long way to go for sure, but I'm sure it can grab a hold of the economic success that lies just out of reach if the leaders of the country get their act together and the people voice their opinions more (easier said than done, for sure).
I'm a bit overwhelmed by it all and I've only been here for close to two months. I can only imagine how people who have lived here all their lives must feel. Yet they still go on living their lives and trying to make the best of whatever situation they've been placed in. It's inspiring to say the least. I do wish the youth of India that have been educated (like my co-workers) cared more about the political situation in their country and were more proactive about things though. I wish I could help in some way, but even though I'm Indian by heritage, the politics of it all keep me from being able to do much.
This country is still 60 years young though, it has a long way to go for sure, but I'm sure it can grab a hold of the economic success that lies just out of reach if the leaders of the country get their act together and the people voice their opinions more (easier said than done, for sure).
Hello there stranger
It's been a while since I've written in here huh. Let's see, last weekend we went hiking in an area called Coorg. It used to be it's own state but now it's part of Karnataka. It was really beautiful there. We went hiking on this one mountain trail. When we got closer to the top there were these nice looking flowers everywhere with the fog as a backdrop for the greenery. We made it up to the top through the rain and leeches (eck). It felt good to be up on top after the enduring hike, I felt like I accomplished something.
When we came back it was the same old classes/module tests though. We had our last module test this past friday so no more classes woo hoo. But now we have a Comprehensive exam starting tomorrow. There is a practical part tomorrow and on wednesday we have the written theory part. The written part is the one I'm worried about the most. As long as I pass I'll be happy, I don't have high ambitions obviously haha. We also have a Post project after the exam. We're in a team of 8 and they give each person a job description and a set of responsibilities. I'm the project manager for our group yayyyy. They pick the roles based on where you're sitting, no qualifications needed really. I'm curious to see how that'll go, it'll give me good experience if nothing else.
That's all for now, I have other things I want to write but they would be bettter off in their own post. Bye for now
When we came back it was the same old classes/module tests though. We had our last module test this past friday so no more classes woo hoo. But now we have a Comprehensive exam starting tomorrow. There is a practical part tomorrow and on wednesday we have the written theory part. The written part is the one I'm worried about the most. As long as I pass I'll be happy, I don't have high ambitions obviously haha. We also have a Post project after the exam. We're in a team of 8 and they give each person a job description and a set of responsibilities. I'm the project manager for our group yayyyy. They pick the roles based on where you're sitting, no qualifications needed really. I'm curious to see how that'll go, it'll give me good experience if nothing else.
That's all for now, I have other things I want to write but they would be bettter off in their own post. Bye for now
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
A small update
The last week or so hasn't really been eventful, hence the lack of posts. This past weekend I saw transformers on campus again. I watched it once back in America and I really liked it. Also, it's free for us here so I figured why not. I think the amazement of being in India is starting to wear off now. It's just become so routine to go to class, learn about something, take an exam, move on to the next module. We've also been around everywhere in Mysore now so there aren't many new things to see in town anymore.
I am getting a little annoyed with the whole taxi thing though. We have to take taxi's out into town, we're (the US batch) not allowed out of the gate unless we're in a taxi that is booked through the travel desk on campus. I understand they're concerned for our safety and all, but if I want to buy a bowl from in town I don't want to have to book a cab and round up 5 other people so I don't have to front the cost myself. I think I personally could get away with walking out of the gate on foot because I'm Indian, but it still sucks for everyone else and it's dumb how I have to "sneak" outside campus. Thankfully that only lasts until we get the magical black lanyards once training is over.
We only have about a month of training left in Mysore, and then it's off to Bangalore hopefully. Unless they place me somewhere else in India. Needless to say, this next month is gonna be pretty hectic with a final exam and a final project as well.
I should be getting to bed now I suppose, maybe tomorrow will be the day I start waking up early to go to the gym before class...probably not.
I am getting a little annoyed with the whole taxi thing though. We have to take taxi's out into town, we're (the US batch) not allowed out of the gate unless we're in a taxi that is booked through the travel desk on campus. I understand they're concerned for our safety and all, but if I want to buy a bowl from in town I don't want to have to book a cab and round up 5 other people so I don't have to front the cost myself. I think I personally could get away with walking out of the gate on foot because I'm Indian, but it still sucks for everyone else and it's dumb how I have to "sneak" outside campus. Thankfully that only lasts until we get the magical black lanyards once training is over.
We only have about a month of training left in Mysore, and then it's off to Bangalore hopefully. Unless they place me somewhere else in India. Needless to say, this next month is gonna be pretty hectic with a final exam and a final project as well.
I should be getting to bed now I suppose, maybe tomorrow will be the day I start waking up early to go to the gym before class...probably not.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Insane
I never thought a class I took in the 10th grade (computer science) in my tiny little high school would land me on the other side of the world training for a job with a giant outsourcing company.
It's relatively insane.
It's relatively insane.
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