Dallas
So for those of you who don't know yet -- I'm moving to ....... DALLAS, TX. Yehawww....home of great Mexican food (in America) and cowboys. And very different from Toronto. Did you know that Toronto is the 4th largest city in North America (not including Mexico)? It will take some adjusting and I'm not talking about the size of Dallas. I suppose in a way it's better than Memphis, although I will miss Elvis, fried chicken and the blues.
According to people, Texas is sooo different from the rest of America that Americans from other states are aliens...Now I haven't moved to Dallas yet - I am still in India training with Wipro Technologies (that's my company: http://www.wipro.com). Don't ask how a marketing person ended up in IT.
India
I landed in Bangalore (Blore) late July, to have someone ask me if I was Hindu...which was quite interesting, but I guess the North-Eastern Indians are quite close to China. It's been about 2 weeks now and let me tell you, it was quite an adjustment. Just some quick points if you're ever in India:
Buy a Facemask: Although Bangalore is the Silicon Valley in India -- it is far from being developed. I had imagined high rise buildings, neon lights, large billboard signs etc (kind of like the big Chinese cities). The infrastructure here is horrendous - there are no highways and it took us 2 HOURS to get into the city. By the time we reached the city, I was so high on car fumes I wanted to puke.
Be Prepared for Beggars: The economy is somewhat like China - large income disparities between the rich and poor
Bring Pepto Bismol/Anti-Diarrhea pills etc: Aside from having a hole burned through my stomach with all the spices, the food here also does something funny to my system. The Indians put spices in EVERYTHING - I've eaten so much Indian food that I think there are spices in my blood stream.
Bargain - HARD!: I had someone quote me a lovely handmade wall art/carpet thing at 1100 Rupees (Rs), which is about 25USD. I bargained the price down to 600 Rs (13USD), and guess how much it really was? 200 Rs!!!!!!!!!! Fut!
It's been eventful so far. The training was kind of boring as I have learned most of it in B-school already, but oh well. Talk about knowing your audience when presenting! I did learn how rebellions start though!! -- with a handful of well spoken, good looking people!~
So I guess that's all for now...we have a whole day of Yoga and Meditation today - hard work. Looking forward to it!
Wipro
It's been about 3 weeks now, being immersed in "The Wipro Way"
- Intensity to Win
- Act with Sensitivity
- Unyielding Integrity
-- kind of a knock off of "The HP Way"...but people seem to really believe it here. I'm starting to get a better understand of the organization that I have signed up for. Honestly, I have never imagined that I would be working for an Indian IT company! Indian culture is so different...
Perception on Time
The culture here is very different and it will take some time getting used to. The obvious difference is their perception on TIME. Over the last couple of weeks, the American (and I) group has always been on time for meetings, whether it was at 8:30am or 9am or 9:30am. However, the Indian presenters were ALWAYS late, not just by 10 minutes, but by at least 20 minutes (except for the one that started at 9:30am). The most frustrating ones were when they cancel last minute when we're already at the conference room (which takes us 45 minutes to drive to sometimes), up and ready to be bombarded by PowerPoint presentations. Of course we can't be late as all these presenters are pretty high up in the organization. The afternoon presenters were on time and I will give them credit for that. Another example shared by a colleague, was when presenters would leave in the middle of a presentation to take a call that was supposed to last 10 minutes. She came back 45 minutes later. Apparently there is a saying in India, "God gave Germans the clock, and the Indians time." To us, it is a total lack of respect for our time. At least they aren't late for client meetings...I hope!
The Shake and the Funnel
It still takes getting used to...that side to side shake of the head not meaning "no" but rather "yes" or "maybe" or just plain indication that s/he is listening...I see Samir (IMBA classmate) do it, but it is strange seeing a group of them doing it when you're talking to them...Then there's the whole conception of the funnel...there is no such thing as lining up...they just gather around at the register...so even if you're there first, don't count on being served first. I don't understand how that is more efficient - or am I missing something?
Money
I don't think it's something that will happen in America. But sometimes when I'm 1 or 2 rupees short, the cashier says to bring it next time. It happens both ways though. If s/he doesn't have change, then s/he'll give it to you next time...This morning, I only had 100 Rs for a coffee that was only 22 Rs. The person didn't have change so I said I'll come back later to pay him...which I did. But surprisingly he said okay. Haha.
The Wipro culture is very laid back, easy going. Very informal...even the top levels. The coolest thing was meeting the CEO, Mr. Azim Premji. Definitely not the typical American-like CEO...soft spoken, genuine...yet still commanding...
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