Namaste, friends
It's almost been two weeks since I arrived in India. It might be easier to explain things in pictures accompanied by captions.
As I stepped off of the plane and entered Bangalore, India, I see a sign w/my name on it. Turned out that Delta/Air France forgot to transfer our baggage with us from Atlanta --> Paris so 18 of us were w/o our bags for a couple of days. Needless to say, it was an unpleasant way to start my stay in India.
After a 3.5 hour bus ride to the Mysore campus, I received the keys to my room and was quite ecstatic to find that I also get my own bathroom. It's also pretty cool that the room is powered when we insert a key card, and everything shuts off when we leave and take the card.
A couple of shots of my campus. It really is like staying at a resort, besides the fact that we have a minimum of 8.5 hours of work per day, minus lunch & tea breaks.
The US Batch (as we are referred to) went on a field trip into the city to tour the old Mysore Palace, in which the prince currently resides. There were people riding on elephants, but I didn't get a chance to do that yet. What was kinda sick though is that they req'd us to take off our shoes before entering the palace. I had on flipflops so I was walking barefoot in the palace in which many other are also walking barefoot. I hope I didn't step on something infectious.
On the way back to the city, the bus stopped at some tourist site where there were a bunch of monkeys. This is the monkey that was on top of my bus. If you look closely, you can see that he's eating a banana. Good stuff.
A bunch of us stayed back to try out the local eateries. We ended up at the "ritzy" Hotel Metropole. The food was deliciously spicy with a very romantic atmosphere. In this photo is Roel, Alisha, Marcus, and Chris.
One week after arriving, the company was celebrating their 25th Anniversary. Here's a shot of the concert before my new colleagues and I rushed toward the stage. We were surrounded by a bunch of guys who were really excited to see K.K. perform. Indian guys know how to show their sensitive side. Haha. On Monday, the NASDAQ opened remotely in Asia for the first time in history, and it happened on our campus. I am a bit p/o because right as the countdown started, the battery for my digicam copped out. Boo.
Here's a picture of me & Joao while shopping w/the gang on Devaraj Urs Road. I bought two salwar kameze outfits for work. While crossing the chaotic streets, a rickshaw crossed in front of me, with another one crossing the opposite way right behind me. A close call for my feet.
Lastly, here's a picture of my left leg, which was dominated one night by mosquitoes. Maybe I need to start carrying my bug repellent whereever I go.
If you don't hear again from me for awhile, do not be alarmed. We have started our technical training so bear with me. Miss you all! Feel free to write me and tell me how you are and what's new back home.
As I stepped off of the plane and entered Bangalore, India, I see a sign w/my name on it. Turned out that Delta/Air France forgot to transfer our baggage with us from Atlanta --> Paris so 18 of us were w/o our bags for a couple of days. Needless to say, it was an unpleasant way to start my stay in India.
After a 3.5 hour bus ride to the Mysore campus, I received the keys to my room and was quite ecstatic to find that I also get my own bathroom. It's also pretty cool that the room is powered when we insert a key card, and everything shuts off when we leave and take the card.
A couple of shots of my campus. It really is like staying at a resort, besides the fact that we have a minimum of 8.5 hours of work per day, minus lunch & tea breaks.
The US Batch (as we are referred to) went on a field trip into the city to tour the old Mysore Palace, in which the prince currently resides. There were people riding on elephants, but I didn't get a chance to do that yet. What was kinda sick though is that they req'd us to take off our shoes before entering the palace. I had on flipflops so I was walking barefoot in the palace in which many other are also walking barefoot. I hope I didn't step on something infectious.
On the way back to the city, the bus stopped at some tourist site where there were a bunch of monkeys. This is the monkey that was on top of my bus. If you look closely, you can see that he's eating a banana. Good stuff.
A bunch of us stayed back to try out the local eateries. We ended up at the "ritzy" Hotel Metropole. The food was deliciously spicy with a very romantic atmosphere. In this photo is Roel, Alisha, Marcus, and Chris.
One week after arriving, the company was celebrating their 25th Anniversary. Here's a shot of the concert before my new colleagues and I rushed toward the stage. We were surrounded by a bunch of guys who were really excited to see K.K. perform. Indian guys know how to show their sensitive side. Haha. On Monday, the NASDAQ opened remotely in Asia for the first time in history, and it happened on our campus. I am a bit p/o because right as the countdown started, the battery for my digicam copped out. Boo.
Here's a picture of me & Joao while shopping w/the gang on Devaraj Urs Road. I bought two salwar kameze outfits for work. While crossing the chaotic streets, a rickshaw crossed in front of me, with another one crossing the opposite way right behind me. A close call for my feet.
Lastly, here's a picture of my left leg, which was dominated one night by mosquitoes. Maybe I need to start carrying my bug repellent whereever I go.
If you don't hear again from me for awhile, do not be alarmed. We have started our technical training so bear with me. Miss you all! Feel free to write me and tell me how you are and what's new back home.