This week on the way to work I've seen many men peeing openly on the side of the roads and a whole family of pigs walking along the side of the road. Baby pigs, too. Yesterday, I saw a group of people carrying bowls of what looked like twigs on the top of their head. Between the bowl and their head a cushion to help level and reduce pressure atop one' head.
I really want to get some pictures of poor living conditions I keep seeing. I'll try to do that on the way to work. It seems, although I'm not certain, that with all of the construction going on, people move their homes with the job sites. You'll see families and kids outide new buildings and home made tents, which I'm assuming is home. And you alway know when they have hand washed their clothes. Laundry will be hung from trees and fences for a day or 2 while drying. Along with the tents, it's common to see men with carts making their living selling food of sorts to workers or people near by. Chicken Dumplings are typical, I think.
I know I promised you pictures from the day shopping last week. I promise I'll get those posted soon. I'm fighting a cold. It started in the chest and has now moved to the head. Actually, I tried to fight, but lost the battle. It's here and it's fierce. Stupid thing. And I'm pretty sure I know how I got it, too. The A/C vent in my room blows and hits me directly when I'm sitting at the desk working on my computer. I even thought to myself, this could make a person sick. I should have listened to my innerself earlier on. Dummy.
My training group still rocks. After every break, I make them use some anti-bacterial gel that I brought. It's not easily found here. I walk around with the tube and put some on their hands telling them that they can't get sick and they have to make sure to come to work everyday. We had a few people call out while training the first round and it just made for long days to get them caught up. And all of that falls on me and Emma.
The test I told you about a few posts ago- the average score was 92%. Yesterday, they took some simulated calls where we have folks in the US in caller character place calls to them for practice. I think everyone did well, but I haven't seen all of the evaluation results. Today, we start on the 2nd team specific materials.
I'm off to work, to train with a 30% working voice... I heart NyQuil.
Until later, Namaste.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Market Shopping
I had a great weekend. Yesterday was a little odd tho. Awake for 4 hours, sleep for 4 hours. I've finally succumbed to the fact that I'm never going to get on a schedule here. That's Ok. I'll sleep when I get home.
Just 2 of us went shopping today. We went to a few markets and I have a few pictures. I'll get those loaded sometime this week. I found some great bargains on earrings and really cool pashminas, just like I had wanted.
The scene was like sidewalk sale days on crack. The amount of people was overwhelming and of course many people shouting at you to come look at their things. It didn't phase me tho- I was on a mission.
Afterwards, I went to the spa and treated myself to a manicure (where they used Revlon nail polish) and a facial.
Not much else to report.....
Until later, Namaste.
Just 2 of us went shopping today. We went to a few markets and I have a few pictures. I'll get those loaded sometime this week. I found some great bargains on earrings and really cool pashminas, just like I had wanted.
The scene was like sidewalk sale days on crack. The amount of people was overwhelming and of course many people shouting at you to come look at their things. It didn't phase me tho- I was on a mission.
Afterwards, I went to the spa and treated myself to a manicure (where they used Revlon nail polish) and a facial.
Not much else to report.....
Until later, Namaste.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Weekend Plans
I'm super excited! The plan is to head to Delhi and hit some markets. Pashminas, Purses, Jewelry.......
This week has been so uneventful. Monotonous. Work, home, work, home... I'm over the culture shock, although I did see a wandering pig just out and about on the way to work today.
This is why I'm so looking forward to going to Delhi on Sunday! I'm looking for a new experience and a reminder that I'm in a different country with a different culture and a different way of living, as a minority.
Most of my general work contacts had plans this weekend. It's Republic Day here, the day India celebrates it's independence for only about 60 years now. So, I asked my class if anyone wanted to hang out with me. Right now, I think we have a group of 3-5 going.
Security has been tight because of the holiday. Every night on the way home from work, my drivers car is checked for bombs strapped to the under-carriage. Last night they even looked in the trunk. To check the underside of the car, they have a mirror on a dolly at an angle with a flash light strapped to it so they can see at night. I'm not too concerned about this tho. After 9/11, my car was searched the same way when dropping family off at O'Hare.
More to come after the weekend. I'll also have more pics to share then, too.
Until later, Namaste.
This week has been so uneventful. Monotonous. Work, home, work, home... I'm over the culture shock, although I did see a wandering pig just out and about on the way to work today.
This is why I'm so looking forward to going to Delhi on Sunday! I'm looking for a new experience and a reminder that I'm in a different country with a different culture and a different way of living, as a minority.
Most of my general work contacts had plans this weekend. It's Republic Day here, the day India celebrates it's independence for only about 60 years now. So, I asked my class if anyone wanted to hang out with me. Right now, I think we have a group of 3-5 going.
Security has been tight because of the holiday. Every night on the way home from work, my drivers car is checked for bombs strapped to the under-carriage. Last night they even looked in the trunk. To check the underside of the car, they have a mirror on a dolly at an angle with a flash light strapped to it so they can see at night. I'm not too concerned about this tho. After 9/11, my car was searched the same way when dropping family off at O'Hare.
More to come after the weekend. I'll also have more pics to share then, too.
Until later, Namaste.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
About Work
Alright, I've been here for about 2 weeks now, for work I might add, and I have yet to write about it. Here we go...
As you know, I'm here facilitating training. The group is small, about 9 people. I was supposed to have 10 but one person "fell ill" with Typhoid. It's a pretty serious illness- I actually had to be vaccinated for it. He'll be out of the office for a while, I'm not too sure how long.
Specifically, I'm training the group to take payroll calls. Payroll calls are difficult. Payroll calls are not: I need to enroll into my direct deposit or I need to change my tax elections. I mean, we do that once and we never touch it again, right? Ok, maybe you do something if you get married or have a kid or something....You never call your payroll department to say, "Hey, thanks for my paycheck this week. Well done. Pats on the back." Payroll calls happen when things go wrong- someone doesn't get their check, someone was underpaid, someones dog ate their check. Payroll is the end result of everything that can happen within the entire workforce. Pay Changes, Position Changes, Moving, Time Entry, Bad Commission or Bonus Data. You name it...what ever it is, it can have an impact to pay. So troubleshooting is huge part of this training. Luckily for the group, they have a kick ass trainer. One who has a passion for people to understand things as well as she does. :)
I've been working on this project (among others) since September. The project included opening up a brand new service center with existing tools and infrastructure. This group is part of the first multi process team in India.
Things are going awesome so far. Before they came to me, they were trained to take US benefits calls. That training included linguistics, where they learn to soften their 'mother tongue.' So much of their spoken English has a British influence so, I try to help them sound a little more Americanized. I said, "It's no secret that calls are being taken in India, but do you want me to point out a few things where you can give an American twist?" Of course, they were totally open to it, so I have an open door to help them with any pronunciation and phrasing flow. We're having fun with it- When I pronounce one of their names wrong, they call me out on it.
We spent the first week going over some basic HR and Payroll Fundamentals and this week we started to get into team specific pieces. Tomorrow, they will have their first knowledge check- a 60 question test. I reviewed the questions once, about 3 weeks ago. I just reviewed them again today to verify what they are being quizzed on was actually included in the training. They're going to knock it out of the ball park!
I'm lucky to have such a great group. They are so eager to learn and very competitive, yet helpful with each other. I've had to change how I manage a classroom a bit since in the US, when training adult learners (Do we call 21-25 year olds adult learners?!?) they aren't so eager to raise their hand. In the US it's like pulling teeth and here, I have to tell them to wait their turn. (For the record, a trainer would always prefer to have to tell the group to wait their turn. ) The entire BPO and Customer Service industry is booming here and they know they are with a good company. Their lunch time conversation today (without me present) was about the upcoming elections in the US as they have some elements of concern that moving work will stop. I told them not to fret.
I hope everyone is staying warm and healthy. I haven't worn a coat since I've been here but, it's too chili to get a tan.
Keep your fingers crossed for me that they do well on this test! After the test - in a few days - is real application on calls. The true measure of success.
Until later, Namaste.
As you know, I'm here facilitating training. The group is small, about 9 people. I was supposed to have 10 but one person "fell ill" with Typhoid. It's a pretty serious illness- I actually had to be vaccinated for it. He'll be out of the office for a while, I'm not too sure how long.
Specifically, I'm training the group to take payroll calls. Payroll calls are difficult. Payroll calls are not: I need to enroll into my direct deposit or I need to change my tax elections. I mean, we do that once and we never touch it again, right? Ok, maybe you do something if you get married or have a kid or something....You never call your payroll department to say, "Hey, thanks for my paycheck this week. Well done. Pats on the back." Payroll calls happen when things go wrong- someone doesn't get their check, someone was underpaid, someones dog ate their check. Payroll is the end result of everything that can happen within the entire workforce. Pay Changes, Position Changes, Moving, Time Entry, Bad Commission or Bonus Data. You name it...what ever it is, it can have an impact to pay. So troubleshooting is huge part of this training. Luckily for the group, they have a kick ass trainer. One who has a passion for people to understand things as well as she does. :)
I've been working on this project (among others) since September. The project included opening up a brand new service center with existing tools and infrastructure. This group is part of the first multi process team in India.
Things are going awesome so far. Before they came to me, they were trained to take US benefits calls. That training included linguistics, where they learn to soften their 'mother tongue.' So much of their spoken English has a British influence so, I try to help them sound a little more Americanized. I said, "It's no secret that calls are being taken in India, but do you want me to point out a few things where you can give an American twist?" Of course, they were totally open to it, so I have an open door to help them with any pronunciation and phrasing flow. We're having fun with it- When I pronounce one of their names wrong, they call me out on it.
We spent the first week going over some basic HR and Payroll Fundamentals and this week we started to get into team specific pieces. Tomorrow, they will have their first knowledge check- a 60 question test. I reviewed the questions once, about 3 weeks ago. I just reviewed them again today to verify what they are being quizzed on was actually included in the training. They're going to knock it out of the ball park!
I'm lucky to have such a great group. They are so eager to learn and very competitive, yet helpful with each other. I've had to change how I manage a classroom a bit since in the US, when training adult learners (Do we call 21-25 year olds adult learners?!?) they aren't so eager to raise their hand. In the US it's like pulling teeth and here, I have to tell them to wait their turn. (For the record, a trainer would always prefer to have to tell the group to wait their turn. ) The entire BPO and Customer Service industry is booming here and they know they are with a good company. Their lunch time conversation today (without me present) was about the upcoming elections in the US as they have some elements of concern that moving work will stop. I told them not to fret.
I hope everyone is staying warm and healthy. I haven't worn a coat since I've been here but, it's too chili to get a tan.
Keep your fingers crossed for me that they do well on this test! After the test - in a few days - is real application on calls. The true measure of success.
Until later, Namaste.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
It's a Wonder...
After a full week of work, trying to establish a schedule and being in a new surrounding it was time to do some tourist sight seeing.
After working an 11 hour day on Friday, Upama (aka Emma) and I leave on a day trip to the Taj Mahal. Emma and I have been working on the same project since September or October now and she came to the US in December for a month, so I was her guide around Chicago for a few weekends.
The car came to get us around 6am and we were off. We figured we could sleep in the car during the 4-5 hour drive but for me, there was too much to see. For Emma, too much to explain. We
started the trip by driving through the thickest fog I've ever seen. As a result, we drove by about 45 little accidents. Some looked more serious than others, and out of all of the cars, there wasn't a single cab involved. Our driver said that he was just fine driving but wondered who would be behind him. We pulled over for about a half hour at a hotel along the road to let the fog lift.
Sights seen while driving to Agra, city of the Taj Mahal, were beyond words- it's something you really have to see. Villages, mustard and rice fields, homes of different classes, colleges, slums. Dhabas - little resteraunts on the side of the road. We didn't stop there tho because you never know how fresh or sanitary these places are- but they're all over. Fruit stands, out door barber shops the masses of people. Camels, Ox, Boar and elephants carrying or pulling loads, sheep hearders in fields, all kinds of manual labor. Beggers and the homeless. While we drove through Agra, there were a million piles of blankets on the sidewalks - and under them, people. People washing their clothes or bathing them selves out of bins. Men peeing on the side of the road in public and way too many farmer blows to even think about.
Before we went to the Taj Mahal, we sent to Akbar's Tomb.
Akbar's Tomb: http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2257
Taj Mahal: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/photogalleries/seven-wonders/photo7.html
Again, I have pictures.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.6unm2nn5&x=0&y=6c98kz
>After I snapped some pictures of the monkeys, the man wanted money- and he was agressive so it was a bit scary. We were in the car with the doors locked and after we ignored him long enough he went away. The snake guy didn't bother us at all.
>I'm a minority. I knew that coming in but I get stared at all the time! And fair skin is a turn on. I got some nasty gestures from the men and long looks from women and children. One time while at work someone did a double take as she entered into the bathroom and saw someone who looked different.
After a really long day I was glad to be back at the hotel.
Until later, Namaste.
PS- I have videos to show, but every time I try to load them to You Tube they fail. Do I need to save them as a certain file type??
After working an 11 hour day on Friday, Upama (aka Emma) and I leave on a day trip to the Taj Mahal. Emma and I have been working on the same project since September or October now and she came to the US in December for a month, so I was her guide around Chicago for a few weekends.
The car came to get us around 6am and we were off. We figured we could sleep in the car during the 4-5 hour drive but for me, there was too much to see. For Emma, too much to explain. We
started the trip by driving through the thickest fog I've ever seen. As a result, we drove by about 45 little accidents. Some looked more serious than others, and out of all of the cars, there wasn't a single cab involved. Our driver said that he was just fine driving but wondered who would be behind him. We pulled over for about a half hour at a hotel along the road to let the fog lift.
Sights seen while driving to Agra, city of the Taj Mahal, were beyond words- it's something you really have to see. Villages, mustard and rice fields, homes of different classes, colleges, slums. Dhabas - little resteraunts on the side of the road. We didn't stop there tho because you never know how fresh or sanitary these places are- but they're all over. Fruit stands, out door barber shops the masses of people. Camels, Ox, Boar and elephants carrying or pulling loads, sheep hearders in fields, all kinds of manual labor. Beggers and the homeless. While we drove through Agra, there were a million piles of blankets on the sidewalks - and under them, people. People washing their clothes or bathing them selves out of bins. Men peeing on the side of the road in public and way too many farmer blows to even think about.
Before we went to the Taj Mahal, we sent to Akbar's Tomb.
Akbar's Tomb: http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2257
Taj Mahal: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/07/photogalleries/seven-wonders/photo7.html
Again, I have pictures.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.6unm2nn5&x=0&y=6c98kz
>After I snapped some pictures of the monkeys, the man wanted money- and he was agressive so it was a bit scary. We were in the car with the doors locked and after we ignored him long enough he went away. The snake guy didn't bother us at all.
>I'm a minority. I knew that coming in but I get stared at all the time! And fair skin is a turn on. I got some nasty gestures from the men and long looks from women and children. One time while at work someone did a double take as she entered into the bathroom and saw someone who looked different.
After a really long day I was glad to be back at the hotel.
Until later, Namaste.
PS- I have videos to show, but every time I try to load them to You Tube they fail. Do I need to save them as a certain file type??
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Economic Shock!
I went to the little store at work. He (man who doesn't speak English) sells sodas and water, munchies of sorts... I went to buy a bottle of water. The bottle cost me 12 rupees.
Please allow me to put this into perspective for you in case you aren't familiar with the rupee to dollar conversion.
$1.00 = 40 INR
This liter bottle of water was what, .30 cents??? For a LITER! My first experience relating to the economy. The only other thing I've dealt with as far as money exchange for are dinners here at the hotel which are equal to what we'd pay in the US. Except for my dinner tonight. Broccoli, Asparagus, Red Pepper and Zucchini on the grill with a red wine sauce on the side. And a banana, coffee and a diet coke. That came out to be about $20, which was eye widening on the other spectrum. Probably because it was made to order. I just couldn't have chicken again.
A few tid bits...
>The drains in the bathroom aren't as interesting as I thought. They're just drains. Don't worry- I'll get a picture of a real squatter.
>On the way to work today I saw a police man salute a minister. The car with the minister drove past me with the siren on, and about 4 of the cops on the road stoped what they were doing, stood at attention and saluted. Didn't see any cows tho.
>Fog sets in at night, and the quality of air changes. It's smokey sort of. Or dusty- I'm not sure. But it smells either like a bonfire or sawdust. I think it might be an effect of all of the construction around here.
>The hotel is hosting a conference and it's huge! Someone said it's about how the industries are booming here and a discussion for what they can do to continue the growth. There are police all over the place and security is pretty tight. My driver couldn't pick me up in front like he normally does, he had to wait outside the gate for me.
I have plans to go to the Taj Mahal this weekend, so I'm pretty excited about that. We'll leave right after work (around 430am). The drive is about 250 kilometers (150 miles) but I'm told takes about 4-5 hours to get there. Sounds like rush hour in Chicago!
Until Later, Nameste.
Please allow me to put this into perspective for you in case you aren't familiar with the rupee to dollar conversion.
$1.00 = 40 INR
This liter bottle of water was what, .30 cents??? For a LITER! My first experience relating to the economy. The only other thing I've dealt with as far as money exchange for are dinners here at the hotel which are equal to what we'd pay in the US. Except for my dinner tonight. Broccoli, Asparagus, Red Pepper and Zucchini on the grill with a red wine sauce on the side. And a banana, coffee and a diet coke. That came out to be about $20, which was eye widening on the other spectrum. Probably because it was made to order. I just couldn't have chicken again.
A few tid bits...
>The drains in the bathroom aren't as interesting as I thought. They're just drains. Don't worry- I'll get a picture of a real squatter.
>On the way to work today I saw a police man salute a minister. The car with the minister drove past me with the siren on, and about 4 of the cops on the road stoped what they were doing, stood at attention and saluted. Didn't see any cows tho.
>Fog sets in at night, and the quality of air changes. It's smokey sort of. Or dusty- I'm not sure. But it smells either like a bonfire or sawdust. I think it might be an effect of all of the construction around here.
>The hotel is hosting a conference and it's huge! Someone said it's about how the industries are booming here and a discussion for what they can do to continue the growth. There are police all over the place and security is pretty tight. My driver couldn't pick me up in front like he normally does, he had to wait outside the gate for me.
I have plans to go to the Taj Mahal this weekend, so I'm pretty excited about that. We'll leave right after work (around 430am). The drive is about 250 kilometers (150 miles) but I'm told takes about 4-5 hours to get there. Sounds like rush hour in Chicago!
Until Later, Nameste.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Mind Over Matter
I think I'm getting back on track. I went to bed around 830am and set my alarm for 2pm. I woke up, took my daily malaria pill and headed for the gym. Had a nice, long overdue work out. (I haven't been back to the gym since I broke my foot at Amy and Brett's wedding)! Afterwards, I got ready for the day and ordered room service- this time a chicken burger. And it had a fried egg on it. So did the chicken club I ordered the day before. What's with the fried egg on every sandwich? I asked the girls at work and they didn't really have an answer. Interesting. Different...
I loaded some pictures-
Hopefully the bathroom shots won't gross anyone out, but it's interesting. We wipe, they wash. Notice the hose/sprayer on the left, and the urinal on the floor for the squatters. (I don't think there are any squatters at work)?!? I don't really get it. How it all works w/o getting wet and all that jazz. I guess I don't really want to think about it too much, but maybe I'll find the right person to ask one of these days. One of the books says the sprayer is used to "splash" with the left hand, which is why when dining one should never use their left hand. And I don't think you're supposed to shake hands with it either. While in the cafeteria, I realized I had grabbed some roti ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roti ) out of the tongs with my left hand. I asked one of the people at work how that would be perceived and they said it was an age old thing that doesn't really apply anymore. And another thing, they throw the TP away instead of flushing. ick. Don't tell anyone, but I've been flushing.
Today, I snapped some photos of my drive into work. I might try to get a video and load it to you tube if I can figure out how to do that. I'm not sure the chaos is accurately portrayed.
And the cows. There were lots of them today. I think I saw 4 on the way to work. I have yet to see them on the way home at 3am. Hmmm.
If you can't see the pictures in this email, click here to see it in a web browser:http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.3u7tf63l&x=0&y=-3jx0t
It's 615am and I'm actually tired. I'm going to take advantage of it.
Until later, Nameste.
I loaded some pictures-
Hopefully the bathroom shots won't gross anyone out, but it's interesting. We wipe, they wash. Notice the hose/sprayer on the left, and the urinal on the floor for the squatters. (I don't think there are any squatters at work)?!? I don't really get it. How it all works w/o getting wet and all that jazz. I guess I don't really want to think about it too much, but maybe I'll find the right person to ask one of these days. One of the books says the sprayer is used to "splash" with the left hand, which is why when dining one should never use their left hand. And I don't think you're supposed to shake hands with it either. While in the cafeteria, I realized I had grabbed some roti ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roti ) out of the tongs with my left hand. I asked one of the people at work how that would be perceived and they said it was an age old thing that doesn't really apply anymore. And another thing, they throw the TP away instead of flushing. ick. Don't tell anyone, but I've been flushing.
Today, I snapped some photos of my drive into work. I might try to get a video and load it to you tube if I can figure out how to do that. I'm not sure the chaos is accurately portrayed.
And the cows. There were lots of them today. I think I saw 4 on the way to work. I have yet to see them on the way home at 3am. Hmmm.
If you can't see the pictures in this email, click here to see it in a web browser:http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ahmukup.3u7tf63l&x=0&y=-3jx0t
It's 615am and I'm actually tired. I'm going to take advantage of it.
Until later, Nameste.
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