made it to India
I made it to Bangalore early this morning after over 24 hours of travel to work with our Dell Linux team for the next 2 weeks. I connected to Chicago, London, Chennai, and then Bangalore, and the flights went pretty well. Flew AA to Chicago and London, British Airways to Chennai, and then Jet Airways to Bangalore. I have to say that I’m EXTREMELY impressed with British Airways and how they treat their customers. The business class seat I had was awesome (full recline, lots of privacy, large selection of entertainment), and it seems like they actually care about your well-being. I will definitely fly them whenever I can in the future.
After getting to India, though, things didn’t go as well. The one suitcase I checked didn’t make it, and I spent all day trying to get ahold of Britsh Airways in Mumbai and Chennai. I’m guessing they were closed since nobody ever answered the phone, Guess I’ll try tomorrow. Unfortunately I don’t have much patience for things like that, so I was upset all day long.
Some first impressions of India:
- I can see why FOB Indians seem like such awful drivers in the US: they’re used to driving in a completely manner from what we do. The main streets here in Bangalore are about 2 lanes wide either way, but nobody pays attention to them. Most cars here are tiny, including LOTS of motorcycles and mopeds all over. People here just weave in and out of traffic whenever/wherever they can, honking and flashing their lights contantly. There is no right of way, other than whomever gets their first has it
- People here are a little pushy and impatient. I don’t know how many people tried it cut in front of me today when I was standing in lines, If you’re not aggressive at trying to keep your place in line, you lose your spot. A lot like the traffic
- Being in a new place so different from the US makes me feel uncomfortable. It’s been a while since I’ve been somewhere this different, so I was a little uneasy today getting around and interacting with people. Luckily most people here speak very good English, so that makes things a lot easier. Hopefully I’ll relax a little as I get used to the place
- After only one day here, I’ve learned to always look like I know where I’m going and what I’m doing. If you look even a little uncertain, the vultures start to swarm over you to take advantage somehow. My main experience with this was at the airport when I first walked out and cabbies were all over me. Luckily I now have the confident look down pat.
Looking forward to meeting all of the guys on the team tomorrow at the Development Center here in Bangalore. More info and pictures to follow soon.