Thus far on this trip I have not tired of noticing the subtle cultural differences between the US and India, despite the whirlwind of activity that work here has become.
First off, I cannot sort out my calendar. My laptop automagically synchs with Seattle time every time I log into to work over VPN. And tho I got pretty used to converting Seattle time to Bangalore time, I cannot wrap my mind around the opposite. I actually have 2 cells phones, one set to Seattle the other to Bangalore so I can tell what the fuck is going on. (Its the same way with the exchange rate. for some reason I cannot wrap my mind around converting $1 to $44 rupees. even when I try to round up to 50, I still have no gut feel for it.) So this morning when I got to the office, I realized I was late to give a presentation to all of the dev and QA leads here, explaining our entire business model and systems architecture. yikes! I think I did ok, once I got started. I think my training in musical improvisation has held me in good stead ;^) I was really dancing a bit but I pulled it off and answered all of the questions the team posed to me.
Not long after this I went out to lunch. Every day I am getting to go out with a few of the guys, trying to get to know everyone a little better and do some cross-cultural pollination. Today's destination was Kabob Studio (Major Meat!, as some co-workers told me when they recommended the place.)
These guys look so serious... they were just laughing with me moments before I grabbed my camera and snapped this. I think people are getting tired of my tourista schtick. Too bad for them, I'm not!
Best thing about Kabob Studio was the portable BBQ they put in the center of the table.
After lunch, we made some really good progress on bug resolution and really put my mind at ease. The dedication that this team shows is truly remarkable. They are willing to do whatever it takes, and repeatedly assure me that 'we cannot fail.' That is what you want to hear...
Based on our progress, I was happy to get out of the office by 10:30 (about 1 1/2 hours earlier than the past 2 nights... thank god too, its starting to wear on me.) On the way home I noticed a few places that were having parties or receptions... in India, when there is something going on, they drape the entire building in what we would call christmas lights. As anyone that knows me knows how I go a little nuts with the christmas lights, you can imagine I was loving it.
Across the street from my hotel, there has been a wedding going on pretty much since the day I got here.
I've been to an Indian style wedding in Seattle. It lasted about 4 hours (just the ceremony) and when done I was wondering why the hell they couldnt have opened the bar earlier to help me get through the experience! However I was informed today that real Indian weddings normally last 5 days or more.
I was on a roll snapping photos, so after walking over to snap the wedding lights and decorations, I caught a few of the hotel. Its so psychedelic 70s!
And check this out: the front page story in the newspaper here is how conservative mobs are planning to roam the streets on valentines day, looking for young couples holding hands or kissing, and force them to marry on the spot. We teased one of the devs that this might be his best chance to get a girl!
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