Hello, I'm Matt! Hopefully this does not come as a surprise to you since you're already here. This is my blog about my upcoming trip to the country of India.
A quick overview of my trip....I work for a bank (you can easily find the company online, but since this blog isn't sponsored or "approved", I'll just leave the name out for now) with operations worldwide, including a major foothold in Bangalore, India. If you have no idea where Bangalore is, or want to know any general (unverified) information on the country, you can check out the wiki page here.
As I write this, I should be checking in at the Oakwood Premier Prestige hotel in Bangalore....but I'm not. My original travel dates were to be departing from O'Hare Airport in Chicago on September 6 at 3:20 PM CST on Lufthansa. My scheduled arrival at Bangalore International Airport was to be at 12:30 AM IST (India Standard Time) on Saturday, September 8. But none of that happened due to a strike for higher wages by Lufthansa cabin employees (not the pilots). I have been re-booked for Monday at the same time, and it looks like the strikes have been put on hold as the employer and employees union have agreed to settle the wage disagreement using arbitration. If all goes smoothly, I'll be checking in to my temporary home around this time on Tuesday. Bangalore is 10.5 hours ahead of Nebraska/Chicago time, so it will actually be very early Wednesday morning for me.
It is my hope to try and track all my activities and experiences here while I'm living over there. So if you care, you can always pop in and see what's been going on. I will try to include links to pictures and relevant articles to keep my doings at your fingertips. If you have any questions, add them in the comments section of the post, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
So to end this first post, I want to answer a few obvious questions that some of you might already have.
"Do you like Indian food?" - Yes. Though I've only had the American version of Indian food. I'm told it is much spicier over there. I'll be sure to let you know.
"Have you ever traveled overseas before?" - Not exactly. I took a cruise right after college to Mexico and the Caribbean, and I took another in 2010 to Alaska with a stop in Canada. So I guess I can say I've traveled internationally, but I've never truly been overseas.
"Will you have a phone/computer/internet?" - Yes. The hotel is very modern, and I'm taking my laptop. I will have internet access and can check Email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I will not have a cell phone that you can text/call though. My phone number at my new desk is a U.S. number, but I will be training for a few weeks and won't have much time to check messages and make or take calls. If you want to say hi, email me or post your comments below.
"Will it be as bad as Slumdog Millionaire?" - Bad? I hope not. But from some of my co-workers and friends who have been to India, I'm told the movie points out some things that are very accurate. So my intent is to really try to experience the true culture of India, but also making sure to use a little caution so I don't end up getting extremely sick.
"Do they eat meat/beef?" Some do, but most do not. Cows are considered sacred in many of their more common religions and cultural practices. True Indian food would probably never include beef (or Pork, I think), but you can sometimes get chicken and maybe goat? We'll see. The hotel where I'm staying apparently has a shopping center and food court, similar to American malls. There is a sushi restaurant, a Hard Rock Cafe, and also McDonald's. I'm told the fries taste exactly the same as the place just around the corner from you.
Finally, I want you to know how the restrooms work. It is different. This video is a little silly, but also pretty accurate. The host is apparently a comedian, but also an ambassador for all-things India. I assure you, this is more-or-less genuine (hopefully with a little nicer facility). Enjoy!
A quick overview of my trip....I work for a bank (you can easily find the company online, but since this blog isn't sponsored or "approved", I'll just leave the name out for now) with operations worldwide, including a major foothold in Bangalore, India. If you have no idea where Bangalore is, or want to know any general (unverified) information on the country, you can check out the wiki page here.
As I write this, I should be checking in at the Oakwood Premier Prestige hotel in Bangalore....but I'm not. My original travel dates were to be departing from O'Hare Airport in Chicago on September 6 at 3:20 PM CST on Lufthansa. My scheduled arrival at Bangalore International Airport was to be at 12:30 AM IST (India Standard Time) on Saturday, September 8. But none of that happened due to a strike for higher wages by Lufthansa cabin employees (not the pilots). I have been re-booked for Monday at the same time, and it looks like the strikes have been put on hold as the employer and employees union have agreed to settle the wage disagreement using arbitration. If all goes smoothly, I'll be checking in to my temporary home around this time on Tuesday. Bangalore is 10.5 hours ahead of Nebraska/Chicago time, so it will actually be very early Wednesday morning for me.
It is my hope to try and track all my activities and experiences here while I'm living over there. So if you care, you can always pop in and see what's been going on. I will try to include links to pictures and relevant articles to keep my doings at your fingertips. If you have any questions, add them in the comments section of the post, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
So to end this first post, I want to answer a few obvious questions that some of you might already have.
"Do you like Indian food?" - Yes. Though I've only had the American version of Indian food. I'm told it is much spicier over there. I'll be sure to let you know.
"Have you ever traveled overseas before?" - Not exactly. I took a cruise right after college to Mexico and the Caribbean, and I took another in 2010 to Alaska with a stop in Canada. So I guess I can say I've traveled internationally, but I've never truly been overseas.
"Will you have a phone/computer/internet?" - Yes. The hotel is very modern, and I'm taking my laptop. I will have internet access and can check Email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I will not have a cell phone that you can text/call though. My phone number at my new desk is a U.S. number, but I will be training for a few weeks and won't have much time to check messages and make or take calls. If you want to say hi, email me or post your comments below.
"Will it be as bad as Slumdog Millionaire?" - Bad? I hope not. But from some of my co-workers and friends who have been to India, I'm told the movie points out some things that are very accurate. So my intent is to really try to experience the true culture of India, but also making sure to use a little caution so I don't end up getting extremely sick.
"Do they eat meat/beef?" Some do, but most do not. Cows are considered sacred in many of their more common religions and cultural practices. True Indian food would probably never include beef (or Pork, I think), but you can sometimes get chicken and maybe goat? We'll see. The hotel where I'm staying apparently has a shopping center and food court, similar to American malls. There is a sushi restaurant, a Hard Rock Cafe, and also McDonald's. I'm told the fries taste exactly the same as the place just around the corner from you.
Finally, I want you to know how the restrooms work. It is different. This video is a little silly, but also pretty accurate. The host is apparently a comedian, but also an ambassador for all-things India. I assure you, this is more-or-less genuine (hopefully with a little nicer facility). Enjoy!
So, did you find out about the workers strike before or after you got to the airport?
ReplyDeleteAnd, also, from what I've heard this video is 100% accurate. Enjoy the street vendors in Bangalore!
I knew about the employee strike in the days leading up to the flight. I anticipated I would get from O'Hare to Frankfurt, Germany but then get stuck in Germany. Turns out, that was too lofty of a goal.
DeleteAs for food and facilities, I fully expect to throw myself into the culture...or be thrown into it, depending on your perspective. And yes, the culture includes a visit to McDonald's-India too!
Godspeed
ReplyDeleteThat's cool man I'm glad your getting to experience all that very Intriguing. I will be watching the blog. Good luck over there. No left hand hand shakes:)
ReplyDelete