My trip to India - Part 12
posted Saturday, 21 January 2006
For the most part, I normally sleep 4 or 5 hours a night during the week. I've been like this for many years. On this trip, I'm pretty sure it is playing to my advantage. When I do put my mind to it, I really don't have trouble sleeping. Out of the blue, I get a kick out of telling Jennie and the kids - "Watch this, I'll be asleep in two minutes if not sooner". I shut my eyes, the house shaking snores are almost immediate.
When I arrived, I had no problem sleeping through the India night. And when I woke, I was very well rested. Hopefully, jet lag will hit me when I get home and not during this trip. For now, my body is cooperating and I'm on the India clock immediately.
...
SpikeSource (my place of employment) has made a commitment to having a development center in India. Today's business economics almost require this to be part of any existing and new business ventures. SpikeSource is no different then the countless companies investing in the wealth of talented high tech people of India.
When we started to staff the Spike India office in Bangalore, the company decided it would be wise to rotate engineers through a one or two week tour of duty at Spike India. My trip was confirmed toward the beginning of December and planned for mid to late January.
My buddy Ken came to India in December. It just so happens that another Spike engineer (Matt - aka Shaggy) from the US would be overlapping a visit to our offices in India. They were able to keep each other company for a few days. Familiarity does wonders for people.
Several of our engineers in the US are citizens of India. When visiting India, they generally extend their visits to include vacation time to visit families and friends.
I had discussed my trip with other engineers and I found out that my other Spike buddy Vinay Srinivasaiah's (aka Vinnie) and his wife (Madhu) would be in India around the time I would be. I was arriving Saturday evening and they were departing two day later on Monday evening. Like others, they had extended their stay and were enjoying time with their families in the Bangalore area.
As soon as I realized we would be in India simultaneously for a day, it hit me immediately. I don't know where it came from. Maybe it was that I wanted someone that I recognized to be near me, even for an hour. Maybe it was my survival instinct. Not sure where it came from but I really wanted to see him and possibly do something (breakfast, lunch, dinner, anything) with them even possibly visiting his family's home. I discussed this with him and he seemed to be supportive in trying to grant my request. I'm sure he was a bit apprehensive. "Here is some guy from work crashing and intruding in on my family time." It isn't easy for the Indian citizens working in the US to visit their homeland. It can be many years before they have the opportunity to return home.
After he left for India, Vinay and I had exchanged an Instant Messenger (IM) chat and he had given my request some additional thought and had put some tentative plans into place. He was going to pick me up on Sunday morning and ask one of his cousins to be my guide in the city. He gave me phone numbers where he could be reached. He would be calling me Sunday morning, my first day in Bangalore.
We chatted a few more times prior to my trip and he indicated his cousin which he had in mind was in the middle of exams at school and would not be able to be my guide. I wonder if his cousin heard it was "me" coming to town and bailed from the task without hesitation. He assured me things would work out.
When I arrived, I had no problem sleeping through the India night. And when I woke, I was very well rested. Hopefully, jet lag will hit me when I get home and not during this trip. For now, my body is cooperating and I'm on the India clock immediately.
...
SpikeSource (my place of employment) has made a commitment to having a development center in India. Today's business economics almost require this to be part of any existing and new business ventures. SpikeSource is no different then the countless companies investing in the wealth of talented high tech people of India.
When we started to staff the Spike India office in Bangalore, the company decided it would be wise to rotate engineers through a one or two week tour of duty at Spike India. My trip was confirmed toward the beginning of December and planned for mid to late January.
My buddy Ken came to India in December. It just so happens that another Spike engineer (Matt - aka Shaggy) from the US would be overlapping a visit to our offices in India. They were able to keep each other company for a few days. Familiarity does wonders for people.
Several of our engineers in the US are citizens of India. When visiting India, they generally extend their visits to include vacation time to visit families and friends.
I had discussed my trip with other engineers and I found out that my other Spike buddy Vinay Srinivasaiah's (aka Vinnie) and his wife (Madhu) would be in India around the time I would be. I was arriving Saturday evening and they were departing two day later on Monday evening. Like others, they had extended their stay and were enjoying time with their families in the Bangalore area.
As soon as I realized we would be in India simultaneously for a day, it hit me immediately. I don't know where it came from. Maybe it was that I wanted someone that I recognized to be near me, even for an hour. Maybe it was my survival instinct. Not sure where it came from but I really wanted to see him and possibly do something (breakfast, lunch, dinner, anything) with them even possibly visiting his family's home. I discussed this with him and he seemed to be supportive in trying to grant my request. I'm sure he was a bit apprehensive. "Here is some guy from work crashing and intruding in on my family time." It isn't easy for the Indian citizens working in the US to visit their homeland. It can be many years before they have the opportunity to return home.
After he left for India, Vinay and I had exchanged an Instant Messenger (IM) chat and he had given my request some additional thought and had put some tentative plans into place. He was going to pick me up on Sunday morning and ask one of his cousins to be my guide in the city. He gave me phone numbers where he could be reached. He would be calling me Sunday morning, my first day in Bangalore.
We chatted a few more times prior to my trip and he indicated his cousin which he had in mind was in the middle of exams at school and would not be able to be my guide. I wonder if his cousin heard it was "me" coming to town and bailed from the task without hesitation. He assured me things would work out.
comments