Quality time at Infosys

To start off, last night we ventured off the Infosys campus to the Otero hotel- it reminded me of Miami. Very fancy and sleek. They have an Italian restaurant there, so yes, I did have gnocchi in red sauce in India and it was fabulous. I was also able to enjoy some Kingfisher. I figured since I'm in India, I should at least enjoy a local beer instead of ordering a Bud or a Corona. We had a fun night. Cricket was airing on TV, which was interesting to watch now that Tareq explained the game a bit. I still don't quite get it (it's a combination of baseball, football, lacrosse and quidditch) but at least I was able to watch with some knowledge base.

Today was more class at Infosys. The speakers have, for the most part, been very good and interesting. Yesterday we got a lot of big picture information, and today was more about specific areas like Project Management, University partnerships, Metrics, Knowledge Management and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing). I loved the Knowledge Management part in particular- I have a book to read about it because I feel like it's an area that I might want to explore in more detail.

We continue to have the same timing issues as previously- we are told to be back by 2:00 to begin a session; all of the students are ready to go, but our speakers and hosts are chatting with each other and we get started 20 minutes later. It wouldn't be as bad if it weren't so constant. We are told that we'll be done by 5:15 but then don't finish until 6:30 because the time is so poorly managed. This is also ironic since Infosys has such a fantastic reputation for on-time delivery of products and anticipation of risk.

The timing is but a small bone to pick, since overall I feel like we are getting good information and asking good questions.

I have been asked about the food- Infosys is providing breakfast, lunch & dinner. There is a combination of traditional Indian food (Tikka Masala and lots of spicy curry + vegetable options, Mutton at least once, Paneer, etc.) and American food which the chef prepared especially for us. I have tried to try at least a little bit of the Indian food each time, but the texture is not my favorite and a lot of it is super spicy. At least I'm trying. The only eating we've done outside the Infosys campus is at the Chinese restaurant in Bangalore (which had some things I've never had before, like Thai fried chicken, cold potato strings and fried baby corn) and the Italian restaurant at the Otero hotel last night.

Tomorrow's plan is to have class in the morning, and then head to Mysore in the afternoon. Unfortunately, we still don't have the cards from the visa registration so if we don't get those, it could delay the trip to Mysore. That will be a real bummer. The upcoming move to Mysore means that I will have to pack up my clothes tonight, which is a real shame since I just unpacked yesterday when my luggage arrived.

The Indian people are definitely a low-key group. I know that I'm particularly animated, but it's funny to see how loud and animated we, the Americans, are in contrast to the Indian people. We get stared at a lot, but unlike in the U.S. where, when someone catches you staring you quickly look away, the Indians keep on staring. That's an interesting phenomenon.

My life has certainly improved since the arrival of my luggage. I do feel a little like we're learning about Infosys, which is nothing like the "real" India, but haven't gotten to experience much of India itself. Maybe that will change in Mysore!