A Day in the Life

I am well into week 2 in India, and I still can't complain ... much. There are many frustrations we've all felt in this adjustment phase -- getting used to a very different style of functioning, really. I can't say I haven't been disappointed by some of the reactive behavior I've seen in our U.S. batch to all this change. When you get a group of people into a situation that's slightly outside their comfort zone, like, say, a third world country ... you learn that everyone has different coping skills (or lack thereof). But our experience in India is anything but ordinary. Here is a quick sample of what I encounter and do in a given day here in the confines of one of India's most desired and respected workplaces:

I wake up in my hostel, the breeze blowing open my gold-flecked orange-y curtains, and the birds outside are making classically tropical chirping noises. I open those curtains and directly outside my window are palm trees and flowered plants. My room is my own, with a kickin' AC, cable t.v., a fast internet connection and 2 pink walls. Every morning I take one of the best showers imaginable in a bathroom coated in large, wine-colored tiles. Then I turn on the electric kettle and make hot chocolate, or maybe some amazing Indian tea with cream and sugar - stocked daily by housekeeping.

Speaking of housekeeping: Unless I hang the "Privacy Please" sign on the doorknob, I will come back to a room that has been swept, garbages emptied, bottled water refreshed, bed made, clothes folded, possessions put into order, toiletries placed on the counter in an army-straight line, in order of height. Not that I EVER fail to make the bed on my own ... In my defense, I tried it a few times. They still re-did it. Going back to the orderliness of all my belongings -- this is no exaggeration. The maid is OCD, that's all there is to it. Always, my things are perfectly aligned by height. Even if it doesn't make sense. I always organize my toiletries by category: hair stuff, face stuff, teeth stuff. You get the idea. But no matter how I rearrange it to fit my style, I come back to it all against the wall on the counter, tallest to shortest, intermixed groupings of products, but aesthetically pleasing, nonetheless. One of the girls in our batch had a bag of Starbursts dumped out on her coffee table, and returned to find them stacked evenly, by color and height, in a sort of cascading rainbow of ordered candy. Besides these oddities, which I actually love, the housekeepers are so kind. What I didn't initially feel comfortable with is that they will not turn their back on you, out of respect. I.e. they will not walk out of a room you are in as you normally would, walking straight through the door. Instead they turn around and face you while they back out, always smiling.

After a day of classes and modules in programming, I'll do whatever I want. My options are plenty. We've got a well-kept gym, yoga and aerobics classes every day, a pool, climbing wall, badminton, squash, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, cricket/soccer/football field, and obstacle course, snooker (billiards), ping pong, a bowling alley, a movie theater, shops, bikes, snacks, a music room, bookstore, salon & spa ... and all of it fancy fresh, as this place was built in 2003. Campus is laden with fascinating building architecture, fountains, landscaping, and people. If there's one thing I could do more of, it's branch out and meet some of the locals. This is surprisingly hard to do, since most of us, especially the girls, get stared at like we're walking, talking aliens. But it's not so bad that I've got any excuse not to try.

To expound on that last point, I've got a story to share about just how much we stand out here. But that will come later. Back to the day.

Every day it rains. It usually pours, and that makes sense because it's monsoon season through November. But I just love it! Umbrellas are aplenty in every building, branded, as is everything else, with the Infosys name. The rain doesn't stop anyone from going out. Outdoor games continue without pause, and the indoor shops get just a bit more crowded. There are about 6,000 of us trainees on campus at any given time (about 90 Americans).

For dinner (and lunch and breakfast, for that matter), I can head to one of three food courts with options like Dominoes and Cafe Coffee Day (like Starbucks) and Indian food buffets. I hear we're getting a Subway soon. Or I can indulge a whopping $2-$3 and eat at The Floating Restaurant, which is a gazebo-style restaurant that, you guessed it, "floats" in a circular moat housing beautiful koi fish. Did you know they sleep at night? They just rest on the floor of their territory - it's really cute. Tonight the chefs, as per some American's request, prepared roasted chicken and beef tenderloin. That's right. BEEF. In India. And this was amazing beef, too; not tough or nasty like you might assume. The point is, we're catered to like crazy. It gets to be too much, but you can't keep someone from being hospitable.

Dinner is usually later, so afterwards I'm happy to spend some me-time back in my hostel. It gets dark early here, and the crickets are calming. I've recently taken to reading atop one of the huge marble pillars flanking our hostels, overlooking the courtyard. Often I just fall into the flow of the day, but sometimes I take special notice of the impeccably-kept green grass, swept by hand daily of any fallen leaves, or the amount of care put into making my room a welcoming home. And it's then that I realize that this place is amazing. This opportunity so unique. And I want to learn from it so much - which I know I will. I already have. But to think that there are 6 more months, maybe more ... And then there's the gaping rift between this oasis and the reality of India. You couldn't find a wider gap between the haves and the have-nots. As the days pass, I plan to get a better understanding of the latter. It may come as a surprise, but this posh living gets old real fast. Don't get me wrong - I'm grateful to have it. But there's much more life beyond this bubble.