Desi and you know it...

Crazy ride in a bicycle rickshaw with Jasmin.

My time here is really starting to go by so quickly! It has now been three weeks, and here goes my fourth installment. Per usual, most of the week was pretty standard. [See last week's post for the routine] I am spending most of my day mentoring Prachi and the rest of it I assist AJ designing classroom materials. The new batch hits the floor this week, so there is a lot to do to prepare.

It is surprising how quickly the week flies by. There is so much energy and excitement in the office that time just seems to warp. One of the nights this week, I called Suresh to pick me up, it was 4:00 AM and I needed to head back to the apartment. On our way he tried to make conversation by saying, "Have you really been at the office for 12 hours?" I had to think about it a minute before I realized that it was true, and the sad part about it--I wasn't really that bothered. In fact, I was planning to review a few more items from home. It's what everyone signs up for when they come--but it is worth it. Everyone here works hard, but plays hard too!

Cvent Recruitment

Cvent recruitment drive

We cancelled our plans to go to the Taj when we found out that Cvent was hosting recruitment drives this weekend and needed our help. Similar to sending representatives to find talented people on college campuses in the US, Cvent places ads in the paper and employment websites asking job-seekers to come interview with us at an open call. In an attempt to get some rest for a long day ahead, I left work on Friday at 12AM IST [2:30PM ET]. As hard as I tried to fall asleep during what my body thought was mid-afternoon, I tossed and turned until I finally dozed off at 6:30AM IST [8PM ET] --just in time for my alarm to go off at 7:30AM IST [9PM ET] to get ready to go.

Julide, Jasmin and I participated in the drive at Essex Farms, a meeting facility in South Delhi. Because most of the recruiting efforts rely on the advertisements in the local papers, you never know what type of crowd you are going to get when you arrive. Unfortunately, this particular drive was not as successful as some others have been in the past, but it was great to experience the whole process for hiring in India. I have always known that our department is made up of a smart, talented and diligent group of people--but my appreciation for our team rose even higher when I met with the other people looking to get in with one of Gurgaon's hot companies.

The whole process was a fascinating day to observe and partake in. The space was configured with a reception area and two large rooms with desks and chairs. Candidates would check-in with a member of HR and make their way to one of the rooms to begin filling out their application. At the surrounding desks, current team members waited to meet with the candidates. Because the flow of candidates was more like a trickle, I was able to conduct most of my interviews by pairing up with a teammate.This worked well because Ross, Gautam, Abhilash, Baldeep, Tenzin, Mansi or Piyush could spot the candidates from top schools or companies, and I could judge their communication skills from an American perspective. A candidate who finished their application would be sorted to one of the "Level 1" tables. This level was mostly for communication skills and screening--if they were good--we would pass them to a manager at "Level 2" and a decision would be made on whether or not to invite this person to the office for further rounds of interviews.

I sat at the level 1 tables for most of the day. We would be handed an application to review and then call the candidate for a 5 minute interview. The application was surprisingly detailed. It asked for your grades from high-school to college and your rankings/ratings and your previous employer. Even age in years was a data point on the application and played a part in many decisions--that would never fly in the US! After introductions and the nervous realization that they had been called to the table with the American, the first question was typically "Walk me through your resume"--a typical introduction to get the ball rolling--and the conversation continued from there. It wasn't hard to tell within the first 30 seconds the people that should move on and the people that just weren't cut out for it, but we gave everyone the respect of an interview for their effort. See some questions and typical answers below:

• So, tell me about yourself.
• My name is sldkfjlskdjf, from the town of adslfkjlkjadf in the middle of lakdjsflkjasdlkfj. I traveled today from algfkljlkasdlalskd and am staying in lkajsdlkjasld.
• I see that your last job was in 2010, what have you been doing since then?
• I went home to akjflkjskldfj to start a business with my father. The business failed due to a land dispute so now I am looking for a new job.
• I fell ill and was unable to work.
• What have you heard about Cvent?
• Nothing much.
• I heard they are a paymaster [pays well] and has high retention.
• They design events and websites for the client and when the client has a requirement they build the softwares. [Not really...]

After speaking to a candidate for a few minutes, my interview partner and I would make a decision on whether to move them on. We assessed their speech/grammar and if they were a good fit for the team and the company. We typically hire people who have prior experience working on the phone with callers from the USA, Australia or Great Britain. Additionally, they need to demonstrate a strength in logic and the ability to lead a client through unscripted situations.

I met with all sorts of people, from young professionals who showed a lot of potential to unqualified job-seekers who were desperate for a break. While it was unfortunate to turn someone a way with the "We'll get back to you" it was satisfying to know that we ended the day with a few high-potential candidates too.

The two BEST parts of the day were the lunch (DELICIOUS rice, roasted Mutton and Dal) and the chance to get to know more of my colleagues that were at the drive. Between interviews we had a few minutes to chat and get to know each other which I really appreciated.

...and the Fun Stuff

Shopping in Hauz Khas Village

After the drive ended, Julide, Jasmin and I asked Suresh to take us to Hauz Khas Village where we met up with Sid for some exploration and shopping. I have come to find out that India gives me a total adrenaline high--do I even need sleep?--and I was able to make it through the day and into the night.We meandered our way through the narrow streets lined with levels upon levels of shopping, dining and living space. The store fronts displayed some of the most beautiful saris, suits and dresses that I have seen and the quality of workmanship was exquisite. Some of the items were absolutely breathtaking, but my practicality won over, as I knew there would be little occasion for me to wear a bedazzled sari once I returned home.Though we all admired the beautiful attire, we stuck to the jewelry arena and made some friends at a silver store where each of us purchased a few beautiful pieces. I also walked away with a scarf and a leather wallet.

It was getting late and the sun was setting so Sid lead us to the best sunset spot in town, Boheme, for a unbelievable view of the neighboring park in the evening. It was a wonderful setting for a coffee and a delicious Italian meal. We relaxed and enjoyed the ambiance for a few hours until we decided to pump it up a bit and head out to Turquoise Cottage for some rock music and dancing. It was Cinco de Mayo, so the group decided to celebrate by ordering margaritas. It ended up being a bad choice, as they came out as basically tequila on the rocks--which we readliy improved with an order of fresh lime juice. We met up with quite a group and it didn't take us long to start the party. The song selection was amazing [all American of course] and everyone enjoyed moving to the music.

After a few more rounds and a free bottle of champagne, we called Suresh and asked him to transport us to Angi, where the folks who had not gone recruiting in Essex were gathered. By this time it was 3AM IST [5:30 PM ET] and I had basically been awake (minus 1 hr of sleep) for 36 hours. We kept it going and partied with the full crowd. A local singer/DJ was playing live and a popular song [no joke] was a remix of the preschool classic. "If you're Desi and you know it clap your hands..." Desi basically means "Indian" and the song immediately caught on to all of us--I am sure it wont be the last time I hear that chorus.

We eventually made our way back to Essel Towers, but continued the fun till the early morning hours. I think I finally went to bed around 6AM IST [8:30 PM ET], with plans to wake up for brunch at the Westin. Needless to say, brunch didn't happen. I finally woke up at 3:00 PM IST [5:30 AM IST] and appreciated the ability to catch up on sleep. Jasmin and I decided to head down the block to explore a bit and get a nice meal. Much to our convenient surprise, we walked out of Essel towers and happened to find a Westin auto-rickshaw driver who was on his way back--so we hopped in. The complex would be a short walk away from the apartment, but the mid-day heat was quite exhausting--not to mention the busy roads lined with ruthless beggars.

Enjoying the Westin pool

We ordered a scrumptious pasta lunch and capped it off with an Oreo ice cream pie. The manicured lawns and swimming pool was a Delhi oasis for a few minutes. Jasmin needed to stop at an ATM, so we walked out of the gated complex to find one and were immediately surrounded by a gaggle of girls who thought they had hit the gold mine--they followed us chanting "money-money-money-money" until we finally shooed them off and made the snap decision to flag down a bicycle rickshaw. We didn't think about the conditions until we were already on our way, and the five minute trip was terrifying as our driver pedaled through traffic an eventually needed to cross 8 lanes before turning into our gate. We thanked him for keeping us alive and paid the 50 Rupee fare--that's about $1.

Glad to be alive, we rounded up the troops and decided to ask Suresh to take us to the grocery store. I already stockpiled last week, so I only needed a few things to add to my inventory--a set of Tupperware being one!

We unpacked our loot and loaded the fridge. The group of 8 all sat together for a family dinner thanks to Puni. It is rare that we are all eating at the same time and it is always enjoyable to gather for an Indian meal. Puni made a delicious chicken tikka and fried rice dinner. We stayed up for a few more hours and watched a movie. Everyone was using their ipad or iphone to load pictures etc.--its funny how connected everyone can be!

Family Dinner from Puni

After everyone called it a night, I came to my room to spill this out. This week is going to be busy and then I actually think we are going to make it to Agra next weekend! Check back next week for another post and leave your comments!

Check out more photos here.

Delhi Days

Breakfast in Bed

And it's Sunday night...so I find myself at the helm of my computer once again. This routine is starting to kick in, but if you talk to any of my Indian friends, you will find that I am sometimes lost in a complete time-warp confusion.

I have been keeping track of my daily routine on two clocks. The way the conversion works is this: Take Delhi time, add 2.5 hours, and switch the AM/PM and you get Eastern time.  That means, it is 2:00am Monday morning in Delhi right now but 4:30 PM Sunday Night in Virginia. It seems easy, but I have found that translating one to another and back again can be a little flustering. My daily routine goes something like this:

•  3:30PM IST ( 6:00AM EST) - Wake Up, Call Puni
•  4:00PM IST ( 6:30AM EST) - Shower, Eat Breakfast
•  4:30PM IST ( 7:00AM EST) - Call Anil, Leave for the Office
•  5:00PM IST ( 7:30AM EST) - Get to the office and catch up/prepare for the day
•  6:30PM IST ( 9:00AM EST) - East Coast Shift officially begins
•  9:30PM IST (12:00PM EST) - Lunch Time
•  3:30AM IST ( 6:00PM EST) - Shift ends
•  3:45AM IST ( 6:15PM EST) - Cab home
•  3:50AM IST ( 6:20PM EST) - Arrive home, socialize, prep for work, phone calls
•  7:30AM IST (10:00PM EST) - Bed Time

It seems easy, but when you factor in that all of the other people who are in the apartment are on completely different schedules, it starts to be a lot to juggle.

This week was pretty straight forward, after the exciting weekend in Risikesh, tasks at work kept on pressing forward. I shifted gears a bit and am acting as a full time mentor to Prachi. She was hired in January and is showing a lot of potential for going "live" in the next few weeks. I have been working with her to round out her product knowledge and critique her calls. All has been progressing well and she is going to be a great addition to our phone team in India.

On Friday, I went straight home and got in bed so that I could enjoy the weekend. This is the part that makes the time shift confusing:

•  3:30AM IST ( 6:00PM EST) - Shift Ends
•  4:30AM IST ( 7:00PM EST) - In Bed
• 12:00PM IST ( 2:30AM EST) - Alarm goes off, Call Prachi
•  1:30PM IST ( 3:30AM EST) - Leave for CP Market and shopping in Delhi

Caitlyn and Brendan arrived early Saturday morning and joined me for a shopping trip at CP Markets in Delhi. After several recommendations from many people, the three of us met up with Prachi and she showed us a mix of what Delhi has to offer. High end Saris and gifts at the Emporiums, jewelry vending from  street carts and rows and rows of tents with everything from home goods to everyday clothing.

Prachi took us around to her favorite spots and helped us bargain for the best deal. We would pick out something that we liked, she would argue with the vendor for a few minutes, then name our price. I am so grateful for her skills, because otherwise I would have absolutely overpaid! We grabbed a few drinks and lunch at an upscale lounge called QBA. I walked away with a purse/satchel, an onyx ring, 2 necklaces, a bangle and 2 Kurtas--A successful day.

My Kurta! Photo by Ana Usmani

It was getting dark and we decided it was time to head back to familiar territory--Gurgaon. The new arrivals started getting sleepy as we navigated our way home. Prachi stopped at every corner to ask for directions--and people willingly provided them--navigating us through the twists and turns of Delhi. We stopped for coffee at the Costa near the office and made our way for dinner at Rt. 04 - An American Bar in Cyber City. We met with Bharat, Sam, Aman and Javed for a few drinks before heading to Striker for dancing. To top off the evening, we made a pit stop at a 5-star restaurant for a late night snack of Briani--fried rice.

This morning I woke up at 2:30PM IST ( 5:00 AM EST) and met up with Caitlyn and Brendan. We lounged in the apartment for a few hours as they were awaiting their missing luggage from their flight on Friday. Caitlyn and I went to Spencer's to pick up some essentials: Cookies, Crackers and Gatorade. For the most part, Spencer's seemed like any normal grocery store. The only thing that was a little awkward were the employees that were crowding the aisles. I not exactly sure as to their purpose, but it seemed like they were getting paid to encourage you to buy certain items. They were helpful when we asked where to find certain items, and then they would ask us if we wanted to buy lotion that we didn't need or respond to a survey. I think the two of us were targets.

We made our way home to watch the cricket match and eat a wonderful home-cooked dinner by Puni. "Chicken and Gravy" was delicious, but nothing like what you would find on Thanksgiving. I bought a thermos at the store today, and plan to ask Puni to fill it with tea so I can take it work. I also plan on asking him to prepare dinner for me for when I get home tomorrow.

I think we are planning to go to Agra and Jaipur next weekend, so there is much planning to do!

Catelyn

The Holy Dip in the Ganges

Potpuri at the Har Ki Pauri markets

I cannot believe it has already been a week since my last post! At the rate things are going, it seems like this is going to be a weekly thing here...so look back on Sunday nights and hopefully you will have yourself a treat in the form of a new Adventure of Catelyn.

I feel like India is already starting to blow away my expectations. So many people gave me great advice before I left, but I just could not picture it until now, and everything is fitting into place. I guess I will start right off with my first impressions then tell you about my camping/rafting trip to Rishikesh.

So I guess I am nocturnal now? Sunday night, after unpacking and writing my post, I went to bed at 10pm ET (AKA 7:30 am IST). The sun was rising outside my window, the birds were chirping and the morning commute was beginning. I am glad I brought my eye mask and ear plugs because black-out curtains don't really block out everything. I was tired enough that I was able to drift off eventually, and I did not have much trouble sleeping through the day.

Morning (or evening?) came (5:00am ET/ 3:30pm IST) and I was excited to make my way to Cyber City. I met Jayme in the upstairs apartment and Puni presented us with "Egg Toast" and Chai before we jumped in Anil's car to drive to work.

Driving

An auto rickshaw passes us during the morning commute.

For those of you who complain of traffic in Northern Virginia--you ain't seen nothing! This is more than traffic, it is survival of the fittest. On a two lane road, the driver must push his way past vehicles of all sizes from an overflowing truck piled high with grains to a tired bicycle rickshaw driver carrying a lone passenger to work. Commuters line the streets waiting for buses, taxis, trucks or rickshaws to pick them up and road-side vendors hawk delicious (but deadly to Americans) street food.

It is considered rude to pass someone without honking a warning and drivers have hand signals and honks that help them communicate through the madness.The most surprising part of the drivers is that, although each one of them honks their horn at someone or something every 15 seconds or more, none seem to be aggressive or bothered by it. If I were the driver, that honk would signify that I was very angry or upset at what was going on before me, but nobody seems to mind.

I am not sure what the real law is, but it seems like the biggest vehicle has the right of way in India, even over pedestrians. A man will cross the road 100m ahead and Anil doesn't even think about putting on the breaks. There are no cross walks, that I can tell, and crossing the road becomes a game of frogger for many people.

The part of this driving experience that I am MOST surprised about is my own reaction toward it. In the States, if I was in a car that was weaving in and out of traffic, braking at the last possible moment and nearly running over dogs, children, spare tires etc. at ever turn, I would be gripping the handrests and sweating through my shirt in 10 mins. Here, I am just genuinely impressed by the skill and maneuverability of the Indian drivers. Seeing that this is just so far beyond anything that I have ever experienced before, even Tyson's in rush hour, I feel like I can trust Anil to do his job and deliver me safely to work.

Working

March 2012 Batch showing their "Bleed Blue" spirit on Friday.

The routine has been basically the same everyday, after waking up and fighting with traffic, I head to work a few hours early to prepare for the training class to arrive. The Cvent headquarters is located in DLF Cyber City. A collection of state of the art high rises home to top companies like Microsoft, PWC, Alcatel-Lucent and our neighbors on the floor, the Beam Companies. We have space on the 12th and 15th floors, and there are 20 elevators to choose from when making your way up. The walls and floors are lined in marble, and other than the slight layer of dust, you would think you are walking into a wealthy bank in NYC.

I spend most of my time with the CS team on the 12th floor. Because the day shift is leaving as I am coming in, I often have to hunt for an open desk until the Marketing team clears out for the day, relieving their seats for my team. The desks are compact and there is not much room to spread out, but it seems to invite team work and participation, so I am growing to like the close quarters. There are no windows in the CS corner, which would normally feel awkward, but it allows me to pretend that it really is 2 in the afternoon when it is dark outside!

I have been spending most of my day with the March training batch. It consists of 12 people who have learned the basics of Cvent from their previous trainer, Jess. Last week was a mix of review and new material and I was blessed to have AJ as a strong leader of the group. The first 2 days seemed a little uneasy, as I was trying to connect with the group and make progress in their training. By Wednesday, I felt like we were really getting to know each other and I have enjoyed spending time with all of them. They are teaching me Hindi as I am teaching them Cvent, and they give me pop quizzes to make sure I am on top of my game!

The week flew by so quickly, I can already tell that my time here is limited. Because the training batch is allowed a 30 min lunch and three 10-min smoke breaks throughout the day, I hardly get the time to breathe as I am prepping for the next item on the agenda. I haven't even had the chance to meet everyone on the CS team yet and am going to make an effort to do that early next week.

During the 20 mins or so that I actually take for a lunch, I walk downstairs with one of my colleagues to grab something quick from one of the cafes. I had Subway for lunch 3 times last week, coffee from Costa Coffee, and a personal Sbarro pizza on Friday. I was very hesitant initially to eat anything that I could not recognize, for the fear of having a bad reaction. I am trying hard to allow my stomach to adjust to this new area slowly, but everything looks so delicious.

After wrapping up each evening, Jayme helps ensure we leave right at 3:30am IST to catch our ride home to the apartment. Depending on the night, we may or may not see another living soul because our apartment mates work a different shift. We chat for a bit then part ways to finish up some work in our rooms and get to sleep. One of the nights I came home to find some of my apartment mates (Julide, Chris, Brian and others) eating Butter Chicken (Yum!) and staying up to watch the sunset. I joined them for a few hours, before cozying in my room for a full night's (or day's?!) rest.

I really enjoy spending time with the other people from HQ that I have never worked with in the past. It is interesting to hear about their views of Cvent and India, and you know that people who are willing to take the same opportunity to live in a foreign country for an extended period of time have to be pretty cool. It's too bad that starting next week I am going to be the only person on my shift because Jayme will be working a hybrid.

Rishikesh

Tent facing the Ganges

Friday night (or should I say Saturday morning) we met a driver in the Cvent parking lot and headed straight to the mountains. The trip was organized by Sumeet (my colleague in CS)and her husband, Aman (Sales). Nitin and Prachi (CS) joined Chris, Julide, Pat and me from the US office. We packed into a 12 person van and made our way onto the highway, which was jammed with overflowing trucks that chose to drive during the less-busy nighttime hours. We enjoyed ourselves for a bit before making a pit stop at McDonalds for a true Indian breakfast of hotcakes and coffee. We let ourselves doze off until reaching our final destination.

During the trip, I enjoyed looking out the window at all of the activity that was going on along the highway. Farmers were harvesting their crop, shopkeepers were eagerly awaiting customers and cows were roaming freely to rummage through the garbage along the road. If you happened to make eye contact with a pedestrian, there was often a look of surprise and wonder about seeing us in the van.

We reached camp by 12am [yes, that is 8 hours later] and loaded our gear into a paddle raft to take us across to the campsite. Tents lined the banks of the Ganges in several rows, there was an area for volleyball and a shaded area for resting in wicker chairs. We changed into our bathing suits and headed straight for the water. It was cold, but wading to my knees was refreshing. The rest of the evening we played volleyball, rested and listened to music while enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Dinner came in the form of bar-b-que delivered to your tent area, and was the most delicious chicken I have ever tasted. We statrted with Peanut Masala as an appetizer--the Indian chips and salsa. We made our way to a buffet for even more delicious treats. I did my best to try everything available, even though I was concerned that my first Indian meal was on a campsite with no easy access to a proper restroom. Luckily, I made it successfully though the night--thank god because I am really loving this food and want to continue enjoying it!

We lounged by lamplight under the clear starry sky until late in the night. Prachi and I bunked up in our tent and nestled into our cots for a good night sleep. Morning came and a cool breeze hit me as I exited the tent, but that was soon replaced by the warm sun on my shoulders. We packed up our things, ate a quick breakfast and boarded the boat to white water raft on the Ganges!

The rapids started off slow. Our guide was instructing us on the proper ways to paddle and we could jump into the drifting water as long as we kept a hand on the boat. As we paddled along, we encountered several other boats and instigated splashing fights. We were getting used to people staring at us, because we had four white people on board. I guess that is uncommon.

After 20 mins we hit some of the bigger rapids, locked our feet into the seats and powered forward as the waves tossed and turned us, soaking us all! The guide said the rapids were 3+ and 4+ and some of them launched our boat pretty high into the air before plummeting us back down, straight into the next wave.

Holy Dip in the Ganges!

We felt refreshed and accomplished for a hard day's exercise, as we brought the raft out of the water and made our way back to the van. We tried to dry off a little bit as we made our way to Haridwar to take a holy dip at Har Ki Pauri. Our friends described that this area was a holy spot, and home to a pilgrimage. It is believed that your sins will be washed away after a dip in the holy water. Turns out, the 4 white people doing the dip was quite a spectacle and we were bathed in inquisitive glances and people even asked to take pictures with us. Sumeet, Nitin, Prachi and Aman safely guided us through the tents of sellers and beggars and watched out for us as we were distracted by the incredible sights and sounds (Thank you!).

After making it back to the bus, we drove to another town where Sumeet's uncle owned a restaurant. He fed us an amazing lunch of paneer, chole chick-peas, dal, butterd naan and more. We stuffed ourselves before baording the bus for the long trek back to Gurgaon. Puni greeted us with another amazing Indian meal and we welcomed Jasmin to the apartment. I finished dinner, hopped into a nice warm shower and sat down to spill my head into this blog!

I have a busy week upcoming and am excited for week 2! Post a comment and let me know your thoughts!

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