the office experience

i feel lucky to be a visiting foreigner... i get an arranged car to take me to and from the office each day. the driver picks me up on india time, meaning 20 minutes late. we take the harrowing journey through morning rush hour - even more pedestrians, bicycles (with sometimes 4 people on a single bike), motorcycles, rickshaws and cars.

upon arriving at the office, i can tell that i'm expected as the various levels of security smile and show me the way into the office. i'm greeted at the door by GN and shown to my desk. several people stop by to say hello and ask how my journey was. everyone is warm and welcoming...it's great. the IT guy that sets up my computer looks like hiro nakamura (do you think he can travel through time and setup networks?). after awhile, the head of the office takes me around the office and introduces me to all the people i've been emailing for the past year. i'm getting familiar with the indian head shake...it seems to mean yes/no/maybe and cracks me up.

at 11 and 4 i get to experience the office tea time - a man (chai-walla?) brings tea to everyone's desk and it's delicious. i now understand why my friend aarti says the starbucks chai just doesn't measure up. the office also has a subsidized lunch that is brought in. they bring the lunch to me and one of the managers, but they want my first day to be special so they add a couple of extra dishes. there's the yogurt chicken starter again and a butter chicken curry (YUM!) plus the standard paneer, lentils, rice and chapati. it's fantastic.

the office is amazingly quiet until about 4:30...it seems the second cup of tea has awakened everyone. after 6 i chat with a few coworkers, who offer to show me around markets and restaurants near my hotel/apartment. again...the hospitality is overwhelming and i have to wonder if we would do this well of a job in the beaverton office.