Going to Bangalore
Dec. 9th, 2011 04:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bjarvisEarly this morning, my boss surprised me during a discussion about distributing our team workload. Currently, my operations support team consists of six guys, four in the California headquarters, one (my boss) in Montana and me in DC. We collectively share 24x7 production support coverage, rotating the on-call duties weekly.
Our firm acquired another about a year ago which was mostly based in the same San Francisco region but has a significant number of developers in Bangalore, India. My boss in conjunction with his managers suggested we get some of their 24x7 support folks up to speed on our duties so we can provide better support coverage. You'll get no argument from me: anything that reduces the number of times my cell phone goes off at 4am is a big win in my books.
My boss then suggested that I go to Bangalore to get train the guys, say, 2-3 weeks in early January.
Eep.
At first, it seemed like a great opportunity. Sure, since I'm the sole sysadmin for the company's entire production facility, the firm's management clearly trusts me to work independently and consistently or they would have trashed me years ago. Still, being handed this opportunity struck me as an unexpected honor and statement of confidence. It's also an opportunity for personal & professional growth as I've only done one-on-one training previously and never been sent on business travel on a similar scale. My first instinct says yes, this is the right thing to do and the right time to do it.
But the more I think about the details, the more my inner control freak & detail-oriented perfectionism is screaming bloody murder.
Outside of an afternoon in Tijuana, I've never left the safe and culturally familiar confines of Canada and the continental US. I've never truly traveled internationally --largely because I've never had the funds to afford my dream vacation. Moving to the US 16 years ago was a trial but at least the US while alien was somewhat familiar and linguistically similar.
I've started the process of getting a business visa and trying to figure out what vaccinations I should have. I have no idea what kind of accommodations to expect. I have no clue what I should pack or not. Hell, as I write this, I have no idea what kind of electrical devices I should take: I have no clue what the specs are for common electricity or electrical outlets in India although I'm sure I can find that out with a few Internet searches. How will I get around the city? How much of a language barrier can I expect? How do I get appropriate currency? Will my credit cards work? Will I be able to navigate my way around the minor details of purchasing toiletries? Should I get a cell phone while there? What's the most effective way to communicate with the home office and family? How on earth will do I do something as simple as laundry?
My rational mind is reassuring me that the firm will place me in a comfortable and modern hotel with appropriately familiar conveniences and services. Bangalore isn't Mars: it will be very different but also very similar. I'm not the first westerner to buzz into town and I won't be the last: trust the local colleagues, ask questions when needed and all will be well. If I keep an open mind and be patient, all these worries will be shown for what they are: mere trivia. Still, I wish I was traveling with someone more experienced who could fill in the blanks and/or prevent any cultural or situational faux pas.
Yet another corner of my brain is asking if I'm even qualified to do the work required on this trip. I'm planning to have a conversation with my boss today to determine exactly what the goals and expectations are, but I'm already keenly aware of large gaps in my knowledge of how things are done around the company since I work in relative isolation from the rest of the firm. I know what I do in great detail, but do I know what needs to be communicated to these guys I'm traveling to meet? At the moment, my rational mind has no good answer for this.
Depending on the range of dates, I'm going to miss Mid-Alantic Leather and my own birthday. Several square dance gigs will have to be rescheduled. A caller clinic I was looking to organize will either have to be rescheduled or be assembled by someone else.
In summation, I'm both excited and terrified by the prospects. This will be a great adventure, although I wish I was more confident launching into it and had greater assurance that the final outcomes will meet expectations. I'm glad to go but also uneasy about the responsibilities and the uncertainties.
None of this makes for good sleeping right now.
Our firm acquired another about a year ago which was mostly based in the same San Francisco region but has a significant number of developers in Bangalore, India. My boss in conjunction with his managers suggested we get some of their 24x7 support folks up to speed on our duties so we can provide better support coverage. You'll get no argument from me: anything that reduces the number of times my cell phone goes off at 4am is a big win in my books.
My boss then suggested that I go to Bangalore to get train the guys, say, 2-3 weeks in early January.
Eep.
At first, it seemed like a great opportunity. Sure, since I'm the sole sysadmin for the company's entire production facility, the firm's management clearly trusts me to work independently and consistently or they would have trashed me years ago. Still, being handed this opportunity struck me as an unexpected honor and statement of confidence. It's also an opportunity for personal & professional growth as I've only done one-on-one training previously and never been sent on business travel on a similar scale. My first instinct says yes, this is the right thing to do and the right time to do it.
But the more I think about the details, the more my inner control freak & detail-oriented perfectionism is screaming bloody murder.
Outside of an afternoon in Tijuana, I've never left the safe and culturally familiar confines of Canada and the continental US. I've never truly traveled internationally --largely because I've never had the funds to afford my dream vacation. Moving to the US 16 years ago was a trial but at least the US while alien was somewhat familiar and linguistically similar.
I've started the process of getting a business visa and trying to figure out what vaccinations I should have. I have no idea what kind of accommodations to expect. I have no clue what I should pack or not. Hell, as I write this, I have no idea what kind of electrical devices I should take: I have no clue what the specs are for common electricity or electrical outlets in India although I'm sure I can find that out with a few Internet searches. How will I get around the city? How much of a language barrier can I expect? How do I get appropriate currency? Will my credit cards work? Will I be able to navigate my way around the minor details of purchasing toiletries? Should I get a cell phone while there? What's the most effective way to communicate with the home office and family? How on earth will do I do something as simple as laundry?
My rational mind is reassuring me that the firm will place me in a comfortable and modern hotel with appropriately familiar conveniences and services. Bangalore isn't Mars: it will be very different but also very similar. I'm not the first westerner to buzz into town and I won't be the last: trust the local colleagues, ask questions when needed and all will be well. If I keep an open mind and be patient, all these worries will be shown for what they are: mere trivia. Still, I wish I was traveling with someone more experienced who could fill in the blanks and/or prevent any cultural or situational faux pas.
Yet another corner of my brain is asking if I'm even qualified to do the work required on this trip. I'm planning to have a conversation with my boss today to determine exactly what the goals and expectations are, but I'm already keenly aware of large gaps in my knowledge of how things are done around the company since I work in relative isolation from the rest of the firm. I know what I do in great detail, but do I know what needs to be communicated to these guys I'm traveling to meet? At the moment, my rational mind has no good answer for this.
Depending on the range of dates, I'm going to miss Mid-Alantic Leather and my own birthday. Several square dance gigs will have to be rescheduled. A caller clinic I was looking to organize will either have to be rescheduled or be assembled by someone else.
In summation, I'm both excited and terrified by the prospects. This will be a great adventure, although I wish I was more confident launching into it and had greater assurance that the final outcomes will meet expectations. I'm glad to go but also uneasy about the responsibilities and the uncertainties.
None of this makes for good sleeping right now.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-12-10 04:14 pm (UTC)I got my shots a few weeks before going. I only needed boosters for Hep A and all the other stuff. I also got malaria tablets and took them according to instructions—unless you're not going out at all you should have them.
I wasn't tempted to try paan (I just looked it up and I am even less tempted). However, one thing that I did find useful in Bangalore in re food was this: most of the one-company buildings there have the canteen on the roof. There is a canopy to prevent being washed or blown away. If you like Indian food, don't let your hosts steer you to the area where Western food is dished out. Go to the Indian food area, preferably with someone local, and take things you think you might like. The South Indian food line is apt to be mostly vegetarian, and I gravitated towards that.
I like lime pickle, which is an acquired taste (I can't eat it now, because it's too salty). When I got to the end of the Indian food line there was a bowl of lime pickle and I took a spoonful. The Indian workers with me opened their eyes wide and said, "Do you know what that is?" I told them that I did, and that I enjoyed it. Your students will respect you if you eat Indian food just as they do.
At the end of the meal there will be a mandatory wash-up area where you are expected to wash your hands. Many of the Indian workers would also take water and swish it around their mouths and spit it out into the sink. I wouldn't do that, but do wash up afterwards.
The toilets will have water hoses like those on a kitchen sink next to them. This is for cleanup afterwards instead of paper. If the venue is frequented by Western workers, there will probably be paper too, but if there isn't, you'll know what the hose is for.
I was very lucky in that I didn't get Delhi belly while I was there. (June/July 2005). When I got back, two days later I had a case that lasted for a week. At the time I thought I knew what had caused it, a drink I unwisely consumed on the road from Pune to Mumbai. However, later on I discovered that it was probably an effect of my diabetic neuropathy rather than a food-induced problem. Delhi belly is NOT a foregone conclusion when visiting India.
I hope you will have lots of fun, and get the travel bug (rather than any other kind of bug) from it. South and Southeast Asia is a great place to visit and is surprisingly affordable and beautiful.