The more conversations I have with The Engineer, the larger the gap between our cultures seems. It is not a bad thing by any means, it is a huge resource for both of us. I’ve been learning a lot about Indian culture, habits, politics, religion and all such things during these two days. What delights me the most is that I still have several weeks to have discussions and learn to know things.

There’s so much I don’t even know where to start from. The Indian culture seems to be centered around families rather than individuals, meaning that everyone should be ready to do sacrifices for the good of their families. Individual achievements are valued the most if they benefit the whole group in some way, e.g. if one of the family gets a good job and is then able to support his/her parents and siblings. It also goes the other way around, meaning that the brightest one of the kids will be supported in his/her studies by the whole family in hope of a better future. If we are to learn something from the Indian people, I would suggest co-operation and solidarity among families to be it.

The Engineer was surprised to hear that my kid brother is married while I am not. The Indian way is for siblings to get married strictly in the order of age, with no exceptions. Disobeying this unwritten law can lead to an internal crisis in the family since it is considered as an disloyal act against the others. This is something I would not want to adopt myself, even though I can see the basis for it.

Today we will be dining out with our managers and the Usual Suspects of the technology team here in Oulu. Before that I intend to familiarize The E with the more exotic (for me) shopping places in Kauppahalli in order to find something familiar for him to eat at home. We will see what we can find on our visit.

Tags: colleagues from India, culture, ways of working

Our colleagues from Bangalore arrived to Oulu on Sunday. Yesterday I picked The Engineer up from his apartment and walked with him to the office in order to show him the way. We had some meetings and the whole day was over before I knew it. After work I helped The E do his shopping since we don’t want our co-workers starving alone in their apartments. I also met the Team Leader whom I will be working with during my own visit in Bangalore.

The first impression of these chaps was that they are very polite, hard-working, kind and modest. Their accent does not exactly qualify as the easiest one in the world, but most of the time I can manage with them. On the other hand, I may not be the best person to criticize that…

On my standards Indian people are quite passive and want to have accurate instructions for working. This is something new for me since all my colleagues so far have been European. Even though I knew it would be different, the contrast was surprising. It will take some practice to adjust my ways of working to comply with their style, but I don’t see it as a problem. We get along fine already.

Tags: colleagues from India, ways of working

I had some mail exchange about accommodation issues with our assistant in Bangalore this morning. I asked for a flat with two rooms and a kitchen, air conditioning, a washing machine, internet access and so on. You know, the works for everyday living. I also listed some nice to have features to keep them busy for a while, but only time will tell if I get my swimming pool or not.

I also browsed through some classified ads with apartments for sale (1 lakh =~1500 euros). While rental rates match very closely to the ones here in Finland, those sale prices are a laugh. Could someone tell me what is wrong with the flats that are listed behind the link? Are they all full of moss and snakes? Do they fall apart if you slam the door too hard? Are they only for sale to local people? Is there any sense for me to rent a home on a longer visit?

After seeing those I am really tempted by the idea of selling my current apartment and buying one in Bangalore instead. Of course I am prepared to find a catch in the pricing, but right now I don’t see any signs of warning in this. I have to go and see some of those flats when I reach India.

Edit: Found it. It is illegal for a foreigner to buy fixed property in India. I will have to do some research on how this can be overcome. I’m sure there’s a way, but as I suspected, it was too good to be true.

Tags: accommodation, colleagues from India, prices

I got two more shots today, namely a booster for the Japanese echelosaurus and a one-time shot for typhoid fever. My vaccination certificate looks already as if I was a diabetic making note of every shot I get. The last vaccination visit to occupational health care is in the middle of November, when two boosters are going to be given. I also get a medicine pack of some sort to take with me just in case. I wonder if the Indian guys have to take this many shots when coming to Finland?

I have reached my colleagues in Bangalore for discussions about a possible local contract in the Corporation. Sounds like they could be interested in hiring me and at least my initial wishes about salary ranges and accommodation have not scared them off, but a lot of things must still happen.

Only a couple of days and the visitors from India arrive. One of them, the team leader, will stay only for a week, but the other one will be seeing snow before he returns in December. By that time I will be there too. I can hardly wait.

Tags: colleagues from India, medication, planning, practical stuff, vaccinations

Applying a business visa to India is not that complicated, but it requires a great deal of accuracy. I have gotten the impression that the applications are thoroughly examined in the embassy before issuing the visa. I better be careful in order to avoid iterations in the application process.

The visa application must include various data such as name, titles, passport number, office locations, contact persons in both countries, travel dates and so on. In addition there is a requirement that an invitation letter, written on a paper with company logo, is issued from the Indian office. Luckily our Bangalore people have experience with invitation letters and are already working on it.

An interesting point in working with India is that they are very strict on titles and hierarchies. The office assistant only replied to my e-mail when I included some of her superiors as CC to the message. It seems that they need the approval from above before doing something, and informing their line manager at the same time is an effective way of acquiring implicit consent from them.

Today is my graduation day, which means I will get my diploma in the afternoon. It is the final barrier that has been holding me back, but now it’s gone. I am free to leave whenever I (and the Corporation) please.

Tags: practical stuff, studies, visa

After a refreshing hunting weekend I returned to work to see if any of my e-mails had spawned responses.

No.

Fortunately I had reserved an appointment with our occupational health care nurse for the first round of vaccinations before the trip. A total of five shots is required since I already have valid tetanus and polio shots from military service. Two shots were given now, namely the hepatitis A+B and Japanese encephalitis. Don’t ask me what the latter one is, but it sure as hell sounds like I don’t want to catch it.

Next week I will receive a typhoid fever shot and a booster for the Japanese enchilada. A month from today a booster for the Hepatitis A+B shot will be given along with a medicine pack for malaria and probably some other diseases as well.

Since my regular medication storage may run out while I’m in India, a doctor will give me another prescription in order to ensure my sanity while abroad.

Two more weeks and my closest contact from Bangalore is going to sit next to me here at the office. I can hardly wait.

Tags: medication, practical stuff, vaccinations

This is where my journey begins.

I have been planning this more or less for nine years now, and it is finally time for concrete actions. My first trip to Bangalore, India is going to be a six week visit to the local Corporation office. My current checklist includes travel visa, vaccinations (appointment reserved), apartment arrangements and flight tickets, but there will be more. A lot more.

The current agreed date for travel is 5th of December, which is less than two months away. Excitement is crawling up my spine already.

Tags: planning, practical stuff, travel