My flight got in at 8:00AM and I went through immigration and customs with no problem. Then it was time to get my flight set up to get home. While at Mumbi, they gave me a piece of paper that had four flights listed that I could take, most of which were with Delta. Because I like flying Northwest, I started out at that counter. They looked at my paper and said they couldn't help me I had to go to Delta, which was in a different terminal. I then lugged my two overwight pieces of luggage, my backpack and my purse onto a airtrain over to Delta's terminal. Delta then looked at my paper and said those flights don't exist and that they couldn't help me. There was a SunCountry flight listed and they said maybe they could help me. The problem with that was they were back at the terminal I just left. So back I went. Only to be told by SunCountry that they had no agreement with AirIndia and I'd have to pay for my flight home. They told me to try Northwest. Back I went to Northwest and they checked their flights and said what they had given me at AirIndia was incorrect, but they did have a flight out at 5:30PM that they could put me on and I was delighted. She chastized be a bit for my overweight luggage, but took care of me none the less.
Once relieved of my luggage, I could wander around with ease. The airport had many shops I could browse in, while waiting for the Samual Adams to open up. I called home and let them know I would be arriving at around 8:00PM. Then I went and bought a choc. santa. It didn't ring up the right price and I debated with them until they gave me the discount listed on the sign. Afterwards, I started thinking about how that was second nature to me after three weeks in India. Finally, the restaurant opened up and I got to go in. I ordered a hamburger, fries and a Coke - with ICE. It was so good. Because of my ordeal, the waiter gave me a free refill of Coke.
I sat there for hours reflecting on this whole adventure. I wrote down many notes to use in my Final Reflection Paper. It was a good time to just let the whole experience sink in. I was by myself just letting all my emotions flow. As I reviewed the experience in my mind, tears came to my eyes. I don't know why, but I was just overwhelmed. I had been through so much and realized how blessed we are as Americans that it just hit me hard what these Indian people have to endure on a day to day basis.
My flight to Minneapolis was uneventful and when I got to the airport luggage area, my husband was there to greet me. My son and daughter had driven down with him so they could go out for dinner with us. I was so happy to see them. It was great to have them all there. We went out for dinner at Famous Dave's for BBQ beef. It was delicious. We got a chance to catch up. My daughter gave me the biggest hug ever. She had held it together pretty well after her accident, but once she saw me, it was like she could relax and let go of some of her stress. Mom was home and she would take care of everything. It's nice to be needed. I talked the whole way home. By the time we got home, I had pretty much told them about the whole trip. How I could fit three weeks into three hours is beyond me. I was never so happy to step foot in my house. I was home and it looked great.
Thanks for a life changing experience. It was an adventure I will never forget!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
Our flight was delayed until late in the morning. We sat around the airport dying to get going. I tried to get a nap in while sitting up in a chair. After a few hours, I gave up and found a bench to lay down on. I was glad I had my toilet paper with and some quaker oats bars. They didn't seem to want to tell us what was going on, which added to the frustration. Finally we got on the plane and headed to Mumbi / Bombay.
When we got there, we were told we missed the flight to England and the next flight they could put us on went to Germany, but it didn't leave until 8:30 tomorrow. I didn't believe them. How could a city this large not have an earlier flight out, when it was only 3:00PM. While we were standing in some passport line, I kept an eye on the first-class line. I figured anyone waiting on people flying first class must have some knowledge and clout. As soon as the last person was done being waited on in that line, I zipped on over to the counter. I told them I needed to get home. My daughter had been in a car accident and I needed to get home to see her. They had sympathy for me and wisked me off to a room where someone set me up on a direct flight to JFK airport in New York leaving at 1:00AM. She told me not to talk to anyone about it, because they would not be able to do this for anyone else. I felt bad for the others, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I went with the group to the hotel and showered, ate some delicious food and had a drink. It was nice to relax with the group for one last time. We got to call home for three minutes to tell them about our delay. I couldn't reach anyone and had to leave a voice message. I hope they get it.
Then it was time to go to the airport. I was suppose to leave at 10:30pm. When I went down to the front desk for my ride, they told me to have a seat and someone would be by to pick me up in 15 minutes. Here we go with Indian time again, only this time we were playing with my ability to get home. I was not going to chance missing my flight. I stood up for myself and told them I needed a ride now. They said five minutes. After five minutes I went outside to see if anyone out there could help me. The man in charge out there told me it would be another 10 minutes. Then I overheard them talking about a flight delay and how the van was going to wait for the flight to come in before heading back to the hotel. I asked him if I heard that right and he asked me when my flight took off. There was no way I was going to tell him. They would have me waiting there all night. I told him I was suppose to have left 15 minutes ago and that I needed a taxi right now. He agreed and got me one. Thank goodness.
When I got to the airport, everything went smooth. I got on the plane and away I went. The plane had nice seats and a video screen in the seatback. I got to watch a movie and many TV shows. I slept a lot and listened to my Zune. I felt bad though, because there were many open seats and I think the rest of the group could have fit on this plane. They didn't want to allow the rest of the group on, because it was a more expensive flight.
When we got there, we were told we missed the flight to England and the next flight they could put us on went to Germany, but it didn't leave until 8:30 tomorrow. I didn't believe them. How could a city this large not have an earlier flight out, when it was only 3:00PM. While we were standing in some passport line, I kept an eye on the first-class line. I figured anyone waiting on people flying first class must have some knowledge and clout. As soon as the last person was done being waited on in that line, I zipped on over to the counter. I told them I needed to get home. My daughter had been in a car accident and I needed to get home to see her. They had sympathy for me and wisked me off to a room where someone set me up on a direct flight to JFK airport in New York leaving at 1:00AM. She told me not to talk to anyone about it, because they would not be able to do this for anyone else. I felt bad for the others, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I went with the group to the hotel and showered, ate some delicious food and had a drink. It was nice to relax with the group for one last time. We got to call home for three minutes to tell them about our delay. I couldn't reach anyone and had to leave a voice message. I hope they get it.
Then it was time to go to the airport. I was suppose to leave at 10:30pm. When I went down to the front desk for my ride, they told me to have a seat and someone would be by to pick me up in 15 minutes. Here we go with Indian time again, only this time we were playing with my ability to get home. I was not going to chance missing my flight. I stood up for myself and told them I needed a ride now. They said five minutes. After five minutes I went outside to see if anyone out there could help me. The man in charge out there told me it would be another 10 minutes. Then I overheard them talking about a flight delay and how the van was going to wait for the flight to come in before heading back to the hotel. I asked him if I heard that right and he asked me when my flight took off. There was no way I was going to tell him. They would have me waiting there all night. I told him I was suppose to have left 15 minutes ago and that I needed a taxi right now. He agreed and got me one. Thank goodness.
When I got to the airport, everything went smooth. I got on the plane and away I went. The plane had nice seats and a video screen in the seatback. I got to watch a movie and many TV shows. I slept a lot and listened to my Zune. I felt bad though, because there were many open seats and I think the rest of the group could have fit on this plane. They didn't want to allow the rest of the group on, because it was a more expensive flight.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
I woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. Then I rented a taxi and went to the Big Bazaar. I found a couple movies, a CD and two Tshirts. The taxi waited for me so it was easy to get back. Then it was time to weigh the suitcases. I had to repack and move items from one to the other - trying to get it as close to 50 lbs each as possible. I can hardly lift them. I'm leaving behind shampoo, soap, TP and a hair dryer. We'll see at the airport how close I came. I blogged until it was time to leave.
We arrived at the airport and got all checked in. Our flight was suppose to leave at 4:00AM.
We arrived at the airport and got all checked in. Our flight was suppose to leave at 4:00AM.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The check out experience in India leaves much to be desired. I had paid my bill on Monday and thought I was free and clear, but no. They said I owed more and it took me 30 minutes to get it straightened out. Several other people had trouble as well. Their business skills over here need work.
We then drove for a couple of hours to Bangalore. We went to another temple and a garden. We had lunch in a dive. I decided not to eat and instead ventured over to a Public School that was across the street from the restaurant. I was surprised to find out Public over here means Private. One of the teachers of geography gave me a tour. I went into all the classrooms and said hello to the kids. They all stood and welcomed me. The younger kids have 40 students in a classroom and then when they are in around third grade it goes down to 20-22. This is the opposite of the U.S. We feel the younger students need more one on one instruction at lower grades and increase it somewhat to 25-30 as they get older. The school was K-10 and I went into classes from pre-school to 8th grade. The rooms are very small. They use blackboards - no whiteboards, although they did have a computer lab that the students spend time in everyday. They have curriculum on the computers designed for teaching students subject matter. I met the principal and we talked about the education process that is necessary to teach as well as to become a principal. In order to be a principal she had to get an MBA.
When we got back to the hotel, we checked in and then eight of us rented two taxis to take us to the mall. We headed right for McDonalds. It was really interesting to see no beef served. I had a version of the Big Mac made out of spicy chicken. It was call the Maharaja burger. I also ate french fries and a coke. It was soooooo good. From there I went by myself to a Bollywood movie called Om Shanti Om. It was fantastic. It was not in English but every once in a while they would break out a few English words. There was one serious scene with a lot of yelling and in the end she says in English "I'm pregnant." That told me all about the scene in just two words. We had assigned seats and lots of food to chose from. They told me they'd bring it to my seat if I wanted. Since I had already eaten, I passed. A couple sat next to me and during the intermission the man left to get her somthing to dirnk. I asked her why they killed off the two stars of the show and she said not to worry they'd be back. I said how can they do that when they are dead and she said through reincarnation. She was right. After the intermission the main male star was back up on the screen reincarnated. It was funny, sad, scary, romantic, colorful, and full of dancing. I loved it.
I met Harvey, Gene and Merry after the show and we went to KFC. It was very good. They give you a salsa type sauce to dip the chicken stirps in. The cole slaw was very similar to the U.S. Then we found our cab driver who was driving a mercedes and he took us back to the hotel. He had waited for us the whole time we were there. We had to pay him an additional 600 rupes to stay. It was well worth it.
We then drove for a couple of hours to Bangalore. We went to another temple and a garden. We had lunch in a dive. I decided not to eat and instead ventured over to a Public School that was across the street from the restaurant. I was surprised to find out Public over here means Private. One of the teachers of geography gave me a tour. I went into all the classrooms and said hello to the kids. They all stood and welcomed me. The younger kids have 40 students in a classroom and then when they are in around third grade it goes down to 20-22. This is the opposite of the U.S. We feel the younger students need more one on one instruction at lower grades and increase it somewhat to 25-30 as they get older. The school was K-10 and I went into classes from pre-school to 8th grade. The rooms are very small. They use blackboards - no whiteboards, although they did have a computer lab that the students spend time in everyday. They have curriculum on the computers designed for teaching students subject matter. I met the principal and we talked about the education process that is necessary to teach as well as to become a principal. In order to be a principal she had to get an MBA.
When we got back to the hotel, we checked in and then eight of us rented two taxis to take us to the mall. We headed right for McDonalds. It was really interesting to see no beef served. I had a version of the Big Mac made out of spicy chicken. It was call the Maharaja burger. I also ate french fries and a coke. It was soooooo good. From there I went by myself to a Bollywood movie called Om Shanti Om. It was fantastic. It was not in English but every once in a while they would break out a few English words. There was one serious scene with a lot of yelling and in the end she says in English "I'm pregnant." That told me all about the scene in just two words. We had assigned seats and lots of food to chose from. They told me they'd bring it to my seat if I wanted. Since I had already eaten, I passed. A couple sat next to me and during the intermission the man left to get her somthing to dirnk. I asked her why they killed off the two stars of the show and she said not to worry they'd be back. I said how can they do that when they are dead and she said through reincarnation. She was right. After the intermission the main male star was back up on the screen reincarnated. It was funny, sad, scary, romantic, colorful, and full of dancing. I loved it.
I met Harvey, Gene and Merry after the show and we went to KFC. It was very good. They give you a salsa type sauce to dip the chicken stirps in. The cole slaw was very similar to the U.S. Then we found our cab driver who was driving a mercedes and he took us back to the hotel. He had waited for us the whole time we were there. We had to pay him an additional 600 rupes to stay. It was well worth it.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
We had class in the morning and the topic was e-governance. It was pretty interesting, given my IT background. Teresa had gone shopping for a gift for our "tourguide / instructor." We all chipped in and bought him a rug. We presented it to him before class. He really liked it and said he would use it for special occassions only, because it was so nice.
We had the afternoon to do what we wanted, so Genny and I went to the zoo. On the way we saw many cows painted yellow. We saw some pink sheep earlier. A man at a shop told us they have the cows walk through fire as a part of the celebration. It is suppose to help keep the hoof and mouth disease at bay. Today is a holiday here. The zoo was really nice. It is a big zoo compared to the Duluth Zoo. It was much more in line with the size of the San Diego Zoo. It had giraffs, elephants, tigers, gorilla, bears, and much more. It was very relaxing.
When we got back, it was time to dress for dinner. A bunch of us girls wore our new sarre outfits we purchased in town. The dinner was excellent. There was an appitizer that reminded me of nachos. I spent most of the evening talking to the professor that spoke today in class. We compared experiences with regards to our careers in the field of IT. He said he hopes to stay in touch with me in the future. The Institute gave us all very nice jackets to take with us.
When we got back to the hotel, a bunch of us went down to a conference room and played Apples to Apples. It was a lot of fun and gave us one last evening of bonding in Mysore.
We had the afternoon to do what we wanted, so Genny and I went to the zoo. On the way we saw many cows painted yellow. We saw some pink sheep earlier. A man at a shop told us they have the cows walk through fire as a part of the celebration. It is suppose to help keep the hoof and mouth disease at bay. Today is a holiday here. The zoo was really nice. It is a big zoo compared to the Duluth Zoo. It was much more in line with the size of the San Diego Zoo. It had giraffs, elephants, tigers, gorilla, bears, and much more. It was very relaxing.
When we got back, it was time to dress for dinner. A bunch of us girls wore our new sarre outfits we purchased in town. The dinner was excellent. There was an appitizer that reminded me of nachos. I spent most of the evening talking to the professor that spoke today in class. We compared experiences with regards to our careers in the field of IT. He said he hopes to stay in touch with me in the future. The Institute gave us all very nice jackets to take with us.
When we got back to the hotel, a bunch of us went down to a conference room and played Apples to Apples. It was a lot of fun and gave us one last evening of bonding in Mysore.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Class today focused on Branding and was given by Professor Balakrishnan. We were then free for the afternoon. I was able to get caught up on my blogs and e-mail, which was really helpful.
After class we had another session with the media. After listening to the questions being asked of Gene and Harvey, I decided to join the guys in answering questions. I felt my IT background may be of interest because of India's concentration of IT professionals. I don't normally like to talk to reporters because they have a tendency to slant your words to the direction they want their article to go. My words never seem to be quoted in the context in which they were said. But, I set my reservations aside and opened up my thoughts to the discussion. I feel it went pretty well. A few of them seemed to have an agenda, but for the most part the questions weren't too tough. I'll be anxious to see if anything we said is printed and is printed correctly.
I tried to get another massage, but they were totally booked. I had wanted to go to the "Olive Garden" Chinese restaurant for a week and figured this would be my last chance. Everybody was gone so I decided to go alone. It was not the best idea. The driver of the rickshaw really wanted to talk to me. He kept pulling over to the side of the road and turning around to talk to me. I finally told him I was in a hurry and that we needed to keep moving. I was able to order two dinners, chicken fried rice, and two cokes for $10. Not bad. I took the food as take out and went back to the hotel to eat it. It was really good. If they offered delivery, they would have gotten more business. Both Subway and Pizza Hut delivered for free to our hotel. Not like back home.
Late in the afternoon, Karl, Gene, Harvey, Teresa, and I went into town to pick up everybody's clothes. Then we went to Subway for dinner. It was kind of neat because it was just the MBA students. We had never gone out as a group before. It was kind of nice. The food was good, but Teresa bought a cookie and it had ants crawling under it. That kind of spoiled it for her.
After class we had another session with the media. After listening to the questions being asked of Gene and Harvey, I decided to join the guys in answering questions. I felt my IT background may be of interest because of India's concentration of IT professionals. I don't normally like to talk to reporters because they have a tendency to slant your words to the direction they want their article to go. My words never seem to be quoted in the context in which they were said. But, I set my reservations aside and opened up my thoughts to the discussion. I feel it went pretty well. A few of them seemed to have an agenda, but for the most part the questions weren't too tough. I'll be anxious to see if anything we said is printed and is printed correctly.
I tried to get another massage, but they were totally booked. I had wanted to go to the "Olive Garden" Chinese restaurant for a week and figured this would be my last chance. Everybody was gone so I decided to go alone. It was not the best idea. The driver of the rickshaw really wanted to talk to me. He kept pulling over to the side of the road and turning around to talk to me. I finally told him I was in a hurry and that we needed to keep moving. I was able to order two dinners, chicken fried rice, and two cokes for $10. Not bad. I took the food as take out and went back to the hotel to eat it. It was really good. If they offered delivery, they would have gotten more business. Both Subway and Pizza Hut delivered for free to our hotel. Not like back home.
Late in the afternoon, Karl, Gene, Harvey, Teresa, and I went into town to pick up everybody's clothes. Then we went to Subway for dinner. It was kind of neat because it was just the MBA students. We had never gone out as a group before. It was kind of nice. The food was good, but Teresa bought a cookie and it had ants crawling under it. That kind of spoiled it for her.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Another day of sightseeing. The roads were so bad it was unbelievable. We saw more countryside than I could imagine. We went to several temples, a beach, and a waterfall. The beach was really fun. We took a ride in a round boat across the river and back. A man used a pole to navigate and propel us. Then he took a big paddle and spun us around. I thought Teresa was going to get sick. There was a whole bunch of kids swimming in the water. They decided to splash us and thought it was funny getting us wet.
The waterfall was pretty. It looked like the one I saw on the Big Island of Hawaii. The main problem I had with the trip was there was NO American toilet on a trip of 10 hours. Not good. The bumpy roads I can handle, the car sickness I can handle. No American toilets, I can't handle. What can I say?
Teresa and I went shopping to pick up our outfits. Neither place was able to get the grease off the outfits. I was not happy about that. Quality control is definitely an issue over here. I bought a couple bottles of wine to bring home. Let's hope they make it. I returned a hair dryer I bought, because it wouldn't let me turn it off. It was an interesting experience. They wanted me to come back later after they had a chance to fix it. When I told them I would be leaving soon, they gave up and replaced it with one that worked. I spent the evening studying and trying to get over being car sick.
The waterfall was pretty. It looked like the one I saw on the Big Island of Hawaii. The main problem I had with the trip was there was NO American toilet on a trip of 10 hours. Not good. The bumpy roads I can handle, the car sickness I can handle. No American toilets, I can't handle. What can I say?
Teresa and I went shopping to pick up our outfits. Neither place was able to get the grease off the outfits. I was not happy about that. Quality control is definitely an issue over here. I bought a couple bottles of wine to bring home. Let's hope they make it. I returned a hair dryer I bought, because it wouldn't let me turn it off. It was an interesting experience. They wanted me to come back later after they had a chance to fix it. When I told them I would be leaving soon, they gave up and replaced it with one that worked. I spent the evening studying and trying to get over being car sick.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
This was a day for seeing temples. We drove for hours in a bus to a temple that had over 600 stairs to get to the top. We had to take off our shoes at the bottom and walk up in our stocking feet. It was exhausting. The temple at the top had naked men walking around because they have given up all personal items and concentrate on praying. There was a tall stone figure of a man. They wash it every so many years with different colored items. Then we had to walk back down. I definitely got my exercise today.
We stopped at a beautiful restaurant for lunch. We were so happy to have a clean bathroom available. The lunch was very good. We left and traveled on very rough roads for a very long time to two more temples. The detailed carvings were amazing. It took 1000 men over 100 years to complete the second temple we saw. Bouncing around on the bus ride got me a little car sick. We ended the tour at the Institute for a picture.
It was Gene's 38th birthday so we went back to The Road for more dancing. Harvey took a ride on a motorcycle and took a spill. He got a few scrapes on his hands, arms, and face. We couldn't believe it.
We stopped at a beautiful restaurant for lunch. We were so happy to have a clean bathroom available. The lunch was very good. We left and traveled on very rough roads for a very long time to two more temples. The detailed carvings were amazing. It took 1000 men over 100 years to complete the second temple we saw. Bouncing around on the bus ride got me a little car sick. We ended the tour at the Institute for a picture.
It was Gene's 38th birthday so we went back to The Road for more dancing. Harvey took a ride on a motorcycle and took a spill. He got a few scrapes on his hands, arms, and face. We couldn't believe it.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Today we had Dr. Krishnar, the CEO of TaegnTec, which is owned by IMC, as our guest speaker. This company makes cutting tools. This is an international company with a factory in Korea that is 10 times the size of the plant in India. This was an example of the #6 Flattner - Offshoring. He also talked about Flattner #7 - Supply Chaining when he addressed getting product from Korea to India and then delivered to the customer. He was very interesting. He also made a comment as did L & T about in the past the need was to have a core competency in knowing how to obtain a license. Most Indians are happy about the reforms made in the early 90's.
We then had our site visit to Infosys. I really enjoyed this site visit. The structure of this company is very similar to DMR Consulting, which is an IT consulting company I worked for in the past. Infosys is a prime example of Flattner#5 - Outsourcing. I helped bring over Indians in 1998 & 1999 to work on the Year 2000 problem. They went back to India when the issue was over. The division I worked for was closed due to outsourcing of the jobs to another country where costs were cheaper.
This division of Infosys was noted for International Training for the company. The campus was enormous and state of the art. They bring thousands of new employees to this site for training and then ship them out to the division they will serve. This is a good example of the Free Market View - specialize in a service that can be produced most efficiently. They didn't have a lot to show us - a few classrooms, the library, and what they offer the employees on campus. This included a swimming pool, bowling alley, basketball courts, music room, grocery store, movie theatre that looked like Epcot Center, and pool tables. It wouldn't be interesting to see a bunch of programmers coding at their desks.
Some of the terms they use that are the same as what was used at DMR are - Centers of Excellence - areas they focus on, Delivery Managers - employees that manage multiple projects, and Verticles - Healthcare, Banking, Manufacturing. They also use people with business background as Business Analysts and Microsoft Project to manage projects. After listening to the presentation/discussion, touring the facilities, having 25 years in the business, and having worked for another IT consulting company, I felt like I could step right into working for this company and would have no problem sending work to this facility.
In the evening we went to a talent show at the institute. I was very impressed with the show they put on. There was beautiful dancing and lots of humor. Rajiv was especially humorous as was Teresa. We then went to The Road dancing / bar. It was a lot of fun - I danced the entire night. It is funny that the younger students can't believe old people like me can dance so well. I wonder what they thought we did when we were their age. Then add 20 more years of dancing experience and here I am.
We then had our site visit to Infosys. I really enjoyed this site visit. The structure of this company is very similar to DMR Consulting, which is an IT consulting company I worked for in the past. Infosys is a prime example of Flattner#5 - Outsourcing. I helped bring over Indians in 1998 & 1999 to work on the Year 2000 problem. They went back to India when the issue was over. The division I worked for was closed due to outsourcing of the jobs to another country where costs were cheaper.
This division of Infosys was noted for International Training for the company. The campus was enormous and state of the art. They bring thousands of new employees to this site for training and then ship them out to the division they will serve. This is a good example of the Free Market View - specialize in a service that can be produced most efficiently. They didn't have a lot to show us - a few classrooms, the library, and what they offer the employees on campus. This included a swimming pool, bowling alley, basketball courts, music room, grocery store, movie theatre that looked like Epcot Center, and pool tables. It wouldn't be interesting to see a bunch of programmers coding at their desks.
Some of the terms they use that are the same as what was used at DMR are - Centers of Excellence - areas they focus on, Delivery Managers - employees that manage multiple projects, and Verticles - Healthcare, Banking, Manufacturing. They also use people with business background as Business Analysts and Microsoft Project to manage projects. After listening to the presentation/discussion, touring the facilities, having 25 years in the business, and having worked for another IT consulting company, I felt like I could step right into working for this company and would have no problem sending work to this facility.
In the evening we went to a talent show at the institute. I was very impressed with the show they put on. There was beautiful dancing and lots of humor. Rajiv was especially humorous as was Teresa. We then went to The Road dancing / bar. It was a lot of fun - I danced the entire night. It is funny that the younger students can't believe old people like me can dance so well. I wonder what they thought we did when we were their age. Then add 20 more years of dancing experience and here I am.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Today class was about the Indian Service Industry and Business Opportunities. The speaker was much easier to understand than some of the others. We covered Healthcare, Hotel and Tourism, IT Enables Services, the Insurance Industry, the Media and Entertainment Industry, Retail, Telecom, and Aviation. She was very well informed and gave many people ideas of areas to invest.
Next I tried in vane to update my blog. The computers went down as I was finishing my blog and I lost a good portion of it. That is so frustrating. We then headed out to visit Larsen and Toubro - L & T. It definitely increased my confidence in the ability of this country to house businesses that can overcome the major infrastructure issues that are so apparent as we have interacted with different parts of this city.
The head of Emsys Operations hosted our visit. They really rolled out the red carpet. We started out with a buffet that included the best food I've had since I got here. The head of HR sat at our table, which allowed us to ask a lot of questions about their practices. They have very low turnover, which isn't surprising. But, he said the thing he is most proud of is that they were able to get rid of the unions that use to exist at the company by incorporating the types of employee relations issues that make employees happy. They pay a good wage, which was their employees top concern. They also began to only employee people that graduated from college. He said they have a better level of expectations and perform at a high quality level.
We toured their technology division, which creates games for cell phones. One of the workers showed us a game he was working on. I was really interested in the division that creates software and could have spent an hour talking to this man about what it takes to outsource something from the US to here, but there was not enough time. I really enjoyed the part of the tour where they showed us how they are creating state of the art meters, because I could relate this back to Duluth. Duluth just voted to replace all of the home meters that have to be read by individual meter readers with computerized meters that can be accessed from a centralized base. The old way of reading meters has been around for 100 years and just when we decided to jump into the new era, I got to visit a plant that is making them. How exciting is that!
While walking from building to building, I walked with the host and had the opportunity to ask many questions. One of them pertained to the availability of clean water. He said this is a major issue in India and their company has built salination plants to take water from the ocean and make it usable for human consumption. The problem they are having is making it accessable to the everyday person through the regular tap in their homes. That is one of the stumbling blocks they are going to have to address at some point in the future. When people come to visit the plant, they make sure there is plenty of water in bottles, so the clients don't feel the sense of contaminated water and the ability to find good water. The electrical supply is also an issue, especially when they need a constant supply of energy to test their equipment. They have set up separate in-house energy supplies to alleveate this concern.
They also have a major division that is dedicated to making equipment for the healthcare industry. He told us their major problem was the lack of having someone in the states that could translate the requirements into specifications. They started sending Indians to the US to work with companies to develop the specs and their business increased significantly. They also had to work on their marketing / brochure systems. This man was so open and honest with what has occurred over his tenure that the level of trust seemed to just build. I can see how people from all over the globe would be willing to send work to this company.
Pavan Varma, in Being Indian, talks about the "messy democracy" within India. Our host gave us an indication as to how messy it was. He said early on the company had to get a license for everything they did. They couldn't do anything, even design a cup and saucer, without getting a license. But, with the major renovations to their system, it has gotten better. The problem still remains with the legal system and how long it takes to get through the courts, especially when anyone seems to be able to sue for just about anything. I asked about the ability to use Eminent Domain to obtain land for road contruction and that doesn't seem to help, because the people can still tie them up in the courts.
I could go on and on about this company and the information we gained, but that would make for too long of a blog. So hopefully you got the picture to some extent. The problem with this whole picture is that there are little pockets of companies that have seen the Ten Flattners contribute to the success of their companies. When I left this company and came back to reality with the larger part of India, I became frustrated again. Instead of going shopping or reading my book, I decided to go to the Institute to work on my blogs. When I got there, the internet was not accessable. It was down. I had to try and find someone to work on it. I spent 45 minutes waiting and finally gave up and went back to the hotel. I'm not use to the variation in internet availability and thought India with all its global recognition for IT would have top of the line internet speed and internet availability.
I went back to the hotel, found Teresa and went shopping. I guess if I can't work, I might as well contribute to the local economy.
Next I tried in vane to update my blog. The computers went down as I was finishing my blog and I lost a good portion of it. That is so frustrating. We then headed out to visit Larsen and Toubro - L & T. It definitely increased my confidence in the ability of this country to house businesses that can overcome the major infrastructure issues that are so apparent as we have interacted with different parts of this city.
The head of Emsys Operations hosted our visit. They really rolled out the red carpet. We started out with a buffet that included the best food I've had since I got here. The head of HR sat at our table, which allowed us to ask a lot of questions about their practices. They have very low turnover, which isn't surprising. But, he said the thing he is most proud of is that they were able to get rid of the unions that use to exist at the company by incorporating the types of employee relations issues that make employees happy. They pay a good wage, which was their employees top concern. They also began to only employee people that graduated from college. He said they have a better level of expectations and perform at a high quality level.
We toured their technology division, which creates games for cell phones. One of the workers showed us a game he was working on. I was really interested in the division that creates software and could have spent an hour talking to this man about what it takes to outsource something from the US to here, but there was not enough time. I really enjoyed the part of the tour where they showed us how they are creating state of the art meters, because I could relate this back to Duluth. Duluth just voted to replace all of the home meters that have to be read by individual meter readers with computerized meters that can be accessed from a centralized base. The old way of reading meters has been around for 100 years and just when we decided to jump into the new era, I got to visit a plant that is making them. How exciting is that!
While walking from building to building, I walked with the host and had the opportunity to ask many questions. One of them pertained to the availability of clean water. He said this is a major issue in India and their company has built salination plants to take water from the ocean and make it usable for human consumption. The problem they are having is making it accessable to the everyday person through the regular tap in their homes. That is one of the stumbling blocks they are going to have to address at some point in the future. When people come to visit the plant, they make sure there is plenty of water in bottles, so the clients don't feel the sense of contaminated water and the ability to find good water. The electrical supply is also an issue, especially when they need a constant supply of energy to test their equipment. They have set up separate in-house energy supplies to alleveate this concern.
They also have a major division that is dedicated to making equipment for the healthcare industry. He told us their major problem was the lack of having someone in the states that could translate the requirements into specifications. They started sending Indians to the US to work with companies to develop the specs and their business increased significantly. They also had to work on their marketing / brochure systems. This man was so open and honest with what has occurred over his tenure that the level of trust seemed to just build. I can see how people from all over the globe would be willing to send work to this company.
Pavan Varma, in Being Indian, talks about the "messy democracy" within India. Our host gave us an indication as to how messy it was. He said early on the company had to get a license for everything they did. They couldn't do anything, even design a cup and saucer, without getting a license. But, with the major renovations to their system, it has gotten better. The problem still remains with the legal system and how long it takes to get through the courts, especially when anyone seems to be able to sue for just about anything. I asked about the ability to use Eminent Domain to obtain land for road contruction and that doesn't seem to help, because the people can still tie them up in the courts.
I could go on and on about this company and the information we gained, but that would make for too long of a blog. So hopefully you got the picture to some extent. The problem with this whole picture is that there are little pockets of companies that have seen the Ten Flattners contribute to the success of their companies. When I left this company and came back to reality with the larger part of India, I became frustrated again. Instead of going shopping or reading my book, I decided to go to the Institute to work on my blogs. When I got there, the internet was not accessable. It was down. I had to try and find someone to work on it. I spent 45 minutes waiting and finally gave up and went back to the hotel. I'm not use to the variation in internet availability and thought India with all its global recognition for IT would have top of the line internet speed and internet availability.
I went back to the hotel, found Teresa and went shopping. I guess if I can't work, I might as well contribute to the local economy.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Today we started out the day with a tour of a sandelwood factory. It was very archaic and I had a hard time understanding the guide. When thinking about the flattening of the world, this tour made me have second thoughts as to how flat it is getting. The government controls this industry and the language barriers of this culture are still an issue. Yes, India has a lot of English speaking people, but they are very hard to understand. This is something that will have to be overcome to a greater extent than is currently in place. The encouraging aspect is that they want to become more global and seem to be willing to do whatever it takes to get there.
Next we toured a silk textile manufacturer. This was very interesting. It was very loud and not everyone had earplugs. There will be a group of people with a loss of hearing because of this factory. The process is government run as well. They have control of it from the use of the silk worms all the way through the creation of the finished fabric. The safety of the people on the production floor is of significant concern to me. This tour didn't have an official tour guide, but the Institute's instructor gave us an overview. I was reminded of the book Being Indian and the importance of status and power among Indians when I asked our instructor why we had to show our passports and leave our belongings in the car seeing as though we didn't have to at the previous site and they are both government run. He said it was to show off his power and status. I guess Pavan Varma was right.
We then went to the Institute and had time to check our e-mails and blog. This is when I found out about my daughter's car accident. I spent a good portion of the afternoon trying to find out how she is doing. It is frustrating to not be able to pick up a phone and call Duluth. How can the world be flat with this type of roadblock. The hotelroom I'm staying in doesn't have access to long distance calls. The telecommunications and tourism industries need to become more advanced for this country to grow.
In the afternoon I went to pick up my outfits that I had made. A grease stain was on the front of one of the dresses and the store owner wanted me to take it anyway. I told him he had to get it cleaned or I didn't want it. We'll see how he does. I then went to pick up the shirts I had made. There were two grease marks on one of those as well. He also said to take it home and wash it and it would come out. I said no, that I would not accept it unless he washed out the stain. He said he would. A little later he asked me to pick out a different fabric in case the stain didn't come out. At least he was a little more accomodating than the first place.
My concern is that quality is very important in the world of business. If these businesses want to grow and do trade in other parts of the world, they will have to step up the level of quality and have a better understanding as to what is acceptable to the global customer.
Next we toured a silk textile manufacturer. This was very interesting. It was very loud and not everyone had earplugs. There will be a group of people with a loss of hearing because of this factory. The process is government run as well. They have control of it from the use of the silk worms all the way through the creation of the finished fabric. The safety of the people on the production floor is of significant concern to me. This tour didn't have an official tour guide, but the Institute's instructor gave us an overview. I was reminded of the book Being Indian and the importance of status and power among Indians when I asked our instructor why we had to show our passports and leave our belongings in the car seeing as though we didn't have to at the previous site and they are both government run. He said it was to show off his power and status. I guess Pavan Varma was right.
We then went to the Institute and had time to check our e-mails and blog. This is when I found out about my daughter's car accident. I spent a good portion of the afternoon trying to find out how she is doing. It is frustrating to not be able to pick up a phone and call Duluth. How can the world be flat with this type of roadblock. The hotelroom I'm staying in doesn't have access to long distance calls. The telecommunications and tourism industries need to become more advanced for this country to grow.
In the afternoon I went to pick up my outfits that I had made. A grease stain was on the front of one of the dresses and the store owner wanted me to take it anyway. I told him he had to get it cleaned or I didn't want it. We'll see how he does. I then went to pick up the shirts I had made. There were two grease marks on one of those as well. He also said to take it home and wash it and it would come out. I said no, that I would not accept it unless he washed out the stain. He said he would. A little later he asked me to pick out a different fabric in case the stain didn't come out. At least he was a little more accomodating than the first place.
My concern is that quality is very important in the world of business. If these businesses want to grow and do trade in other parts of the world, they will have to step up the level of quality and have a better understanding as to what is acceptable to the global customer.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
We were woken up at 6:15 by a knock at our door with a man delivering coffee. By 6:45 we were loaded onto the jeeps again and off to the jungle. A jeep not to far ahead of us spotted a tiger, but it was gone by the time we got there. They are very hard to find. We drove to a road, turned off the jeep and waited quietly. It was a crisp, cool morning, but the sun was shining brightly. It was kind of erie watching the woods and listening for any kind of sound that would indicate animals were on their way into our view.
Then the guide signaled for silence and the next thing we knew, a deer ran across the road while being chased by wild dogs. Several dogs came running by one after the other. The wild dogs chase down their prey and take bites out of it while it dies a slow death. These dogs are not tameable and run in packs. They are hard to see, let alone see them in a chase for their next meal. I felt pretty lucky to have seen them in action. We saw deer, monkeys, a wild boar and a group of elephants at the watering hole. It was a real thrill to watch the elephants drinking and breaking logs right in front of our eyes. These outings made my whole trip.
When we arrived back at the hotel, we had the rest of the afternoon and evening to ourselves. Most of the group was going shopping, but I chose to pamper myself. I set up an appointment for a facial and pedicure at the Emerge Spa. A driver came and picked me up a little early so I could wander around the grounds and take pictures. Another tranqil spot in a country of contrasts. I have never had a pedicure before and found it to be very relaxing. The facial was a lot different than back in the states. This one was much more relaxing. There were lots of layers of lotions, milk water, cucumbers on my eyes and a gooy mask. Hot towels were used to take off each of the layers. When all was said and done, my face was very soft and felt great.
The driver took me back to my hotel where I spent the evening studying and watching "Shall We Dance". It is weird watching an American movie half way across the world. A little after 10PM Gene asked me if I wanted to join the others at a nightclub, where a group of our students had gone earlier in the evening. So I did and we all danced on the dancefloor until they kicked us out, which was at about 11:00PM.
Then the guide signaled for silence and the next thing we knew, a deer ran across the road while being chased by wild dogs. Several dogs came running by one after the other. The wild dogs chase down their prey and take bites out of it while it dies a slow death. These dogs are not tameable and run in packs. They are hard to see, let alone see them in a chase for their next meal. I felt pretty lucky to have seen them in action. We saw deer, monkeys, a wild boar and a group of elephants at the watering hole. It was a real thrill to watch the elephants drinking and breaking logs right in front of our eyes. These outings made my whole trip.
When we arrived back at the hotel, we had the rest of the afternoon and evening to ourselves. Most of the group was going shopping, but I chose to pamper myself. I set up an appointment for a facial and pedicure at the Emerge Spa. A driver came and picked me up a little early so I could wander around the grounds and take pictures. Another tranqil spot in a country of contrasts. I have never had a pedicure before and found it to be very relaxing. The facial was a lot different than back in the states. This one was much more relaxing. There were lots of layers of lotions, milk water, cucumbers on my eyes and a gooy mask. Hot towels were used to take off each of the layers. When all was said and done, my face was very soft and felt great.
The driver took me back to my hotel where I spent the evening studying and watching "Shall We Dance". It is weird watching an American movie half way across the world. A little after 10PM Gene asked me if I wanted to join the others at a nightclub, where a group of our students had gone earlier in the evening. So I did and we all danced on the dancefloor until they kicked us out, which was at about 11:00PM.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Today was our trip to the Kabini River Lodge. After a two hour bus ride on some of the worst roads yet, we arrived to find a place that exhumed tranquility. It was so peaceful and calm. It looked like we were at a camp. There were bungalows and tent cabins to sleep in. Teresa and I shared a room that was very nice, although the beds were hard as rock. The first thing we did was go exploring. We found a gigantic hammock that a bunch of us climbed onto and relaxed for a few moments. Then we ventured onto a trail that took us to some giant termite mounds. We thought they were anthills until our guide told us what they were.
We then went back and checked into our rooms. Lunch was served and it was very close to American. Many of us were very happy. At 4PM we loaded up the jeeps for our excursion into the jungle. It was fantastic. We saw spotted deer, two kinds of monkeys, some larger deer like animal, wild hogs and then the coo de gra - elephants - three of them. One was a bit smaller and not too happy to see us. He kept swiping the ground with his right front foot - kind of like a bull does before he charges. He was very figity and went behind our jeep. I took lots of pictures. We kept going in search of the elusive tiger, but to no avail. I felt like we were on our ATV's back home. The forest and trails looked like it could have been something I'd ride on back in MN or WI. We even drove under some electrical line paths. On the way back we encountered what I'll call a wild buffalo. That's not the real name, but they sure looked like buffalo. I guess they are hard to find because they are very shy animals.
When we got back to camp we watched a movie that is similar to National Geographic. Then it was off to dinner and then back to our rooms. We had a slight problem when we arrived. There was a gheko in our room on the wall. Teresa tried to shoe it out by standing on a chair with a floor mat and her shoe, but instead of leaving the room it climbed up the wall. It was a little after 10PM and I knocked on Rajiv's door and asked him if he would come over and get the gheko out of our room. He basically told us that it wouldn't hurt us and to just ignore it, which of course we couldn't. I slept with my head under the covers the entire night. I listened to the sound of monkeys ousiide my window while I fell asleep.
We then went back and checked into our rooms. Lunch was served and it was very close to American. Many of us were very happy. At 4PM we loaded up the jeeps for our excursion into the jungle. It was fantastic. We saw spotted deer, two kinds of monkeys, some larger deer like animal, wild hogs and then the coo de gra - elephants - three of them. One was a bit smaller and not too happy to see us. He kept swiping the ground with his right front foot - kind of like a bull does before he charges. He was very figity and went behind our jeep. I took lots of pictures. We kept going in search of the elusive tiger, but to no avail. I felt like we were on our ATV's back home. The forest and trails looked like it could have been something I'd ride on back in MN or WI. We even drove under some electrical line paths. On the way back we encountered what I'll call a wild buffalo. That's not the real name, but they sure looked like buffalo. I guess they are hard to find because they are very shy animals.
When we got back to camp we watched a movie that is similar to National Geographic. Then it was off to dinner and then back to our rooms. We had a slight problem when we arrived. There was a gheko in our room on the wall. Teresa tried to shoe it out by standing on a chair with a floor mat and her shoe, but instead of leaving the room it climbed up the wall. It was a little after 10PM and I knocked on Rajiv's door and asked him if he would come over and get the gheko out of our room. He basically told us that it wouldn't hurt us and to just ignore it, which of course we couldn't. I slept with my head under the covers the entire night. I listened to the sound of monkeys ousiide my window while I fell asleep.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Today was a jam packed day of visiting beautiful sites. We started out the morning at 7:00 AM with a trip up the Chamundi Hill to the temple. It is visited by so many people every day. We had to take our shoes off before entering the temple and walk on ground that was littered with monkey and cow droppings. Everybody was pretty disgusted with the walk. The lines to get into the temple were long, but somehow we got to the front of the line. You were jam packed into this small room with people giving alms to the men taking care of the temple. The idol was drapped in flowers. They treat it as if it were a person. On the way out, there were people touching the backside of the building because the idol was just on the otherside of the wall. There was a monkey sitting on the ledge eating a banana, which was odd to see in the middle of all the people.
We then headed back down the hill, but stopped to see a large statue of a bull. The bull is the transport vehicle of one of the Gods. We also stopped to take pictures of the view of the city. It is a very large city that stretches out for miles. When we arrived at the institute, our instructor was ready to teach us Yoga. We each got a mat and laid them out on the ground. We watched the students first and then he had us mimic them. I had really wanted to do this before he talked about the part of praying to different Gods. Then I realized it was not for me. I pray to Jesus Christ as my one and only God. It was interesting poses and may be good exercise.
The Secretary of the college spoke with us and wanted to know how our visit was going. We told him we were very pleased with everything they have done. They have outdone themselves. Next, we moved onto the Maharaja's Palace. It was unbelievable. The intricate designs, wood carvings, tiles, and gifts from many countries were displayed in elegant grandeur. It is such a contrast to walk from the poor conditions people live in just outside the gates of the palace, to the over abundance of wealth that is obvious as soon as you step in the door. It is interesting that the marble stairs brought me back to my job at the St. Louis County Courthouse. The amount of marble I see on a daily basis lulls you into the state that this is normal. Seeing the marble stairs in a palace setting will make me appreciate the exquiste taste of those that went before me. It will be a reminder of the palace visited in 2008.
I was pleased to visit a Catholic Church built in the gothic style. It was small but well done. It thrills me that Christians can live alongside Hindus and Muslims without strife in a country besides the U.S. There were many bee hives hanging from the outside rafters. They had many shapes and sizes. We then traveled to a summer palace and had lunch on the lawn. They had packed us a lunch, which was well received by the group. We had vegetable cutlets, cheese sandwiches, luke warm french fries, and bananas. We visited the palace, which was much less opulent than the first palace and in much need of repair.
We stopped for tea or a coke on the way back towards the city, which was very much appreciated. Then it was on to the bird sanctuary. This place was nice. We saw lots of birds and fruit bats, but the highlight was a boat ride around the lake with crocodiles resting on rocks and the river bank. It was a little intimidating. We then moved onto the gardens. They were beautiful. A dam was built in the early 1900's, which allowed for the building of this beautiful park. There were water fountains and a view of the lake from the top of the dam. The sun was setting, which added to the beauty of the moment. Thousands of people visit these gardens daily.
It was getting dark and time to head back to the city to view the palace at night. There are around 9,600 light bulbs that are lit on Sunday evenings from 7 to 8pm. We arrived to see the palace lit in all its glory. The palace was lit along with most of the periphrial buildings. It was a wonderful way to end a long day of sight seeing.
We then headed back down the hill, but stopped to see a large statue of a bull. The bull is the transport vehicle of one of the Gods. We also stopped to take pictures of the view of the city. It is a very large city that stretches out for miles. When we arrived at the institute, our instructor was ready to teach us Yoga. We each got a mat and laid them out on the ground. We watched the students first and then he had us mimic them. I had really wanted to do this before he talked about the part of praying to different Gods. Then I realized it was not for me. I pray to Jesus Christ as my one and only God. It was interesting poses and may be good exercise.
The Secretary of the college spoke with us and wanted to know how our visit was going. We told him we were very pleased with everything they have done. They have outdone themselves. Next, we moved onto the Maharaja's Palace. It was unbelievable. The intricate designs, wood carvings, tiles, and gifts from many countries were displayed in elegant grandeur. It is such a contrast to walk from the poor conditions people live in just outside the gates of the palace, to the over abundance of wealth that is obvious as soon as you step in the door. It is interesting that the marble stairs brought me back to my job at the St. Louis County Courthouse. The amount of marble I see on a daily basis lulls you into the state that this is normal. Seeing the marble stairs in a palace setting will make me appreciate the exquiste taste of those that went before me. It will be a reminder of the palace visited in 2008.
I was pleased to visit a Catholic Church built in the gothic style. It was small but well done. It thrills me that Christians can live alongside Hindus and Muslims without strife in a country besides the U.S. There were many bee hives hanging from the outside rafters. They had many shapes and sizes. We then traveled to a summer palace and had lunch on the lawn. They had packed us a lunch, which was well received by the group. We had vegetable cutlets, cheese sandwiches, luke warm french fries, and bananas. We visited the palace, which was much less opulent than the first palace and in much need of repair.
We stopped for tea or a coke on the way back towards the city, which was very much appreciated. Then it was on to the bird sanctuary. This place was nice. We saw lots of birds and fruit bats, but the highlight was a boat ride around the lake with crocodiles resting on rocks and the river bank. It was a little intimidating. We then moved onto the gardens. They were beautiful. A dam was built in the early 1900's, which allowed for the building of this beautiful park. There were water fountains and a view of the lake from the top of the dam. The sun was setting, which added to the beauty of the moment. Thousands of people visit these gardens daily.
It was getting dark and time to head back to the city to view the palace at night. There are around 9,600 light bulbs that are lit on Sunday evenings from 7 to 8pm. We arrived to see the palace lit in all its glory. The palace was lit along with most of the periphrial buildings. It was a wonderful way to end a long day of sight seeing.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
We had the morning off to do as we please. Mary had made an appointment for a massage and I went with hoping for an available time for me as well. They didn't have her down for the massage and wanted to reschedule for later. She couldn't because of a prior commitment, but I could. We went back to the hotel and I studied while I waited patiently for the spa driver to pick me up. India time had kicked in so they were 15 minutes late in picking me up. That was unfortunate because I then didn't have time for both a massage and a facial, since I had to be back to the hotel for a 1:30 tour. Lost revenue doesn't seem to phase them here.
This massage was nothing like in the U.S. and took me totally out of my comfort zone. It started out with me sitting in a chair wrapped in a towel. She poured warm oil all over my head and gave me a scalp massage. Then she had me lean forward while she dripped more warm oil all over my shoulders, neck, and upper back and massaged those areas. Next she moved me to a table and doused me with oil from head to toe. I felt like I was dipped in vegtable oil. Then another girl joined her and in unison they worked on both sides of my body from head to toe. Once they were done, they moved me to a steam box. The hot steam really felt good. While I was getting all steamed up, they turned on the shower so it was nice and hot. They had a cup of shampoo and another cup of brown soap that didn't look or smell very good waiting for me. Talk about pampering - WOW!! I will definitely do this again and recommend it to everyone.
Our tour today was really cool. We visited AT&S. Finally I felt Freidman's Ten Flattners in action and the world flattening. I thought I would have seen this occur more often than not, but this was the first big opportunity. The company made electronic circuit boards for companies all over the world - Motorola, Nokia, and BMW to name a few. Their marketing and distribution comes out of Austria. All they do is get the orders from the Austrian division, make the boards to the customer's specifications, and send them back to Austria, where they are then shipped out to the customer. This was an example of two of the flattners - offshoring and supply-chaining.
The process was very detailed and meticulus. Their QA was of very high standards. This plant has won a Deming Award. They had a clean room, which was interesting. There were many steps to the process. They reused every bit of scrap from the pieces. When we got back, I studied until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.
This massage was nothing like in the U.S. and took me totally out of my comfort zone. It started out with me sitting in a chair wrapped in a towel. She poured warm oil all over my head and gave me a scalp massage. Then she had me lean forward while she dripped more warm oil all over my shoulders, neck, and upper back and massaged those areas. Next she moved me to a table and doused me with oil from head to toe. I felt like I was dipped in vegtable oil. Then another girl joined her and in unison they worked on both sides of my body from head to toe. Once they were done, they moved me to a steam box. The hot steam really felt good. While I was getting all steamed up, they turned on the shower so it was nice and hot. They had a cup of shampoo and another cup of brown soap that didn't look or smell very good waiting for me. Talk about pampering - WOW!! I will definitely do this again and recommend it to everyone.
Our tour today was really cool. We visited AT&S. Finally I felt Freidman's Ten Flattners in action and the world flattening. I thought I would have seen this occur more often than not, but this was the first big opportunity. The company made electronic circuit boards for companies all over the world - Motorola, Nokia, and BMW to name a few. Their marketing and distribution comes out of Austria. All they do is get the orders from the Austrian division, make the boards to the customer's specifications, and send them back to Austria, where they are then shipped out to the customer. This was an example of two of the flattners - offshoring and supply-chaining.
The process was very detailed and meticulus. Their QA was of very high standards. This plant has won a Deming Award. They had a clean room, which was interesting. There were many steps to the process. They reused every bit of scrap from the pieces. When we got back, I studied until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.
Friday, January 4, 2008
We started out the day with a session interviewing reporters for four national newspapers. They would be equivalent to reporters from the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. We asked them a lot of questions, which didn't give them much time to ask us questions. They were very frank about the corruption taking place and how they hope their efforts reporting on such things will help. We then had a session on HR from an instructor from the Institute. He was one of the instructors that sat at my table for the opening reception. He led us through a history of HR in India. We then had a chance to once again interact with the reporters. I tried to make a few comments about how nice the campus was, hoping for a little good PR for the Institute. They have bent over backwards to make sure we have a great time.
Then we were off to TVS Motors. They make motorcycles. I was not feeling very well during the presentation, but started to get a little better when we began the tour. This plant again reminded me of Artic Cat in Thief River Falls. It seemed a little cleaner than the Axel Plant. Seeing all the forklifts running around reminded me of my work life in the warehouse of Miner's and Twin Ports Grocery. It is hard to see the Ten Flattners at play at this factory, since just like Axel, 90% of their customers are within India. The facility was very secure. When I worked for General Dynamics in California, they were just as secure. - Gates, Security Guards, and NO Cameras. They need to make sure their trade secrets remain just that - secrets.
In the evening I was pretty exhausted and still not feeling very well. My stomach was pretty quezy. The Indian food is starting to not sit too well with my stomach. I've eaten a few pepto bismals and they seem to help. I watched about 20 minutes of TV and zonked out early.
Then we were off to TVS Motors. They make motorcycles. I was not feeling very well during the presentation, but started to get a little better when we began the tour. This plant again reminded me of Artic Cat in Thief River Falls. It seemed a little cleaner than the Axel Plant. Seeing all the forklifts running around reminded me of my work life in the warehouse of Miner's and Twin Ports Grocery. It is hard to see the Ten Flattners at play at this factory, since just like Axel, 90% of their customers are within India. The facility was very secure. When I worked for General Dynamics in California, they were just as secure. - Gates, Security Guards, and NO Cameras. They need to make sure their trade secrets remain just that - secrets.
In the evening I was pretty exhausted and still not feeling very well. My stomach was pretty quezy. The Indian food is starting to not sit too well with my stomach. I've eaten a few pepto bismals and they seem to help. I watched about 20 minutes of TV and zonked out early.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Class today was very difficult for me. I could not understand the instructor. The subject was supply-chain and logistics, which I am very familiar with so that made me feel a little better. The tour of the axel plant in the afternoon was very interesting. When we entered the grounds, it was like we were back in the U.S. It looked like an American plant. We received a tour and I thought the operations were very much like the Artic Cat plant in Thief River Falls and the Polaris Plant in Roseau. They ran several lines as well as three shifts.
I noticed several things that disturbed me, primarily because my husband's career is in safety. There were many workers without safety glasses, very few gas masks, and a man overhead without a tie-off. They did say they have two safety officers and have done tests to make sure the air is safe.
During a presentation we were told that 90% of their business is internal to India. Because of Freidman's Ten Flattners, I expected more of their business to be for foreign customers. I asked them about their technology department of which they have four people, and on the tour I asked if they would be using more technology on the floor in the future. The guide told me that was their plan. I did notice that they used one of Freidman's "Steroids", because the president was giving us an opportunity to ask questions and his mobile phone went off at least three times.
In the evening, the head of the institute's wife took us shopping. We went back to the main street that we have been shopping at and I bought two more outfits from the same place that made my first one. I'm hoping they turn out nice. It will be boring back home as I look at people's clothes. I've gotten use to seeing such beautiful fabrics with vibrant colors, that our normal clothes will seem drab.
I noticed several things that disturbed me, primarily because my husband's career is in safety. There were many workers without safety glasses, very few gas masks, and a man overhead without a tie-off. They did say they have two safety officers and have done tests to make sure the air is safe.
During a presentation we were told that 90% of their business is internal to India. Because of Freidman's Ten Flattners, I expected more of their business to be for foreign customers. I asked them about their technology department of which they have four people, and on the tour I asked if they would be using more technology on the floor in the future. The guide told me that was their plan. I did notice that they used one of Freidman's "Steroids", because the president was giving us an opportunity to ask questions and his mobile phone went off at least three times.
In the evening, the head of the institute's wife took us shopping. We went back to the main street that we have been shopping at and I bought two more outfits from the same place that made my first one. I'm hoping they turn out nice. It will be boring back home as I look at people's clothes. I've gotten use to seeing such beautiful fabrics with vibrant colors, that our normal clothes will seem drab.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Today we started out class with two tests. Then we had a guest speaker that was a lawyer. He was really interesting. He spoke of the different courts - of which there are many, and how long it takes to have a case get through the legal system. Businesses don't have much protection over here, which makes me wonder how they get anyone to invest. He also spoke of the different religions having laws that have been incorporated into the main law. I was very surprised at how little females are regarded over here. I would not have guessed that from my encounters so far. There are girls at the institute studying business. He told us about how some women will have illegal abortions if they know their baby is a girl. Boys are held in much higher regard. I was disappointed to hear that. I thought they were a little more civilized than that.
We were allowed to ask many questions, which made the discussion much more interesting. It was a lively class session. Then we went on a field trip to see the legal system in action. The differences between the US and here as far as the buildings are concerned were significant. I work in the court house and it is so well maintained with marble walls and floors. It is very clean and well kept. Over here the windows were broken, the carpet was peeling off the floor, and the rooms were very small. We saw two sessions in progress. The first one had a judge at the front with a lady typing on an old typewriter. The witness stood behing a wooden railing and was being asked questions by the lawyer. The lawyers all were blue suit coats with a little white tie, even the women lawyers. They'd have these beautiful outfits on and then this blue suit coat over it. Several lawyers sat at a table in the middle of the room. We as observers were not allowed to cross our legs or talk. I can understand the talking part, but I don't know why we couldn't cross our legs.
We then went into the second courtroom. We got there before the judge. The judge was in his chambers behind a dirty yellow curtain. When he came out, he slipped off his shoes and went up the stairs to his desk. We all stood when he entered. He asked why we were there and was fine with us staying. In fact in the middle of the testimony, he stopped and gave us an update as to what was happening, which was a good thing because they were all talking in the Indian language. The defendent came in with his shoes on, slipped them off and stepped up some stairs to the railing. The judge must have told him to get his shoes outside, because he went down, put on his shoes, walked outside and took them off, and came back in barefoot. It is much different than the US, but I really enjoyed the experience.
Next, eight of us took rickshaws into town. I had to buy a new hairdryer, since the power system blew out the one I brought from home. Then we started walking and walking and walking. We entered a street market that had lots of produce, perfume, flowers, and jewelery. The isles were very narrow with blue tarps hanging overhead to keep out the sun. What an experience. Then we got back on a main thoroughfare and found a store selling DVDs. I bought two that had English sub-titles. One of them we saw on the plane and the other is suppose to have lots of dancing. It has been running in India for 12 years. I hope I like it.
Then we found another side street and started walking down this smelly, disgusting street. I thought I was going to throw up. The exhaust was so thick, along with the smell of cows and their fresh manure and then I can't forget about the dead chickens hanging on some hooks. This man stopped us and wanted to take us to his store. Somehow the others thought he was taking us to a craft place, but he was taking us to his perfume and inscense store. Along the way we stopped so Gene and Harvey could play cricket with some boys. The sign above the building where they were playing said Dist. TB Control Center. That made me really nervous. Everyone was shaking all these peoples hands and I just had to get away. We finally kept walking and got to this store. Then he took us down this long dark hallway and into a back room. It was really creepy and I felt very uncomfortable. There was this little old lady sitting on the floor hand rolling inscense. Two men came from the back and started talking. Jinny's nose was having a hard time with the place so she had to get out. I didn't feel comfortable in there so I left with her.
Once outside I felt better, but the man that took us there wouldn't leave our sides. I asked him if we were safe there and he said yes. I told him he could go back in, but he wouldn't leave us. I really wanted to get out of there, but the rest of the group was still inside learning about massage oils and how this guy sells his wares in the US. Finally the group came out and we left. We took rickshaws back to the grocery store where three from our group decided to go back to the hotel. The rest of us went shopping some more. I went back to get my hand sewn garment, which had been completed. Then we asked the store owner to get us directions to a Subway restaurant. He called someone that spoke English who gave us directions. We took a rickshaw there and were so excited. We were laughing, joking and just really having a great time eating our Subway sandwiches. It was very similar to the US, but no beef of course. What a wonderful way to end the day.
We were allowed to ask many questions, which made the discussion much more interesting. It was a lively class session. Then we went on a field trip to see the legal system in action. The differences between the US and here as far as the buildings are concerned were significant. I work in the court house and it is so well maintained with marble walls and floors. It is very clean and well kept. Over here the windows were broken, the carpet was peeling off the floor, and the rooms were very small. We saw two sessions in progress. The first one had a judge at the front with a lady typing on an old typewriter. The witness stood behing a wooden railing and was being asked questions by the lawyer. The lawyers all were blue suit coats with a little white tie, even the women lawyers. They'd have these beautiful outfits on and then this blue suit coat over it. Several lawyers sat at a table in the middle of the room. We as observers were not allowed to cross our legs or talk. I can understand the talking part, but I don't know why we couldn't cross our legs.
We then went into the second courtroom. We got there before the judge. The judge was in his chambers behind a dirty yellow curtain. When he came out, he slipped off his shoes and went up the stairs to his desk. We all stood when he entered. He asked why we were there and was fine with us staying. In fact in the middle of the testimony, he stopped and gave us an update as to what was happening, which was a good thing because they were all talking in the Indian language. The defendent came in with his shoes on, slipped them off and stepped up some stairs to the railing. The judge must have told him to get his shoes outside, because he went down, put on his shoes, walked outside and took them off, and came back in barefoot. It is much different than the US, but I really enjoyed the experience.
Next, eight of us took rickshaws into town. I had to buy a new hairdryer, since the power system blew out the one I brought from home. Then we started walking and walking and walking. We entered a street market that had lots of produce, perfume, flowers, and jewelery. The isles were very narrow with blue tarps hanging overhead to keep out the sun. What an experience. Then we got back on a main thoroughfare and found a store selling DVDs. I bought two that had English sub-titles. One of them we saw on the plane and the other is suppose to have lots of dancing. It has been running in India for 12 years. I hope I like it.
Then we found another side street and started walking down this smelly, disgusting street. I thought I was going to throw up. The exhaust was so thick, along with the smell of cows and their fresh manure and then I can't forget about the dead chickens hanging on some hooks. This man stopped us and wanted to take us to his store. Somehow the others thought he was taking us to a craft place, but he was taking us to his perfume and inscense store. Along the way we stopped so Gene and Harvey could play cricket with some boys. The sign above the building where they were playing said Dist. TB Control Center. That made me really nervous. Everyone was shaking all these peoples hands and I just had to get away. We finally kept walking and got to this store. Then he took us down this long dark hallway and into a back room. It was really creepy and I felt very uncomfortable. There was this little old lady sitting on the floor hand rolling inscense. Two men came from the back and started talking. Jinny's nose was having a hard time with the place so she had to get out. I didn't feel comfortable in there so I left with her.
Once outside I felt better, but the man that took us there wouldn't leave our sides. I asked him if we were safe there and he said yes. I told him he could go back in, but he wouldn't leave us. I really wanted to get out of there, but the rest of the group was still inside learning about massage oils and how this guy sells his wares in the US. Finally the group came out and we left. We took rickshaws back to the grocery store where three from our group decided to go back to the hotel. The rest of us went shopping some more. I went back to get my hand sewn garment, which had been completed. Then we asked the store owner to get us directions to a Subway restaurant. He called someone that spoke English who gave us directions. We took a rickshaw there and were so excited. We were laughing, joking and just really having a great time eating our Subway sandwiches. It was very similar to the US, but no beef of course. What a wonderful way to end the day.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
We started class a little later today, so we could recouperate from last evening. The instructor was amazing. He spoke on ethics in life and in business. It really resonated with me. I have never had an instructor that brought tears to my eyes before, but this one did. I think it has to do with my age. He spoke of the different phases of life and what we are suppose to be doing at each phase. As I listened to his description of the learning, then earning, then teaching, then letting others take over, while we are to rest, I felt an inner pull that was overwhelming. He spoke of the need to give back to society and the peace that comes with this type of action.
He spoke of social responsibility and happiness.
I am at the place in my life that he spoke of and have lived the type of life he suggests. That could be another reason his lecture moved me so much. Being at the point in my life where it is time to move from earner to teacher resonates with me. I find myself wanting to pass on what I have learned in life. I have gained so much knowledge through the earner part of my life that there just seems to be this natural part of me that wants to pass on this knowledge. I find I am at this place in my employment as well. I am a mentor and trying to teach the next generation how to perform at a higher level. It is very rewarding.
Later in the evening we went back to the Institute to listen to the Police Band. While we were waiting for them to set up, one of the instructors started teaching us about Yoga. It was very interesting. He didn't get to finish, but said he will later. I hope so. I would really like to understand more about it. Then it was time to start the concert. It was a 23 piece band with all types of instruments. There were flutes, clarinets, violins, saxs, trumpets, and percussion. The music all seemed the same to me, although there were two songs that I really liked. It was traditional Indian music. The weirdest thing happened. One of the flute players was playing a solo and his cell phone went off. He stopped playing his flute, checked his phone and then went back to playing. We couldn't believe it. They also had someone playing a solo on the violin, which was my favorite.
We then went back to the hotel for supper. I sat and chatted with Rajiv, Al and Tod about all sorts of interesting subjects. Then it was time to study for the test.
He spoke of social responsibility and happiness.
I am at the place in my life that he spoke of and have lived the type of life he suggests. That could be another reason his lecture moved me so much. Being at the point in my life where it is time to move from earner to teacher resonates with me. I find myself wanting to pass on what I have learned in life. I have gained so much knowledge through the earner part of my life that there just seems to be this natural part of me that wants to pass on this knowledge. I find I am at this place in my employment as well. I am a mentor and trying to teach the next generation how to perform at a higher level. It is very rewarding.
Later in the evening we went back to the Institute to listen to the Police Band. While we were waiting for them to set up, one of the instructors started teaching us about Yoga. It was very interesting. He didn't get to finish, but said he will later. I hope so. I would really like to understand more about it. Then it was time to start the concert. It was a 23 piece band with all types of instruments. There were flutes, clarinets, violins, saxs, trumpets, and percussion. The music all seemed the same to me, although there were two songs that I really liked. It was traditional Indian music. The weirdest thing happened. One of the flute players was playing a solo and his cell phone went off. He stopped playing his flute, checked his phone and then went back to playing. We couldn't believe it. They also had someone playing a solo on the violin, which was my favorite.
We then went back to the hotel for supper. I sat and chatted with Rajiv, Al and Tod about all sorts of interesting subjects. Then it was time to study for the test.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
