Team Introductions

It's been a long time coming but I think I have finally accumulate photos of most of the teams.  I would like to go on record saying how much I enjoyed having the opportunity to meet all of you and would again like to thank you for all of your hard work and efforts on behalf of Kiewit.

And for those teams missing names, any assistance in filling in the gaps would be appreciated.

First, we will start with some of CSC Omaha:

Front Row – Lavanya Lagudu ; Gnana Preethi Gadela; Sherri Magnett; Sudhir Medapati ;Manoj Kumar Sharma.

Second Row – Dora Reddy, Sridhar Purra ; Krishna Prasad Paluri; Srujan Sundaragiri ; Sreenivasulu Yelchuri .

Last Row – Michael Comer;Amitanshu Deep ;Syam Sahu

The Omaha Team enjoying some out of work time together:

Team Visit Dusshera Temple Visit:-

Top Row- Sridhar Purra , Paropkar Tiwari, Sreenivasulu Yelchuri , Syam Sundarsahu, Prathap Nagaraju; Dilip Parimi

2^nd  Row from Top – Ijoe Kakkassery, Rajasekhar Pendyala, Sreenivas Jonnakuti, Sreenivas.Jonnakuti’s Wife.

3^rd Row from Top ­–Krishna Prasad Paluri, Manoj Kumar Sharma, Manoj’ wife , Tridanada Raju’ Wife, Tridanada Raju.

Last Row – Suman Oruganti

 

CSC Hyderabad:  Please check out the photos under the Team Potluck post.


CSC Chennai: 

CSC Mumbai:

Hexaware Mumbai:

1st row Left to Right: Kasi, Mugdha, Sherri, Payal, Ashish 2nd row Left to Right: Swapnil, Smita, Rajshree, Sameer, Sudhir 3rd row Left to Right: Sharad, Niraj, Bhavana, Amol

CSC Noida:  The only CSC team I am missing a photo for.......Team Noida, can you send us a picture?!

Hexaware Chennai:  My apologies, I will try to stop by during my next trip to Chennai.

Catch Up Time

Wow!  So much has happened since my last blog it's not even possible to relay all of the stories.  I have seen the Taj Mahal and Fort Agra, visited the very cosmopolitan city of Mumbai, and sat in the gorgeous Lotus Temple in Dehli.

 I have ridden on a motorcycle through Chennai traffic (Thank You, Reka and Sathish) and walked in the waters of the Bay of Bengal. We have seen one of our drivers hit two motorcyclists and one pedastrian.....we won't be using his services again.  We have watched a snake charmer and held the snakes.  And we have shopped.  Don't even get me started on the shopping!  Please don't......I'm already in deep **** with my very significant other. 

But best of all is the people.  Our wonderful driver, Khaleel, who hovers like a father over us.  The CSC staff in Hyderabad who has gone out of their way to help make me feel welcome in and out of work.  The CSC staff in Chennai, Noida, and Mumbai who have been so open and gracious. The Hexaware staff whose familiar faces made me feel like I was back in Omaha. The great couples and their children in Mumbai who invited us into their home to celebrate New Year's Eve.  Who would have ever guessed I would be so good at "Assassin"?  And most importantly, Rachit and his lovely wife, Shuti, and their extended family who helped us in out in our time of need to navigate the hospitals in India.  (We are fine!)  And then, to add the cherry to our sundae, blessed our time in Mumbai with getting to see their beautiful, newborn son!

Newest #1 Attraction at the Hyderabad Zoo

Today, Allison, Page and I visited the zoo in Hyderabad aka the Nehru Zoological Park. The zoo is huge, laid out over almost 400 acres. So large in fact you can purchase tickets to ride through in your car. We first saw a huge tortoise and some amazing macaques, then it was off to see the cats. It was at this point we discovered the #1 attraction at the zoo.....us! Before leaving the cats, bears, and aviaries, we were asked again and again to take photos with the other zoo visitors. I am frankly amazed our driver, Khaleel, was able to contain his laughter as we started cracking jokes about being the top draw at the zoo that day. The young guys seemed especially interested in getting individual shots next to the girls.
The Safari ride was great, getting to see the animals up close and experiencing Indian driving at it's wildest.

After the zoo, we moved on to a different sort of wildlife, the cattle, water buffalo and goats that live in the city. While waiting for Allison to cash her traveler cheques, Page and I fell in love with the cutest goat. Hum mm.... Wonder what Charlie, Rev and Macy would think of sharing the loft with a bottomless pit? Oh, yeah, wait. We already have that, it's called Chase.

Indian Potluck

This blog is being posted for the sole reason to make all of my coworkers in Omaha jealous.....and hungry.  Today, the CSC KieCore Team hosted a potluck.  And while the pictures do speak for themselves, I would just like to go on record as saying......"Yum", it was delicious! 

The team spent a great hour chatting and getting to know others.  I had the pleasure of talking with the women on the CSC Team.  I can only hope their husbands never find out the source of the discussions/advice we shared.......I'm learning wives and husbands are the same the world around.

Musings After Two Weeks

The whiny side of me:

• Who knew it would take 5-10 minutes for the water to get hot.....a cold shower it was.
• After 50 mosquito bites, have I given my yearly quota of blood?
• If I repeat myself for the tenth time, will the shopkeeper understand me then?
• Why am I expected to go get cash when your store has lost electricity and you can't swipe my credit card?
• Who knew a hole in the floor was considered a toilet, made me miss the outhouse on Grandma's farm!  And we won't even discuss the lack of toilet paper.

The "in awe" side of me:

• The traffic, I just love being driven around in the traffic!
• The graciousness of the Indian people.
• The great difference between the have and have nots, and the absolute dignity all maintain.
• The shopping.........I'm almost scared to see the damage Page will do.
• Did I mention the traffic?!
• The food, my family will never believe how spicy of food I eat.  So delicious!
• The absolute beauty of this country.

Did you know?

• A power strip is call an electrical extension board with spike?
• Most tea and coffee is drank with a very healthy dose of milk.....they brew it very strong.
• Vendors won't accept currency with a tear, you have to exchange it at a bank.
• The newest song craze is "Why This Kolaveri Di", go watch it on uTube, it will be stuck in your head for days!

Final musings, not once have I regretted my decision to come to India.  Each day I look forward to learning more about India and her people.  I can't wait for each adventure ahead, this is truly the gift of a lifetime!

One Week In

So ends my first week in India and I am even more impressed with this beautiful country than when I first arrived.  So much is different and yet the same.  Posted you will find some of the typical photos and some not so typical.  We visited the Birla Mandir Temple, and while it was lovely, the moment I remember best is the young boy flying his kite on a nearby rooftop.  There was no great expanse of park, only a small rooftop from which to perform his kite tricks.  He gave me a small heartache when he lost his string and launched himself partially off the rooftop to catch it before the kite was lost. 
I move into my home next Saturday and have already met some of my neighbors.  It was my good luck that one of them is an officer of the local expat association.  Friday, I attended their weekly BBQ and met several wonderful couples from around the world.  The association is heavily into volunteer work and Page should be able to find great opportunities to keep herself busy while here.

This week begins the real work.  Ani and I will be outlining our travel schedule between the various vendor sites and establishing our ongoing meeting schedule.  In December, we will attend CSC's 2011 Technology and Business Solutions Conference.  All the vendor's have been most gracious and we look forward to our future interactions with them.

A Time for Firsts

Today begins a journey of so many "firsts".  My first cab ride; it was really quite placid as it was so late at night, though I did have a few glimpses of what to expect.  My first taste of Indian hospitality, so gracious, inquisitive and helpful.  My first viewing of Indian television, an interesting combination of US and Indian shows.  My first Indian breakfast, fresh figs and other fruits, adai (crispy lentil and rice pancake) with amazing dips, watermelon juice, and sweet lassi (yum).  I ponder to think how my taste buds will adjust to heat of Hyderabad cooking as breakfast caused me to break into a sweat. 
This week is just the start of experiencing India and all that is unique to its culture.  I can't even guess how my view of this world will be changed at end of my time here, but I look forward to every moment as this journey unfolds.