India: First Impressions

Sunday, 12/08/2013 [Link to Pictures]

First of all, I'd like to make a retraction from my previous post.  While driving to the Mumbai airport, and being able to see part of Mumbai for the first time, I'm no longer disappointed, at all, that I didn't leave the hotel to explore.  Imagine the dirtiest street in Queens, multiply it by 1,000, and you may get close to the cleanest street in Mumbai.  I've never seen anything like it; one fellow Hospirian best described it as 'Barely-Organized Chaos.'  The weirdest part was seeing men and women dressed in professional clothes going about their daily business, the contrast between their appearance and their surroundings was astounding.

Once in Vizag I really experienced the thrilling adventure that is riding in a car in India.  There were cows and dogs wandering through the streets, stop signs that go wholly ignored, families of 5 on mopeds with the littlest haphazardly slung from their mother’s arm (see picture), many men urinating and sleeping in the streets, and the incessant blowing of horns which is the primary mode of communication between drivers of everything from Tuk-Tuks to Semis.  I could hardly believe my eyes, my immediate thought was ‘I could never function in this environment.’  Still, I consider myself lucky that I could think anything other than ‘I’m about to die’ as the car wove through two lanes of traffic being used as four lanes with everyone going different speeds and weaving unexpectedly into each other’s space.  I couldn't help but think that this environment and way of life is distinctly Indian; it wouldn't work anywhere else, nor would India be Indian without it.  It is unfathomable to conceive of India progressing to first world standards, it just wouldn't fit.

My boss and I were discussing a mutual friend and colleague back home who has accepted an ex-pat assignment here without ever having seen the place, or being in India in general.  On that ride, I couldn't help but feel afraid for them; if it was my first time here and I knew I’d be here to stay for the next 5 years I’d likely start sobbing uncontrollably.  That being said, my boss then asked me if I’d ever consider an ex-pat assignment, which I've conveyed interest in in the past, to which I replied that I’d have to see what type of housing they offer their Hospirians and it's location within the city.   Like anywhere, one adjusts only after getting into a routine and is comfortable with their surroundings; where they shop, eat and perform their other normal daily functions.  For me, it would be difficult to establish such a routine amongst all the filth and chaos as it’s simply against my nature.  Some people thrive in that arena, however, so I don’t wish to display an adverse judgment.

When we pulled up to the hotel I was instantly taken aback by the magnificent view that was the Bay of Bengal on the Indian Ocean, with gigantic waves crashing and a beautiful, lengthy coastline and massive ocean liners.  I could even see a lighthouse atop a mountain to the south.  The hotel itself is like a resort and has multiple restaurants, shops, bars, a gorgeous pool area, spa, fitness center, and even an outdoor track beautifully landscaped on the roof.  My room overlooks both the ocean and a vacant lot next to the hotel that used to have a building on it because all that’s left is a cool temple-ruins-looking staircase; oh, and a random cow that was lying under a tree.  I was confused at first when looking in the bathroom, my initial thought was ‘Where is the shower?’, then I realized that the bathroom wall, shower, and the wall on the other side of the shower next to the bed were all glass.  So basically, I can watch the waves crashing as I’m showering, very cool!

My co-workers and I got somewhat settled in and it felt particularly comforting to be able to unpack my stuff and lay down some roots to establish a routine for the next 12 days; then we had lunch and went wandering around the hotel and outdoor track to take in the coastline.  Next we went down to the lunch buffet area to see if we recognized any fellow Hospirians, and we found a whole bunch of them!  Brief introductions were made, but I didn't actually catch anyone’s name, but we arranged to meet for drinks at 18:00 before dinner. Lastly, we headed to the gym to work off lunch and jet lag.  I won’t discuss what completely derailed me before our meet-up time, but after this occurrence I was very much in need of a drink, so I showered, got my camera to snap some pictures, and headed downstairs to the pool/bar area a bit early.  While taking pictures of the pool I saw a table of four guys I recognized as some of the Hospirians I had met briefly earlier, so I sat down to shoot the shit.  What I truly love about Hospira and everyone who works there, is that we’re real, down to earth people; no inflated egos that can go along with inflated titles.  Instead, we cultivate a go-team mentality where everyone, no matter how low or high, does whatever is needed to get the job done and openly communicates with each other to achieve that goal.  I say this because I knew full-well that most of the people I was interacting with were Director Level pr even higher, otherwise they would not have been sent on this mission to India, yet they were dropping more f-bombs then I did back in my fondest days, and told great and crazy tales of their Indian adventures thus far.  Finally, I found friends with whom to explore and they promised to take me on their next outing!  I authentically liked everyone I met and best of all the diversity of the group was astounding.  Some people were Corporate, stationed in Lake Forest, IL, others were from our Rocky Mount and Clayton sites in North Carolina, we ever had some Aussies from the Mulgrave plant, and still others work remotely and are located all over the US.  Some had visited McPherson before and had dined at the very McDonald’s that I lovingly call home on the weekends.

On a final note, I'm afraid I have bad news for the friends I promised post cards too;  I'm not at all confident that I'll be able to get out and look for such items.  Also, no one here has ever seen postcards sold in the nearby stands; this isn't a touristy town to say the least.  I'll do what I can to make up for this deficiency with my ramblings and as many pictures as I can manage without offending people.