The remainder of my time in India was fabulous.  By the time the weekend rolled around, the jetlag was wearing off and significant progress had been made on the knowledge transfer sessions with the offshore team.  On Saturday, one of the team members showed me around the area near the office, where a large shopping and commercial center was located.  I did a little window shopping, but was mainly content absorbing the sights sounds and smells of the busy streets and sidewalks.  Of particular interest was an ox wandering around the street, digging through trash, and claiming the right of way wherever it went.

On Sunday I was invited to the home of team’s manager, where I met his family, and was treated to some traditional food prepared in celebration of the commencement of a major Hindu festival. This festival lasted the remainder of my time in India, so every day and night there were exuberant people banging drums, singing songs, throwing red powder on each other, and carrying around idols of Ganesha, the Hindu deity.  For the most past, I observed the street festivities from my cab, but occasionally, I rode an auto rickshaw, which provided a much more direct and immersive experience into the ambiance of the streets.

The team went out for lunch a few times, but most days I joined them in the office cafeteria were they served what can only be considered the most authentic Indian food available anywhere.  Gourmet restaurants are certainly available, but nothing is more culturally genuine than what gets scooped up in a working man’s cafeteria.  And, in contrast to the bad rap cafeteria food gets in the US, this food was surprisingly good.  There was a plentiful selection of both veg and non-veg entrees, with little side dishes here and there with a base of either long grained rice or Indian tortillas (called chapati).  As palette cleansers and digestive aid, there were some little seeds that tasted like licorice sprinkled with sugar that were available to cafeteria patrons.

My last day was Saturday, and since my plane was scheduled to leave until late at night, I took the opportunity to visit south Mumbai, the heart of the city.  Along with another team member serving as my guide, I took the local train, which was an exotic experience in and of itself.  The trains don’t have doors, only doorways, so when a train pulls into the station, people start hopping off while the train is still in motion while a flurry of people mob the train in an attempt to get on.  It took us two attempts to get on the train, because the first time the furious crowd beat us to the doorway and train filled up too fast.  We made it to the main downtown area, which was considerably more developed than the suburban area my hotel and office were in.  I visited a few of the sights there, including the “Mumbai Necklace,” the beach, and the Royal Taj hotel which was bombed by terrorists several months ago.  In the afternoon, I met up with a one of the girls from the team, who took me to the mall and guided me in an Indian shopping experience, and helped me pick out some good souvenirs and gifts while preventing the salespeople from taking advantage of me.  In the evening, I had just enough time to pack my bags, catch my cab, and head to the airport.

My two weeks in India proved to be not only productive from a work standpoint, but also very eye opening.  Although I have had a substantial amount of experience abroad, India presented me with cultural, economic, and meteorological conditions I previously had no exposure to.  I feel fortunate to have been able to take the trip, and I have a feeling that India hasn’t seen the last of me yet.