First Day
Hello everyone!
I spent the weekend beating jetlag (or so I thought) and went for a run, read outside by the pool where I met some wildlife, and even started The West Wing. The weekend was a great few days for me to settle in before my first day of work on Monday.
Monday morning started quite early thanks to jet lag. I woke up at around 3am and could not fall back asleep.
I got ready for work and at around 9am my cab came to take me to the office. This was my first drive in the daylight here in Mumbai and if I was not awake when I left the apartment, the constant honking and swerving put some pep in my step by the time we arrived at the office. It's simultaneously exciting and terrifying to be a passenger in Mumbai. The roads are quite literally a wild ride, offering all kinds of sights and smells along the way.
Stepping foot inside the Nielsen office made me feel instantly at home. The culture here is just open as it is in Chicago, Schaumburg, and Los Angeles. I was brought to my desk that is right near the windows that overlook Mumbai. My team arrived and I was introduced to more people than I can remember. What I do remember amidst my jetlag is laughing a lot. It is evident that my team has fun at work even on a Monday morning. It's a very dynamic, interactive,and informal culture in the office and I am so thrilled to be here.
The head of India HR showed me around the office and took the time to give me some tips on navigating Mumbai both culturally and professionally. By the time that lunch arrived (1pm at the earliest here!) I had completely lost track of time. My team invited me to sit with them for lunch, as they do every day. Each person brings food from home and shares with the table. As simple as this lunchtime ritual is, to me it symbolizes what I have seen of Indian culture so far. It is genuinely kind and curious.
Having not gone to the grocery store yet, I had no food. My coworker brought me to the cafeteria and explained how to order my food. I got a delicious Indian lunch for under $2! They shared their food with me, which I now know, is much better than the Nielsen cafeteria's.
My jetlag hit me right after lunch, but I managed to keep my eyes open until I left the office at 7pm. The hours here are long and the office starts late and stays late because the sun does not set in Mumbai until close to 8pm. I went to bed last night feeling grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait for all of the learning and adventure to be had over the next few months.
Tomorrow through Friday I will be going out into the "field" here in Mumbai with our Nielsen data acquisition team to better understand what it's like to be in that role, which is one of the teams that I will be supporting. This data acquisition team collects by hand all of the data that Nielsen India uses. We will be auditing some shops around the city to see how much of their products have sold. It should be a really fantastic few days to learn bread and butter of Nielsen's business. More to come later this week.
This morning's sunrise
Cheers,
Breanne