A whirlwind week
Hello again!
It's been awhile since my last post. My week was the most hectic one that I have had thus far in India! I'll start from where we left off and take you through my latest adventures.
On Saturday following C360, I accompanied Rashmi to a fashion market at The Palladium Hotel downtown. We perused the booths and, after checking a few price tags, realized that it would be more of a "window shopping" experience for both of us! It was so fun to see what the latest fashion trends here in India are and to see some Bollywood celebrities. We then met up with some friends and grabbed dinner at a lovely little place that reminded me of one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles. Sunday I laid low because I anticipated the long days ahead at work.
I am plenty busy with my India rotation, but additionally I have had the pleasure of interviewing for the post-program roles! We have two interviews for each role (there are 5 roles). Most evenings this week I came home and had a few interviews because of the time change. I do not mind the long days because it is such an exciting process to go through. It seems like just yesterday I joined Nielsen and began this crazy journey in the HR ELP, and now I am just months away from graduating and starting my final placement.
On Wednesday I came home to my apartment to find a full brass band and at least 100 people gathered outside for my first Indian wedding. The hour that I saw made Catholic ceremonies seem lame in comparison! I stood outside in the very humid summer heat and smiled as I watched the groom's guests dancing to a live DJ and the groom approach the venue on his horse. It was such a nice boost in my mood before my interviews that evening. The music from the wedding was so loud that I could hear it all the way inside on the 9th floor! Here is a song that I cannot get out of my head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJztXj2GPfk
Thursday was another interesting day for me. Instead of going into the office, I took a cab with four coworkers to a local college to present about our internship program. I have done a lot of recruiting for Nielsen at Northwestern and jumped at the opportunity to come along on this visit. We were looking for interns for our Data Acquisition group to do some of the tough auditing that I wrote about in one of my first posts. My role was to present all about Nielsen and its role within CPG/Media. One of my "knacks" is presenting, especially when I am passionate about the topic. It was incredibly rewarding for me to share a little bit of why Nielsen is special with this group of students.
After our presentation, the Dean of the school invited us upstairs for lunch. We chatted for an hour and then after both my colleague and I dropped some hints that we needed to get back to the office, we departed. I have noticed that in India there is a lot more time spent informally gathering while at work. It is a nice way to foster a personal connection, but very different from the pace of work that I am used to back in the U.S.!
Friday began with me live-streaming The Emmy's College Television Awards in the morning. The film that Patrick wrote and directed last year came in third place nationwide for comedy entries, and I was cheering him on from Mumbai with my morning chai!
Once I got to the office, I was lucky enough to be able to spend half an hour with the President of Nielsen India (the same one who taught me Bollywood moves last week) in a 1:1 meeting. His assistant popped over to my desk at noon and asked if I was free to meet him.Our meeting was fascinating. We discussed some of the key challenges and opportunities to working in India. He suggested that in order to gain success in Indian market, given all of the development and wealth of opportunities, it is important to focus on a few key efforts. That way you can do those and do them well. I will definitely use that rationale as I complete this rotation, where the projects can multiply and there are never enough hours in the day! I went home and had some interviews until late into the evening. To celebrate making it through the week, I treated myself to some Indian ice cream after I finished my last call. I have a few more interviews this week and then I will submit my ranking of the roles. This process is simultaneously nerve-wracking and exciting because this is a big decision for us to make.
I spent this weekend bopping around Mumbai to prepare for Patrick's visit. He arrives arrives late in the evening on Thursday and I am counting down the hours until our vacation begins! We will spend time in Mumbai and head north to Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. I can't wait to show him around Mumbai and to explore new parts of this chaotic country that I have come to love.
Cheers,
B
Rooftop (window)shopping at The Palladium Hotel
Photos from the wedding outside of my apartment
The college we visited
Shameless brag...sorry for embarrassing you P!