The Last Day in Delhi

I'm sorry it's taken me more than a week since my last post. I had a great weekend in Bombay, but I forgot my computer at the office over the weekend so I wasn't able to post. I also almost forgot my computer at the security checkpoint at the airport today and had a momentary panic, but that's another story! The past week has also been very busy wrapping things up at work. It's hard to believe two and a half weeks have flown by.

On my last day, my driver turned to me and said, "You write me letter? Good letter?" I was pretty confused, as I wasn't sure what he was talking about. What kind of letter would he want me to write, and how would he even understand it?

Then, he handed me a sample recommendation that a previous Googler had written about what a great driver was and I understood. He showed me his resume, which showed that he had ten years of work experience, all driving a texi (yes, taxi was incorrectly spelled T-E-X-I). I didn't get a chance to correct him. I saw the year that Ramesh was born and that he was 36 years old. The sparse resume was the most that I had ever known about Ramesh's personal life, as we always had difficulty communicating.

Even though Ramesh and I had miscommunications though, I genuinely liked him. He greeted me every morning with a smile. "Water sir?" he would say. Then, he would ask me if I wanted the air conditioning or radio on. The moment I got in the car, he would always switch from the Hindi music station to the station with Bad American pop music. (Truthfully, I wouldn't have minded the Hindi music every now and then.) Then, when the car was stopped, he would get out and open the door for me, walking around to the other side. When I was in Chandi Chawk, the most crowded shopping area of Delhi, Ramesh helped me carry the bag of things I purchased through the crowded streets to the car which was parked down the street. (And finding parking in that area must not have been easy.)

All in all, Ramesh was a good driver and I was happy to do anything I could to help him advance in his career, so I wrote him the letter and emailed his boss. Ramesh is truely hard working and goes above and beyond to make his clients happy, things that are important no matter what job you're in. But sometimes I wonder, what is next for Ramesh? Will he be a driver in India, probably earning in a month what I earn in a day? Maye I will see him again next time I return to India.

The staff at the guesthouse was also incredibly helpful, and I'll miss them as well -- particularly Manik, who always had the biggest smile. Manik was the guy who made me a grilled cheese sandwich at midnight on the first night I arrived. He also washed and ironed all of my clothes -- even the ones that I left in the suitcase. They were really wrinkly from my travels, so he figured it'd be better to clean them. When I left, Manik told me, "I'll miss you sir." Abdul, the head of the guest house said, "Next time you come, you stay here, at Edshel Towers. It's our pleasure to have you."

I love the Indian hospitality, and I really enjoy the life that I've led there for the past two and a half weeks. I will miss the food, the colors, and the people, but I also know that tihs journey is not the end. I would love to conitnue a career that involves doing business internationally, and I hope to return to India again one day. I'm also returning with closer personal connections which my team members, so it's not like I'm saying goodbye. Some of the foks I met from the India office are actually coming to Ann Arbor within the next month, so I'll get to see them again!

I better get to the terminal to make sure that my flight isn't boarding yet. I'll post again soon with some photos and more details about my past weekend in Mumbai.

Update: I never got a chance to post a full post on my last weekend in Mumbai so will provide a quick update. I spent the day going to a swanky club, the Elefanta Caves, the grounds of the Taj Hotel, a Budhist Temple and more. It was fun hanging out with a great group of Googlers.