On the plane, I sat with a new manager who just joined my company after selling her stake in a Bangalore start-up. We had tea and she openly revealed that she was divorced. This surprised me - as it turns out there are several women on the management team who are divorced, single moms. It's cool to know that the taboo around this is disappearing. When we landed, we took a rather rickety bus to what had been described to me as a "resort".
Let me pause here to say that prior to leaving everyone was talking about how cold it would be and how they needed to buy warm clothing. Weren't we staying in a hotel, I thought? A resort, no less? Are these people crazy? Delhi is further north than Jaipur, and we didn't freeze; in fact during the day it was often hotter than California is on a "warm summer day..." I packed a few long sleeve shirts, assured my former boss that I'd call into two very important meetings (my last remaining responsibilities) late at night from the hotel.
On the way to the "resort" we stopped at a roadside stand to have tea and paneer pakoras. This was my first street food and everyone assured me it was safe. I'm so glad I ate them because the spices in the pakoras were divine - cumin and coriander seeds...To get to said "resort", we drove through a village where people as well as flocks of goats and a family of pigs lived. We turned onto a dirt road, and my colleagues laughed watching my face. I was scared we'd topple imminently into a ravine...Finally we reach the "resort" and lo and behold, "resort" is tantamount to "camp" in the US.
We were each provided with a cabin that had warm blankets and one tiny space heater. The bathroom had two buckets. When I asked my roommate what they were for, she got a kick out of explaining that the shower had no mixer ie. furnished no hot water; so I'd be filling the buckets up to bathe. I quickly skimmed the amenities of the hotel - at 7:30 a man raps on your door and pours you hot tea. At 10 pm the generator turns off completely. All of our meals and common spaces for meetings were outdoors. At this point I realized that a) I did not pack warmly enough and b) there was no way in hell that I'd be able to call into those meetings.
Suffice it to say it was a magical 4 days. The business sessions were invigorating, and I couldn't have been more impressed with the leaders with whom I'll be working. "California managers," I kept thinking, "Stand back because the people in this room are bound to be leading our company before long". This team demonstrated trust in each other the likes of which I've never seen. They made fun of their Director while showing him affection and deference. They didn't think twice about baring their deepest doubts or aspirations to one another. Our meetings were punctuated by hourly interruptions whereby we were served tea. Everyone did their best to ensure I was comfortable - when I noticed that the bottled water they were serving was only sometimes sealed, my colleagues made a point of requesting a sealed bottle for me rather than a refilled one. I was in the stix for 4 days and never once got ill.
The evening entertainment was amazing. One night, Rajasthani folk musicians and dancers came to perform for us.
Another night, I headed into the city with my colleagues to do some shopping at the markets in Jaipur. It was unreal to see my friends bargain with the vendors - suddenly our budget was doubled, because they bargained the prices down to half. We started our meetings just after 10, so that at 8 we could take a guide and hike around the desert landscape to see birds. At night I woke to the sounds of wild dogs howling, jackals jackaling, and god knows what other creatures that were fighting for their survival.
Our last day, I joined a group of managers to visit the beautiful Amber Fort. There were elephant rides, and we heard stories about the King's 12 wives who were not allowed to meet except when they were all together. If they were all together and one queen spoke ill of him, he could rest assured that at least one wife in twelve would betray the naysayer. The queens were never allowed to walk and were carted around on ramps everywhere.
Upon leaving the fort, we had a dilemma - we had to eat, but we also risked missing our flight. But we had to eat! So we risked missing our flight (because I had to remind myself; I'm in India after all) and let me tell you, the ride to the airport was an exciting one. It was a 45 minute drive wherein our driver had his hand on the horn the entire time as he swerved back and forth to get us there on time. Did I mention that his gas light was on for the duration of the trip?
Now I'm back and it's a great feeling to know people around the office. Had I not attended this trip, it might have taken 6 months to meet them - let alone to dance and shop with them.
Now I'm back and it's a great feeling to know people around the office. Had I not attended this trip, it might have taken 6 months to meet them - let alone to dance and shop with them.
