First Day of Work

I work up for work at 7 (the time I usually leave my house in SF) and got ready for the two minute walk to the office. Neelima showed me my desk which is much larger than the one I am used to at work (similar to the old one in 1945, tear tear). The office is busy and pretty alive. There are only three people on my team, Neelima, Pearl, and Ritu. This is much different from the 8 or so people I am used to working with in Mountain View (MTV).

The girls on my team are really sweet and we had some fun talking about what it means to be a real vegetarian along with Rajiv, a member of a nearby team. We agreed that real vegetarians don't eat eggs. Rajiv was in MTV last quarter and he thought the vegetarian options in the the bay area were laughable. For example, it does not make sense to even have vegetarian omlets. Americ is no different from countries where chicken is vegetarian! He agreed with me that mushrooms should not be part of a vegetarian's diet, but that is only because we both dislike them. On the topic of vegetarian food, I learned that restaurants here have two kitchens: one for meat and one for vegetarian food prep. This is for religious purposes. I wish all of my preferences were given the same weight as religious preferences here! Supposedly a restaurant can't be competitive unless it has two kitchens.

On the topic of food, the micro kitchens at Google do not disappoint. They are filled with different Euro looking snacks and beverages. The lunch is also great. There is tons of Indian food (with unlimited naan!) and then a pasta, sandwich, and salad bar. So much for losing weight in India. I looked over at a table of guys eating and one literally had a plate of rice that he proceeded to devour! They all had at least half their plates towered with rice- I am guessing Google goes through a scandalous amount each day.It reminded me of quantity of foods I would eat in elementary school. I tried some Indian desserts which include fried dough balls in syrup and a mini turnover. They were pretty good but have nothing on rice krispy treats and cupcakes.

As the day wore on at work, I began to notice some major differences between the MTV office and the one here in Hyderabad. I found that the toilet seats are not heated here. This is a bummer (pun intended). I also noticed something that at first threw me off: burping. Burping here is socially acceptable. I might let one or two out after my diet cokes each day. In my jet lagged delirium I felt like I was on a lilypad in a pond of frogs. This only happens several hours after lunch. I asked Neelima later about this and she said that people in India will not talk about the topic of kissing but they have no issues discussing (and demonstrating) all bodily functions. My opinion: more power to 'em!

Great first day of work!