My Last Week: Hyderabad-Mumbai-Hyderabad

It’s been officially 5 days since I joined my new job. I vaguely remember how I felt the last time, the whole HR process of filling insane number of forms and sitting through all those presentations. I went to Mumbai last Sunday with all my bags packed only to come to Hyderabad on Tuesday again for training. It dint feel like I am actually going away. 

It’s my first time in the city but it dint feel new at all. With all those stories about the place for the past four years it felt familiar somehow. I liked it, even though people kinda scared me with the its-too-crowded, too-hot , bad food, dirty but I dint care one bit, it looked beautiful and had this old world feel to it. And never underestimate the power of freedom.

Anyways so, I go to the Hotel assigned and I meet my future colleagues. As I promised S I won’t be too judgmental, I am not going to say anything about my first impressions. (You will get to know soon enough, I am going to rant and rave definitely. Don’t for one minute assume that now that I have my dream job I will all of a sudden become a type A personality :D). 

They were nice enough in a very harmless kind of way and with this new resolution where I am going to try and be more social, I donned my alter ego (the cheerful-happy-to-be-chatting-away-about-random-shit kinda person). We were four girls in all and you know how it is new city, new job everybody trying to be extra nice, so it was not that bad. 

The next day we went to this convention center where we had our orientation. Now I don’t know what the deal with consultants is that, they have this I-am-so-cool/awesome-for-no-apparent-reason attitude. I know how people can misinterpret it as confidence but it is such a big put off with the fake American/their-mother-tongue accent.  Modesty and consultancy are at the two different ends of the spectrum :D . Not all of them are that bad. But the HR people, this is a totally different story. The lady reminded me of the nurse in one flew over the cuckoo’s nest :(. Phew! Now I feel good now that I have ranted.

Ohh they gave me a new laptop Lenovo T410! Kinda sad that I am getting excited about but cmon!  He will be my new boyfriend. It doesn’t mean that I am going to leave my old think pad, it’s just an upgrade okay maybe I am going to cheat on him but he will always be my first love. 

With all the hi-tech gear issued we came back to Hyderabad. It was kinda like Reservoir Dogs all the guys suited up except here we were all girls :). We get out of the airport where we had placards with our names. I have been walking down the same isle pushing my cart slowing to take the aero-express every time and here I am with someone holding a placard for me. It was pretty funny; I couldn’t stop laughing for some reason.

We go to hotel, which I am going to gloat about for some time now. Even though they were pretty cheap in Mumbai they dint hesitate to pull all stops here in Hyd, for which I am going to forgive the HR nurse lady :). The hotel is so awesome with a big pool and lounge area, awesome food (which included gult food yippie!), nice cozy rooms, a big bath tub. Okay I think I should stop and get back to real life. 

The last three days have been pretty decent with a nice mix of presentations and exercises. But apparently this was just a trailer, picture abhi baaki hai :’(. Come Sunday I am going to live in the convention center till I come out of the cave as a new consultant/Jedi warrior the next Saturday. I will have the force with me (force == unparalleled globing skills and an ability to make ppts even when I am asleep and finally the great ability to re iterate three worded statements into one page monologues with all the hi-fi words like frameworks, synergies, core competencies, best practices)

So, I am waiting for the transformation. I am back home to do my laundry (okay, I am Indian ergo I am cheap, I am not going to spend 1000s of rupees getting my clothes washed in the hotel!). 

Will be back in Mumbai next Saturday where my chronicles of house-hunting will continue.

Cheerio!