Doing Business in an Indian World

So I wondered what it would be like working in an office in India. 

I love Event Planning

I'm great at Administration......

But what about when you're planning a meal in a country with foreign food

or your planning an staff retreat where you're not quite sure how the transportation works

And what if you're planning in a country where you can't really be SURE about anything really....???

It has been fine so far - fun really!

I have had quite a few experiences when I have said, "I'm in India - Noo worries!."

Wait a little longer - no problem

Come back tomorrow - Sure!

This is the way we do it here - Then I will too!

This week I had an experience that I was a bit frustrated about though....

I'll Share:

So I am on a mission to make copies for some financial work that I am doing at the office. 

The personal printer in the office will not be suitable for the # of copies I need.  So I am told that I need to go to a Xerox machine town.  

This is what town looks like!  The Xerox shot was on the top floor of a building like this.

So - In my mind, I thought, I will go find one of the many Xerox signs in town - stand in front of a machine, do my things, and pay.  No, no - There is always service for everything in India - seeing that everyone needs a job! :) So I give my stack of 50 papers to the friendly couple behind the counter in this tiny square of a shop, and explain to them that I need 10 sets of it copied.  So they begin to copy one page at a time on the scanner - and I stopped them saying, "Can't you just put them in the top and copy them automatically really quick,"  it was apparent they had the capability to do that with their machine. "No - no, that just won't be efficient."  Ok - So I say (to myself) - "No worries I'm in India - I'll wait."

50 Papers.......one by one.....

This is going to take awhile - So I leave and tell Susai (my driver) that he can go and come back for me. 

Now the friendly Xerox couple are feeling a bit pressured.... so both of them started copying at the same time on 2 different printers - I thought, oh my goodness this is chaos.....I said..."coffee? Is there coffee around here."  They pointed me across the street so I escaped for a bit and went back. 

Then Susai came and said that one of the Freedom Firm girls is sick and needs to go to the hospital so I paid for the copies and said we'd pick them up later (because you can do that in India). :)

I left thinking of how much I always enjoy all these little experiences in the end and had another one to add to my reservoir. :)

The Next day Susai brought me the copies all neatly separated in 10 envelopes - And I thought, "How nice."  

Until.....

I realized the sets were all out of order.

Ok....seriously.

(I would have to go through 50 sheets of each one and put them in order.  It was 5:00 - so I sighed, left the office, I will sort them on Monday).

  So, doing business is different in India. :)  It is a funny little thing if you can choose to be patient and go with the flow.  This is very important in different countries.  There is a time and place to bring modern ideas and improvement, as there is a time and place to say, "Whatever" and to get frustrated. :)

I love these cloth flags!