Road to Hyderabad: T-10 Days!!

Friends, this is my second to last Road to Hyderabad post.  That means we are less than 2 weeks away from the opening of the Tech4Society event.

To be honest, it still feels very far away.  There are lots of last minute arrangements and decisions to make.  Long ago I naively believed I would feel like we were “almost done” by this point.  Ha! At this point 10 days feels like both an incredibly long time and an incredibly short one.  It will be bizarre to write this post next week when we are truly just days away. 

This past week was an interesting one.  I spent time cultivating relationships, drinking lots of tea and coffee and coke (my neighbor at the apartment likes to buy me cokes for some reason).   I wandered around the city, I thought a lot about the details.  I had my first Andhra thali and criss-crossed the city by foot and by auto.

On one hand, I can’t point to any real tangible progress that I made; on the other, I feel like it was important for me to just be here.

And the surprising thing:  I really like Hyderabad.  I’ve lived in India before, I’ve even lived in Southern India before but this city is far different than the last one I stayed in (Chennai). 

The people here are warm and friendly.  Everyone is so kind and, even though there are some pretty serious language barriers, we are getting along just fine.  I have my “friends” in the neighborhoods and feel comfortable wandering around the streets here.  I’ve found a park to walk in nearby and have had some nice conversations with the other people staying at my apartment.

In honor of my week of relationship-building and city exploring, I thought instead of sharing work insights, I’d share travel insights and a few photos:

1)    If you want to fall in love with a city, go to the places that the people who live there love.  (No the mall doesn’t count)  I have to say, walking in KBR Park each evening has made me love Hyderabad even more.  Seeing so many people out enjoying the nature, groups of women in beautiful salwar kameez and tennis shoes, men huffing and puffing in wind pants, and little kids squealing with delight over the peacocks makes me really happy and makes me like Hyderabad even more. 

2)    Smiles are important.  Sometimes they confuse people (like the men working at my apartment) but for the most part they are good.  People might think you are strange, but at least they know you are happy and/or appreciative.  Of course, if you are a chick and a group of guys is whistling at you, you probably want to choose your smiles more carefully.

3)    Along those lines, you can always haggle with a smile and a kind voice.  Many times you have to be firm when you are bargaining but for the most part, as a foreigner, you’ll get further and enjoy the experience more if you can smile and laugh and joke with your “adversary.”  Always remember that you are bargaining over someone’s source of income.  You don’t have to pay 100rupees for a 30rupee auto ride, but it’s not worth it to squabble too much over the difference between 30 and 40, especially if you have the means:

Case in point:  I was haggling a fare down to 35 rupees when the guy wanted first 70 and then 50 rupees.  In truth, it was probably a 30rupee ride but then I realized that the squatter’s tent next to my apartment belonged to my driver’s family.  All of a sudden, 50rupees didn’t seem too much for him to ask and I paid it gladly.
 
4)    Tipping IS IN in India, or at least in Hyderabad.  When I lived in Chennai a few years ago, I never tipped or if I did, it wasn’t more than a rupee or two.  Now I see everyone tipping and I’ve followed suit.  Especially since I have to keep coming back to the same places, it’s worth it to pay a little extra to show my appreciation.

5)    When taking a phone call or having a meeting in India, know that there will always be “one more thing” and that the “one more thing” is the most important part of the meeting, and usually the reason why the person called.  I had forgotten about this but have been vividly reminded this week.  I actually like this way of doing things, what with the pleasantries first and then the little things and then the big thing you or the other person really needs to talk about.  It’s a dance for sure, but it makes for stronger relationships I think.

Ok, that’s it for this week.  Here’s a few photos from my first week here: