Life is about...

...simple things.
Long conversations over a huge cup of Mocca with a German girl that I didn't know a month ago (Thanks Kat:))
Hearty laughs over the stories of a Spanish guy I just met.
Driving back home on a bike.
Writing an e-mail to my friends on the balcony, with the wind blowing.
My new set of bangles.
The challenges at work.
Having spent 1500 Rs on books (Lonely planet guide on India and Love in the time of cholera).
The anticipation of reading Khaled Houseini's "A thousand splendid suns".
Not knowing what will happen to me in one year and still being sure I have so many oportunities.
Having seen Jodha Akbar - a naive 3-hour long love story, I didn't understand any conversation in, as it was all in Hindi.
Learning something new every day.
It is so simple and beautiful.
Then...why do we go and make it complicated.

Working for Alcatel-Lucent

It has already been two weeks that I have been a part of the Corporate communications team of Alcatel-Lucent in India. I still have not undertaken any major project, I am still learning, asking loads of questions...
The job is rather interesting and my "bosses" are for sure people I can learn a lot from, both from personal and professional perspective.
So far, I have been more involved in External communications, mainly dealing with some press-conference and interactions. It is rather interesting to be on exactly the opposite side - that of the PR/Communications people, that need to communicate a clear message to the public. And even if they do...journalists can still destort the story (aaah, how nasty I have been to some PRs, now I realise ;))
And, Alcatel-Lucent has quite a bunch of interesting stuff to communicate indeed.
For example - a new security technology, called Laptop guardian, that helps protect confidential company information from being stolen (in case you loose your laptop), or the Femtocell, which allows people to get a good wireless signal within buildings where they are a lot of people using the same network.
Yet, what people always focus on the "bad news" - loses, people leaving, stocks prices falling down, job-cuts...Phew...Yet, this is perfectly normal for a huge company to have these when merging...And it is totally up to the people how they deal with change, ain't it?

Question is - what percentage of the people really have ownership and are willing to "deal with", rather than just switch to another job.

Gurgaon Malls crazy shopping day

You wouldn't expect me to write for such things while in India, would you ;) Well...truth is that I needed to buy some things, as I didn't take too many clothes from home. And you have to somehow fit into the local style, right:)
The "mall street" is rather close to my place, so I took a cycle-rikshaw and was there in 10 minutes.
I was just buying some Hindi-phrasebook in a large bookstore, when I saw two of the AIESEC trainees here - Natalia and Ania from Ukraine.
And...there it began - six (yep, you read it right) six hours of wild shopping. We managed to visit 3 of the malls. It was rather interesting for me, as although malls look the same all over the world, here there was a traditional Indian fabrics and dresses section in each of the garment stores. And it was so colourful and beautiful...And, unlike malls back home, prices were indeed quite reasonable :)
I bought some nice shirts and shalvars :) Scarves...of course...
I am strating to really fall in love with the place!

India...the beginning

It has been I long time since I haven't updated this blog. The reason is one – no time for blogging, as I am in India already.
I arrived in Gurgaon (some 20 minutes by car from Delhi) early on Thursday morning. My first adventure was getting to my place, as there was noone to pick me up at the airport. It was a bit scary to travel in a taxi in the dark, deserted streets of a completely unknown town. But – all's well that ends well and I reached safely and was met by Andre (I felt a bit guilty on waking him up), my collegue that will be working for Alcatel-Lucent in Bangalore. Honestly, he is really precious – helped me a lot in my first days...Just now it is that I fully realise how important it is to help someone integrate when on a traineeship. And this is, undoubtedly done best by other trainees, who have experienced that before.
I already had some taste of Delhi nightlife, as Friday night we went to a very nice club – Urban Pind. AIESEC interns seem to hang out there a lot...and there is always a bunsch of colourful expatriates I was told.
During the weekend we explored Delhi and went to a craft-festival in a nearby city – Faridhabad. It was so awesome – colourful, crowded and beautiful. And it was really huge – we were going around the place for 4 hours!
I am slowly starting to arrange things for my stay here and getting into daily work routine. It is really interesting – i already attended some of the meeting in the Corporate communications department. I still need to do so much reading, but I guess I will handle it fast. And the people at work are really positive and friendly, which makes learning easier :)
Well, this is about the end of my update. Actually, a strange melancholic mood is overcoming me the last two days – maybe because I am starting to miss home. Yet, I will get over it – a huge adventure lies ahead :)