The Fat Lady....

...isn’t singing for the minute. Theoretically this should have been my last day here and I should have taken a flight in the early hours of Saturday morning. However my boss here in India has requested that I stay for a meeting with the Gartner analyst next Tuesday. He will give us our annual feedback which feeds into the “Magic Quadrant” rating we get – this a very important indicator in the industry as to how strong we are, and how we relate to other companies including Accenture and IBM (the other two companies in the top 3). It is certainly an interesting meeting and an excellent opportunity for me to understand what our clients are saying about Wipro, but it does mean another 4 days in India. Whilst my new colleagues are really nice, warm, fun and welcoming, I’m keen to get home to see Sandie and Maxime. The fact that I need to stay longer has also put in jeopardy my chances of attending my little brother’s stag do next weekend. I basically arrive in France on Wednesday night and then have to go to London on the Thursday for 2 days. Whereas I had initially planned to spend the following weekend drinking Guinness in Scotland, I may choose to come home and spend some time with Sandie and Maxime, especially because we need to move house in Pau before the end of that weekend......I’m looking forward to my two weeks holiday at the end of August that’s for sure!

It’s been a very good but long and tiring week. On top of that I have managed to get a touch sick – the cod last night obviously didn’t agree with me. I thought I had done well to survive 15 days in India without any issues, but it was only after I ordered that my colleague told me I shouldn’t order fish in Bangalore because the sea is too far away (we’re 900m above sea level to give you an inexact idea), and that there aren’t really any great ways to transport such food such long distances. I initially mocked such views but as I was being sick at 2AM I rued my confidence in Indian fish.

Two more physical meetings to go and then one conference call before I collapse into bed. No doubt I’ll feel a tinge of loneliness as all the other “induction programme” participants make their way home. At least some of my new Indian colleagues have generously invited me to spend some time with them and their families tomorrow. I’ll be able to have a lie in before being picked up in the afternoon for a trip around some country villages. Naturally I’ll be taking my own packed lunch!