2011 started on a plane ride to India. Different and just for all you out there who are wondering, the captain did a countdown but not on NYC time, but as it was new years in the new time zone that we were approaching. so really, it was 10 pm for me. ha.
Bangalore's is great! Spending two weeks here for a consulting project.
Sunday, January 2, 2011: Get adjusted to India
Landed at 130 am, was at the hotel by 330, unpacked, tried to sleep. Day was pretty lazy, we slept, walked around a little bit and went to Church St for dinner, nothing special. Dont even remember the name of the place.
Monday, January 3, 2011: We meet the client!
Our client is AWESOME. He's sharp, strategic, kind and all good things. Overall, impressive. The facility is top-notch, state of the art quality. We did a tour and got acquainted with the founder (our client). Went to a ridiculous mall called UB City with Jimmy Choo and LV and all these stores i cant afford, to have lunch. Lunch was a south indian style thali, where they bring you all this food, whatever they made for the day, in unlimited portions. Loved it!
Walked to the local Food World to buy liters of water and then my friend and walked home with about 8 liters of water in our hands. Tiresome! Dinner on MG at Ebony (great views, its on the rooftop of the Barton Center), red curry for dinner which was eh.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011: Site Visits
Morning at our client office, interviewed one of the nephrologists and the dietician. Picked up sandwiches from Caffe Coffee Day (local barista) and headed over to our first site vist - Columbia Asia to meet with one of the top nephrologists in India. Facilities were again, amazing and the meeting was great. We learned so many interesting stats,debated about US healthcare issues, and so much more. Quick workout and then headed to Hard Rock Cafe to meet up with my friend from NYC who is visiting her family in Bangalore. Great night!
Wednesday, January, 5 2011: Hosur
Morning at client office after finally getting there. Rickshaw battle each day is funny, they never know where they are going, neither do we and then we all laugh. At this point (and its been like 2 days) we are beginning to direct them where to go. God bless google maps and free wi fi!
We interviewed the other nephrologist after meeting with our client and redefining our project scope. Then two of us headed off to a tier 2 city - Hosur while two went to visit a new private hospital (Vikram Hospital). Hosur was how i remember India to be - hectic, people every where, people selling stuff, people yelling, just pure chaos. Loved it! Especially because i was in an air conditioned car. We also went over a new toll fly over (over pass) that leads to Bangalore's IT area. Took some pics and tagged along as our client spoke to his contact and checked out some real estate. Our class met for a group dinner at a South Indian restaurant.
Thursday, January 6, 2011: Site Visit + Oberoi
Morning meeting at Victoria Hospital with Dr. Satish and then saw the dialysis unit, met with 2 of the 3 DM students (residents) in the state of Karnataka. Very interesting view points, and so different between genders. Meeting with our professor and then back to the client office for some time with the dialysis manager and some patients. Hit up Garuda Mall to see what shopping is all about here and then off to The Oberoi Hotel for a lavish meal. Great food, ambiance and company!
Friday, January 7, 2011: Meet the investor + Jayanagar
Met with our entrepreneurs investor today, what a great experience! He asked about our thoughts on the weaknesses and strengths of the company. Basically he's an ex-pat, grew up all over, with italian and bengali parents. Spent time living in the states and europe, and then went back to India a few years ago. Late lunch at a nice italian place in UB City and then called it a day. Took my first solo evening rickshaw ride! The rickshawallahs arent quite sure where im from so as long as I speak with a semi-indo accent and hop in, they use the meter as opposed to charging me whatever they feel like :) Dinner with some friends at Mumbai Masala in Jayanagar and bedtime.
Saturday, January 8, 2011: Organic farm + Dance Show
Our entrenprenuer offered us an opportunity to visit his parent's organic farm outside the city, so we decided to go! His parents, who run a fragrances business, decided they wanted to build up a farm about 15 years ago, and so they did! Cinnamon, bay leaves, bamboo, veggies, and tons of other plants, all settled in with an irrigation system. On the way back, we got our first taste of shopping in Bangalore. Hit up
FabIndia and
Mother Earth, both social enterprises! Didnt have much time for dinner since we spent 4 hours shopping so we ordered Dominos and ate it on the way to the Local Dance Show where we got to meet our client's wife (she was a former Bollywood actress!).
Sunday, January 9, 2011: Shanti Bhavan - best day of the trip!
"Shanti Bhavan is a home and exceptional school located in rural Tamil Nadu, India, for the region's most socially and economically disadvantaged children. The school follows a completely unique and innovative model of combating poverty, educating the poor and fighting social injustice. Admitting students at the age of four, Shanti Bhavan provides a holistic, high quality education until the age of 17 free of cost, and subsequently funds college education for its students. "
As you can imagine, totally inspirational day! These kids are so talented and brave, our hearts all melted for their struggles and successes.
--- to be finished soon ---
Monday, January 10, 2011: Entrepreneur meeting + City Market
Tuesday, January 11, 2011: Mysore + dinner at UB City at Toscano + Shiro
Wednesday, January 12, 2011: NL time (patient surveys) + early release + fab india + commercial st + leela palace
Thursday, January 13, 2011: Konark+ CPWD meeting + NL+ commercial st
Friday, January 14, 2011: Last day at NL, lunch with client and off to Delhi.
Have safely arrived in Accra! The flight was okay and pretty full. A crying baby and man with a booming voice seated in front of me made for interesting times. The woman next to me is headed to a small village, 8 hours on the bus outside of Accra, with 45 nurses and doctors from Utah to set up a clinic. They each had 50 pounds of medical supplies with them as their second bag. It was this woman's first time outside of the US, pretty impressive!
