The Beginning

After traveling 16 long hours from Newark to Mumbai, I finally made it! The moment I stepped outside of the airport I was greeted by hundreds of Indian drivers holding signs for arriving guests and the suffocating heat I had been warned about, 88 degrees and humid. Hellooo India!

The drive through Mumbai to our apartment was crazy! There are no rules to driving, no lines on the road, no traffic lights, or signs. The cars, buses, rickshaws, trucks, and motorcycles all cram onto the narrow streets, constantly trying to get around each other to rush through the traffic. Pedestrians are also insane! They walk right out into the street in front of speeding cars and barely flinch as the drivers slam on their brakes to avoid hitting them. Pedestrians are always walking along the highways and roads too. I have put all my trust in my driver, and along like everyone else, he seems to know what he is doing! I have yet to see an accident!

Below are pictures of the streets of Mumbai on our way to work the next morning.

I am living in an apartment in the Hiranandani Complex in Powai, a suburb in Mumbai. I share a room (and a bed!) with another intern, Rianne. We live in the apartment with two other interns, Roxana and Gaby, and our care taker, Prakash.

These are pictures of Powai and the Hiranandani Complex. There is a big mall, lots of shops, and restaurants like Chile's, Domino's, and Subway. It is a very nice and safe area.

Here is a picture of our room, closets (and lack of hangers!), bathroom, and living room.

Prakash, our care taker, is amazing! He is always there for us if we need anything and takes care of everything for us. He cooks us breakfast and dinner, does our dishes, laundry, cleans the apartment, escorts us to our driver each morning, and the best part is he is always smiling! He doesn't speak English, so communicating has been challenging, but it is fun to try to talk to him. I have been making him write down the name of everything he cooks as I hold up each bowl so we can figure out what we are eating. He just laughs at me so he must thing I'm a nut!

Here is a picture of Prakash, the kitchen, and some of the spices and things he uses to cook!

Our first day at work was great! The company I am interning at, Arshiya International, is wonderful! The people here have been extremely welcoming and excited to have us join their team. The four of us have been split up into two groups, and I am working with Roxana on a project focused on sales and marketing and how the company can expand their international business and attract new customers. We are focusing on Arshiya's FTWZs (Free Trade and Warehousing Zones), which is a "profitable infrastructural support that allows you to export, import and re-export products without the burden of taxes, duties and levies that you would otherwise have been bound by. These special zones offer you customised warehousing facilities to help you add value or store, before organised shipment." I will be finding a solution for “How to Position FTWZ for repacking as an option for Companies like Microsoft/ Logitech/ Blackberry who have a high volumetric import content which adds to the freight cost”. More details to come!

Here is a picture of the floor we will be working on in the office.

So far I have really loved it here but I miss my family, friends, and Brown so much! Can't wait to get back in the California sun and go to the beach in August!