A Single Woman’s Guide to Working Abroad in India.
Namaste friends!
When I was offered an opportunity to work abroad in India, I remember desperately searching for any information/stories about American women working there, and all I could find was a downloadable 10-page brochure about how Expat wives could adjust (obviously, not helpful).
Bad news was, I had to learn the hard way, good news is, if you happen to be offered a similar opportunity, you don’t have to.
Eat, Pray, Work … A Single Woman’s Guide to Working Abroad in India is a collection of posts from my time in India from my blog Going with the Flow.
Although this is a way for me to share my work-related/personal experiences from my perspective (as someone that moved to India alone, as a single woman), regardless of whether you work in India or not, are a man or a woman, single or married, my hope is that you will not only enjoy these stories, but they will somehow encourage you to be open to experiences that take you out of your comfort zone, force you to live in the moment, or do something that not everyone else is doing. Why wouldn’t you?
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neal Donald Walsch
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Eat, Pray, Work … My life in India, a different kind of love story:
From the “WTF am I doing here” stage, to the “my hair is falling out” stage, to the moment India and I feel in love (December 2009 – March 2011)
- Gratitude
- My Love Affair with Delhi
- Springtime in my favorite place in Delhi
- Today in Old Delhi
- I have ______ more times in the short time I have lived in India, than all the other times in my life combined.
- What should you do if anyone ever asks you to take a job in India?
- Priyanka and Lindsay…”The Movie”
- Part Two: How to get thrown out of a Pity Party (if you happened to get invited by mistake)
- How to get uninvited to your own Pity Party
- Getting outside the borders of the U.S. “Comfort Zone”
- Can Maggi be Sexy?
- The Happy Movie
- Happy Running!
- Peace
- One Year Later …
- Lost in Translation
- “A Very Happy Christmas”
- Incredible India
- Breathe, be positive and go with the flow (Easier said than done)
- The Definition of ”Yes”
- Baby Steps
- “So, how do you think you will feel when you are going back on the plane to India?”
- My typical commute
- Teaching!
- Cows, Sheep, Rivers, A Spa & Monkeys
- I am not a Freshman anymore!
- Homesickness … it’s really a thing.
- Unpredictable!
- 38 Things I Love About India
- New place, new month … Let’s see what happens next!
- Even getting money out of the ATM is an adventure!
- I actually feel like I live here now
- Playing Holi
- You just have to go with it!
- The Beach!
- Don’t underestimate the power of your iPod!
- Ladies, What’s More Stessful Than …
- I feel like I am playing a rich person in a movie (well, kind of) – My Typical Day in India
- First Week (Feels like it was a month!)
- Bollywood Party – Check!
- Manhattan
- “All she talks about is India!”
- Intuition
- Travel Tip – Departing from the Delhi Airport
- Crazy days!
- Wow. That’s what they mean by Culture Shock.
An Insider’s Guide to Doing Business in India via Executive Travel Magazine.
- Learn the cultural innuendos and hurdles you will find when you interface with Indian executives. Written by yours truly. :)
- Go behind the scenes in India-based hotel companies, known worldwide for their level of service and innovation.
- Key into the market through the stories of three American companies now doing business in India.
- Get insight into the burgeoning middle class, as well as the role of drivers in executives’ lives, via a story of two limousine drivers.
- Explore Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore in city guides curated specifically for business travelers.
Touch me.
Bryan Adams is extremely popular in India and a few random things you may not know about this fascinating country.
- It is totally acceptable and common for guys to hold hands and rub each other (however it’s a huge no no for guys and girls).
- Guys can pee where ever they want. It’s totally fine.
- You don’t ever pay full price for anything; or at least you don’t have to. Even at department stores you can ask for a discount and most of the time you will get it (ask for 10%-20%).
- As crazy as the traffic is in India, if a black cat crosses the road everything comes to a halt until someone comes along that didn’t see the cat and is the first to “cross the path”.
- If someone invites you over to their house at 9pm, you would never dare show up before 10pm.
- At parties, dinner is the last thing to be served (usually around 11pm or 12am) and once you’re done eating, it’s time to go home.
- It’s common for your co-workers or customers to call you at 11pm, even on the weekends.
- When you order a beer in India it will be presented to you before they serve it … your job is to touch it to ensure the temperature is to your liking and then say yes (or theek hai if you want to be fancy and speak in Hindi) to accept, or no to get another colder one.
- If it’s your birthday, not only do you bake sweets (or buy them) for everyone (and feed everyone by hand – really) you also have to pay for everyone if you go out for dinner or drinks. Happy Birthday?
Incredible India
Go there! Love it or hate it, India is nothing less than incredible.
