MSc · Ivey MSc Students

Time flies with a good Masala Chai!

Jun 23, 2017

This week our blog is from Ivey MSc International Business & CEMS-MIM student Katy who is completing her Ivey Global Lab in India. Katy shares her first 4 weeks with us along with some of her travel plans for a well-earned break week!

Hello from India!

It’s been a busy first few weeks! Since arriving, and traveling our way from Delhi to our IGL destinations (Pune and Bangalore), Team India has had some time to settle into ‘le quotidian’ and really sink our teeth into the projects themselves. It always surprises me how long it takes to adjust to life in a new city. Where to find the freshest produce, where to go shopping in general, where to find the best coffee in the neighborhood (a must know for coffee-addicted me), or even where to buy toothpaste. The little things take the most time I tell you!

Working in new country also comes with its own unique set of changes and challenges. The thing that I think has surprised my team the most is the internet speed. After spending a few weeks here, I honestly think the reason why things in the office move so slowly (in comparison to what we’re used to), is that our internet speed is comparable to dial up the internet in some areas of Canada. Putting this into context, we work at a software development company — meaning they have the best access to bandwidth possible, and yet we still have problems with speed and power outages every now and then. It’s not that people are inefficient, on the contrary. Our colleagues are some of the brightest and hardworking people I’ve ever met. Speed here, however, is entirely determined by outside circumstances which are simply different to what you find in other parts of the world.

On the bright side of changes and cultural differences, chai — or ‘Masala Chai’ as it is called here, is in my opinion “the best thing since sliced bread”. Even coffee-addict me has been converted. It’s not like the “chai lattes” we get in Canada, chai in India is strong, and it is sweet. Very, very sweet. It is also like a little cup of heaven, and is — as I keep joking with colleagues, the single most important part of my workday. Chai at our office is served twice per day (once in the morning, and once in the afternoon) by specialty tea-makers who come around from desk to desk, serving us cups. At our office, chai is usually followed by a communal 5-min stretch/exercise break which is led by a different colleague each day.

“My new vice: masala chai. Our office makes the most amazing chai, and it is served twice per day. Once in the morning, and once in the afternoon.”

Our colleagues are another aspect of my IGL which has made this experience unforgettable. From day one my teammates and I have had offers to eat with individuals and groups in the cafeteria during lunch time. We’ve had suggestions of places to visit around Pune, invitations to dinner at colleagues’ homes, and even offers to drive us between cities when we were heading in the same direction. One of the most interesting, and sweetest aspects of Indian culture reflected in our office I think is meal time. In India, meals are almost always shared — with communal dishes sitting in the middle for everyone to help themselves from. Even though we each bring or buy our own food at lunch, our colleagues always insist on us trying some of their home cooked food — what seems like endless arrays of curries and other yummy Indian dishes each day. No is simply not accepted as an answer, and if we like really like the food our colleagues will often offer the dish to us in its entirety regardless of how much or little they have eaten of their own food. It has been such a surprising and lovely addition to my lunchtime. It seems there is never a shortage of new food to try, or new things to learn.

“Views from my office in Pune, India.”

Though there’s plenty of things to keep us busy — meetings to prepare for, deadlines to meet, and reports to write, it’s definitely not all work on the IGL! During our weekends, and downtime during the week, we’ve been taking advantage of our location to explore our new home, and surrounding area. There’s really been two sides to my exploring — the “touristing” and the food.

“Sunset views from our hotel!”

Being based in Pune, I was lucky enough to visit the Aga Khan Palace my first weekend in the city. For those of you who might not know, this building is particularly significant in Indian history as it is the place that Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned during his period of house arrest between 1942-1944. For this reason, it is closely linked to the Indian freedom movement. The palace is also sadly the place where both his wife Kasturba Gandhi, and dear secretary Mahadev Dei passed away, and therefore holds much sadness in its walls. Today, the site is a museum — home to many artifacts from Gandhi’s life, along with paintings, sculptures and other pieces of art depicting his life and achievements. There are also beautiful gardens surrounding the palace, and a memorial where Gandhi’s ashes were kept.

“Walking up to the Aga Khan Palace”

“Monument where Gandhi’s ashes used to be held.”

Our second weekend during IGL provided a fun opportunity to travel to Mumbai for both some sightseeing and networking. Josh, our Student Board Representative had connected with the local CEMS chapter, and we were able to organize a joint Ivey-CEMS evening of drinks (and dancing). It was awesome to get the chance to meet some of our Indian counterparts, and make new friends in different cities. A few of us also took advantage of our time in the “big city” to do a bit of exploring. I got the chance to walk along the famous Marine Drive, eat at one of the best ‘Thali' restaurants (a meal, made up of a selection of various dishes, served on a platter) in Mumbai, and visit a local art gallery before heading back to Pune on Sunday afternoon.

“Juxtaposing views in Mumbai from our hotel room.”

“Group shot of Ivey MSc-ers and CEMSie alumni at the mixer in Mumbai.”

“A snap of the amazing Thali in Mumbai.”

Week three provided lots of opportunities for hard work, and foodie adventures in the city. On the weekend, a group of students decided to visit ‘Shaniwarwada’ — a historic fort built by the Peshawas in 1732, and located in central Pune. It was the seat of the Maratha Empire until 1818, and was home to over 1000 people at its height. It is a massive structure, with many ruins, gardens, and places to wander within its walls. Visiting was a really cool experience, and gave a lot more historical context to our understanding of the city in which we’re living.

“Walking up to the fort: Shaniwarwada.”

“Panoramic views over Shaniwarwada.”

With one more week to go before break week, we were on the final stretch. This week also meant giving mid-term presentations to many of our company CEOs, and supervisors, along with former consultant Chris Clark — who is on board the project as our IGL advisor. These meetings served as both formal presentations as well as feedback sessions where the scope of our project, or direction of our research could be changed or tweaked as needed.

After four weeks of hard work, it was time to back our bags and head off on many different adventures across Asia. I decided to fly down to Goa — a small, beach-side state, and famous tourist destination located almost exactly between Pune and Bangalore. Myself, and 12 other MSc-ers (from both Pune and Bangalore) spent one glorious week there chilling and relaxing. Given that it is monsoon season in India, we unfortunately didn’t have too much sun during our stay. That didn’t stop us from having fun however as we still managed to do some exploring, and used our evenings to catch up and check out the nightlife. Ten days later it was time to back our bags again and head back to reality.