Wow.

Day 1/50 is complete. Basically all we did today was go through orientation and "Induction" to Honeywell. I now have my badge, etc. Tomorrow will be cultural training, and then Wednesday is when I will finally start my actual assignment.

We spent most of the day with Sandesh and Tanu, two of the HR people here in Bangalore, and they've really helped us to get accustomed to Honeywell and to the area. We went out with them yesterday actually to the mall - the largest mall in Bangalore - The Forum. There we got a chance to look around and see some bookstores, music stores, clothes stores - everything is cheaper here overall than in the US. Also, we went to the food court and got some awesome food. I pretty much crashed after that and then woke up this morning in time for breakfast and work. I'm almost recovered from the jet lag, but I'll probably crash soon after this as well even though it's only 8PM.

Probably the biggest observation of the day was the amazing wonder that is the morning commute. There really are no lanes and there really are no stoplights. Most of the vehicles on the road are rickshaws and motorcycles, and they basically just weave in and out of everyone else. There is the constant beeping of horns and basically just constant chaos. It's quite fun.

Another cool thing today was just reaffirming how cool Honeywell is and just how much they do. Basically, think of anything there is that you don't know who makes it: Honeywell makes it. From thermostats to car filters to vacuum bags to anti-freeze to runway lights to sensors to landing gear to microchips to stoplights, Honeywell does it and more. The work day is 9:15-6:15, so we catch our shuttle at around 8:15 and make it home by 7:00. That does make for a pretty long day, and unfortunately it gets dark by 7:00 even in the summer, so we're really not going to be able to enjoy much sunlight expect on the weekends. But alas, that's work, and I know it's going to be a great experience.

We also checked out the grocery store for the first time today. Fresh fruit and vegetables are very cheap, but stuff like spaghetti sauce is actually very expensive, like $4.00 a jar. We'll have to adjust to what we want to make for meals. Basically, though, we're going to be eating breakfast for free at the hotel and lunch at Honeywell for pretty cheap, so dinner may just end up being mangoes every night - we'll see.

Best of luck to everyone else who also started work today! I'll check back in after I've actually started with my work with my manager.