Incredible India: Conditions and Transitions

Silence is not absence

There might be readers of my blog concerning my training in India who might have thought I had already screamed myself hoarse and finally settled down to the scheme of things. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I have been busy and in many cases exhausted but there is so much to write about that the right frame of mind is necessary to be as articulate as possible.

As you would have noticed, I have registered no new comments with regards to my Internet connection that is not because the Internet access problem has been solved properly or that the service is anywhere near acceptable, I simply could not afford to suffer another night of absence of service that the next day I got a mobile Internet dongle that gives me close to unlimited access for the rest of the time I will be in India.

My colleagues at Koenig Inn have endured more frustration than I have the capacity for in terms of that as it were “funny” service. I have on occasion used the wireless Internet service but I suppose because I have contingencies, I am no more as affected.

Acquiring a Microsoft-infused mind

The main tranche of my course finished yesterday. It was a whirlwind tour of the Microsoft Windows enterprise framework strategy. We covered so many topics, I think I was stretched, learning new stuff, relearning interesting stuff and unlearning obsolete stuff – on the latter, there was much to unlearn with experience comes the vagaries of change that compel you to adapt or be face obsolescence.

Koenig Solutions also gave me a birthday present, not a free course but a complete set of all their souvenirs – Thank you.

Much as I seem to have some bravado to face some examinations in order terms I feel I am not as prepared as I should be. It is saturation environment from now on as I do practice tests on my mobile phone, read up on obscure topics and playback videos of the CBT material whilst awake and whilst asleep – my thinking has to become Microsoft(ed) if any such word exists.

Parting with my trainer, I can only commend his knowledge of the material, his understanding of the fundamentals, his confidence in the face of thorny questions and his appreciation of other perspectives that people bring in with regards to the practical experiences they have had. I will hope that I make a friend of him for the invaluable service he has offered.

Feng Shui we need

I received an email yesterday with regards to the next course that I hope to obtain a Cisco certification for. I cannot say much for the attention to detail when the laboratory room number indicated I was to be in a different building from what the email suggested – I am not complaining, just observing.

The training room is in the basement of another building, I would hate to think that I am already suffering the effects of bad Feng Shui and other complications of sick building syndrome – basically, I had basement offices and I have suddenly noticed that I have been in classes without windows, breathing processed air and using artificial light.

The part about breathing processed air is useful because New Delhi is in a constant haze of pollution, there are places you can go that give you serious throat irritation in a matter of minutes.

The same and different all the same

So, after finding my training room, I walked down the length of the corridor noting how clean the whole place looked and could not help but notice that unlike the other building, the sugar bowl had a lid that was used with the notice, to always cover the bowl after use. I still have issues with the spoon being in a cup of water, I would rather they had a proper sugar dispenser or plastic disposable spoons.

In all, many things are the same all around the place, the coffee machines, the water coolers, the serviette boxes, even the microwaves and yet all different – a concept of bulk similarity but varied utility depending on location as regards the training centres and the managed accommodations.

A visit to the gents was a bit more comforting, a lot cleaner in looks than the aging other place but with a façade of the worn, maybe by reason of age, one cannot say.

The lessons have started and this looks like it will be exciting stuff – there is much more to report some of which is almost too incredible to talk about but it will be remiss of me not to cover these matters in the next few blogs I post.