Searching for a Home (via Bangalore)

I woke early the next morning lying on my stomach, my face buried in a pillow, just like at home.  I was upset as I betrayed my nighttime promise to sleep like a mummy on my back, trying to touch as little as possible.  “What can you do?”  I thought to myself, wiping drool from my face.

I was quick to check out of the hotel that morning.  “I’m sorry but my friend is insisting I stay with him,” I persisted.  I was doing my best to smooth over our “business breakup.”  A cab was called and I headed into the office for my first day.

It was 7:30am and after stopping at 3 different Oracle offices, we finally found the building where a cube was waiting my arrival.  I made my way up to the sixth floor and was greeted by a guard.  “Today is my first day.  I’m working at 6A 466.”

The guard left into another room and out came three more dressed in the same blue and black uniform.  The one who spoke English made his way to address me and I explained my situation.  After passing my business card to each of the 4 men, I was given a visitor pass and was allowed to enter office.

To my surprise, the office looked exactly like the office I had left California: rows of cubes, inspiring corporate phrases like “Be There First!” on the wall, and offices around the edges of the room.  All that was missing were the people. 

My eagerness to leave the hotel had brought me into the office a full 9 hours before everyone else on the floor was coming in.  This explained the guard’s apprehension to letting me through, as I was literally the only person on a floor that housed hundreds of people during the work day.

I walked the rows of cubes for 5 minutes before I sat down at my workspace for the next 2 months.  I got out a pen and paper and wrote down my itinerary for the day:

1.)     Find a new hotel

2.)    Get phone, computer, and iPad set up/connected

3.)    Eat

After putting the list to paper, I realized that I needed a phone to complete #1, so I adjusted my priority list and got to work. 

Within a few hours I was negotiating between 2 different hotels which were located in the “happening” neighborhood I hoped to live in.  I was in my element negotiating, as it’s what I spend the most exciting times of my current job doing.  “2000 rupees Net, not before taxes.  That’s what Blupetal is offering.  I’m going to be staying there for almost two months, that’s got to be worth something.  Oh, and I want two liters of water a day, not the customary one.”

At last I had reached a deal both parties could stomach.  My new home has free breakfast (which is actually delicious), a work-out room, and wireless internet that works most of the time.  I have a double bed that is cleaned each day; there is a shower door and even a safe to leave my valuables in.

I finally found my home.