This expat is no longer an expat. - The Expat Blog

This expat is no longer an expat.

Melissa A. Bell - Wednesday, June 24, 2009 7:39 PM
Sigh. So, I'm sorry to my two readers, (hi, mom!) that I've been so silent of late, but I've had a bit of a hectic month behind me, and a couple more to go. For family reasons, I've had to come back to the states for the next two months. My bosses at Mint have kindly given me leave (or they're just finally heaving a sigh of relief that I'm out of their hair). I've been so busy getting things organized I hadn't really had much time to think about coming home. And now that I'm here, well, it's weird.

The one question I get the most: when are you moving back?

Then I get: What do you like so much about India? Why did you move there again? Isn't it hard to deal with all the poverty? Was Slumdog Millionaire accurate? Do you think it's a good place to invest?

At lunch yesterday a business owner said he tried a few Indian firms for data entry outsourcing, but could not use them because of their copy editing errors. He seemed kind of angry, like I was to blame for it. You say India's so great Melissa, but two companies didn't cut it with me! Explain that.

People want to know more, but they don't really want to know too much. I sometimes expect people to be so curious, that the whole night would be spent asking and answering questions. But the interest passes in a few minutes.

Then it's back to the economy, stupid. The weather. The baseball line-up.

I'm not saying in India everyone is so outwardly looking and worldly and curious. But it feels right now that we're pretty self absorbed on the American side of the planet. There are reasons for it. Most Americans don't grow up learning Hindi, or watching Bollywood films. Indians watch Hollywood movies and listen Bob Dylan. The rest of the world knows about the US all too well because we're running around as The Most Powerful Country on Earth and well, that gets you some attention. Just would be nice if in all that running around, we also learned some things about the rest of the planet.

But who knows? OnDemand, a really popular TV channel over here that lets you choose your own movies, now has a Bollywood option. Maybe things will change.

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13 Comment

From Pankaj

June 25, 2009 10:35 AM
Hey Melissa, You are back to writing what you are best at. You are damn correct that people seem so curious to know about India but the curiosity dies in two minutes. The reason is that people want to just confirm what they perceive India to be. The moment you tell them something different, they are not interested anymore. I've always felt that people from West are too aloof about the rest of the world. They just care about the West and no nothing about the rest of the world. They need to realize that the winds of change have started blowing for good. Maybe you can try and confirm what they perceive India to be, and they'll remain interested.

From Melissa A. Bell

June 25, 2009 5:32 PM
Thanks, Pankaj! I think it's slowly changing though--the perception of India. Actually, you just totally made me think of another blog post. Will try to put it up in a day or two. But I totally agree with you about the aloof-ness of the Western world. It's changing in small ways, but the most obvious one has always driven me nuts: there was no huge emphasis on teaching children a second language. That seems as necessary a skill as mathematics, if not more so. And it was completely ignored by the education system here. That arrogance has really been detrimental to us.

From Rahul

June 26, 2009 8:28 AM
Hunny it's all 'too' well and not all to well. Perhaps the gentleman you had lunch with was equally frustrated with the English and other professional skills of the Americans themselves to look for an Indian partner in the first place. You are right American do need to hone up their skills and even go to school if they have to and that perhaps also includes you going back to Medill ;) It's obvious people want to know only till the time the conversation remains pleasant! Thats the reason SM was so popular with the American audience and a total flop here in India. Because the Americans like the idea that a British guy fed on their appetite for stereotypes. It makes them feel happy, content that it's not only they who are economically miserable - they got someone to look down upon say to their children "Study darlin' otherwise you will also end up like one of them on the streets of Bombay during the next recession". Ha! Chirst!!!

From Pankaj

June 26, 2009 10:16 AM
oh that's great! I am gonna wait for your next post! Thanks!

From Melissa A. Bell

June 27, 2009 6:24 PM
Rahul, ah, touche. I do suck at copy editing. And spelling. But I think more than the professional skills in the US (however bad they may be), it was a question of cost. I mean, isn't that all too often how it is? It's all about balancing the almighty dollar or almighty rupee.

From aditya

June 28, 2009 7:48 PM
well atleast you will miss all this gold darned heat!

From Melissa A. Bell

June 29, 2009 6:20 AM
Rahul, I'm all for a good pun, but can we try to keep this discussion a bit above board? I'd like to have an open debate with you, but those kind of comments can't be left up on the board. You said: "All this points to one thing; as far as back office operations and services are concerned we excel not only because we are cheap (as you and your fellow Americans take solace in) we are darn good at it! To say the least we offer the best services and prices that the world can offer." I agree with you on that point entirely. All I meant to imply was that I think that good skills alone would not be enough to get people to hire companies around the world to do their work. And I"m not from the midwest, despite my accent. Born and bred in California. Though I do have to say, I am enjoying the midwest very much right now. Aditya, I hear it's bad. Hope your cat's staying cool.

From Anand

June 29, 2009 4:17 PM
@Melissa: What I really want to know is - how the heck you managed to convince your boss to give you TWO months of vacation! I need that vacation too ;-)

From aditya

June 29, 2009 11:34 PM
@ Anand, a vacation entails being paid... perhaps mintbelle is on a leave of absence of the unpaid sort... that wouldn't be too hard to wrangle i imagine in this recession. @ Melissa, the rains are here somewhat... but hot and now humid too... and i think the cat's suffering a lot this year.

From Melissa A. Bell

July 4, 2009 2:25 AM
And @Aditya nails it on the head. @Anand: incredible how much time you get off when you're not actually on the dole...

From aditya

July 7, 2009 1:11 PM
i am on an unpaid holiday for the past 250 days... so that proves that notion... (am not a hammer to hit nails on the head though). urbandictionary.com has it right in a way by terming such periods as 'Funemployment'... p.s. a belated 233rd independence day to all amrikan readers!

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