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Study Abroad India

Infosys=DisneyLand

Today we listened to a lecture provided to us by Professor Aswath Shastry on security issues in technology in India. The topic was of interest to many of the students. The lecture was followed by a discussion of I.T and I.P rights from a consultant by the name of Mr. Rangan Mohan.

We visited what I think is comparable to Disney Land, the Bangalore Infosys Corporate Office. April is blogging about this portion of the day but I must touch on the fact that this campus is literally the most beautiful thing I have seen. It was amazing how a workplace could hold so many benefits for its employees while upholding a fantastic name for itself. Infosys is known by the corporate world as one of the most moral companies and the highest of managerial skills.

Due to the change of scheduling for the week we quickly went back to XIME and ate lunch then left immediately to Wipro Corporate Offices. This was a lot of fun. I literally had the best coffee in the world here. I tried to bargain 300 rupees for Pete’s coffee. He eventually gave in, but gave April and I tea instead. We still believe that since the deal was not fully met and the drink was different from the original bargain we should not pay the rupees, Pete however disagrees.  Portions of the agreement have been edited for content.

Later in the evening we had a panel discussion with the students from XIME. Personally, I felt this to be the most beneficial portion of the entire trip. We were able to compare ideals and views of the two cultures. The discussion was to be about how the two countries could benefit each other and what we would expect the next ten years to turn into. Our group decided to do an S.W.O.T analysis (Yes, even though we were not told do…we are kind of nerdy like that). I will give just a few points seeing as how this is a long blog already.

-Strength- The countries are both democratic and are so similar it makes sense. It will benefit both in the long run. If we allow India to manufacture for less the United States can come in with their specialty of sales. Weakness- The infrastructure of India, the loss of particular jobs, terrorism and more. Opportunities- We felt the greatest opportunity was the expansion of both economies. Threats- some of the threats included other countries, India’s location and both countries terrorism. This is only a few examples of each. Our group all went up together when presenting. I announced that if we are supposed to be talking about the countries working together it should start here so we all presenting. Scott and I were in the same group. Every group did very well.

Categories
Study Abroad India

Flower Show and Paparazzi!

Bangalore - Flower Show

Today was a lot of fun. We went to a flower show and it was absolutely amazing. There were full sculptures made out of floral designs. The group had a lot of fun because everyone kepts asking to take our pictures with them (our 15 minutes of fame).

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Study Abroad India

Elephant Ride and more!

Hello everybody!

Today was indescribable, but I will try to pay it the justice it is due. After breakfast at one of the nicest hotels any of us have every stayed in, we drove to the ancient capital of Amber. This area is just outside Jaipur. It was here that we saw the Amber Fort. The fort was constructed in the 17th century. Before the city palace was constructed in Jaipur, Amber was the seat of power. The fort was beautiful. There were levels of ramps leading up to the main area. It sits on a large area of land and the sun looks like it was made to cover the fort.

To reach the top of the fortress we rode an elephant up the ramps! The elephant ride was about twenty minutes long. You always think an elephant is big, but when you are riding on top of when you realize it is huge! The elephant behind us kept spraying water out of its trunk.

Elephant Ride

After being let off of the elephant we were able to see the top of the fortress which consisted of courtyards and halls. Each room was unique and beautiful. The walls had paintings and semi precious stones lay in the walls. My favorite room was the Sheesh Mahal, meaning hall of mirrors. A single lamplight is reflected in many mirrors and will light up the entire room. This also allowed the room to keep heat in during the chilly nights. This hall of mirrors was so beautiful and each mirror was imported to India to complete the room.

Jaipur

The day grew hotter as we visited the city of Jaipur. We visited the City Palace and the palace of winds. The day was very busy and filled with laughter, good conversation, growing bonds and most importantly an unforgettable experience.