Don't give up at halftime. Concentrate on winning the second half
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One of the best threads. Thanks for this thread Tarun. Very useful tips for preparation ahead of your trip.
Thanks for sharing your experience Jiten. Certainly drives home the point.
Here we go...
I have traveled to a few Countries (France, Dubai, Morocco, USA and Germany) and lived in some for a considerable period to comment about them. (thanks to
all the companies I have worked and working so far!)
I will talk abt Morocco, Germany and USA as these were the places I laid my foot on and did not take it out for a while..(Currently in Delaware, USA)
Casablanca, Morocco (my first Foreign trip)
Was my first and worst as I lost all the baggages in transit. Was left with only a camera,few books few dollars and a jacket. what an experience! had to shop
on the very first day i landed. Courtesy- Emirates!
luckily got them in two days + good 150 dollars as compensation:)
Wonderful country located in North Africa, tip of Spain. They share the borders with Algeria- and also the India-Pakistan types relationship! Typically
another European country and does not resemble one bit African.
Casablanca and Rabat are two major cities, with Marrakesh being the most beautiful. Casablanca is very cosmopolitan and neatly maintained. The ladies there
are stunningly beautiful! If you cannot speak Arabic or French, you will have a hard time. I had to learn French before landing in Morocco. So get your
basics atleast.The weather is pretty chill and winters can get harsh. Go well armed if you are traveling between Nov to Feb. Summers are not very hot, rather
pleasant.
The Dunes and Ouzoud Falls are perfect places for a weekend get away. Backpack and adventure the nature's beauty.
Food is a major problem- if you are a veggie, the only thing you get is salad ..Non-veg is rather bland and raw. they relish their Kus-kus, but trust me,
it's as bad as it can get esp if you are used to eating Kentucky fried or Butter chicken. Don't be surprised if you see dog meat and deer meat sold in
Metros.
Morocco is an ethnically diverse country with a rich culture and civilization- lots of Sudanese, French, Spanish, Algerians and Moroccons of course.
You won't get the feeling of being in an Arab Kingdom except when you hear people talk. It's more like a Spanish territory.
The people there are very very friendly- they love music, Cigars and Football. French is a must! English is spoken by very few.
The Hassan II mosque (in night) and Casablanca twin towers are a must visit!
Frankfurt, Germany
About one half of Bangalore, a lovely place, financial hub with all those typical skycrpaers..not considered as a bavarain land by their own fellowmen as it
is not typical German. Lots of immigrants in here!People are courteous, respect time a lot..food is mostly turkish and italian..German food is bad..staple
food being pork, beef and Turkey. If you are a veggie, god bless you!
well connected..lots of indian and srilankan stores right near the Frankfurt main station. But be careful about entering the right street near the station.
Prostitution is legal and a street full of night clubs and sex workers- right in the center of the city. The city is very safe and hotels and restaurants a
plenty!
English is spoken with great difficulty but they manage obviously knowing German is tough to speak!
Remember a small incident..My friends (couples) from Mumbai had called for a cab to leave the hotel at 8.00 in the morning. They reached the lobby at
8.10-looked for the cab and thought it had not come..so they took their time to have a small conversation with the receptionist, read the papers and hung
around..it was 8.20 and only then they realised something was wrong. When they called the cab driver, he gave a crisp reply and hung the phone "I waited for
5 minutes and we don't wait any longer in Germany. Please keep up your time"
So..be punctual for meetings, do not get personal during work and remember what Jiten said. If office hours are between 9-5, work begins at 9.
Germans love their beers and you can find them and drink them at any place..stations, public places..name any and it's allowed..They work hard and party hard
It gets very cold in winters and is pleasant in summers. Frankfurt is very primarily located..An overnight train can take you to France, Netherlands Belgium,
Luxembourg....(oh! that get's me interested in talking abt France....Tarun, you have turned us on!)
Frankfut doesn't boast much history..No major historical sights or concentration camps in Frankfurt, if you want to visit one, the nearest is in Munich or
Berlin. Get tickets to watch local football matches..they are highly interesting!
Chicago, USA
nothing much to comment about this place..One of the best cities..though crime rates being plenty.. Sears towers, Shredd acquarium are must visit
places..take the Sears towers elevator (10 dollars) to experience the speed of the lift and to get the 360* view of the City. Widny city, so be well
equipped. It can get very very cold!
Delaware, USA
very untypical of American States..Car is a must..Forget buses or trains..This place is totally laid back and dead! I have lived in Chicago and Frankfurt and
am certainly not comparing it with those places…but trust me...it’s the basic stuff am referring to here and not night life or mega malls. The shopping is
non-existent- restaurants too. The biggest City in Delaware is Wilmington (which is abt ¼ of Bangalore) and it’s fully shut on weekends. Can you believe
that? No proper infrastructure and public transport. The nearest Citibank branch to make a deposit or encash TCs is in Philadelphia, PA which is about 1.5
hours from our place. We have other banks here like PNC, WSFS but their account opening process takes a lot of time. Citi is the only bank that opens an
account for you without SSN. There is no presence of this bank in the whole state. So every time we want to make a banking transaction, we go to
Pennsylvania...our neighboring state. The buses run every 40 minutes on the weekdays and every 1.5-hour on Saturdays. There is absolutely no public transport
on Sundays. The buses run empty all the time and hence low frequency. Adding to this, the malls or grocery stores are miles apart. This has given us good
exercise and strengthened our calf muscles. The waiting time for taxi is one-hour bare minimum. You cannot find a taxi on the road and I bet that!
To sum up, Car is a must in this place! Before you come here, Get an IDP and book a car on lease. Life becomes easy then. Everyone who moves here buys a
second hand vehicle within a couple of months or takes a new one on lease. Trust me, no one walks on the road here. NO ONE! Even when the sun is shining! My
own colleague said, ‘Guys standing in bus stand needs to feel ashamed!’ This is laughable to say the least!
Delaware was the first to become a state, and the first to cease to exist. Nothing derogatory abt it but it's a fact and I believe it will help visitors!
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