Goed tot ziens

I usually never feel sad. The sense of loss is usually non existent. But there have been occassions when I have felt that a good thing has come to an end. And I have felt a pang of sadness at these times.

I started working in close connection with the Dutch in August last year. It started off with some mails being exchanged and then we started having teleconferences daily. It took me at least 10 such calls to start understanding their accent. In the initial days there were always some other collegues of mine in the conference and I could always ask them what the Dutch guys (and there were some Belgians and French too!) were telling. Soon I was able to comprehend their accent and started feeling comfortable. I lost the initial nervousness but I always had the feeling that I am talking to people I have never actually met.

In september I got the chance to visit the Netherlands for the first time. I had been to Singapore and Malaysia, so it was not my first trip abraod. But then Europe is unique and fascinating in its own ways. I met the people I used to speak to only over the phone for the first time. This was my first interaction with foreigners and I immediately realised that I have a lot to learn from these people.

The trip lasted for 3 weeks. I had my 23rd birthday in the Netherlands. I returned back carrying memories and the knowledge I gained in those 3 weeks was more than what I had gained in 3 years.

My interaction with the Dutch continued after coming and became more frequent. Little did I know that a month and a half later I would be in the Netherlands again. And this time again for a month. And then again a month later I would visit the same place again!!

But then during all these interactions I learnt a lot. The Dutch work for eight hours a day and not more. Even the shop keepers work for 8 hours a day and no more. So the shops close by 6 in the evening. My Dutch collegues leave at 5 in the evening. They eat lunch at their work place and do not waste time going to the cafeteria. They dont spend time gossiping, having coffee every half an hour. Their meetings are short and to the point. Their ability to remain calm even during a crisis is really commendable. Even though we worked together in a high pressure environment I never saw them press the panic button. Whatever be the pressure they stuck to their timings. During my 3 trips I never saw even one Dutch collegue use his mobile phone. In fact I still wonder if they ever carried one!!

Their planning, focus and execution is something I was amazed with. The amount of confidence that they show on you and the respect that they have for your views is overwhelming. One thing that has kept me perplexed is the fact that my efficiency almost doubles automatically when I work there. This is not just my observation but also the feeling that a lot of my other fellow Indian collegues have. I have been trying hard to maintain the same efficiency after coming back but struggling.

Now the time has come to bid adieu. Officially today is the last day I will interact with the Dutch on this project. Today is the last teleconference. Though I do act as a consultant in my area of expertise, the active participation in the project comes to an end. This has been a pretty significant period in my life. Along with the chance to visit eight countries, visiting the Red Light District in Amsterdam (only visiting), seeing my chip in a product, improving in my area of expertise, I have now learnt from a people of a totally different culture.

But do you know the worst part of all this. I had a PC of my own in the Netherlands which I used to access using remote desktop. That will be taken away. I can no longer access Orkut or any of the messengers. I dont know how many of my buddies will be thanking their stars since I cant chat with them anymore.

It good bye to a lot of things this week...........