Family extended

In India the notion of family is a very strong one. It defines the way of working here as well.
The team I work with will go to lunch together as much as possible, something I value even in the Netherlands. Lunch is usually hot, it is shared by any who wish to, something we Dutch are not used to, but a notion I have always liked. Therefore I like to share myself. However, am I sharing?

Up till now I have not been paying for my lunch, there has always been enough, and enough for everyone. But well, sharing doesn't feel that pronounced when you share something that you didn't bring yourself :)

One reason for sharing is of course the joy of showing others what you brought, and how good it tastes, towards me there is of course a lot of new things to offer. Indian food for me still has a lot of surprises and mystique. I'm sure there are still a lat of things to taste, and to find out. My friends and colleagues will point out things and let me taste things, things I am told the name of, yet as long as I hear it pronounced differently by different people it will stay hard for me to remember the name.

Sharing goes a long way, and it reminds me of family a lot, where at home we use to share a lot as well, my twin sister and I were very close when we were young, and it was always logical for us to share things. Being in India with good colleagues that try to share food, knowledge, experiences, makes be feel at home.

Last Saturday evening I was invited to a yearly company event, it is called Jashn, and my expectations were that it was going to be limited event. Little did I know that the Capgemini company here in Mumbai has 10000 people working for them, out of a total of 30000 in India. The event of course was huge, and I felt lost at first. So many people there, and since I must have been one of less than 5 white people I was stared at a lot, what's this white person doing here ;)
When finally one of my team arrived I must admit all returned to a family outing feeling. We met up with most of the rest of the team and we enjoyed the show.

Family sometimes is not always in blood bond, you can feel with family wherever your heart finds it.