An Introduction to This Resource

Deloitte BTAs in India is an extensive description of the day to day life of one participant in the Deloitte's India Immersion Program in Hyderabad / HiTec City.

The first group of eight BTAs lived and worked in Hyderabad during the summer of 2013. A second group of seven followed in the fall of the same year and worked at the same location. Our twelve week experience took place between September 21st and December 18, 2013.

For an overview of the purpose of the program, see entries marked Program Details under the Topics section on the right hand side of the blog. To review only entries that concern client service activity, select Work Related from the Topics section.

READ ALL OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST.

Scroll down the right side of this page
and use the section marked "Blog Archive."

Click on the small triangle next to a year or month.
A menu of entries will appear. Entries in a blog are shown most recent first. If you want to read the blog from the beginning, click on August and then click the bottom entry first and then move up the list.

Early entries in August are "Preliminaries." 
These describe preparation activities. Any BTA considering participation in the Immersion Program may find these especially helpful.

Continue using these links to move to the second entry and continue.

Alternatively, use the Label Links
on the right hand side of the blog to read entries by topic.

Thanks to all those who posted pictures on Facebook, to those who have contributed to or commented on this blog. I hope you enjoy reading about the fruits of our labor these past twelve weeks.

Post Script: Since Our Return

Our group took various routes as we returned to the United States. England, Germany, Austria even New Zealand were just a few of the stop over destinations on "the way home."

To be honest, re-entry into Deloitte US has been a little on the stressful side. In December/January a lot of projects across the county are "winding down." Transitioning to our home offices seemed a little awkward. Feeling a little "out of the loop" was a shared emotion, as we returned.

Some of us have moved off the beach more quickly than others. Only one of us was extended on the projects with which we were associated in India. Several others took short term roles on non-SAP projects, just to get back in the saddle. All of us, but especially "second year" BTAs, are concerned with hitting our annual utilization targets, after a slow start in Hyderabad and additional downtime upon our return.

I've been really fortuante to get staffed on a large SAP project in Brooklyn through August, at least. While I didn't land a functional role to start, my senior manager is very aware of my immersion experience and our recently developed functional capabilities. As the project ramps up, he'll be looking for opportunities for me use the new skills that were gained in Hyderabad.

For me personally, it's taken only a couple of weeks to start reaping the benefits of the immersion program. Our team will be adding off-shore expertise from Deloitte USI next week. During a prep meeting, I made several suggestions to encourage attentive integration of our Indian team members. AND you're not going to believe this part! The two USI team members are from HYDERABAD. Among them will be Harleen, a woman that we met during our trekking weekend in Goa. Now if that does say, "it's a small world after all," I don't know what does!

Post Script II: On February 4th, six BTAs, three from the first trip and three from the second participated in a conference call with senior managers to provide feedback about our experiences. As a result, a tentative plan is under consideration to offer the Immersion Program again in the Fall of 2014.

At the moment, Hyderabad appears to be the preferred site. The most exciting news is that the program will no longer be limited to SAP personnel, but will be expanded to include all Deloitte services lines! More details will follow.

Post Script III: On February 8, 2014 Parliament passed the bill that will split Andhra Pradesh, India into two separate states, with Hyderabad as the capital of both states for a period of ten years. Telangana, which will include Hyderabad, will be the name of the new state. It will be very interesting to see how this decision effects the HiTec City area. For more information about the historical, political and religious discord that produced this result, see additional posts labeled Politics, in the Topics list.

Homeward Bound

 

My trip back home was uneventful, and I was absolutely thrilled to be reunited with my parents. It will take me a little while to get used to the winter weather here. As you can see below, I was greeted with a beautiful blanket of snow upon my return!

I am delighted to be back in Philadelphia. As I share the stories of my time in India with my family and friends, I am struck by how absolutely blessed I have been to have had this opportunity through Deloitte Consulting. I met so many kind and helpful people and saw as many incredible things that I never would have imagined that I would see in my lifetime.

I am so thankful to everyone who had a part in making this Immersion Program such a great opportunity. It was an invaluable experience that I will never forget.

Home Sweet Home!

What's this white stuff?

  

 Trees are beautiful in every county.

Of All Things HP

The next morning, I said goodbye to Alex and hopped on the tube to meet up with my college friend Janine, who is currently in London for grad school. We had a pretty quiet afternoon together, spending most of the afternoon shopping at the large shopping, which sadly beat the socks of the King of Prussia mall. It was right next to her dormitory!

Needing to buy a football related Christmas gift for my dad in the Piccadilly Circus area of London, Janine and I went into the heart of London in the evening.

For dinner, we indulged in something a bit more American, and went to the newly established Shake Shack in Covent Garden. Surprisingly enough, this was the first Shake Shack experience for both of us and it was FANTASTIC. Thankfully, I know that one has just opened up near my own home sweet home.) In any event, we turned in early, knowing that we would have an exciting day ahead at the Harry Potter Studio Tour!

The next day, we made our way to Watford Junction station, where we were picked up by the magical bus that took us to Leavesden Studios, the filming location for the Harry Potter series, which is now open to the public.

I had taken the tour the previous year with Alex, but I knew that Hogwarts would be decorated for the holidays, so I was looking forward to a return visit and a completely different experience.

Having been there before didn’t lessen any of the magic and I was just as giddy when the doors to the Great Hall were opened, and I was immersed in my favorite fictional universe of all times.

 

I couldn’t believe all of the Christmas decorations and costumes that were hung and housed in the Great Hall. The attention to detail of the set was incredible, and the animated snow falling outside the window behind the Hogwarts faculty table made it seem all the more real. After our time in the Great Hall, we began the self-guided section of the tour, where countless props, sets and creatures could be seen. If anything had ever been decorated for Christmas in the movies, it was now decorated on the tour, including the Gryffindor Common Room and the Weasley’s kitchen.

 

 

 

Janine and I had a great time reliving our favorite moments from the films and taking our pictures with some of the incredible set items, like the Knight Bus and the front porch of Number 4 Privet Drive. We took a break halfway through the tour for some Butterbeer before entering the second sound studio which houses the set of Diagon Alley!

 

We peeked in all the shop windows and imagined that we were buying our Hogwarts school supplies before we were led into the room with the large scale model of Hogwarts. It was covered with snow for the holiday season, and the ever-changing light colors gave the room an even more magical atmosphere. It was the perfect way to end the tour, although Janine and I still spent our fair share of time in the studio shop!
 

 

Eventually, it was time to leave the studio behind (until next time) and heading back to Janine’s for dinner. After a trip to Wagamama and a night of movies and packing, I turned in to have my last night of sleep in London. It was finally time to head home!

Hitting Some Favorite Places

Sports Direct for all things football, British that is.

A lunchtime favorite from Study Abroad days.

Eight floors of REAL books.

Apologies for these "place holder" photos.

The real thing and notes to follow soon.

A Perfect Weekend!

When Kalie and I arrived at Heathrow after our long flight from Hyderabad, it was hard to believe that our time in India was over. However, once we emerged from the London Bridge Tube Station to meet up with my childhood friend Alex and discovered how chilly it was in London, it wasn’t hard to believe that we weren’t in India anymore.

After dropping our bags off at Alex’s apartment and grabbing a small lunch, we spent some time walking around the city and taking in the spectacular Christmas decorations. We were definitely missing the Christmas spirit in India, and although we knew that Christmas was coming, it was exciting to actually feel it in the air and see it in the lights and trees that could be found in some of London’s most well-known paces.

The evening quickly became chilly, and we made our way to the restaurant Alex had chosen for our dinner. We settled in for drinks and an appetizer before we were met by Alex’s other friend Emily!

 

We all enjoyed a traditional English dinner of pie, and Kalie and I shared many stories of our time in India. After dinner in an attempt to fight off my jetlag, I joined Alex and Emily at one of their friends’ apartments in my old South Kensington neighborhood for a Christmas party. It certainly felt like a scene from Love Actually, and I was even able to reconnect with some of Alex’s friends from the University of Bath whom I had met the previous year when I visited Alex. Finally, I started to get tired and Alex and I went back to her place for a great night of sleep!

 

The next morning, we set out with Kalie to get the full English Breakfast experience! Alex chose an excellent place that I’ll need to remember for the next time I visit my favorite city! Filled up and energized for the day, Alex went back to her apartment to prepare for a work assessment while I showed Kalie around all the iconic spots of London.

We walked from the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben to Westminster Abbey, before heading over to Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace. Although it was drizzling, the weather held up for us until we got the tube back to Alex’s. Kalie grabbed her bag and headed back to Heathrow to catch her plane to go to Germany with Jon, Katie and Stephanie.
 

 The Palace of Westminster,
commonly known as the  Houses of Parliament.

 

Clock Tower, now officially Elizabeth Tower, renamed in 2012
to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

 

 Admiralty Arch near Trafalgar Square

 

 Sculpture of Eros in Piccadilly Circus

 

Tower Bridge, not London Bridge, is in the distance.

 

After her departure, Alex and I had a quick lunch at Pret a Manger, one of my favorites, before setting out on our journey to see Liverpool play Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

 

As a Liverpool fan sitting in the Tottenham section, I was sure to wear my jersey underneath my other clothing! Getting to the stadium was a piece of cake, and we took our seats in anticipation for the afternoon’s match. The crowds filed in and before we knew it, the match was on!

 

The English are just as serious about football as I had thought they would be, and there was much cheering and chanting as the players took the field. Our seats couldn’t have been much better, offering us a great view of the field (we were right in corner-kick territory) while still protecting us from the chilly wind and rain!

 

As the match progressed, it did not look as though things were going to go well for Tottenham. Liverpool led 2-0 at the half, and we found ourselves surrounded by some very disgruntled Tottenham fans. Liverpool seized on its success in the second half and finished with a strong 5-0 score by the final whistle. The stands had steadily cleared out with each ensuing Liverpool goal, and by the end of the game there weren’t nearly as many people in our section of the stands.

 

Liverpool 5 - Tottenham 0

"Liverpool have pounced with savagery!"

I just love being here! The Brits have such a way with words.

 

Despite the disappointment of the home-team fans, Alex and I had a great time and made our way back through the crowds and on to the tube to spend the evening eating and watching movies at her apartment. I was thrilled to be able to check "attend a Premier League match" off of my bucket list!