Dave Ford Does Earth

Posted by Dave Ford

 

 

 

 

When I started to work at For Your Imagination I decided to try out an idea that I have been toying with for a long time–I hired a virtual assistant in India. I first heard about this a few years back when I read Tom Friedman’s best seller “The World is Flat”. Ironically, I used to caddy for Tom as a kid at Caves Valley in Baltimore. My interest in doing this was peaked again when I read Tim Ferriss’ book “the Four Hour Workweek”. Back when I worked in radio I would pay the sales assistants some extra cash on the side to help me with paperwork that I hated to do. I hoped that I would get similar help from India, particularly in generating business leads.

Rakesh started working for me a few weeks ago. We communicate over instant messenger and so far it is going well. He is dedicated to me for four hours a day, twenty hours a week. I pay his company–Tasks Everyday– $7 bucks an hour for his services. He works from 1 in the morning to 4 in the morning Mumbai time. Last week I asked him to write a blog post for me about himself. I wanted to know about his life and what it was like to live in Mumbai.  I am fascinated with India. I have not edited his post at all to give you an idea of his English level. I love the quote at the very end of his post. Check it out and let me know what you think about this.

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Hi my name is Rakesh, I come from a Hindu background. I am born and brought up in Mumbai. I live with my parents and younger brother. I am single. I have done my Masters Science(Botany), I have also completed Bachelor of Library and information Science And Bachelors in Education, right now I am doing PGDBA(Post Graduate Diploma In Business Administration) this degree is similar to that of a MBA.

Currently I am working in Alfa Overseas a Knowledge Process and Outsourcing company my designation is Executive Client Relations.

I have varied interests. I love to travel a lot I traveled a lot within India. I have visited the great cities of India like Jaipur, Maysore, Delhi, and Chennai. I have also traveled to island Andaman while pursuing my MSc. My favorite destination is Darjeeling.

I am very god fearing, and I like to meditate some times, because meditation is a that moment when we forget everything and can experience Peace of mind. I like to work out in gym, my other interests are watching movies, reading books.

Mumbai is a metropolitan city of India, and it is also a international city. Bollywood is one of the specialities of Mumbai. In India it is called Dream city. It is said this city never sleeps. Life is very fast in Mumbai, People are always busy. The local train and Dabbawalas of Mumbai are world wide famous. What I like about this place is that the people are very helpful.

 

Walking on the roads of Mumbai is an experience in itself. It is very different from what one experiences while waking on the streets of America. Different in different ways to be precise you find many eatables while walking. Being one of the most populated cities in the world, it’s quite obvious to find a lot of people walking on the road. The road transports include buses, taxis or cabs, and also auto-rickshaws which you might not be familiar with. But a majority of people over here still prefer to walk, since it is believed that walking keeps you healthy. During walking on the road one can see old book stalls, readymade cloth shops, small toys.

On my weekends I mostly go to Churchgate, Marine drive, Juhu Beach etc.the most famous beaches in Mumbai . I usually enjoy walking on roads of Churchgate, because on the way I can see number of tourists. These are cool places to hang out with friends.

I feel excited when I see some tourists. It feels great to see people from different countries admiring India.

Food in Mumbai mainly consist of Chapatis made up of wheat flour and rice and veg/non-veg Dishes. During breakfast people prefer Junk food like samosa pav, vadapav, Bhelpuri etc. Some people with health awareness prefer fruit juice and fruits. People also drink tender coconut water because it is also very nutritious. In India There are number of places to visit like Andaman Nicobar Island, in Agra the Taj Mahal standing tall is a symbol of love. In Jaipur Hawamahal, Amber Fort, Jalmahal, Jantar Mantar, in Mysore the Mysore palace is a treat to the eyes, Mysore Zoo, in Delhi Red fort, Jama masjid, in Maharashtra Ajanta Ellora,In Madhayapradesh Kanha National Park, in Kerala Beaches,ancient Churches and temples are the various tourist attractions.

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There is this one saying of saint Kabir about life which is very famous here “When you come in this world the whole world was rejoiced and enjoyed and now live life in such a manner so when you will go from this world you will rejoice and the world will cry”.

 

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