The pre departure briefing was both fun and informative. I was able to learn a lot about the culture of India, learn some Hindi and meet everybody on the Global Fellowship as a group for the first time. I was told which company I would be spending two of the six weeks with and told a little about what to expect.

Cambridge University Press:

Meeting the Global Company I will be spending two weeks with was very informative and interesting.

Whilst with the University of Cambridge Press I was able to have a guide of the paper factory where I saw books being printed and made in both black and white and colour. I learnt more about Globalisation with reference to the company and the different offices across the world. I was also told about the environmental issues concerning globalisation and how the University of Cambridge Press do there upmost to be environmentally and ethically friendly. The process of working with people across the world was explained as well as how books sold in England can be prices and £10 but only £2 for example in India. I thought it was particularly interesting that the quality of the product produced was taken into consideration and books are sold at a lower price in India for example because they are not made as well because it is not necessary for them to be of the same standard as here in the UK.

Also, I was able to learn that University of Cambridge Press also bought the publishers called Foundations whilst in India and publish these books as well.

The manager of the company was also willing to explain his own personal employment and how he was able to become the manager of such a globalised and successful company. He explained that a person did not necessarily need to study business or begin in the company but in whatever they did they would be developing the skills needed to make the next step in becoming a successful business manager.

I feel very excited and cannot wait to arrive in Delhi! Until then I will be thinking of creative ways to communicate what I have learnt back to the people in the UK. I am thinking a video some pictures and an interview in Hindi.

Next time I write a blog I will be in India J

On Saturday 3rd July, 99 other global fellows and I descended upon the British Council for a long weekend of preparation for our trips.

I really wasn't sure what to expect as the only time I had met face to face with any fellows and/or staff was as the Interview, when most people were a bit on edge and hoping to win a place on the scheme!

So on arriving at Gloucester Road tube station after checking in at the hotel, trying to workout how to use my ticket in the barriers and then get onto the right line going the right way (i'm not from the city) i heard a voice behind me - "Are you on the Global Fellowship?".

I'm not sure how i gave it away, perhaps it was my anxious face not wanting to be late or maybe the various maps i was holding, but it was really comforting to hear another fellow ,luckily a londoner, tell me to get on the "circle line, eastbound to embankment, then we'll walk". Phew i thought, i am not going to be labelled 'the late one'.

The day went really quickly and the activities were great as we got to know eachother without experiencing too many of the awkward introductions namely of "Hi, whats you're name? Where are you from? Oh, wheres that? ......cool".

Sunday and Monday seem like a blur as we were so busy! We had really some helpfull sessions on photography and video recording/editing so we could convey our message clearly on our return. I got to grips with the tube stations and we set out for a meal on sunday night.

The visit to my corporate partner, Tata Consultancy Services, was eye-opening as i honestly had no idea about the scale of their business and that it was only one of the 98 businesses owned by the Tata Group, about the 9th largest business in the world. I was fascinated to hear about the structure of their business, as they are owned by a charitable trust so about 66% of their anual proftis gets given back into local communities. The visit also opened my eyes to the competitiveness of their workforce - TCS recieves about 1 million CV's for about 33,000 jobs each year.

Over the course of the weekend some really interesting people came in to teach us, like a lecturer from SOAS talking to us about Indian Culture, a Hindi teacher and an ex-IBM businessman talking about CSR. The pre-departure briefing settled many of my worries and made me feel confident to tackle the challenges that will inevitably lie ahead!

I left feeling overwhelmed at the friendliness of all the other fellows and with a feeling in my belly that i was embarking upon something really special.