It is more than a month since I came to the famous Bay area in California, US for an assignment. While all my previous trips were short either on a holiday or function or a business meeting, this is the first time I experienced "living" in this place for a while now. It has been quite good so far though I have been largely confined to my hotel and without my family. The week days are quite a routine with a nice short 4 minute walk to the office and back and with late night calls and Skype sessions with home. I did get some time to observe people's lives, their routine, their habits, the weather, the traffic etc. One thing that struck me most in this part of the US is its diversity. There are people from multiple ethnicity and background all over the place and that makes this place a little special. The other thing is the way our lives are structured and organised. As one of my cousins famously told me long back - when he tried convincing me to move to the US - "Life is hard and work is easy in India; Life easy and work is hard in the US".
You tend to admire with awe the life style, the comfort and the relative ease with which we are able to accomplish many things - both personal and official here. You tend to focus a lot and there is hardly any distraction or diversion that is unwarranted. But still the element of uncertainty, the vibrant aspect so typical of India is missing here. As my mom used to comment - there is no life here ! Quite a harsh thing to say but it sums up the feeling of a temporarily dislocated Indian - as I would like to call myself !
It has been some good time I have had over the past 7 weeks so far. I have caught up with old friends both from college and from work, come across new people, learnt a lot, reflected a lot which has helped me be more confident professionally. I guess I should have made that important decision in 92 / 93 to move to the US somehow. However looking at the sheer range of exposure and experience I have had across geographies and industries, it is great to be in a situation when you can actually begin to enjoy life and take it as it comes.
There have been some intresting changes to my personal life style. I talk much less - more because there are not many people around after work ! I also eat healthy food - salads and juices and much less fried stuff. Missing my family much more and realising the value of good family time more now than anytime before.
It is going to be an interesting 4 months after I return from India in a month to be here for almost 4 months. I am looking forward to some interesting times when I may perhaps be prompted to take some crucial decisions personally.
You tend to admire with awe the life style, the comfort and the relative ease with which we are able to accomplish many things - both personal and official here. You tend to focus a lot and there is hardly any distraction or diversion that is unwarranted. But still the element of uncertainty, the vibrant aspect so typical of India is missing here. As my mom used to comment - there is no life here ! Quite a harsh thing to say but it sums up the feeling of a temporarily dislocated Indian - as I would like to call myself !
It has been some good time I have had over the past 7 weeks so far. I have caught up with old friends both from college and from work, come across new people, learnt a lot, reflected a lot which has helped me be more confident professionally. I guess I should have made that important decision in 92 / 93 to move to the US somehow. However looking at the sheer range of exposure and experience I have had across geographies and industries, it is great to be in a situation when you can actually begin to enjoy life and take it as it comes.
There have been some intresting changes to my personal life style. I talk much less - more because there are not many people around after work ! I also eat healthy food - salads and juices and much less fried stuff. Missing my family much more and realising the value of good family time more now than anytime before.
It is going to be an interesting 4 months after I return from India in a month to be here for almost 4 months. I am looking forward to some interesting times when I may perhaps be prompted to take some crucial decisions personally.
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