We just celebrated our first year R2I anniversary. It feels like just waving final good bye to US. But, the clock moved very fast to ring the anniversary bells. It is a significant mile stone in my life.
When I decided to R2I last year, I wasn't sure if my decision would withstand the tsunamis from day to day life in India. But, my R2I journey is standing tall and strong like a light house.
What do I miss the most? The first thing that pops out of my mind ... is my friends. Almost all my friends are in US and I miss their company. The regular get togethers, the potlucks, the birthday parties, the joint outings ... I miss them all. A quick call to a friend to ask "Hey! Did you file your tax returns? How did you do it?"... "How do I apply for my kid's passport?"... There are not many friends around, to ask such questions.
What do I enjoy the most? The liveliness of India. Take a short walk outside your home and you'll meet at least 10 people that you know. They may not necessarily be your friends. But, they all wish you "Good morning!" or at least say a "Hi!" to you. India is filled with people. Parks, beaches, railway stations, tourist spots... there is people everywhere & I love it.
My wife and daughter are enjoying it too. My wife gets to meet her parents often, she gets household help from maids, she can do all her shopping in just a few minutes of walk (instead of having to drive miles). She is loving it. My daughter enjoys the company of my parents and their pampering. In fact, my daughter got adapted to the new life, faster than we had thought. (Also read: 100 reasons to R2I)
The last one year changed our life significantly and we picked up new skills along the way. We learned to navigate through the day to day problems. We learned to negotiate with people in India (though we haven't mastered it yet!). And more importantly, we learned to live without a car. (Also read: Driving on Indian roads - Pleasure or Pain?)
The last one year has made us stronger, wiser and super motivated to continue our R2I journey. We are deep into the woods now and there is no looking back. Definitely, there are miles to go... but, our batteries are charged with enthusiasm to take us through the rest of the journey.
Also read:
10 things to know before your R2I
R2I Planning Guide
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A weekend trip to Hampi monuments in Karnataka
If you are looking for a quick weekend getaway to an exciting and adventurous place, then Hampi in Karnataka is the place to go. We planned ...
Congrats !!
ReplyDeleteTx Hari
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for future also....
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your posts...infact I had set a reminder to read your post every monday...:)
Hi Saro,
ReplyDeleteCongrats and Best Wishes for your R2I 1st Anniversary & all experiences ahead.
You have created really a very good blog with lot of information and your experiences. We came to USA around 3.5 years back, and from 6th month we were thinking about going back to India as my wife is in H4 and cannot work here. But things were changing, getting convinced ourselves, had india trip every year and keep moving ahead.
But recently i started thinking of how should i get prepared for moving back, and was doing some google for various stuff and i think it was a month back i saw your blog and found it as "One Stop Shop" for all my google searches. From then, i have read various blogs related to R2I and gathered information. It was very informative. If i decide to move back to India, surely i am going to look back to check list from your blogs.
By the way, what are you doing now? If i decide for R2I and land in soil of Tamil Nadu, surely i will try to meet you. Take Care.
Regards
Sabari
Saro - Congratulations !!! A big feat. I have come across your site couple of times and I have found it very useful. We just moved to Chennai (now in R. A Puram / Mylapore) this Jan (2010). Its been 4+ months. As you have mentioned, friends are the ones we miss most. Lots of similarities. All the best for your journey.
ReplyDelete- Ganesh / 9445560198
Best of luck .
ReplyDeleteI am some1 who returned recently too .
Have blogged about the move back in case some1's interested :)
http://prashant-b.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!51652F821A10556E!294.entry
Tx Sabari & Ganesh for your wishes.
ReplyDeleteSabari: I work as a Product Manager for Juniper Networks.
Hi Da Saro,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your 1 st anniversary and Best wishes for your future journeys too.
You really have become a good example for SVG (and others) for their future R2I plans. You are already getting some "Chai" time with your friend i guess. Hopefully you will get more of those in the future. Keep posting and spreading the knowledge.
-Deepak
Nice post. For sure, your experiences will help people around. Thanks for sharing again.
ReplyDeleteKeep posting.
I was reading this blog with http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6CvQf2xLNs running in background. Sir, i was totally with inside the blog in my mind. :).
ReplyDeleteHi Saro,
ReplyDeleteI would like to hear you comment about work environment/style in India. I have heard a lot about how management expect you to work late nights and mingling of work and personal life,etc. What is your experience ?
Thx
Sal
You should definitely read this
ReplyDeletehttp://www.saroscorner.com/2010/01/work-environment-in-india-then-now.html