After much back-and-forth, I am surely leaving Ahmedabad. Today is my last day of work.
Sorry if this post is a repeat of things I have already said. But it is everything on my mind as I decide to stay in India or go.
After a year and a half in India, my favorite things to do have become: shopping, spa, watching movies, and eating street food. Movies, spa and shopping I can do in the US. Only street food is tough for me to leave. Of course I can get Philly street food (cheesesteaks, falafel) instead of Indian (pani puri, vadapav, pao bhaji, masala chass to drink out a plastic bag). I have done all the traveling that I wanted to do. I never saw Kerala or Tibet region. I saw enough to be satisfied - Delhi, Bangalore, Ragasthan (Udaipur/Jodhpur/Jaipur), Goa, Mumbai, Mysore, Agra (Taj Mahal), Ooty/Nainital and some other hill stations, and village life in Uttar Pradesh. It was always as interesting to see real Indian life as a local, as it was to be a tourist. I have certainly lived the real life here, and I have loved it. I don't live in an ex-pat bubble.
I have become tan. I found that I look very cute in Indian kurti (tunic shirt), so I will bring a bunch home. I have challenged my introverted personality here. I have become more willing to pick up the phone, haggle with vendors, speaking in a new language, and interacting with people I don't know. I had no choice to do this if I wanted to survive, in my job and outside. It was not easy, but it has been really good for me. I hope to continue to improve, even in the US - where it is easy to become a hermit.
I miss comedy clubs, pubs, my dog, and friends who understand me. I miss baseball. I miss women being equal to men. I miss the I miss the ability to be "invisible", when I don't feel like being stared at or spoken to. Mumbai would have provided these things (substitute cricket for baseball), but it looks like the Mumbai job may not materialize.
I don't mind the struggles of life here (pollution, cheap things breaking, household chores done in basic ways, bucket showers, government bureaucracy - like my visa/FRRO and driver's license challenges). My low salary is OK because things are cheap here, and I live a simple life (I do buy expensive designer clothes but I skip the expensive car in favor of bike/auto-rickshaw). Sure, my salary is high compared to the average Indian. I don't need to support my parents, children, or various out-of-work uncles/brothers like many Indians... So I do understand that the struggles of my life are not so tough as compared to others here. I do hope to have fewer struggles in my job (money for better software/equipment, coworkers coming to meetings on time, coworkers with better communication/presentation skills).
Since announcing my decision, everyone in the city (landlord, neighbors, friends, coworkers) have been asking me to come to their home for dinner before I go. Of course I have been avoiding these invites. Surely the food would be good, but you know I hate food being pushed on me like the Drill Sergeant in Full Metal Jacket. Plus I hate to play the role of "slightly stupid newcomer to india". Although I have finally memorized my standard answers to the following inevitable questions:
What food do eat at home?
Do you understand the rules of cricket?
What do you like/hate about India?
Do you watch Bollywood movies?
I am obliged to give a few "parties" as I have talked about before.
I will blog a lot in the next few weeks, as I will be bored without work. I promise to talk about other things than US/India comparison!
Sorry if this post is a repeat of things I have already said. But it is everything on my mind as I decide to stay in India or go.
After a year and a half in India, my favorite things to do have become: shopping, spa, watching movies, and eating street food. Movies, spa and shopping I can do in the US. Only street food is tough for me to leave. Of course I can get Philly street food (cheesesteaks, falafel) instead of Indian (pani puri, vadapav, pao bhaji, masala chass to drink out a plastic bag). I have done all the traveling that I wanted to do. I never saw Kerala or Tibet region. I saw enough to be satisfied - Delhi, Bangalore, Ragasthan (Udaipur/Jodhpur/Jaipur), Goa, Mumbai, Mysore, Agra (Taj Mahal), Ooty/Nainital and some other hill stations, and village life in Uttar Pradesh. It was always as interesting to see real Indian life as a local, as it was to be a tourist. I have certainly lived the real life here, and I have loved it. I don't live in an ex-pat bubble.
I have become tan. I found that I look very cute in Indian kurti (tunic shirt), so I will bring a bunch home. I have challenged my introverted personality here. I have become more willing to pick up the phone, haggle with vendors, speaking in a new language, and interacting with people I don't know. I had no choice to do this if I wanted to survive, in my job and outside. It was not easy, but it has been really good for me. I hope to continue to improve, even in the US - where it is easy to become a hermit.
I miss comedy clubs, pubs, my dog, and friends who understand me. I miss baseball. I miss women being equal to men. I miss the I miss the ability to be "invisible", when I don't feel like being stared at or spoken to. Mumbai would have provided these things (substitute cricket for baseball), but it looks like the Mumbai job may not materialize.
I don't mind the struggles of life here (pollution, cheap things breaking, household chores done in basic ways, bucket showers, government bureaucracy - like my visa/FRRO and driver's license challenges). My low salary is OK because things are cheap here, and I live a simple life (I do buy expensive designer clothes but I skip the expensive car in favor of bike/auto-rickshaw). Sure, my salary is high compared to the average Indian. I don't need to support my parents, children, or various out-of-work uncles/brothers like many Indians... So I do understand that the struggles of my life are not so tough as compared to others here. I do hope to have fewer struggles in my job (money for better software/equipment, coworkers coming to meetings on time, coworkers with better communication/presentation skills).
Since announcing my decision, everyone in the city (landlord, neighbors, friends, coworkers) have been asking me to come to their home for dinner before I go. Of course I have been avoiding these invites. Surely the food would be good, but you know I hate food being pushed on me like the Drill Sergeant in Full Metal Jacket. Plus I hate to play the role of "slightly stupid newcomer to india". Although I have finally memorized my standard answers to the following inevitable questions:
What food do eat at home?
Do you understand the rules of cricket?
What do you like/hate about India?
Do you watch Bollywood movies?
I am obliged to give a few "parties" as I have talked about before.
- Work party: People sitting in uncomfortable silent circle. Then they take turns saying good things about you and areas for improvement, eat snacks, leave.
- Restaurant party: One for work group, one for friend circle at work, one for each group of friends outside work. More fun than work party. More speeches.
- Treat party: I give all coworkers sweets from a sweetshop as I say "goodbye, all the best".
- Bus party: Stop work bus to get street food. More speeches.
- Drink party: Self-explanatory, and the most fun party. No speeches, thank God.
I will blog a lot in the next few weeks, as I will be bored without work. I promise to talk about other things than US/India comparison!
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