As i'm returning to india after 10 yrs in north america, i thought it would be interesting and useful to catalog my own experience of this transition. not that others haven't done this, but being in a non-technical, albeit scientific field, and having my own (probably not very different) reasons for the return, perhaps my collage will be of interest to some, most of all to me to chart my own thoughts and actions. i hope i remain diligent in doing this!
some generalities: i'm 32, a physicist, happy in my profession, married to an indian career woman living in the US who is willing to follow me back, without kids as yet, financially comfortable, but far from earning the salaries of a minimally experienced IT professional or a private co. employee in today's urban india. my savings from living in the US are also meagre, lest you should think i have the safety of a few hundred thousand dollars stashed away somewhere.
i'm moving from chicago to chennai, i'm tamilian and to quote my cousin "generally happy in life", which you should take to mean, roughly, that i am a person who is not terribly ambitious and who does not care for the pleasures of say, a 20-in plasma TV or a foot-massage machine. On the other hand, i do get upset when certain things are lacking in my life, for example, the daily show and gatorade. I expect that a broadband connection and coconut water will solve such manner of problems. This move may or may not be for good, since i am reasonably happy, though not entirely satisfied living abroad. in other words, i may move out again in future, but this is a very tenuous scenario right now. For all purposes, I am moving back to india for good and write this blog in this spirit.
some specifics: i'm returning, like most everyone else, based on some ill-defined expectations, and some firm foundations. the ill-defined ones are mostly connected to inner-feelings of cultural longing, admittedly luke-warm nationalism, unease at my lack of civic contribution to indian society despite being obviously priveleged, and the waning patience with and allure of, a somewhat nomadic existence far from family who raised me. Despite all this, i would never consider returning if i did not have a good job that entails work that i enjoy, decent job prospects for my wife, who will move back to india next year, the support of family in proximity, and the hints that the next few decades are possibly hugely transformative for india. i want to see for myself if and how this is happening, and i want to be a part of it.
a self-explanatory pattern will likely emerge as i write about my experiences. For now, it suffices to say that i will always write in the present, to avoid benefits of hindsight and reflections, though i will naturally analyse my experiences thusly. I will also make comparisons, pointless though they may seem, because i view it as being a natural part of re-acclimitization and my own nature.
date of departure: June 30th, 2007 from chicago; arrival in chennai July 2nd, 2007.
some generalities: i'm 32, a physicist, happy in my profession, married to an indian career woman living in the US who is willing to follow me back, without kids as yet, financially comfortable, but far from earning the salaries of a minimally experienced IT professional or a private co. employee in today's urban india. my savings from living in the US are also meagre, lest you should think i have the safety of a few hundred thousand dollars stashed away somewhere.
i'm moving from chicago to chennai, i'm tamilian and to quote my cousin "generally happy in life", which you should take to mean, roughly, that i am a person who is not terribly ambitious and who does not care for the pleasures of say, a 20-in plasma TV or a foot-massage machine. On the other hand, i do get upset when certain things are lacking in my life, for example, the daily show and gatorade. I expect that a broadband connection and coconut water will solve such manner of problems. This move may or may not be for good, since i am reasonably happy, though not entirely satisfied living abroad. in other words, i may move out again in future, but this is a very tenuous scenario right now. For all purposes, I am moving back to india for good and write this blog in this spirit.
some specifics: i'm returning, like most everyone else, based on some ill-defined expectations, and some firm foundations. the ill-defined ones are mostly connected to inner-feelings of cultural longing, admittedly luke-warm nationalism, unease at my lack of civic contribution to indian society despite being obviously priveleged, and the waning patience with and allure of, a somewhat nomadic existence far from family who raised me. Despite all this, i would never consider returning if i did not have a good job that entails work that i enjoy, decent job prospects for my wife, who will move back to india next year, the support of family in proximity, and the hints that the next few decades are possibly hugely transformative for india. i want to see for myself if and how this is happening, and i want to be a part of it.
a self-explanatory pattern will likely emerge as i write about my experiences. For now, it suffices to say that i will always write in the present, to avoid benefits of hindsight and reflections, though i will naturally analyse my experiences thusly. I will also make comparisons, pointless though they may seem, because i view it as being a natural part of re-acclimitization and my own nature.
date of departure: June 30th, 2007 from chicago; arrival in chennai July 2nd, 2007.
