A Year Already:

They say when you are happy time flies. I guess that’s what it must be as we didn’t realize that it was already a year since we left and what a year it has been.

I had promised myself that I would write frequently but after about 6 months into it other events took over and I started finding less time for this activity, or should I say for myself.

Positives:

• We are all totally settled out here. Most of our neighbours know us and we have Saturday movie gatherings and potlucks. Our kids know pretty much every kid in the community and I use the kids as a directory when I need to find someone’s apartment number.
• We do not ask for Bottled Water in decent restaurants any more.
• Sickness, touch wood has been to bare minimum and limited to colds and the usual stuff.
• Anurag and Anushka can now carry on a full conversation in Hindi. They always have some or the other friends to play with, so they are really enjoying “childhood”.
• Pallavi drives the car freely and even to the crowded parts of the city. She actually can drive to Himayatnagar and Kachiguda (only folks in Hyderabad can appreciate this).
• The maid has turned into a full time maid + part time cook. The trust factor has increased to the point where she has access to the house even when no one is there.
• Pallavi has started working part-time, and is enjoying, and things seem to run fine, even better in the new routine. She is happy she gets more time every day to do the things that really matter, rather than housework, driving, etc.
• We can plan a few weekend trips to go visit family in different parts of India.
• Ability to watch live sporting events that you love. We watched the IPL cricket game, junior hockey Asia cup semis and finals, AFC challenge soccer games. I still have bad memories of being dragged into a baseball game that never seemed to end and lack of action in that sport.
• Can’t help mention the 24X7 cricket and MTV, VH1 desi again
• Way too many good restaurants have opened lately and we have been enjoying each one of them.
• Because we were in India, we were able to attend Pallavi’s brother’s engagement. I don’t think we would have flown down from the US for the engagement.

Negatives:

• Put on 15 kgs since I came back to India
• Traffic still remains a nuisance and I just cannot get over it. Only thing that has gone down is road rage when I am in the passenger’s seat.
• If things break down may God save you! My broadband connection had issues and it took me couple of weeks of calling twice a day and constant argument to get it fixed. Or our friend’s new washing machine broke down, and its been more than a month since they have been waiting for the company to fix it.
• Power cuts. Right now we have 4 hours of power cuts. The generators in the community run on diesel and right now we have a diesel shortage. So we have to climb the 8 floors by stairs during those four hours, apart from other nuisances.

Annoyances:

• The never ending 5 minutes. When someone says that he will be there in 5 minutes or something will get done in 5 minutes it could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 days or may be months.
  
• People cut lines: does not matter how professional or upscale the environment is.