^ Cricket game, taken from a few years back.
We have made the connection back to life here. It seems a little normal now, although it will never be the same, ever again.
A few reflections:
The streets are empty. After spending time in India, it is a very different scene on the streets here. It seems like a ghost town, even though there are hundreds of thousands of people around us - it is just that so many of us are ensconced in front of a cathode ray tube of one sort or another. Much like I am right now.
Indian colleagues love to hear my Hindi. I tried it out on them yesterday and it lead to many laughs and opened mouths. Very fun. It is interesting, my Hindi is actually pretty good, if I do say so myself.
My Indian colleagues are intrigued by what my thoughts are on life in their country. It is interesting to note, somewhat intuitively, that they are in a reciprocal situation - they are in a land where the sights, sounds, smells, rhythms and everything else is utterly different from what they have been raised in. My prior thought was always that they were excited to be here, and coming to America was purely a great experience for them that started with a sigh of relief and followed non-stop with smiles and enjoyment. Don't get me wrong, these guys love it here - but - they confide in me that they miss having help in the routines of their lives, it seems isolated and lonely at times, and the predictability of things takes some "getting used to".
I'll fully concede - my ignorance was pretty profound that this adjustment to a new culture was only one way....
I asked Tara for a word that depicts her impressions about being back. She said, "It's quiet." I asked if she liked it, she said, "Yes, it's nice."
Jonah said he likes America. When asked what he misses, he said, "My school." Nothing else.
Liam is asleep right now. Aidan said he misses "a bunch of stuff" in India. When asked for specifics, he said he misses "Runway 9" and "my friends". Runway 9 is an amusement center where he was allowed to drive a go-kart - fully within the bounds of Indian norms, and entirely against the good judgment of his father. ;-)
We all really miss our friends back in Hyderabad. For those of you back there - greetings from The Structured Side of the Globe, and we look forward to getting back to the fun of life with all of you!
