Interim

One would imagine that with a nearly three month vacation, life would be a lot like sitting by the beach on a lazy summer afternoon (under the umbrella of course and slathered with liters of sun block) sipping iced tea. Pop! I just burst that bubble.

Life has been a frantic run over the past few days, under a deceptively calm veneer. I’ve finally managed to clear one of the three pre-matric exams that Darden requires us to take (all in true Infosys Perception© style) leaving me with Economics and Math to go through. And of course all the pages and pages of excel exercises. I should not be cribbing because, as mommy dearest puts it, I need to get used to the idea of actually studying – well she doesn’t put it in such flattering terms – after 3 years of giving up cramming. I guess she doesn’t know that I barely studied in my last year of engineering! Of course she doesn’t really understand the cramming I did for my certifications at the company… All she knew was that it required me to go to work on the weekends and eat pizza lunch at my cubicle! But studying isn’t all it is. I have a lot of shopping that needs to begin. I need to figure out what “Indian” things I need to take that I wouldn’t get in C’ville. We’ve done our google snooping for Indian provision stores and everything, but my mum worries that I might resort to eating out more than required if I’m strapped for ingredients! I need to watch enough tele to satisfy any craving I anticipate over the next two years for Indian television. I've been talking to a lot of old friends, and meeting with as many as I can. There are many goodbyes left to be said. And I’ve got to take my vacation!

I’m beginning my traveling a little late in the summer. This week, I’m heading off to my second favorite Indian city, Mumbai, to spend time with my best friend and to meet a few others. Maybe I can catch some Mumbaikar Dardenites too... Next weekend I’m off on a longer vacation further up north. I’ve always wanted to visit Haridwar, home of the Ganga (note: technically the Ganga originates from Gangotri, a glacier further up in the Himalayas. The Ganga also passes through Haridwar and its sister city Rishikesh, both holy places according to Hinduism. More on these places in a separate post). This is a trip I’ve been meaning to do for a long time, but somehow being in the south made it that much harder to make it. I’ve managed to convince the family to go this time with a fair bit of I’m-going-away blackmailing, something I’m resorting to a lot these days – its working every time, I should add! I’m also covering two more cities that I’ve been meaning to do since ages- Agra and Jaipur. Agra needs no introduction. It’s the home of the Taj Mahal. Enough said. Jaipur again, is tourist paradise. The pink city is home to many a beautiful palace and some rich Indian history. My camera’s going to be working on overdrive, that’s for sure! Once I’m back, it will be time to get the bags out and start packing, counting down days before I have to leave yet again. See, that’s what I find amusing. I read blogs of people in America who are moving cross-country to join school this fall, and of the major farewell parties they’re having and all the good byes they’re saying and how bad they’re feeling about moving. And all they have to do is get on a car and drive. Or at worst, get on a plane. And here I am, along with scores of other internationals that make up the diverse batch of Darden’s class of 2010, traveling to the other side of the globe, knowing that I wont be seeing my family and friends for another two years. Not to mention that should I wish to visit, it’s a 24-hour journey through 3 continents to get here! A certain fellow blogger who had the misfortune of leaving to the US on the same night as I did in January this year, will be aware of the tears I shed at the airport! And all for a 4-month stint. I don’t want to imagine how embarrassed I’m going to be this time!!

So that’s life thus far, my last lazy summer vacation. I’ll sign off now. But there’ll be a lot more action soon. Until then, here’s some other news. The sister also got a job at the company.