India welcomes us

We (pati-dev, myself, and the brats) are all in Bangalore now. It is Diwali, and the sky is lit with 4th of July style crackers till midnight every night. The brats had a blast with Joker bombs, Chakras and Anars on our giant balcony, under the festive sky. It feels like Lord Indra decided to throw us a welcome home party.

In spite of the over-population, traffic, and pollution, Bangalore still remains green and beautiful. The people are still very soft natured and easy-going. Here are some examples of what you wouldn't find in any city but Bangalore: There is hardly any road rage, given the traffic conditions, and the commute hours. No one stares at (or even notices) the girl in tank top and shorts, inspite of the generally conservative dress code. Everyone speaks 3 to 4 languages, and outsiders are made to feel welcome.

In terms of logistics, things could not have worked out better. Both of us are here on expat assignments from our respective companies. To add to this, both of our offices are close by, even in Bangalore traffic. Plus, the brats got into a very well reputed Montessori school (the closest to what they are used to in the US), which too is close by. As if this was not enough, a family friend "lent" us a wonderful nanny for the 6 months that we are here.

However, the plugs still don't always fit into the plug point, the maid still tries to cut corners or play truant, the "service apartment" comes without DSL, STD/ISD, and even without any dishes (but with milk and eggs in a fridge that does not work). Pati-dev came with dreams of coming home to a newspaper and hot chai served in the living room by a discreet "Ramu". Either of us is still to experience that moment, which is a shame given the amount of help we have hired.

India is also the land of tomorrow. "Kal ho jayega, madam" really means nothing. You need to ask exactly when tomorrow the job will be done, who will be doing it, and how. Then you need to follow up at that exact time with the person responsible, and maybe, it will get done after a few days of this charade. If you are really lucky, it will be done the way you expect it to be done.

It will be interesting to see how we feel at the end of the trip. At present, it feels like the brats are fully adjusted, but pati-dev and I are still nostalgic about how predictable and relaxed (yes, it is true!) life was in the US.