1 year down...and what a year!

This past week marked my 1 year "anniversary" in India and although at times I questioned whether I'd be able to last this long, I couldn't be happier for that I was given, and took, this opportunity.

I was looking through some of my previous blog posts and have to admit it's been quite an adventure and a huge learning...but I'll save sharing my learning's for my last blog post ;-).  I honestly wasn't sure I was going to be able to look back at some of those posts and laugh because they were SO FAR from funny at the time, but I guess time gives you perspective.   Not sure I could summarize my 1st year in India justly, so I'm going pretend like this just as any other post...and hopefully you'll keep reading.

CALL OUT'S
March 3 - Jake's birthday...my oldest nephew turned 10 and he's such an awesome kid!

April 11 - Liam's birthday...my older sister's son turned 6 and I was lucky enough to get to celebrate it with him in person--he crack's me up.

UNIQUENESS of INDIA
I don't think anyone could have prepared me for what to expect when I moved to India--the traffic, crowds, heat, spicy food...all of those things I was prepared for (to a degree), but some of things that I have seen in just the past couple months still surprise me...

That's a camel walking through the middle of the city, on a busy street...yeah, a bit of a surprise!

So I knew that there are still arranged marriages in India, but something I wasn't expecting to see was a flyer seeking a wife...can you say desperate??!! I like how they summarize the guy, "Brahmin boy, Vegetarian, Engineer & Post graduate."  Nothing about enjoying long walks on the beach or an occasional camel ride, ha, ha.  And by the way, this flyer was posted in the lobby of my apartment building!

Not everything is a surprise, or strange, in India; there are some things that have kept me sane and that I will really miss at the end of my assignment...

The friends I've made...

These guys will be remembered as the "Merica" group, which is short for America (I didn't come up with it) -- Joe, Dave and Roy. 

 

Although Steve moved back to the US in Dec, he kept me sane and introduced me to "La Catina--all you can drink margarita/beer--Sundays"!

Mamta (far right)...although she's a co-worker of mine, she's also a good friend.

My work and AWESOME team...

My job is what brought me out here, and it's what I set in my mind as my #1 priority, even above making friends and having fun, which those of you who know me know that's important.  And it's my job and the people I've gotten to meet and work that I will probably remember most about this experience.  

Last month my team organized a "New Hire's Day" for all the campus hires we've made for Microsoft this year and paid for them to travel to Hyderabad for 2-day program we ran to introduce them to each other and the company.  Below are a couple pics from the event--the first is of the 300+ campus hires in the atrium of our building (the different color shirts represented which team they would be joining).  The picture just below the group shot is of the flash mob that some of our past campus hires organized and surprised the newbie's --it was SO awesome.  You HAVE to check out the video that was posted on YouTube (just click this link): Microsoft New Hires Day flash mob

I would never work somewhere where I didn't have fun and get along with my team--even if that meant cutting my India assignment short.  Luckily I didn't have to worry about that because I really do think I have a great team and am amazed at their dedication to their work.  It may have taken a while for them to warm up to me and feel comfortable, but as you can see below from some of our team outings, we have a good time.

TRIPS ABROAD-
If work was my first priority, traveling around Asia, both in and out of India, was my second priority.  In my last post I wrote about my trip up northern India and Tibet, which was beautiful, but in late March/early April I packed a couple more trips in...

I realize that India/Asia isn't the most convenient, or cheap, trip to take for my friends in the US, so for that reason I wasn't really expecting many visitors...if any.  So when my friends Ken, Bennett and Simon actually booked their tickets and came out for a visit, it was pretty sweet.  I told them that there wasn't too much to do in Hyderabad, where I live, but Ken and Bennett wanted to come check out my digs and see where I'm calling home.  Their time in India was short, and it was actually pretty funny because I don't think we ate at one India restaurant...great host I am ;-).  But they did get to see where I live, saw my office, met a couple of my friends and came to the realization that India wasn't for them, ha, ha.

Nepal- (click on this link to see all my Nepal pics: Nepal photos )

We met our friend Simon in Nepal and spent a few days there before heading to Sri Lanka.  I think we saw every temple there was to see in Nepal, but without a doubt, the highlight of the trip for me was taking a chartered plane tour around Everest.  After climbing Mt. Rainier in Washington a couple years ago, I had a new respect for climbers/mountaineers. As cool as it would be to say that I've climbed Everest, the only way I'd do something like that again is if one of the Sherpa's carried me up.  Nepal is a very spiritual place and as much as I enjoy learning about the history and culture of a city on those walking tours, I couldn't wait to get to the beaches of Sri Lanka!

Simon, Bennett, Ken and I with our tour guide "H" (I couldn't remember his name, so I just called him "H")

Sri Lanka- (click on this link to see all my Sri Lanka pics: Sri Lanka photos )

When we first planned our trip, the only thing I cared about was where and how we were going to celebrate St. Patrick's Day--after all, it is one of the biggest holidays of the year in my mind.  I was pretty pumped to be spending it in Sri Lanka...and if you look through my pics you'd understand why.  Sri Lanka was AMAZING!!  It was clean, the people were friendly, it was super cheap and the beaches were awesome.  As if that wasn't enough, I think we stayed at the one of the nicest resorts in Sri Lanka -- The Fortress, which was on the southern tip of the country, near Unawantuna Beach.  It was a great place to end the vacation and I'm already thinking about when I'm going to be able to get back for another visit.

Ken, Bennett and I sporting our St. Patty's hats and beads that Bennett packed (thanks B).  We spent the day celebrating by the pool, where I made it a mission of mine to try every drink they had...I didn't make it through the list though.

This was our pool at the resort and view of the beach from the resort, which literally spitting distance to the ocean!

One of the days we went scuba diving and saw some pretty sweet fish and sea life.

Our last night in Sri Lanka...yes, I got a bit of sun.

It's always such a downer to have to go back to work and your day-in/day-out routine following a vacation, so I decided to postpone that feeling a couple weeks longer.  For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to plan my trip back to the US a day and a half after I returned from Sri Lanka...not sure what I was thinking.  I was able to get back to Hyderabad, unpack, do laundry and repack just in time to catch my flight.

US of A-
Seattle-
A far cry from Asia, but it was a trip abroad ;-).  I was able to make it back to the States for a couple weeks and had a chance to visit with some friends in Seattle and make a surprise visit to my folks place for Easter. One thing I realized on this trip back to the US was that I really can't wait to get home to Seattle and not feel like I'm cramming hanging out with friends into 3 days!  It kind of felt like 'speed dating', not that I know what that feels like...but trying to catch up with all my friends during a lunch or dinner is tough.  And of course I never get to see everyone that I want to, which sucks, but am glad I got to catch up some of my peeps (see pics below).

Easter w/ family-
The best part of my trip back to the US was getting to see my family and spend Easter with them...and the look on my mom's face when I surprised her and my dad just showing up at their place (I thought her shriek may have cracked glass--kidding mom).  It's definitely tough being away from my family and seeing my nephews and niece grow up...and don't even get me started on being away from my dog Chewy.  I was just glad that he remembered me; after all, it was me who cleaned up his piss and shit when he was a puppy!

CHEWY!!!

On my way back to Seattle, before returning to India, I was also able to squeeze a quick visit in with my cousin Sarah, who made the trip out to the Detroit airport, where I had an hour layover.  Again, not much time to catch up, but she's awesome for making the trek and meeting up with me.  Below is one of my favorite pics--not just because it's of me and Sarah, but how about that stadium in the background...GO BLUE!!!

And for those of you who are wondering...I ONLY ate at Taco Bell five times during my trip back to the States, and I emphasize 'only' because I easily could have doubled that if Easter, and leftovers, didn't fall into that time frame!

So I have another 6 months on my assignment here in India and not 100% sure what's next for me, but I do know that I plan on taking advantage of my remaining time here and already have a list of places I'll be visiting...China (Beijing & Shanghai) are next, so stay tuned!

DEEP-AK THOUGHTS by Keith

• "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"... This saying is so true!
• It doesn't really matter where you spend St. Patrick's Day...as long as there's alcohol and you're with friends!
• Taco Bell's Doritos taco shells...BRILLIANT!!