What you've all not been waiting for!

Here we go again ...

I felt the need to drop off the face of the blogosphere for a few months after returning from India, not because I didn't want to update anyone on my life, but ... well, sort of because I didn't have a whole lot that I wanted to say that wasn't ONLY about what I'd been doing the past half a year. And I was lazy. Let's not discount that. But here I am again, for whatever reason (maybe it's the delicious omelet I made for breakfast that I really feel like talking about*), and I think I will finally respond to those of you who wanted to hear about THE BIG RETURN. How did it go? How was the reverse culture shock? Did I get you your very own guru?!?

It would be accurate to say that I was thrilled to be back. It would also be accurate to say that it really sucked. For the first few days my pupils were so enlarged by the excitement I felt at things like Chipotle and honest-to-gosh grocery stores that I considered wearing strong-prescription glasses so I didn't look like I was on E. But gradually, the novelty of open roads and the peace and quiet of Denver's suburbs wore off and I felt pretty lonely. Really lonely. Where are the cows? The honking? The thrill of a swerving rickshaw? Okay, now I'm just being melodramatic. I missed my friends. I missed a feeling of belonging. I hated the fact that nothing had changed while I was gone. I mean, I changed so much -- how is it that the world didn't change along with me? And so goes the plight of many-a-traveler, so I'm told.

Now it has been four months. FOUR months! The reverse culture-shock has subsided and I am now settled in Chicago. Yay Chicago! I love it here. I do miss the open skies of Colorado, though. Once you get used to that, it's hard to live under low-hanging clouds and not have sun all but a few days a year.

My next endeavors: getting cats. And a Wii. Just so I can complete the becoming-a-hermit circuit.

*My omelet included the following ingredients: Eggs. Milk. Fresh chopped tomatoes, asparagus and shallots. Brie and goat cheese. It happens to be Mother's Day, and I've been treating myself so well I'm wondering if I've actually got children I should be aware of.

India: I've Attached the Same ... Isn't It?

Here it is, folks -- my attempt at a video recap of my time in India. I don't know why it's quite so pixelated but when I learn more about such things I'll work on fixing that. Until then, my apologies and enjoy!

India: I've Attached the Same ... Isn't It?

For a more introspective look at things, my friend Nate put together an interview-style documentary of our experience in India that's a whole lot better than mine.

India Voices: The Director's Cut

India: Between Iraq and a Hard Place

It's been almost a month, and that seems to be about as often as I get around to updating the blog. One thing that's certainly not new -- I've been keeping busy!
First things first: Here are links to new photos! Some real keepers in here ...

Mysore: Hometown Expeditions

Back to Goa!

Taj MaHOLY COW!

This past month has seen some cranky days, as plans and promises keep falling through on the business side of things. To say the least, those of us still here have learned an exorbitant amount regarding an overseas worklife. Cultural differences and language barriers have more recently been astoundingly good at keeping a slew of things from getting done right, or with any sort of efficiency. But this is why we came here, isn't it? To learn and understand; to work through and find a way to manage business and projects on a global scale -- to flatten the world. And in the end, we'll only gain from it.

It's winter here in India, which means our beautifully sunny 80 degree days have turned to beautifully sunny but pleasantly breezy 70 degree days, and significantly cooler nights. It's surreal to think that the U.S. is right now a frenzy of Holiday shoppers, Christmas lights, festive window displays and SNOW! I miss it all like crazy. But it's also kind of interesting to witness the season without all that. We'll see if my materialism fades.

Recent news:
-Andy came to visit! He managed to cover ridiculous amounts of the country in just 3 weeks, and besides his individual ventures we both went to Goa (again, for me -- had to share the beauty of the Arabian Sea), and then on to Delhi and Agra to see the Taj Mahal. And what a wonder it is. It's quite cool, and the smog is so thick it makes the Taj look like a castle set amidst a pristine misty fog, just like in a fairytale. But once you arrive in Agra, upon breathing you come to understand that no, it's not so magical after all, and instead of excited tingles, it causes a slight burning sensation in the eyes.


But India is India, and it will always have a flair like none other. It is beautiful and ugly. It's dirty and ... dirty. But mostly it is so very colorful, in such amazing ways that couldn't be replicated in any other place but right here, with this culture and congestion and noise and constant, constant movement. Wow, check out this sentiment! Might it have something to do with the fact that I have about 10 days left in the country? Mayhaps, mayhaps. But I won't be home until January 6th or 7th, due to an upcoming 12-day hurrah in THAILAND!

-A Merry Thai Christmas: On December 21st I'll be heading to Thailand for several days of sun and exploring a whole new country. Christmas Eve, which just so happens to be a full moon, will be spent on Ko Samui at the famed Full Moon party on the beach, followed by Christmas day on ... the same beach. Then it's off to a couple different national parks (one of which is underwater!) and Phuket -- one of Thailand's most toured spots and also the island that took a mighty blow from the tsunami in 2004. We'll end up in Bangkok for New Years eve. Not bad. Then it's back to Bangalore to grab my stuff, say goodbye to India, and hop on a jet plane to the U.S. of A.

Rice to the challenge

This is legit, folks. Every time you get a vocab word right, 10 grains of rice are donated to help end hunger. It's free, yes. Have fun!

http://www.freerice.com/index.php

Thanks for passing this on, Lizzie!

Wish you were here

Contrary to what you may have heard, I am still present on the earth. No, really. I'm here. The reason for my not updating the 'ol blog in, oh, just over 2 months? India is big. Really, it's very large, and when you're trying to learn software programming AND tour a very large country in the short span of six months, certain things are priority ... like actually seeing the country. And not getting fired. This can be tricky.

But yes, here I am again. Since I last wrote, I've been on some sort of excursion nearly every weekend, many of them beach-centric. It's been delightful, and that's quite an understatement. If you're really interested in just what these trips entail, the best way to find out about them is to look at the pictures I've posted.

But that point brings me to another, actually. For a while here things were crazy. By that I mean I've never been so horribly bogged down with concept-learning. Like, EVER. I've since moved on to a less intensive training that doesn't lead to me wanting to rip out my eyeballs, but up until a couple of weeks ago, life was rough. Some friends and I have compared this experience to switching back and forth between finals week and spring break ... EVERY WEEKEND. For months. Just think of that. That means that in the span of one month, we have studied, crammed, stressed, and partied like rock stars four or five times as much as most college students do in one semester. And it happens several months in a row. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration. But that's honestly what it felt like.

On top of that, I've been dealing with some losses back home. It's been interesting dealing with tragedy from so far away. A big part of me realizes that I actually haven't dealt with it much at all, that it might resurface as part of the wave of reverse culture-shock I'll get once I'm not on a 12-hour time difference. But time will tell, right?

To keep things short (I've already neglected to keep them sweet), here are links to photo albums from the past 2 months. They really do say more than I have the energy to type here.

(I am no longer posting albums to Picasa. Facebook has won out. :) But anyone can view these, Facebook member or not!)

Indian Octoberfest ... You do the math

Octoberness in India

Fashion Shows and Festivals

"I didn't know it would do that"

Diwali in India


Enjoy, everyone! As always, I would love to hear from you guys! Thanks to those who keep me posted and let me know when the Rockies get swept in the World Series. ;)