It’s the end of “Part 1” of our adventures, and I’m back to my official base at my in-laws in Rockford… back to having milk and cereal in the morning… making my lunch, putting away the dishes, cleaning up after myself, and all of it with a tiny bliss of privacy. Yes, it was a novelty to get fresh, hot, delicious breakfast, on demand, arranged on the table and in my plate when I wanted it. But I wouldn’t say I miss that yet, with an odd feel of content when I whip out a quick bite myself and getting a head start for the day, with no one to answer or explain myself to.

We started on this journey with one list of priorities, and ended up with another list of accomplishments which gave birth to a new set of goals. We have no regrets though. I think we were lucky enough to get the chance to be there for my grandpa and mom when they needed it. Though I can never give back the same love and sacrifices they have made for us (my brother and I), just knowing that our decisions directly caused their happiness is gratifying. Being occupied with the family’s health, finances, social obligations and our start-up initiatives, my priority to keep writing went way down the wunderlist (highly recommended app by the way). We did however, manage to make some progress on our ventures/experiments – enough to give us a boost of confidence and excitement for our return on “Part 2” in 2012.

I have a lot to write about – thoughts and experiences, both interesting & strange that I encountered in the political, moral, economic & human points of view during our stay in Hyderabad. Good news is that I won’t be boring you with a book to read right now. I’m saving some of my thoughts to mature a bit, so I can make sure I truly get what I think I know right now.

Anyway, I’m glad to be with the other side of the family now at the time when it matters to them the most – Christmas! It’s not all fun and play for me, as this month is going to be quite hectic with b-school visits, applications, essays, GMAT, and start-up work while trying to do justice to Christmas & New Years eve.

We had a lot of travel planned, as one of our priorities before we left to India was to travel across the country. Well, the only travel we have had together so far is a quick family pilgrimage to Tirupati for a few days before we returned for the holidays. After celebrating Aarna’s (brother’s baby) 1st birthday, we had to make a trip up to the temple to get her head shaved as part of our custom of presenting the child’s first hair to God. So, no travel means limited opportunities to discover my photographic skills. This will change soon, and I’ll have a better game plan to enjoy and share my art. I am also making an open promise to kick up my writing frequency and try to make this more fun for my readers.

Though we’re back in America for a while, I can’t seem to stop myself from the urge of wanting to do something random and erratic. Let’s see what the next thirty days has got in store for us.

P.S. My only gripe is to have missed a solid Hyderabad flash mob… makes me proud!

It’s been almost two months since our move to India, which is kinda tough for me to swallow. Contrary to what I expected, the clock seems to be ticking much faster here than in the US. I’m starting to believe that it’s the stage of life, but not where you live that makes time run. Moving back here feels quite different from the feeling of being here on vacation. On top of the planned tasks, days seem to be consumed (at least in the beginning) by unanticipated paperwork, processes, logistical needs, relentless traffic and social obligations that creep in without much notice. However, I feel like we moved at the right time of the year during the rather “dry” period with no big festivals or events to witness. That lets me focus on getting the both of us setup with the ideal lifestyle and basic needs, and also get my feet wet with our family’s real estate dealings and how the industry works out here. There’s a new found life and energy in mom and grandpa to finally get a break from eight long years of anticipation and loneliness.

Carrie already has a more defined schedule than I have. After just over 20 Spoken Telugu classes, she has a good grasp of the language basics and can make small talk with mom and grandpa. While she keeps herself busy with many interests, Carrie is volunteering some of her time to start up a tennis program teaching some less fortunate kids at Sphoorti, giving them a chance to discover a sport that they wouldn’t engage in otherwise. One of our goals was to get Carrie a full year’s experience in India at the least, amidst of all our beautiful festivals and immerse in the culture to the full extent. So far, we’ve been basking in the beauty of the seasonal Royal Poinciana flowers (which my grandpa refers to as “forest fire”), and the taste of many sweet mangoes, among the smell of the first monsoon rains. The guava and corn season has kicked in to full swing just over the last few days as well.

After three months of non-stop traveling, it’s been challenging to get out of “vacay mode” and keep track of time against tasks. India (in my case at least) tends to alter my creative thought process significantly. It took me some time to break away from the habit of thinking too fast with a narrow vision like a horse with blinders. I feel like I’ve just had the chance to lift my head up over the last two weeks to make a plan and channel my time and energy to get things done.

This country is flooded with opportunities – from dining and travel to business and lifestyle. The most appealing ones are opportunities to help fix the relationships, superficial clashes, political ploys and ignorance of the common man and the society that surrounds him. For those of you unaware, there is a political conflict currently active to separate our state of Andhra Pradesh between two regions (Andhra & Telangana) of people speaking the same Telugu language, but a different dialect. Telangana activists declared a bandh for a couple of days leading to protests and public unrest in the city. Our home is a stone’s throw away from the Osmania University – the core of the movement and resulting riots. Hearing gun shots and tear gas explosions all day, I really wished I could grab my camera and spend a day capturing some astounding images. Needless to say, my mother and grandpa wouldn’t let us set foot outside the house. The best I could get is a picture taken from the car with my iphone (below) of loads of police being hauled like cattle in the back of trucks on the morning after the riots started.

As we ramp up our speed and reinvent our lives in a rather new world to the both of us, let me leave you with this kick-ass rap number by Chee Malabar for a glimpse of life in India from another perspective: