so! am i happy?

six months into the stint in india, am i happy?

round one, work:
i am in my home country which lives life in the open, everyday and everywhere. for someone with a lens and a pen, what could be more exhilarating? i get to research whatever it is i choose to write on, get to meet various people with opinions as different as chalk and cheese, get to set my own schedules, go places i want to and figure out what the hell it is i want from life.

consider the options. i would be back in chandler with a desk job where i would be researching one product in one industry for one group of no consequence in the long run.

so round one: workwise -- i'm thrilled.

round two, extra curricular:
i am in my home country where theatre and arts, music and dance is there for the taking. am thinking of joining ranga shankara (local theatre) and first go regularly for plays (which i love) and second, start getting more involved (which i have always wanted to do).

consider the option: i'm sure i could've done the same in chandler, but the verve, the colour, the enthu and the familiarity was lacking -- on both sides. oh and if i was in my cube, precious little was going to happen. the brief stint of watching plays in gammage was great, but i wanted to get closer.

so round two: extra curricular -- the potential is huge, i'm excited!

round three: social
we have had visitors almost everyweek (house guests, not just drop-ins) since july. has been great, no doubt. friends -- no dearth of people here, but i am one to form friends slowly. so am still getting there. but hey -- bineet-sarita are moving back. things are instantly looking up! plus am getting off my ass and meeting people -- which is always good.

consider the options: i do miss you guys. darn. if you were here, what a blast!

round three: social -- i'm on my way to being happy :)

round four, sanjana:
the small character has had such a full experience here. family -- extended and immediate, friends of all varieties, company in the evenings -- as she wills, school is fun, she travels to all kinds of places and learns about so many things, and so many sides to the same thing -- it is just wonderful grounding for a child.

consider the options: one would have to expend many extra cycles for the above to happen. here, it just does.

round four: sanjana -- i couldnt be happier.

so in all these six months, any regrets? just one... wish this feeling of "time is running out" would go away ;).

is the sum of the parts greater than the whole? yes... for a person like me, being anywhere different (from status quo) is fun. takes a while for the clouds to clear enough to see the blue sky, but once it does... soaring time :)