Oasis138\'s Round trip Bengaluru-Chitown-Bengaluru

[oasis138]

Just completed 2 weeks to R2i---seriously time flies..quick updates -

1. Lost a member of extended family (mom's brother) last Friday and so had to rush with my mother out of Blr. Gave me immense satisfaction to be with my mother during this difficult time for her. I know so many folks on this forum have talked about that "dreaded call from near and dear ones" while being in US. No one knows the certainty of life but just relieved that I am closer to my near and dear ones now.

2. Finalized the apartment today. It will be PSN...<10 minutes of commute one way so actually will do even better than my commute in US (20 mins walk ;) )

3. Driving to work while not easy continues to be predictable in terms of time spent and pain/choke points. Carry a newspaper along which am able to finish in car during the up-down...:).

More later.

usukfinance - will reply to your email soon.
b2blr - will touch base this week to connect this weekend.

[oasis138]

2.5 weeks updates -

1. Got car registration done after a decent amount of paperwork....similar to a DL they give a card with all details listed on it and car history available online as long as chassis no is provided.

2. Continue to shop around for home products - Kroma experience was good for durables. The first thing that you have to adjust to is size of things. The largest washing machine has probably 50% capacity compared to those you get outside....however given size of Indian homes makes sense. If you are quite particular about size then do get washer/dryers/microwaves etc from US....my wife is not so we will go ahead and buy it here...we also fixed the fridge....some really good choices and sizes comparable to the big ones you see in US. More shopping today!

3. Things have definitely got systematized on quite a few dimensions. A credit card came as promised and my first cell phone bills are ready online and can be paid via CC.....no paperwork/cheque cutting needed.

4.I am not foodie but continue to be temped by the choices and types of food...mind boggling combos....also for veggies India is a paradise..after years I have started to have what I would call balanced meals with much more moderated inputs of non-veg..never thought i'll have chicken tandoori with boss for lunch at a dhaba!:)

[oasis138]

Weekend updates -

1. Got the paperwork for the house finalized at PSN...went through a broker who was quite professional in executing the whole deal from day 1....met the landlord today and executed the paperwork...8 months deposit so was able to bring it down a bit from the 10 months that is the norm in BLR. Broker fees 1 month rent excluding maintenance charges. In a few instances that we went through other brokers we had the landlord call us directly after the apt viewing so as to try to deal with us directly and thereby avoid paying fees to the broker. While this would have helped us too (cutting the middleman) it actually showed some of the landlords in pretty poor light as true to Indian way they tried to circumvent the system....these were all highly educated professional folks btw....anyways now the wait is on for our container to arrive. Luckily the ICD (container depot) for BLR is in Whitefield and only 1.5kms from PSN... so once our container arrives for customs at ICD we should be able to bring it to PSN fairly quickly. ......have to say every time we went to PSN we could see 2-3 container laden trucks loitering around the vicinity.

2. Went to Hometown last evening as our quest for furniture/appliances continues. Quite disappointed by the pricing relative to the quality. Other stores that I mentioned above were much better IMO. However Hometown is definitely pretty exhaustive for kitchen and bedroom accessory items like linens, curtain sets etc so we will lean on HT for that.

3. Weather continues to be a paradise in BLR. If you want to R2i and are open to choosing between 3-4 places please pick BLR. For weather alone you will thank me especially if you currently live in EastCoast/Midwest etc in US. I feel GOI should classify BLR as a hill station! Today early morning as I went to airport to drop wife and kid for visit to my inlaws I saw folks with monkey caps on....cute!

4. My first credit card arrived yesterday as well and I transacted for the first time. Unlike US credit cards in India come with lots of bells and whistles around "fees etc" so do read the print carefully. I also get an sms for every transaction I make!...

5. Had idli and dosa from shantisagar after ages today for b'fast...IDLI's rock.......so soft that they might melt in your hand!...9 bucks an idli so definitely gone are the 2-3rs/idli. days..but hey if homes can increase 5x in last 10 years why not idli's! :) ...at-least there is no registration charges with idli's!

Ok bachelor now for 2 weeks so time to get hold of some college friends and have a drink or two....haven't had one since r2i!

[usukfinance]

Hi Oasis138,

The details in your posts really help, thanks for the diary.

With regards to jobs, my major worry is that folks in India focus more on education than on experience - and that might be a negative for me. I know you have only been there a few weeks, but what do you see being actually in India? Do folks actually care or count the US experience, or do they look for local know-how and contacts?

[oasis138]

Hi Oasis138,

The details in your posts really help, thanks for the diary.

With regards to jobs, my major worry is that folks in India focus more on education than on experience - and that might be a negative for me. I know you have only been there a few weeks, but what do you see being actually in India? Do folks actually care or count the US experience, or do they look for local know-how and contacts?

Honestly there is no one answer....what I would say is that the experience that folks who had worked abroad were bringing to Indian firms back in 90's or early 2000's has definitely reduced as most folks here especially in middle mgmt and above have had some exposure to the US (short term stint) and have interacted with US clients on an ongoing basis..in finance since markets are not as sophisticated as the west you do see local knowledge being valued a lot...on the flip side folks like yourself can add a lot of value just given the fact that you have exposure to world class institutes in the west and can carry that knowledge over....firms want to mordernise and apply best practices..... how you apply your knowledge and share it with others will go a great deal in determining how well you can adjust locally..so again no real answer as in one way or other.

[nyc2ncr]

Hey Oasis - Congratulations on the move! Great posts. Sounds like things are going well and you are establishing a routine. I saw in your post that you unlocked your iphone. Who did you go for that? Just some neighborhood shop or someone more specialized? I need to do it as well.

[oasis138]

Hey Oasis - Congratulations on the move! Great posts. Sounds like things are going well and you are establishing a routine. I saw in your post that you unlocked your iphone. Who did you go for that? Just some neighborhood shop or someone more specialized? I need to do it as well.

AT&T unlocked it for me once I paid out the contract termination fees. You have request it and it generally happens instantly. Once the phone is unlocked you will need to sync with Itunes on a comp connected to net.. Then insert new sim and restart and it should work...

Overall no major complaints besides the obvious known ones of traffic etc....but with move to a rented place by end of month travel will be minimized too!

[oasis138]

3 weeks completed..into week 4!...form now on folks should take my posts more seriously as my "honeymoon" period is over :)
Jokes apart a few random thoughts -

1. As I have mentioned earlier I worked into my last week in Chicago and then started work within a couple of days of landing in Blore..so in some ways I did not sit down and think a lot about what all I would miss in Chicago/US etc....the one thing that I did feel throughout last few weeks was this - every time I would visit India on vacation over last few years my stomach would churn a day or two before heading back to US and I would most often leave with a heavy heart back...not sure what explains it but it is what it is....so when I left Chicago for good a few weeks back I felt I would feel quite bad since I had got quite attached to the city (having stayed there all 10 years) and would again get that sinking feeling I would when I would head back to US after vacations....however for what ever reason I felt nothing....not sure why that happened ....dont get me wrong...I have a zillion good memories of the US but somewhere in my sub conscious I reconciled that the 10 years in US was an extended stay outside my home and now I am back where I belong.
Now its likely that with time I would miss certain things about life in US (Chipotle ? :))...but feel just fine today...I am curious if other folks who have r2i'ed after a long stint felt this way ?

2. Went to KFC and Miccki D for first time in Blore last few days....I am amazed that while I absolutely hated those two places in US and hadnt gone there post my college days here I absolutely loved the food. I dont think I will go there every week or anything like that but will visit them once in a while. Also for whatever reason the chicken stuff at KFC was milessssssss better than the US (thanks to the red spices they throw into it) and honestly my hands did not feel greasy....in US I could give myself a oil massage with the grease coming out of the chicken!.....both places it was like visiting a temple or something....millions of folks trying to get their hands on the chicken!!...no wonder if you look at KFC's annual report they are closing stores in US and opening 1 a week in India China. Given the lack of obesity I guess most Indians can eat this junk for a while!

3. Travel continues to be predictable...45 mins to an hour one way --covering 18 kms!...FM 94.3 rocks!...revisiting so many old songs after ages

I will provide some thoughts on work culture etc later! enjoy madi!

[virgo_mc]

[QUOTE]2. Went to KFC and Miccki D for first time in Blore last few days....I am amazed that while I absolutely hated those two places in US and hadnt gone there post my college days here I absolutely loved the food. I dont think I will go there every week or anything like that but will visit them once in a while. Also for whatever reason the chicken stuff at KFC was milessssssss better than the US (thanks to the red spices they throw into it) and honestly my hands did not feel greasy....in US I could give myself a oil massage with the grease coming out of the chicken!.....both places it was like visiting a temple or something....millions of folks trying to get their hands on the chicken!!...no wonder if you look at KFC's annual report they are closing stores in US and opening 1 a week in India China. Given the lack of obesity I guess most Indians can eat this junk for a while!

Awww man!!! you are driving me nuts. My plan are to R2I in 2015, I dont think I can wait that long. The food at KFC is sooo much better in India. During my last visit I had probably two full chicken in one go....it was sooo good. Then I came back here and tried the same "spicy" grilled chicken and I literally had to puke to get the taste out....it was unbearable. If there is one reason to R2I for me then it is the food in India. I better go and work out....I usually go on a salad diet before my India trip and lose 5lbs so that I can gorge myself i India and gain 10lbs.

Please keep writing, you dont know how we here are waiting for your update everyday.

[dell]

Question for folks with regards to visa going fwd -

I have been on H1-b since late 2004 and will stay on it as I leave next month for good. The firm had started my GC 3 years back and with the movement in EB2 late last year I got eligible for EAD/GC. Fortunately I was able to delay the final filing to coincide with my R2i and in any case now retrogression happened so the firms lawyers got of my back. My new job in India has a decent likelihood of seeing me visit US a few times a year for a few days/visit on business trips. I wanted to get forum members thoughts regarding whether I would face issues getting business visa going fwd (given my past immigration status). I am assuming a lot of you have been in similar situations so would be helpful to get your thoughts on potential issues they could foresee going fwd. TIA.

oasis138 - I am not trying to go off topic here but I am curious about what happen to your GC ? Are you still able to get it in India or did you abandon it for good ? If not, how long can you stay outside of USA and still keep in alive and what sort of things do you have to do to keep it ?