Jaya

I hope you can find a flight with fewer stops between Ohio and Bangalore! I fly from US to Delhi so I don't know what airlines are better for getting to Bangalore, but being able to fly non-stop from Newark (New Jersy) to Delhi has been wonderful. No more layovers and time lost in a European airport.

Continue to enjoy your time here! Jaya

Cali

abi-maha, thank you for writing your thoughts of life in the USA. I am enjoying your reports and am so glad you have had a good time. I hope you can come back again sometime soon and see other parts of the USA too.

5alive

Glad to have come across this trip report....thank you for sharing your insights abi-maha!

abi_maha

Jaya- it can be faster by getting to NY, flying direct to Mumbai and then going Mumbai to Bangalore which is what I shall do if ever I come again here.
Cali thanks for your comments, am hoping I get to see more of the US as well!
And Salive thanks for your kind words!
Just started packing now. looks like I will need another suitcase so will go get one now! Am looking fwd to the fireworks today!

Toucan2

I have been enjoying your report as well. It is interesting the things we notice when going to other countries, that we might not even think about at home. And, it is interesting to see parts of the US through your eyes!

LaurenKahn1

Bangalore? I have never been to India, but, at the rate jobs are fleeing there perhaps we will all be moving there in the future. Maybe we could teach American accents at the call centers. LOL.

Seriously, I have never been to India and would love to go but no home exchange there has come my way. Anyone living on a houseboat in Jaipur want to swap?

abi_maha

Toucan2- I agree, even I realized a lot about India only when we (my husband & I) started talking to visitor's to our country!
LaurenKahn1- Jaipur may not have a houseboat , but if you put this up I am sure there will be many Indians like I said in my report who would do anything to be in the US [just kidding!]

schmerl

abi_maha,
I have really enjoyed your report. You appreciate all the little things that we who have alwayslived in the USA take for granted. Perhaps if more people saw our country through your eyes they'd be a lot happier!
Have a good trip back home.

Spider

Thank you for posting this thread. I work with many Indians in the Washington DC area, and I always enjoy hearing about their experiences in the United States.

beanweb24

abi_maha -

I have really enjoyed reading about your experiences and impressions of life here. Your report has been so much fun to read. I hope you have a fabulous 4th of July and a safe trip home.

abranz

very interesting to read your take on coming to the u.s. from india.
gave me a strong sense of deja vu 30 years ago.

being used to the constant crowds in india, my father thought cities in the u.s were like a morgue.
we had a hard time giving up the crowd and the chaos, the many servants, the nosy but helpful neighbours and all the 'uncles' and 'aunties'.

i have a fond memory of my young cousin's visit to bombay when i lived there.
since the flight had arrived in the dead of night, she had not noticed much in her sleepy daze.
in the morning when she joined us on the terrace for our morning tea she was so excited to see the crowds. she thought everyone was out to see a parade!
it was hard for her to conceive that the crowds were a normal part of living in bombay.

now after 30 years, although we miss india and long to return we have come to realize that it is just a longing for a place that does not exist the way we remember it.

my parents, now in their late 70s, had planned to retire in india but now only visit for a couple of months each winter.
after about 4 weeks, they are ready to head back 'home' to the u.s. they have a hard time adjusting to the crowds, the dirt, the smells, the pollution etc.

kind of ironic.

thursdaysd

Thanks for this report! Glad you had a good trip. I've been to India, so I totally related to your description of the difference in the roads! (Although I remember reading that the Indian government had been building some better roads linking the major cities?) When I get back from Asia I always notice how empty the streets seem in the US. I'd be interested to know how India appears to you when you get back - sometimes people suffer reverse culture shock, although usually from longer trips.

Hershey

abi_maha,

Thank you for posting this most interesting report. I hope you do get to return and will write ago.

abi_maha

Wow! So many replies
schmerl ,Hershey & Spider- Thanks for your comments and kind words.

thursdaysd- I really hope I don't have reverse shock, I normally tease all my 'US return' friends about their behavior and comments and would be ironic to fall into it myself

abranz- I know of friends who have lived here a couple of years who feel that way, so after 30 years i guess it is just normal that you have to 're-adapt' while in India

beanweb24- The fireworks was awesome, we have some 300 pics of the same! Thanks for your kind words!

Grassshopper

You could write a book! Your observations are so interesting. Have a safe trip home and I hope you return soon.

Amy

Loved your report! I spent only three weeks in India, but I can imagine just a bit what the change in coming to the US would be: almost like your senses are being a bit deprived without that swirl of sounds and smells and colors and tastes. I hope you do get to come back and see some more here...plus of course I feel bad for you and AJ having to be apart. It's so nice you could come at least for a time.

pdx

Ditto - loved your report, too. It's very interesting reading it from your perspective.
India has always scared me as a destination. The crowds I see in the photos and the fear of getting lost tend to be the biggest obstacles. Also, this was way in the past, but food poisoning was always a big concern. I knew one woman who took a suitcase full of canned tuna to avoid it. I would love to read a trip report from you about your city in India and how and where to go to get out of the big cities. I know I have a couple girlfriends who would be up for the trip!

Amy

Pdx, I'm hoping abi-maha gets a chance to write about her hometown, but in the meantime for a bit of encouragement to go to India here's my trip report, including rather out of the big city Leh in Ladakh: http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...rip-report.cfm I went completely on my own (made all my own arrangements, too) and had a wonderful time! (Of course, I can get lost in my own city quite easily--I've only lived here 44 years--so getting lost isn't such a problem for me. And if one gets a bit of Delhi belly, just have some yogurt!)

abi_maha

Just got back home and logged in. Grasshopper- Thanks for your words of encouragement.
pdx- I can imagine, I do have many travel reports of mine on VT http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/99512/; do check whenever you have the time. I can understand how it must feel to come here but these days tourism in India has also come a long way. You can definitely make a trip to Rajasthan and Kerala as they are used to having many people coming in from abroad and hence their services are on par with what you get anywhere else in the world!

GoTravel

""I love the lane system and the planning for a seperate lane for people who want to digress from the given road!""

I just love this! As Americans we do take so much for granted and thank you for opening my eyes to all that we are fortunate to have.

I've just loved reading your report.

Where did you watch the 4th of July fireworks?