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There's the flip side...
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Being married to a techie in the U.S. isn't all rosy, says Sarada Venkat
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NO CAKEWALK Sarada Venkat: `The most painful part of it all was dumping useful stuff into the trash'
When my husband announced he was being sent to the U.S. on a project with his family, I quit my job and joined him with my toddler son. I stepped into the U.S. with trepidation, assuming I would have a Herculean task ahead of me, adjusting to a new place with pronounced differences in climate, food habits and social etiquette.
Conversely, in next to no time, I began to appreciate this stint abroad, made some friends in the neighbourhood, and very soon, even found a wonderful pre-school for my son. However, my husband dropped a bomb in just a couple of months. His project had ended abruptly with this client and we had to move on to another State in just a week.
Then started the process of inviting quotations from the movers. We finally decided to pack the stuff ourselves as the packers quoted astronomical prices. Next 48 hours, my husband was busy looking for best deals on apartment homes through rent.com, closing telephone, cable and Internet connections and booking air tickets. The most painful part of it all was dumping useful stuff into the trash.
While unpacking and setting up a new home, I started wondering what this life was all about. There I was, managing life with bare minimum stuff and with no domestic help. My career had gone for a toss and I was cooped up at home all weekdays (since having a second car for a dependent seemed to be a distant dream) and was forever waiting for weekends. I felt stuck in a groove. I cursed myself for being tied to a nomadic consultant, moving around like a gypsy. Minneapolis, Chicago, Jacksonville, Salisbury and San Francisco in 18 months!
Our last stint at San Francisco was better with relatively pleasant weather, lot of Indian kids for my child to play with and myriad Indian grocery stores and restaurants. However, overwork and commuting to client office at downtown used to leave my husband exhausted. With every move, when he had to change the license tag of the car and take the driving test of that State, I felt terrible. Just to kill time, at times, I used to take public transport. But the crazy maze of highways and streets baffled me.
When I interacted with other Indians I realised I was not alone in feeling the way I was feeling. Uncertainty loomed over the entire software world.
Seeing my excitement while coming back to India, my husband said: "Take life with a cherry red frame of mind. Travelling is learning and I have gained coast-to-coast experience!"
Maybe. But I did find myself a lot happier and independent in India.
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