Wow! It has been 10 years since a jet-lagged, slightly tipsy, wide eyed kid was transported from Bombay to Beantown!

Year: 1996
This kid was given six-month loan to make it this country. Perhaps a tall order, but then perhaps not so. This kid starts school at Northeastern, picks two easy courses to get couple of A's and applies for Teaching Assistantship. It is indeed a frightening and interesting time, as future is unknown (perhaps the one and only time this kid has gambled!). Kid talks to Dean and other professors and is amazed at getting small odd jobs at school and the first earnings of $12.00 was a day to remember! This kid also gets Teaching Assistantship! Kid cannot help think: "Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good" (quote from Sound of Music). By the end of the year, courses are picked, homework is completed and submitted, bunch of 'A's received, loan repayment is well on its way, friends are multiplied, enemies are divided, apartment rents and utilities are paid, new apartment is found, move is done and life is good! Teaching graduate school has settled into routine. One fateful December evening, kid attends a graduate school pizza party, and is hit by the thunderbolt and now kid hates pizza with a vengence.

Year: 1997
The student year continues for the kid, with more courses, more homework, more teaching, and now something new preoccupies the mind ;). It is weird and confusing and danged depressing time. Some friends are good as gold and some are plain idiots. Kid's elder sister gets married in summer in Maryland and their Uncle's place. This starts a whole bunch of travel. Before the wedding celebrations, the kid and the sister drive from Boston to New Jersey to Maryland, doing a whole bunch of touristy things. Whilst in Maryland, they visit the US Capital and the Mall and Museums. Alongside, enjoy the company of uncle and aunty and the little niece, and plan for the wedding. After the wedding, the kid travels for six weeks to India.  In India, there is packing and moving the parents from a huge house to a rental space, while their new home is getting built. This is bittersweet farewell to the place always known as home. The new place wouldn't be the same. Back to Boston via Amsterdam, this kid dreams one day to visit Netherlands and picks up liquors, chocolate and brochures. Returning 'home' the kid jumps in headlong into the job hunt. Folks! This is 1997, and the demand for computer engineers is insanely high. Many interviews are done and flights are taken to Seattle, New York City (multiple times), North Carolina, and San Francisco and of course within Massachusetts. Many trips are taken for the trip sake and not for interview (shhh!). During this year, Beantown is explored in all available free time, Museums are visited, Freedom trail is walked, North end is explored and Beantown is adopted as home!

Year: 1998
The student graduates, and becomes an employee! The student takes one week vacation before starting new job, mainly to get clothes for the corporate-consulting world. Family (sister and brother-in-law) come to celebrate graduation. All outstanding loans are repaid and closed, and promptly a new loan is taken out (welcome to the American way of life). The new loan is for a car! Yes, the kid learns, researches, and negotiates for six hours to buy a brilliant blue pearl Toyota Corolla, with the works (well, most of relevant ones anyways). The first few weeks of owning the car are petrifying, simply because the kid never owned something that expensive (until then at least) that sits out in the cold hard rain. Kid moves once again, sans any dopey roommates to a studio apartment. Life is vastly improved with financial independence and emotional too! A new motto for living is born; live life, repay loan and save for a house.

Year: 1999
The year starts and ends as a employee. The office moves to from Wellesley to Cambridge. The commute is now on T versus driving. Kid decides and starts the process to get permanent residency in the country. Kid stumbles into stain glass art and invests time and energy into developing the art.

Year: 2000
The kid becomes an aunt to a little one (kid's sister has a baby boy). Kid's mother visits to help taking care of the little one and is based in California. For 10 days, when autumn is at its peak, kid's mum and kid take a road trip in central New Hampshire. The best 10 days ever!. Life on the other hand continues with its nuances and its ups and downs and sideways.

Year: 2001
Wacky and scary year, the dot in the dot-com world is going bust. 9 layoff later, the kid is still gainfully employed, but goes into work each day to give 100% and the neck in a live guillotine. Who knows when the axe will fall?

Year: 2002
This was the year of perpetual darkness! Halloween! Kid's mother passes away. Nothing good, bad or ugly matters in this year.

Year: 2003
This is the second year after 2002, to be the year of turmoil; September brings sad news of kid's grandmother death. It is also the year for job jumping! Finally the axe falls on the consulting company and one morning the company heads swarm down and decide to close the office. Funnily enough the office is 'officially' closed, but no one is asked to leave, no doors are locked, no security access cards revoked! Nothing! Simply because there is too much work to be completed before the office can be closed. So, twenty two odd employees are given all different dates when their last day will be. Interestingly during those days/weeks, all these employees are hired. This kid decides to take a weekend off before starting the next job. The next job is brutal, messy and worst and kid jumps ship and goes to the third company. All this jumping around and no vacation, leads to a emotionally frazzled kid, but solid bank balance for buying house and research is started in earnest. This year will also be remembered as the year, when this kid finally blooms into a more confident, strong and self-reliant, simply because Homeland Security blesses the permanent residency application. Kid is free to flip burgers for a living (not that the kid would want to)! Kid also begins to believe that there is a dawn after darkness. Kid's father decides to visit the family.

Year: 2004
Kid uses the 5-year savings to buy a house and sets plans in motion to make the house a home. The home life takes adjusting financially, emotionally, physically and whatever other -ally's you can think of. This is year of settling into the new job, new commute and new house.

Year: 2005
Life simply just is! A planned trip back to India happens, and a week in Lakshadweep (one of the coral reefs) is just what the doctor ordered. Once again as flight takes the kid via Amsterdam, thoughts of travel in Netherlands prevail. But the commitments of home, are still settling so no planned trips until more of the house and garden is settled. Work is just it work! Thoughts sometimes revert to the fateful December pizza party (yes, still hates pizza!). Stain glass work comes into its own as a home based business. Commissioned work, restoration and couple of craft fairs are done. Simultaneously, old craft - knitting is resurrected. Creativity is at its all time high. Kid becomes an aunt for the second time round.

Year: 2006
Kid plans for home and garden renovation. After emptying some of the savings, the yard looks better, and following year schedule for planting is figured out. Kid accepts invitation and goes to board game parties (something not done in a long while) and actually has fun. Kid goes out with friends again! This one is huge, step back into some social life! Against most the family's disapproving emails and conversations, Kid adopts two kitties and showers them with loads of love. The year of living life, growing up, and setting up and accomplishing goals.

Year: 2007.... and many more
So, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, if you read this, raise a glass and wish me (the kid) luck for the next 10 years, wherever it finds me.