Here is what I remember from each day of my trip:
Tues - Soooo tired. Excited to be in a foreign country since we haven't done much traveling in the last five years with little kids. A bit overwhelmed by everyone bowing and opening doors for us. Did I mention tired? We also checked out a grocery store. It had four varieties of eggplant but not much cow's milk. And definitely no Lactaid for Colin.
Wed - We visited a school. It was very nice, everyone was so friendly, but we were the only white people on the whole campus. I felt bad that it bothered me but it kind of did. I don't know what that experience would be like for the kids. This was the day that all the cultural differences overwhelmed me. I was close to tears a bunch of times and I just couldn't imagine living there.
Thurs - We visited a school recommended by a British expat. It felt much more multi-national with kids from Europe, Asia, the U.S., and of course India. The school year was closer to the Western calendar and many students came from the neighborhood where we would probably live. I felt so much better about it. The teachers were also nicer about my concerns that the kids might have trouble adjusting.
Fri - I took a tour of Matt's office in Hyderabad. It felt much like offices everywhere with just a slight Indian feel (Chai in the break room). Everyone we talked to warned us that the working spouse adjusts more easily to living in India because they're in a familiar professional environment. Matt's boss said that at work things are 80% as good as in the U.S., but at home things are 50% as good so it's much harder for the stay-at-home parent. I appreciate the honesty but it doesn't make me excited to live there!
We also went out to dinner with Matt's boss and his family. We were the only people in the restaurant at 7:30pm. When we left around 9:00 it was getting busier. The kids fell asleep at the table and our conversation just went on around them. It was very different from the U.S. where we have strict schedules that interfere with our social lives.
Sat - We visited a park and craft market to buy some junky souvenirs for the kids. Then we had a very nice traditional South Indian lunch. Yum!
We were invited to dinner with an Indian family to celebrate Holi. The food was delicious and it was interesting to see how a native family lived (a relatively wealthy family, at least). I started to get more excited about the adventure of living immersed in another culture. The kids would have liked it, I think.
Sun - I had a bit of traveler's tummy (they call it Delhi belly) so Matt went to celebrate Holi on his own. He came back orange and pink and he had a great time. The kids would have loved it too. I rested until evening and then hopped on a plane for a long long long trip home.
I don't know what to think at this point. There's a pro list and a con list and both have lots of items. I'm struggling to figure out how people make this kind of decision. We'll figure it out in the next couple of weeks because we have lots to do if we're going to go.
One of my own personal pros: if we do end up moving there will be plenty of things to blog about.
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