paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. that's all we've been doing for the past 2 days, or so it seems. today was much much better - we got the bulk of the joining documents and other formalities out of the way yesterday, so today all we had to do was fill out a couple of forms in order to register ourselves legally with the Indian Foreigners' Registration Office.
training so far has been monotonous and repetitive drivel. it seems however that things will only get better from here, not because training started off poorly but because the stuff we've been doing the past few days is just stuff that needs to be done - paperwork and the like, important people in the company addressing us, learning about Indian culture, the company and its work, etc etc etc. our technical training starts next week - Monday or Tuesday - and i'm really really excited about that.
i'm also excited about getting to know my fellow trainees better. from what i can tell so far, everyone's very approachable, easy to strike up a conversation with, and just as willing and eager as i am to get to know everyone else. granted, you have your certain people who, either by choice or by fate, end up playing certain roles. like "THAT guy," played here by someone who will remain anonymous. i think that deep down he means well, it's just that sometimes his delivery - choice of words/topic and timing - is sub par. that's something that hopefully we'll be able to work on together as a group.
everyone else is so chill. granted, there are a few cliques - that's to be expected - but even then no one really hates anyone. at least not yet. of course, it IS only the 3rd day of training, and we'll spend 6 to 8 months together, so i guess we'll see what happens down the road, but the vibe i get from the group overall right now is a good one, and i think we've started off as a collective whole on the right foot.
this Saturday's my 23rd birthday, and i'm going to be celebrating it in Mysore, India, on the other side of the world from my family, with people i've only known for a week. while i miss my family already and would love to be with them this weekend, i'm excited to have this chance too. people know it's my birthday, and we're definitely going out to celebrate. ironically enough, i'll probably end up being the sober one, when with anyone else it could easily be the other way around. but i think it will be fun to celebrate with people my age, people i like so far, and people with whom i think i will form lasting and meaningful relationships ... if not personal in nature then certainly professional.
in other news, i realized this evening as i prayed that it's been exactly one week since i was in JK, and it really feels like a lifetime ago. i guess in a way, it was a lifetime ago. but with that said, it's not that i miss Khane yet, but i'm certainly looking forward to going to Bangalore. not this weekend, but perhaps next weekend. in the meantime i'm waiting for Malik to get his cousins' email addresses and phone numbers to me so i can contact them - they live in Bangalore and can show me around no doubt if i get in touch with them.
having constant and stable access to such things as my music collection, AIM, Skype, the Internet and a cell phone certainly helps mitigate any feelings of loneliness and nostalgia that could arise from the realization that yes, we really are in INDIA right now, and that yes, we will be here for THE BETTER HALF OF A YEAR. and it helps to have my private room, and clean water, and running electricity, and hot showers, and a princely salary [by Indian standards at least]. that's not to say i am homesick by any means; far from it, actually. living on my own for 5 years, albeit in the same town as my family, has helped to make me fairly independent and strong. with that said, i WAS in the same town as my family, and not only would i see my parents about once a week at service, but i knew that if anything happened, if i needed a ride or some food or anything from home, they were right there and could meet me anywhere in town within 30 minutes.
that's part of the reason i asked for Boston. there are so many reasons i put that town as my first preference, and i realize that i got immensely lucky - there are people here with me who got their second or even third choices, and even a couple who got placed in cities that weren't in their top three AT ALL. i asked for Boston because i've been in Atlanta for 16 years now, and i know the city well enough to have an immense sense of familiarity and comfortability when there. i'm in my comfort zone in Atlanta, and i know that within my bubble everything is good. Atlanta is home to me. and because i feel so secure there, i feel passive. i don't feel like i'm being challenged by my environment and surroundings right now. there's no room for personal growth and development. on top of all that, i know the Atlanta Jamat too well. i want to meet more people my age, people smart and ambitious and thirsty for knowledge. and i can't think of a better city in which to find all of those things than Boston. perhaps Manhattan in New York, but the cost of living there is just WAY TOO HIGH. that and New York wasn't even an option for us when we were asked by the company about location preferences.
i really think the move to Boston will be a good one for me; at the very least, i'll learn better personal financial management, having to rent an apartment and buy furniture and pay all my bills on my own. the money i'm making when i get back to the States, though not quite as princely by US standards as my India salary is right now, is good. it's actually really great money. but before i left for India my dad and i sat down and ran some basic numbers, and after tax, zakat, paying bills and feeding myself, there really isn't much left. at all. it's actually rather depressing. but that only means that when i know i have no one to depend on but myself - dad isn't there for backup or to get me out of a jam [although i know he always is, but i don't want to have that as a crutch] - it means that hopefully i will learn VERY QUICKLY how to better manage my money.
enough rambling for tonight. looking forward to tomorrow, and definitely looking forward to this weekend!
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