If I were a 7-year-old kid I would definitely give up on all my stupid ideas of becoming a test-pilot or an astronaut and I would become a figure skater. Today I went to skate and it's been years since I skated and I saw all these little cute kids skating crazy awesome, doing very difficult elements and jumps... OMG, I wish I were 7-year-old and I would start all over. And good statistics - today I fell only once, and only because I got cut by one crazy infant.
Facebook video calling is rolling out. It also has a new group-chat feature, allowing users to have a conversation with multiple people at the same time.
It would be good and fun if we can see and chat with each other face-to-face virtually at least once a year or more. Hope the group-chat feature includes video chat but not just "Audio chat." I got to check it out.
It was a wonderful Saturday July 9th. Me and my mom visited our family friend Eleonora. She has a beautiful house in a countryside. And coincidentally it was their village's anniversary. Although, i like hanging out with my favorite grannies, i'm not a big fun of spending all the time like that. Fortunately, Eleonora's sons Denis and Max and their friend Andrew came to visit her as well :). Her older son Denis is 36-38 and youngest one is 30. They are nice. Denis has 4 kids already, and Max has 2 kids. Denis is very fun - he is a big boss and he likes to manage all people in all aspects even if we just making dinner or having a walk. He is pedantic in a good way, everything should be according to his rules and the whole family wouldn't even dare to abandon them. He gave us extreme high speed ride with many sharp turns in his cute motor boat. We watched the entertainment program arranged by village residents. They were singing, declaring poems, dancing and etc. It was impressive that there were some people who dedicated their time to prepare all these things. Everything was very simple and very cute. I attached some pics. And then we had wonderful barbecue made by Andrew - mmmm, so tasty.
As the days run past me, I am beginning to prepare myself for the BIG CHANGE. Everyone asks me how I feel about leaving, and I give some half-ass response like 'yeah, I'm excited'. I can't even begin to explain to them the enormity of this change that is just around the corner. There is no way I can define my feelings in a word or a sentence, or in a simple black and white way. I feel that most people see it as moving from the 'first world' to the 'third world', which is so not how I see it. I cannot wait to be back in the family, the house, the city, where I spent 22 years of my life - to be reacquainted with the old, and be introduced to all the new in New Delhi.
This is from the statement of purpose I wrote as a part of my grad school application - "It is only when one is suspended outside one’s environment that one begins to understand oneself. I seek to detach myself from the strong cultural roots of my country in order to have a deeper understanding of their influence on me."
I feel that these two sentences really capture what I had intended to do - to learn more about myself as an individual - and even though there is no end to this pursuit, I know that I have surpassed my own expectations. I have gained experiences, friends, knowledge, discovered a lot about myself, acquired basic cooking skills, and so much more! I am grateful for this journey, and now its time to go back :)
Yesterday I woke up and realized there was no food in my refrigerator. I headed out in search of good food and this is what I found - homemade Indian style Fish Fry, with rice, lentils, and spinach. So good!
Washington DC - my second trip to here after 4 years of staying in this country. My first trip was the first month I came to united states of america after deciding to have higher education. The reason I felt Washington DC was very different this time not because I was with my parents but because I experienced and appreciated the spirit of independence, justice, braveness, and brotherhood throughout those years.
Yesterday we were caught by very strong thunderstorm and we had to run almost one kilometer back home without umbrella and today it was very hot and dry like in a desert. Me and my mom went to cemetery to visit grandpa and dad and we walked 45 min one way. It was killing dry, dusty and hot. Now my knee is killing me, dang it. During such hot summer it's hardly believable that we have very cold winter here.
Washington DC - my second trip to here after 4 years of staying in this country. My first trip was the first month I came to united states of america after deciding to have higher education. The reason I felt Washington DC was very different this time not because I was with my parents but because I experienced and appreciated the spirit of independence, justice, braveness, and brotherhood throughout those years. 
