The ball is rolling

Its the end of first week of classes at VT. Hmm..enough excitement has been built up and the initial inertia is gone. Party season is back in town; we had a CS department freshers party, this time its a huge Indian student population all worried abt survival without funding, but hopefuly situation will ease out in the coming months. Then we had the ISA Freshers party today; all rocking Indians dancing to the tunes of Himesh Reshmaiyya's muzic. Relished food at India Garden. Coinicidentally, today is the start of Ganesh festival here at VT. Similar to last year, we have a enthu public with ex-students driving from DC to be a part of pooja. The next ten days are gonna be enjoyable with aarti every evening and some "prasad"; wow i miss the modak; i wish i cud be home just for some time to eat modaks dipped in shuddh desi ghee; my mouth waters, cant describe it any more.
Days will soon start rolling as semester progresses and there is lots of work to be done..

What a day!

It was supposed to be the first day at Fall semester classes for 26000 VT students here in Blacksburg. But the day marked history. A suspect fled from police custody, was armed and dangerous. He was believed to be hiding near VT campus. It began with an email in the morning advising employees at CRC to stay away from work; the spot where he was spotted. Rumor then spread to campus and our student center was evacuated. Armed police officers were all around campus searching for him. It didnt look different than a war situation; with SWAT forces, sharp shooters on top of univ buildings. The entire university was evacuated and classes cancelled for the day due to the tense and potentially hostile nature. As the day progressed, i sat at home glued to latest television updates. Soon the news was on national media including CNN ; this was indeed big for a small and otherwise safe town. At around 4pm, the guy was arrested in the bushes near the Rugby stadium of VT. That eased out a lot of pressure and classes will begin from tomorrow.

Not a very good thing to happen at the start of the semester; except that we got an extra holiday; but who wants it anyways now after enjoying 3 months to the fullest!

The great divide

Its been almost a week after coming back to my old little town Blacksburg, located in the Appalachian mountain range in Virginia. And now after seeing a lot of places in US, I can better judge the regional divide here - how people in the East differ from those on the West coast. Life on the West seems like the fast and the furious - its a much more happening place, partially bcoz I stayed in the city as against the town here. People there are generally the working class - mid aged who spend weekends partying and slog during the weekdays. They also tend to take a lot of risks and seem to be engaged in outdoor activities. Converse to that, life on the East is slow-paced, everything takes its own sweet time. People generally stick in their homes especially due to the colder temperatures. Its a retirees paradise here with living costs much more affordable than on the West. Gas prices too differ by almost a dollar. But i must mention that such an atmosphere is good for academics and research - no doubt Virginia Tech has such great research work (pun intended - there's not much one can do here!) a breeding ground for PhD's.

Feels nice to get back to school next week, with 2 courses to go and the atmosphere all charged up - Go Hokies!!

Time to look back

First of all, let me congratulate myself on successfully completing a year in US and more importantly, away from homeland amchi Pune. Might seem a small leap in this world, but believe me, its not. Its different to stay in a different city in India, and coming here across the globe - u really feel the distance; especially when you call home and get a response after a time lag. Its a good time to look back at what I have achieved and what still needs to be done. I came here with some ambitions - to gain decent knowledge. On that front, truly worth it - hats off to Virginia Tech professors for giving me all that and yes, friends at the university who always helped, especially my seniors. Getting an assistantship (thru some exhaustive search...cud publish a book on this!) right from the 1st semester is a gr8 achievement i feel. I kept repeating each night that I deserved it, and yes, self affirmations helped..after all didnt have any shoulder to cry on!

The first semester mid-sem exam was a bummer - i was totally lost and didnt know what to do. I remember talking to Kary and Gud and they had similar experience. Then felt a little better and we decided to do well in the finals. Although, the damage cud not be completely undone, I got a decent grade to keep me in good standing. And how can i forget the wonderful new year vacation in Florida and then our unique get-together with Viv in Texas..ah these moments will be cherished for life.

Start of sem 2, now i am better prepared, and luckily have lesser courses. And this time, it went really smooth. My thesis is also taking shape slowly. Come february and i celebrated my 1st birthday away from home. friends made it special with a cake ceremony at 12 midnight. Then i start looking out for internships - with high hopes. Soon i find that all's not going well. i got a few emails exchanged but nothing fruitful. As time passes, i become desperate, sometimes missing sleep with nightmares of having to be in Blacksburg for the summer. But then God is merciful and I suddenly have 2 offers, which is even bad because now i have to "choose". Some advice from knowledgable ppl solves my dilemma.

Oh, how can i forget the day i got my US drivers licence - thanks to Seth. I can now rent a car and roam independently, it was one of my happiest moments in US. And here I am, right in the heart of southern California, working as a Linux kernel developer cum hacker for Broadcom...relaxing on the couch in Lake forest, writing this blog after exactly 1 year.

Definitely gained a lot of experience, knowledge. I have a broader perspective towards things, have become independent, can manage the house as well as finances. On the other side, miss family a lot, those Sunday eve outings, daily evening walks, the new house in Pune, friends, the "Splendorous Hoodibabaa" bike ride, mom's love, a hug with Dad, fun moments with dada.
Hope to meet all of them pretty soon...thanks all for supporting me and thank you Lord for keeping me fit, healthy and emotionally strong throughout.