There are 1000s of blogs on RTI topic and several of them are quite informational. This blog is meant to serve as a posting space and some communication primarily among my friends in PDX and some relatives in other places.
RTI is a big deal. It is in several of our thoughts, but is pretty cumbersome to pull off. Like 1000s of desis that keep thinking about RTI, my friends/I used to discuss about the topic. Some of us were more animated in our discussions and others are less expressive about the thoughts.
Single most important reason why it is hard to pull off is that 'life in the US' is just plain great. Folks in the US have figured out how to make it so convenient, comfortable etc, that it is hard to argue against. Unlike the 60s, 70s where desi amenities were limited (if any), now desis get pretty much everything they desire in the US. Great friends, good social life, all comforts at pretty low price, decent schooling, unlimited opportunities for success and a society that appreciates hard work etc. Living in the US comfortably is feasible with about 3000$/month and reasonable amount of education or hard work from 2-working parents will enable that.
From my viewpoint, reasons why many desis are thinking more seriously to return now are the following: availability of everything in both places, better parity in earning potential with globalization and IT industry, US policies in issuance of Green card/US passports, lower barrier for 2-way travel or relocation (in the worst case) etc. Parents and immediate family is a big reason as well. Spending quality time with parents in the US is little difficult. Work life in the US keeps most folks very busy and parents tend to get bored over a coarse of time. Unlike places like the bay area or some places in Florida/Texas, where weather is friendlier to Indian parents, rest of the US is quite a drag on even younger folks. My dad gets bored in a week and given the climate in the Northwest US, it is a big obstacle to a happy life for him.
To tell the truth, among several of our friends, we were little less clear about how seriously we wanted to move back. We had great life there (PDX, Hillsboro), but we didnot feel the connection with outside world that much. We felt responsible to stay near parents and in-laws and bring our kids under their warm watch and this idea only came in around March 2010. Once the idea came in, it grew like a virus (concept from Inception movie!) and there was no looking back. Things lined up (as if it was destined to happen) and by October 2010, we were in India. We didnot make firm plans about schooling for my 5year kid or a place to live in, but felt that we could figure something out in India. Sometimes we plan and things work out, sometimes new opportunities open up.
One of my friends at BLR mentioned to me that the reason for his return was very much the same. Once that was clear, there would be no need to spend more time in the US as that was taking away that much (quality) time from immediate family.
Folks return for different reasons and as it happens in life, some are successful in achieving their goals, some fail (due to various reasons). In our case, we were fortunate enough to have good friends tell us to come with an open mind and let things slowly happen. I think so far (its been 1 month), it has not been that bad.
>> Next post on planning and last month in the US
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