Back in the Saddle of Chaos

I love that we no longer have to say “thousand” when we say the year. Now it’s just twenty ten. Nice.

Happy new years my small but faithful band of reading friends! I returned to Mumbai yesterday after over committing myself to vacation plans. I drove too much, didn’t rest enough, drank a lot, ate 10 lbs. of additional body weight onto my person, got sick, talked serious life stuff with the family, got into drama with the family, didn’t get to see a few of the people who I REALLY wanted to see due to my own inability to effectively manage my time, saw a bunch of people who I REALLY wanted to see but didn’t feel like I got enough time with, and came back tired but strangely excited to be back in a world without a social life. Ha! That’s what I get for trying to cram in everything I did -- it’s truly my own fault.

Most memorable moments of being home:
1) NYE with my man
2) My bed felt like a cloud
3) Avatar in 3D imax
4) Damn it’s cold in New England
5) Reconnecting with a few family friends who lived in Mumbai and talking shop

Most unsatisfactory moments of being home:
1) My friend Joel blew off all his lifelong friends and got caught in the act! Really uncool.
 up my memory.
2) Damn it’s cold in New England
3) Family drama is llama
4) Being sick and my digestive system having a lot of issues with red meat

Things I found surprisingly pleasant to return to in Mumbai:
1) The weather is amazing! 75. Sunny. Light breeze. It’s actually the best weather it’s ever been here since I moved in August
2) People seem sincerely happy to see me again, very kind of them
3) Anand! You can’t beat having an Anand.
4) I learned I have a nickname with the office boys – they call me Madame Gevache (spelling is wrong). My co-workers informed me that they kept asking when “Madame Gevache” would return. Apparently there is a popular Hindi movie where a character is named Gevache – the movie is based off the American film “Memento.” It took me a minute but I realized it was because the entire wall behind my desk is filled with Post-it notes which I utilize for process design. The main character in Memento has to keep writing down things because he lost his short term memory which means the office boys either think I’m eccentric or a moron. Regardless kind of funny.
5)  Being away and then coming back has really offered me another opportunity to appreciate Mumbai.  While I was away I found myself missing a few things and as I explained Mumbai I found fresh perspective ain some of the ways of the country. I'm glad I'll be able to reconnect with the city now that I feel more comfortable with it instead of being stuck in some of the impressions I had when I first arrived.