India Calling..

This post comes as the result of an outburst of emotions as I prepare to head back to India on what will be known as my first official vacation since I joined work back in August 2011.

How the days converted into months and months into years, I didn't realize a damn thing!.

Here I am sitting at work, the back of my mind working like a bullet train on what and how ill spend these valuable vacation days.

I must admit though that the journey so far has been nothing less than memorable.

I still remember how I first stepped into the U.A.E, feeling all skeptical about working and living here.

The one thing that sunk into my system is this emotional attachment with my homeland. To be very honest, I'm not yet sure of whats causing this mixed feeling.

Is it the fact that I'll finally be returning as an N.R.I to meet old friends, or is it the sheer fact that i'll be officially off-duty for the next few weeks, I really do not know, and honestly, I really do not care!.

The life and stay here changed me in more ways than one. I started believing in myself, began understanding the importance of that B-Tech degree, realized the respect that I got just because I had the word Engineer stamped on my passport, learnt a lot about the various nationalities that lived in unison here, and last but not least, started to fall in love with my job.

I've survived the four seasons, understood the importance of the holy month of Ramadan twice, and lived through the various national celebrations.

To me, it means more than just words can describe.

My birthday is the one day in the whole year that i eagerly look forward to. This year, I made it big!. Traveled across international borders to celebrate this D-day.

Now I'm not trying to boast about anything but for an average Indian who has moved across to another country to work, small things like these make a huge impact. Definitely small, but the feeling of having that extra entry permit being stamped on my passport itself means a lot to me.

I know for a fact that this is just the beginning; that there will be more for me to learn and experience in the coming years of my existence, but what counts most is that I have now proudly survived one full cycle!.

I came in here a total stranger. The only people I knew were my family, two college mates and my boss.
One year down the lane and this place is like a second home.

I never could understand the difference between working in India and working here until i slowly began to see the difference in terms of lifestyle. Let me remind you, I came here a fresher, began working here without even knowing what I was supposed to be doing and gradually made an improvement through time.

For a guy like me who loves anything that has four wheels and a machine, laying hands on some beauties was more than just a dream come true. I haven't yet got my official driving licence but like they say, Inshallah, ill get that too with time.

Affording the latest gizmos, being picky about brands and making a saving of that salary are definitely some of the things that I would take a long time to do if I were in India.

Notwithstanding, the fact that I am now going back on that earned leave, with a chance to meet some old friends and relatives puts in this peculiar feeling of pride. A feeling that I'm going back a 'Somebody' rather than a 'Nobody'.

Perhaps everyone living and working here goes through the same phase, but for me, it will be something that I will make note of in my diary of life.

With just four more days and counting, the excitement just seems to be building up.

The tales that I will have to tell my friends back home will take more than just those few days of vacation.

Wherever I worked, the word holiday always struck a bell. Only this time, I'm already looking forward to getting back!

The only sad part is that instead of the full one month leave that I earn after working for an entire year without leave, I only get a two weeks break this time. The reason behind the short leave is obviously work but I'm not disappointed. I'm looking at it from another perspective; I get another two weeks off later; perhaps a foreign trip will suffice!.

What I do then is yet to be decided. For now, its India calling!.