Those student days

This year I had to see-off two of my engineers out of Cisco because they moved to the US for higher studies. Invariably there would be discussions on universities, campuses, life in the US (both joined Cisco right out of college and had never been to the US), visa processing, what to take etc. Since I am an ex-NRI, they used to ask me for advice now and then - and it used to be fun trying to recollect what I was like back then (12 years ago!!), what I did, what I carried with me, the whole visa nervousness, that first landing in the USA - land of dreams!, slowly getting adjusted to a new life etc. It all feels like so long ago now, almost unbelievable that it ever happened to me. Very refreshing for sure, just to think of those times and places, so different from the content and happy life that it has now become. I try hard to recollect street names, addresses etc (even the California routes are very elusive to my memory now, I have to refer to Google maps every now and then).

All in all, it is nice to see others embarking on the same journey and enjoying themselves. When I see the pictures they post on Facebook, I wonder, did I really live that life at some point - I cannot seem to believe it!