Diwali...
Last week was Diwali. The Indian festival of lights. We had a potluck dinner on Friday where almost 40 people from the Tuck community participated in celebrating the festival with the students with Indian origins. The evening had a lavish spread of food and it had been sometime since I had such a nice meal.
Then on Sunday we had a puja organized by the Dartmouth undergrad students association. It was a small affair but extremely well planned. This was followed by Indian dance and song programs. An Indian buffet dinner capped the evening. Watching the dance performance and listening to the songs transported me back to Bangalore for a while. So many things I took for granted at home feel so precious here. Every year, there were performance by top Indian dancers less than 2 miles from home, and I wasn't very keen to attend. A one hour performance by students who are amateur dancers at best, and I was hoping that it would go on!
At the end of the program, a couple of Indian professors spoke about how Diwali was celebrated in their home towns as kids. The talk of sweets, fireworks and new clothes brought back a flood of memories. Just under a week ago, when I was returning from the alumni party of my undergrad, the challenges of being away from home was the topic of discussion. When I asked my host how long ago he had moved to the US, the reply I got was '13 year ago. So, that is 13 years of missed Diwalis, Dussehras and Holis'.
Today it was back to the grind. Just a week before we take a vacation for Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to going away to California and meeting up with friends.
A while ago I had talked about how a consulting firm presentation had charmed me. Today I had lunch with a partner at the firm, and I think I like what I hear and saw. So, I have decided to make an exception to my plans and toss my hat into the ring for this Firm.
Some people might say I am a totally confused person as far as career choices go. Well, it was just under 10 years ago I almost joined India's most prestigious law school and decided against it at the very last moment. If I am faced with strange choices during my internship search and I make stranger choices, people who have known me won't be surprised!!
posted by Tagad_Tale @ 1:45 AM
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