January has been a mixed bag of emotions for us so far.
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Good news first....
I completed 14 years at Intel - and I'm really looking forward to my second sabbatical!
How does it feel? Pretty good. Not like corporate slavery a bit. I'm grateful for being in positions which have always challenged me, and kept me away from politics, paper-pushing and managing people.
However, I feel the need of changing my profile in the near future. My current job is one of the best I can find (architecting new technologies), but I'm tired of the group I work with. Hardly any women around as you go up the ladder (Intel ranks very poorly in growing tech women), and some of the men are just too ruthless. A change would be good - but a change also means my work-life balance, which is superb currently, could go for a toss. Decisions, Decisions....
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So, 14 years at Intel, and 15 years since I left India. I had no idea how life would shape up for me when I arrived here. But I'm grateful that I got a job within 9 months of landing in this country, and by the time I graduated I had enough savings to pay off my student loan. I never got laid off, and we are able to raise our family in a small town with all the perks of a city. I really could not have expected anything better.
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Last January, the son developed breathing issues, and had to be rushed to ER. I pulled him out of daycare, and had no idea what to do. Spoke to mum n dad, and they decided to come down and help for 6 months. They are my superheroes, honestly. They are far better at raising my children than me. And because of them, my kiddos went through the year without needing to be medicated. (They got sick but nothing out of the ordinary).
Come this January, and the son is sick again. Parents were here until a few days ago, and right after they left, he has come down with a bad case of flu. Combine that with a croupy cough, and my child is miserable. We've been home all week nursing him back to health. Experience, good or bad, always helps.....and so we are much better prepared this time. Please say a prayer for him - I really hope he gets better quickly and does not fall sick too much this year.
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The daughter will start Kindergarten later this year. I went for an orientation last night at a private school that is our #1 choice for her, and came back pretty frustrated. They have a 30-minute assessment test that the kids have to take prior to enrollment, and guess what? the test is on the IPAD. Something on the lines of GRE, where the questions get tougher if you answer them correctly, and easier if you go wrong. And I'm thinking, SERIOUSLY? She is only FOUR years old, and has no idea how to work on an IPAD. Apart from a few occasional songs or rhymes we play for the kids, they never use it. No games, no apps.
We focus on reading, life skills, fine motor skills, play play play, having fun, and that's it.
The public school we have is great, but it does not have a good after-school care program. And since we both work full time, we have to put her in private for at least a couple of years.
Again, I have some tough decisions ahead of me. Thankfully, I have options, and I'll have to work harder on making them work. Or I just have to quit working and home school the children.
More on the test here: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140707/upper-east-side/quiz-are-you-smart-enough-get-into-private-kindergarten
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Our wedding anniversary is coming up later this month. We don't do gifts. We like to travel, but we are yet to plan a getaway this year. If the kids stay healthy, we will make it happen. If not, I'm looking forward to a nice dinner with the family :)!
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Those bad news that I talked about in December - they somehow don't see to stop. Or maybe I'm just extra sensitive lately.
A dear friend's son got hurt on the foot which got infected after sutures, and is still on antibiotics.
Another friend's 5-month old daughter was in ICU for pneumonia and had a rough time. She is now thankfully okay. Home and happy and healthy.
I met our friend who lost their 17 month old daughter last year - and could see how empty they felt. I could not ask them much about their ordeal, and I also found it hard to say anything about my kids to them. I don't think I can relate to their grief at all.
A colleague has been steadily losing weight without trying, and is very concerned about something wrong with his body. I'm concerned about him too - he is single and does not have family around here. Let's hope it's nothing serious when the tests results come.
There's more but I'll stop here....
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Mom n Dad were here with us for the holidays. They left right after New Year, and we are all feeling homesick in our own home - funny, isn't it?
The son is especially down....he refuses to chat with them on FaceTime and keeps saying that he wants them to come back.
I hope they come back soon, or we get to visit.....
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So that was the mixed bag so far - nothing fancy, but hoping it only gets better from here :) :)!!!!
Here's a sweet bonding moment that I managed to capture on my iphone - too cute for words :) :)!
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