India

Family....What does that mean to you? For myself, they mean the world to me! Yet, it took an amazing experience in the winter of '94 to realize the importance of family. You see, unlike most of my American friends, almost all of my relatives are on the other side of the globe. Furthermore, after my first trip when I was 6, I was unable to make a trip to India again because of complications including our move to Kansas. On my first trip to India, I was a spoiled 6 year old from the suburbs of Chicago-thus, with some of the physical conditions of India, along with some cultural differences, I was a stranger in a strange land. I failed to appreciate what family meant and what India is as a country...

Thankfully, my mother told me that no ifs, ands, or buts...we were going to go India for Winter break of '94. I was so excited! And, the trip was a religious experience (figuratively speaking)! I discovered the importance of family and I am thankful that I had the opportunity to go. Perhaps one of the scariest things I have ever known is that I almost missed out on this experience. With all the crazy things that I do, and as busy as I was, I could have easily dismissed the trip with the same excuses of having no time...It's a saddening thought that I could have missed out on the experience...

Here are some pics of my family in India and from my two trips:

This is a pic of my grandmother(maternal) and my cousins. Starting from the left: Thanu, Kavita, myself, Santosh, and Leanu. My granny and cousins live in a Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

This is a pic of my nephews, nieces, and I in Belur. Deep down inside, I am still a 10 year old.
We had so much fun!

This is a pic of my mom's Uncle and his family. They are my only relatives who have lived in the States for a long time. Chandana & Tiash are my aunts and Babu is my uncle! Chandana is brilliant, and is currently working on her PhD. in Zurich, Switzerland. She did her undergrad at M.I.T.