Long time, no see...
22 years ago. I was in elementary school. Ronald Reagan was president. People cared about who shot J.R. No one had heard of Madonna yet. Cal Ripken was a rookie that hadn't even started his streak of 2,632 consecutive games (as an Oriole fan, I felt compelled to get that in). That was the last time I was in India...
Well, that all changes this weekend. I am set to fly into Mumbai for a three-city whirlwind tour and I am pretty excited. I'll be combining business with family commitments (my cousin is getting married), including a visit to Microsoft's facility to Hyderabad. I expect it to be MAJORLY different than what I last saw. My wife is tagging along and I think she is more excited than I am. Personally, I'm prepared for the educational piece of the trip of getting a chance to reconnect with my ancestry (my parents emigrated from there in the mid-60s). But, from a more pragmatic sense, I am more excited about seeing how software has revolutionized the country. Amidst the backlash of protectionist sentiment that exists in the US, there is a fascinating story going on over there about how a country is trying to transform itself and I must admit that I am thrilled at the opportunity to see this first hand. I'm looking forward to meeting with the software developers over there and hopefully getting a chance to evangelize patterns & practices. Given all the up and coming software practices over there, I think our stuff is just what the doctor ordered (speaking of which, I am hoping none of the food sends me to the doctor--it's been awhile since I've had hard-core Indian food ;-) ). So, if anyone has any tips on travelling to India or sites to see near Assam, Mumbai, and/or Hyderabad, I'm all ears. Meanwhile, my next blog entry will likely be sometime after I return, so stay tuned for my trip report...
{Beatles - 1967-1970 Disc 2}
