American in India – that’s what I have become. This is something that happened completely by chance. I was not planning on visiting India. I was not planning on living in India. But, now, I have become an American in India. How that happened and what I have learned is the foundation of my posts. I hope that others who visit India will find some of what I have found here and will come to enjoy India as much as, well, an American in India.
I like to play with languages and in 2010 my favorite toy was Hindi. There was no particular reason for my choice but I did like the appearance of the letters with the neat bar across the top. I was using Rupet Snell’s book, Hindi a Complete Course, which I found very helpful.
If you’re wondering, No, I was not planning on visiting India. Ever. Why would I do that?
So, if you’re reading this and planning to visit India, you’re way ahead of where I was when I was just playing with Hindi.
How can you not love the line above the letters?
OK, you’re right. The text in the box above is really not Hindi but it gives you a small insight into how actual Hindi looks. Don’t worry, we’ll have some actual Hindi a little later.
I had a good friend – and still do – who made frequent trips to India for business and he knew of my interest in Hindi. As he was planning another trip, he said, “Why don’t you come along, you’ll enjoy it.”
And, I decided, “Why not?” That’s how it all started and I sit here today, eight years later and counting, in my home in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. And this is how I became an American in India.
Who would have ever thought?
Note for following the story of how I became an American in India.
The story of my initial arrival in India is told over several posts.
At the conclusion of each post there is a link to the next post which continues the saga.
The next post is Here We Go, Bengaluru!