2022 marks that I have lived longer in the United States than any country in the world including my country of birth, India. Even though I have lived in the US for over 20 years and have many milestones in my life associated with this country, I feel a strong urge to return back to India. A major reason behind that is my aging parents and lots of stories of personal losses that caused my friends to repent their decisions. I think it is the fear of seeing myself in that position a few years from now.
During the initial days of my career, I was not a shrewd investor. To be honest, investments (as I think of them today) were not part of my vocabulary for a good decade. I have heavily relied on sending money back to family in India. It was very helpful in the beginning and probably the right thing to do. It helped payoff my student loans and establish a home for my family. All the subsequent purchases were either agricultural (which I will refer as "Ag Lands" for ease of use) or a small plot of land in a government approved layout. There was a lot of shopping whenever trips to India were planned. It was usually yearly. I have to say I was blessed not having too many immigration issues prior to/ during those travels. I could hardly wait to get time off to spend quality time in our new home and with my family.
The story gradually changed as I got married. Missus N and I were bit by the travel bug. We probably visited 30 of the 50 US states during the first 3 years of our marriage. we were having the time of our lives during those initial years. Of course, they also included her getting pregnant and we becoming proud parents of Baby N. Looking back at it now, a part of me strongly believes I would not change a thing. Those were the best years of my life. A small part of me is worried about her upcoming college expenses. Would it have been wiser if I have saved some travel money and invested in Baby N's college fund?? I will never know.
Sorry I digress. Back to our topic - The visits to India started were always short from beginning due to limited vacation times. Those of you based in US would definitely understand what I am saying. They started getting smaller as we started incorporating layovers in Dubai, Singapore, London etc. Parents wanting to include visits to Tirupati, Varanasi, Shakti petams etc. The best visits now become 3 weeks of time off and one week of work from India (Does this ever really work?). Out of the 3 weeks, 3 days go in Jet lag, 4 days in religious trip, a week doing round to elderly family members, 3 days with in-laws. I blame a master at managing all the expectations. However, the enthusiasm of the visit and the yearning to be back home got pushed under the rug. I am not sure when the visits turned into a chore.
The frequency of travels has reduced further as I had a second kid and other responsibilities started taking priority. When I secured the US visa as one of the members of my graduating class, my goal was to come to US, make money for 5 years and return back to India/ family. After 20 years, now I am keen to make this possible to return back to India by year 2025. The Covid years have made the urge even more stronger as it made me value life even better and realize how little time I have left to spend with my parents. Hopefully, I will have better luck time time around.
Feel free get back to me with your thoughts!!
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