Things I'm looking forward to

In a recent survey conducted among my family members in Houston, it was determined that "Food" ranked as #1 in a "list of things you're passionate about". So I'll start with that -

• Food, veggie food at that - No more "Does this have meat in it?" or "No carne, no pollo" or "Can I substitute the chicken with tofu?" Everthing's veggie, the veggie dishes more so. That and the fact that I'll be eating "regular Indian food as opposed to fancy restaurant type food that all tastes the same.

• Cricket faces - I've been following cricket through the internet lately. It's very efficient but I am losing track of faces. The last time I watched Cricket consistently for a long period was in March 2007 when I was in India for a month. Hopefully now with the longer stay I'll get to see the faces (new faces) of not just Indian cricket but international players as well.
  

• Doing away with the awkward glancing at other Indian - If you're Indian, you know this still exists in the US. Recognizing another Indian and then looking away awkwardly. Well, seeing as I'll be surrounded by Indians, it won't be much of an issue. I guess I'll be swapping that for staring at non-Indian.

• Indian Film Magazines - Aah Filmfare, Cineblitz, how I've missed you guys. Don't worry, I'll be holding you in my arms soon. I can catch up all the made up gossip that is just so delicious.

• The train journey - The last time I travelled in a train, it was an a/c compartment, so I didn't really get to experience the rest. Atleast once I'd like to experience it again - the dirty floors, the magazines which you'd normally never even look at, the requests for lower berths, the illegal travellers who make your life a nuisance (especially if you have a side berth) and best of all, the food. Currently I'm working on a plan where I get sick atleast once by eating something in every train stop on one trip.
  

• Low costs - I suppose I'm not really that excited about this because I don't think things are really that cheap in India. But nevertheless, I'll definitely be getting a kick the first 30 times that I get a dosa and find out that it costs only Rs. 20, or a movie that costs only Rs. 40.
  

• Rain - Just the smell alone is worth three months of low speed internet. Not to mention the accompaniments - the warm snacks that go with the rain, the feeling of being sealed in (in a good way) . Of course, it also comes with a bunch of negatives, like being sealed in (in a bad way) .
  

• Indian Intelligensia - I used to meet these people when I first came to the US, people who were very opinionated about the US, the caste system, grobal politics, religion and felt strongly to debate for hours on end. After a while, I think they either can't stand being here (in the US) anymore and go to India or mellow out. Well, they'll still be waiting over there in India and that should make for a bunch of fun evenings when I'll be bombarded with argumetns about why it's a good thing for the country that someone like Laloo Prasad Yadav exists, or why the US hegemony is doomed to end any second now.