On quality of life

Yesterday when the Seahawks won, I was really happy. This time I actually followed a football game, understood quite a bit of it, at least enough to know what was going on and cheered for my "home team". (The other time being the Seahawks game against the 49ers two weeks back.) If I thought about it even a few years back, I wouldn't believe that one day I'd download the NFL app on my BB. NFL?? Really?? But I did that just yesterday and I liked the game. What a change for a cricket fan! 

I sometimes think about the life I am leading and try to figure out the comforts and the challenges. When we go to visit Calcutta, there are some people who tell me to "come back to India" for good. Some people have asked my parents why they let their only child to go off to a place half across the world and there are some who are certain that all those people who settle abroad are selfish hypocrites. Anything you mention about India that you don't like and you'll be surely bombarded with "why don't you come back and fix the problem instead of complaining from your plush life?" I wonder if more than a billion people already residing in a country can't fix a problem what big of a difference can one more person make? Or they pull up statistics showing how bad the society where you are living is.

It is true that almost every person who has settled abroad has done that because of a better life. Recently I was having an argument on Facebook where someone was probably trying to tell me that his life is better than those living abroad because he is at home, he gets to meet all his friends over the weekend and goes to work in some air conditioned buses or something like that. And I think he also wanted to say that immigrants like me are slaving their lives just for money. I am not exactly sure about his comments because I had a hard time understanding it. This whole thing came up because of a blog post where the author was explaining why is it good to stick to home.

I wouldn't say this guy (with whom I was arguing) is not right. It all depends on how you see life. If you are glad to remain in your comfort zone and all you ever want is the regularity of the life you have been living for the last two or three decades then yes, stay at home. Right with the same set of people you know almost from birth. There would be hardly any variations and you'll be happy. I personally know quite a few people who are so lost in the US. They don't travel, don't want to meet people, not even neighbors. They cook the food they have been cooking forever and only meet those few people who speak the same language. If you are like that, then stay home where you will be at least leading a normal life. If you settle abroad and then all you do is feel miserable because you can't get your traditional food, then don't. Some people live like that for ages, complaining about everything in the new society, yet living there. 

Even though I didn't know about any of these people, nor did I have a plan about what exactly I'd want to do when I was coming here, I think I did a great job by migrating. Now I am getting to do a lot of stuff that I never really thought I could. I don't think I could do any of my volunteer work from India even if I managed to find time after working in the sweat shops called IT companies. Of course I just thought about myself when I came here, about my degree and the step right after, either a PhD or finding a job. Even now, my main focus is definitely to lead a comfortable life, for which I'd need a good job, I'll have to maintain the house and do all the practical things a normal person should. But that is not all. That is where "quality of life" matters. For that I need my three babies healthy and happy as ever, the birds that I feed, my tiny patch of garden, travels, hikes near Mt. Rainier, my colorful stash of yarns, Julia Child's cookbook, supportive co-workers, the security of a safe neighborhood, emergency services that I can depend on, honest and friendly people around and the clear blue sky that I look up to while relaxing on my hammock.

There is so much to do, so many places to see and so many things to experience... I don't want to waste my time...