My Big Secret

Okay ... So many of my friends have been asking me why I moved from Oracle to TCS. Some of them have even been "kind" enough to tell me that I was either
1. Stupid
2. Mad
3. Idiotic
4. Silly
5. Foolish
etc ... etc ... etc ...
(The list goes on and on and on ... and also becomes more and more [ahem] expletive laden ...)

to have done so!


I agree ... Especially with the reasons I gave them (wanting to move closer to home, missing my family, the career opportunities TCS had to offer, and some more Bullshit like that) for "why" I moved - Even I would've said just that.

On the contrary, the truth is far from that. And till two days back, I had no option but to kept it under really really tight wraps!

But, today, I'm going to spill the beans ...


Around 9 months back I had interviewed for a company by the name Collabera. They had offered to sponsor my H1B visa, and I had very graciously "agreed" to that. After a loooooooong and tiring wait - on Thursday, 4-Dec-2008, was D-Day - "My H1B Visa Interview" Day.

The experience of going for an H1B interview is unique and priceless - and I'm gonna write a separate blog about it. So, those of you lovely folks who aspire for it too can check out that other blog, the one that I plan to write soon, for more insights and tips on the H1B process.


So, now that the Cat's officially out of the bag - I declare before you - I Am An Official H1B Visa Holder!
(-=claps and whistles=-)

:)


And before you start asking the obvious question "When Am I Flying Out Of The Country" - let me answer it for you - "I Don't Know!!!"

With the global recession and US economy crashing, etc - Collabera has not given me a clear cut commitment on the travel dates/clients/projects yet. But, tentatively, they've asked me to be ready to fly out sometime between End of Feb to Mid of March.

So - for all practical purposes - that leaves me with a little over 3 months to meet up with all my friends, relatives and loved ones and say "Bye Bye!". Also, I wanna try and take as many fond memories as I can. Especially with the "No Returning To India For At least 18 Months" contract that I'll be signing with Collabera - I don't think I have a choice.



Anyways ... To all my lovely Friends out there reading this - I'm really sorry I didn't inform you folks about this earlier. I just didn't want to be on the receiving end of all that "sympathy" had I not been able to get the VISA!

To all you lovely readers - who don't really qualify as friends (yet) - Please do wish me luck. In these troubled times in the US - I hope I don't end up in more bullshit that I am already in!


For now - All I can think of is - "Yaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"