Returned to India T + 45 days

Its been 45 days since we landed in Hyderabad... WOW! I am feeling completly local
already. Joined the new Job a month back, its a dream job for me. The job culture has
changed a lot in India, people have adopted technology and work pressure much
effectively than in US. Here everybody is conversant with all options of Mobile
working, remote working, flex hours and telecommuting much better than what I
felt in US. Life can be defined as per you choices and options but you need to be flexible to move to the location where options are available. For example in Hyderabad if you are a computer/software professional, its better to in and around
Hi-Tech city for following reasons:

- Excellent availability of Internet from good providers like Airtel, TataIndicom etc
- Almost all appartments come standard equipped with generator to handle power cuts
- Cut down frustation and time of city traffic to commute to work place
- You can use max benifit of flex hours
- Work life balance can be maintained very well
- Can lead luxury life with good hotels, restaurants and movies which are within 8 Kms

there are cons for this place:

- Rents are on higher end
- Pay for everything including recrational parks, which are generally free
- Day to Day house hold items can be little expensive
- Will be cutoff from mainstream i.e. relatives, long term settlers who are generally located in other side of city. Public commuting is tedious to travel
from either side

If you inend to continue litle bit of nucluear life style as in US, than living in
Hi-Tech city is good option.

We have moved to an appartment, very near to Hi-Tech city. Commuting distance to work is less than 20 minutes and for kids its 10 minutes.

Kids started school with Orchids International School. Its kind of OK school, even though its called international, but facilities are just OK. Fee wise they are on higher side, which can give you frustated feeling when you actually see the facilities. We made lots of follow up with various schools, but comepetition is very very high and all admissions close by Jan/Feb. We entered into market late (2nd week of May), so had only 2 choices, Orchids and Meridian. Meridian we felt that its tradional style with same fee structure as Orchids and more than that Meridian Madhapur branch is still under construction, so avoided it.

Orchids has very less space and they keep taking kids in school bus to various resorts for field activities and games. On other front they provide breakfast/lunch/snack at school, ofcourse you need to watch first couple of days
if kids are taking there food. Especially NRI kids face a culture schock here on small things like lining up for food, asking for extra serving. Such things are pretty disorganized here and there is always lot of noise, which could make them hesitate initially.