Today we have our monthly blog post from my good friend Ruchi, and she’s sharing about how she prepares for her big trip to the US!

Take it away, Ruch!

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Okay, yes, I did just do that.  I was trying to think of a title, and the most obvious one came to mind, and then I realized I had just chosen a classic movie.  Well, it works, right?

Hello from the States!  For most of you, I’m on your side of the world now!  I’ve been here for a few days, and I’m totally taking it all in – the fresh air, the driving, the food, spending QT with my family and even seeing a few friends already (namely, Mrs. My Inner Shakti herself – woohoo!).

 
Preparing for my trips to the States is very different from any normal vacation I take.  I’m coming for an extended period of time (because it really doesn’t make sense to go so far for a quick second), and I’m seeing/attending lots of different people/events.  Packing is tough.  I wear pretty different clothes Stateside, and I also want to try all my new designs.  But then, I also have to pack some traditional Indian pieces, so those take up a good amount of space.  I also have goodies for my entire family + some friends + some food.  Weight is such an issue these days, and I’m completely anal, so I start packing weeks in advance.  Jai says I pack my bags about 7 times – I open and close and open and close and remove one thing and add 2 things, and basically it’s a viscous cycle.  I know, I’m a little cray-cray.

Besides the packing, I also had to wrap-up a lot of tasks back home.  I left the tailors with some work on their hands; otherwise, they’ll find new designers, and then snap, they’re gone.  Certain items had to be put away properly, because as I’ve mentioned before, our house situation is very different – everything will continue to function on a daily basis since the other members of the family are around, and our room has to be monitored every few days (during the monsoons, everything gets wet-like and moldy, and you really have to be careful with your clothes and essentially all your items – I did not understand this at all when I first moved, but it’s so true).  Finally, HR at the office had to be handled.  Once again, I needed to leave my junior HR rep with to-dos that she could continuously keep working on in my absence.

So, I think that covers everything.  A long list, but I’ve clearly made it here, and now packing and organizing seems like a distant memory.  To be honest, once I’m here and enjoying myself, who cares what I have and what I forgot.  It’s not the end of the world.  AND, I can always shop here :)  The HR bit is constantly monitored, and with all of the modern technology, it’s pretty easy to stay in touch.  I do stress about the tailors a bit, but that’s a part of life and work there, and I’ll get them back on track when I return.

I’m just psyched about enjoying my six weeks and soaking in every, single second.  I’ll be documenting my trip and other tid-bits on IG, so you can follow me there (@pinkbyruchi).

AND if any of you are local Chattanoogans, ATLiens or New Yorkers, I’d love to meet you!  And if you’re interested in seeing some PInk by Ruchi pieces, I’ll be hosting pop up stores in both Chatt and Atl.  Let me know in the comments if you’re interested in stopping by.  

Happy Wednesday!

And as always, thanks for reading!