From Delhi to Disney

I was once a typical Midwestern guy. I grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River, went to college at Miami (the one that was a university before Florida was a state), settled in Chicago, got married, moved to the suburbs, and drove a German car. Life was good.

In January 2010 things changed. We moved. Far. 7,434 miles far (or 11,964 kilometers, as I would soon become familiar) to a suburb of Delhi, India called Gurgaon. For nearly two years I lived the Indian corporate expat life, a life mixed with the everyday frustrations and joys of living in India and seeing much of the world I had never imagined all while surrounded with more domestic help than I knew what to do with. Life was good.

Trekking in Ladakh, July 2011

In September 2011 my wife, Lindsay, accepted a great new position with the company that had sent us to India. A great new position with a catch. The catch? The job was in Orlando. After much (OK, not that much) deliberation, we determined the right next adventure in our life was to head south, continue to skip winter, and see what central Florida has to offer. Life was exciting.

December 2011 is a month of transition. We arrived back in the States on December 2, move out of our Chicago home on December 8, close on a house in Orlando on December 13 (that I've never set foot inside), head back to Chicago for the holidays, and ultimately settle in Orlando (for good) just before the new year. Life is busy.

I knew more what I had in store for me when moving to India than I do about moving to Orlando. I spent six months in India beginning in October 2004. I've been to Orlando exactly three times. Once as a child to Disney World and twice professionally. During those two professional visits, I've been outside the airport, hotel, and office for no more than two meals. My wife visited Orlando in November to meet her new team and start and (which really came as no surprise to anyone) finish the home search. Life is unknown.

This blog comprises the stories, experience, and process of repatriating from an amazing experience in India to a completely unknown part of the United States. Life will be good.

If you're interested in reading about my Indian adventures, check out Mr. (and Mrs.) Luth Go to India. If nothing else, it will help explain the many future references to my trusty drivers Kailash and Ashok and the separation anxiety that I'm sure will plague the first few months back stateside, regardless of location.