Moving countries during a global pandemic with a 6-year-old sounds like a nightmare scenario. But for Venu and Srilata, it was the culmination of a plan they'd held since their son was born. After 13 years in California's Silicon Valley, they landed in a deserted Bangalore airport during India's devastating second COVID wave. Their story offers invaluable lessons on career planning, choosing the right school curriculum, and the honest reality of raising American-born children in India.

Life in California: The Good Years

Venu's journey to the US began when a company sent him as a consultant to work in Santa Clara, California. The excellent professional opportunities kept him there for 13 years. Srilata joined after marriage.

"United States has very excellent professional career opportunities. That attracted me and I continued over there. California, Santa Clara, San Jose - it's all full of Indian community. The weather is not harsh like Pennsylvania or snow-falling places. It was more like Indian kind of weather."

Srilata's Initial Struggle and Transformation

Like many trailing spouses, Srilata initially struggled:

"Initially I felt very out of place. I was very introvert and a housewife. Staying whole day in the home alone when he went to office - I felt very depressed."

Her transformation came through community engagement:

• Discovered 60-70 Indians in their apartment building
• Friday gatherings, Bhagavad Gita classes, parenting classes
• Cooking classes, children's programs, park visits, cherry picking
• Connected with the local temple

"Within few months, I felt the place was made for me. I got so acquainted. I felt really good there."

At the time of marriage, Venu had said "two years and we'll go back." That turned into 13 years - a common NRI story.

The Decision: Why Return for the Kids

The thought of returning became concrete after their son was born in 2015. The plan was always clear: let him start his formal education in India.

"It was never a plan to settle there. Back of mind we knew that we had to return to India - it was only a matter of time. When is the good opportunity? When is the good time?"

The Original Timeline

Their plan was methodical:

• Let son complete preschool in the US
• Move before first grade so he could adjust
• Put him in Upper KG (UKG) in India for one year of adjustment
• Start first grade fully settled

"Our thought of returning to India became very strong after my son was born. We thought three to four or five years down the line, let him have preschool here, and when he goes to first grade, we will join the Indians."

The Birthday Announcement

On their son's 5th birthday in January 2020, they made the announcement to their community:

"On his birthday, I told all my friends - a big circle of 20-25 ladies and families - 'This is the last party we are making. We are going to India.' We were planning March 2020 to come here."

Then COVID struck. The plan was delayed by over a year.

Career Planning: Finding a Job from Abroad

For Venu, having a good job opportunity in India was the highest priority. The career planning drove the entire timeline.

The Job Search Strategy

"I was always looking for opportunities. I actively started looking within my same company as an internal transfer to India, but it didn't work out. Then COVID struck and I dealt with the plan."

What worked for finding a job from abroad:

• LinkedIn: Contacting HRs and recruiters directly - some were interested
• Friends network: Friends in India forwarded his resume to hiring managers
• Patience: Even after actively applying, it took another year to get the right opportunity

The Challenge of Overseas Hiring

"Not every company will agree to hire someone from outside India. They may prefer local candidates. If they hire from outside, they have to pay for air tickets, transport, luggage - everything. For a local person, they don't have to spend that much."

The key insight: Core business roles and BFSI/software companies are more likely to hire from abroad. Networking remains the most effective approach.

The COVID Move: Arriving During the Second Wave

When the job opportunity finally came in March 2021, there was no option to delay. They had to move during India's devastating second COVID wave.

The Secret Departure

"When he got the opportunity, he told me 'Don't tell anyone.' Everyone would either stop us or frighten us. We didn't want any farewell party. We didn't want to meet friends - COVID would spread. I told only two friends in the last week."

Arriving in a Deserted Bangalore

May 2021 was the peak of India's second wave. The contrast with the US was stark:

"In US, everything was open - only the mask was there. But here it was strict lockdown, very very strict. We didn't have that view of what India was going through."

The arrival scene:

• Only 63 passengers on the flight
• Completely deserted Bangalore airport
• No cars, nothing outside
• Complete lockdown - stayed in guest house for two months

The Silver Lining: Cheap Housing

The lockdown created an unexpected advantage:

"Bangalore was fully empty. People were ready to give houses for any rate. We got a fully furnished big house for just ₹20-25,000. People were behind us - 'Please come, please come, our house is empty.' Everyone had gone to their hometown."

The reality check: Within one year after COVID, the same houses cost ₹50,000+ per month.

Surviving Lockdown with a 6-Year-Old

"My son had jetlag - sleeping in the morning, waking up at 2 AM. No toys, no books, nothing. We started playing hide and seek in the apartment. When he was in the balcony, suddenly an ambulance sound would come and he would run back - 'Virus has come!'"

It was challenging, but they navigated it together - just the three of them, with family in Pune and Hyderabad unable to visit due to lockdown risks.

Son's School Journey: From CBSE to IGCSE

Perhaps the most valuable part of Venu and Srilata's story is their son's school transition - a journey that didn't go as expected but ultimately succeeded.

The Initial Culture Shock

Their son had picked up an American accent from preschool in California. This became a significant barrier:

"For him, languages was very difficult. Here, lots of them speak Kannada. Even though they speak English, kids don't understand American English. There was bullying. He was not accepted by the children. He was seen as something out of place."

The CBSE Experiment

They initially enrolled him in Delhi Public School (DPS), a CBSE school, for first grade in May 2022. After one year, the teacher gave honest feedback:

"The teacher herself said he is very fast in speaking English but is not gelling up with the classmates. He needs a different environment where he can grow at his pace. She suggested certain schools that follow Cambridge IGCSE curriculum."

The IGCSE Solution

The switch to an international school with Cambridge IGCSE curriculum made all the difference:

"In this international school, most of them have European accent or American accent and they can understand him. Moreover, he has grown up a little bit. Now he is doing wonderful in school. His progress is appreciated by his teachers."

The Language Strategy

Beyond school curriculum, they invested in language learning:

• Hired a tutor for Hindi
• Taught Marathi (mother tongue) at home
• Saw noticeable improvement in 6-8 months

"If local languages are not in the curriculum, send tutors for local languages so children get social exposure. They can talk in local language to classmates. In our schooling, we never used English for conversing with classmates - we used local language. Same here - Indian kids use their mother tongue to converse."

American vs Indian Work Culture

Having worked in both countries, Venu offers nuanced observations on work culture differences.

American Work Culture

"Working in United States is a different culture. It's a very open culture where there are hierarchies but you can still talk on the same level with people. It's a bold kind of culture where you can openly talk about your strengths, weaknesses, success, failures - and people won't look down at you."

Indian/Asian Work Culture

India presents a mix of Western and Asian approaches:

"In India, you'll see a mix of the two. You're dealing with American and European clients, dealing with the same management from there to here - so that culture is there. But it has the Indianness, the Asian work culture."

The Key Difference: Handling Bad News

"The Asian thought process is first let's give the good news, and there is a tendency to hide the bad news. Whereas what I learned over there is that good news and bad news are equal - discuss it out, figure it out, tackle it out."

Advice for Returning Professionals

• Bring the boldness and openness learned abroad
• Be straightforward in professional communication
• Think about what's best for the team, career, and project
• Appreciate how people work here - every place has pros and cons

"In professional life, it's better to be open, to be straightforward, and to be bold. If you don't see it in your Asian culture, you better bring it because that always helps in the professional career."

Advice for NRI Families

Srilata offers powerful, practical advice for families considering the move.

1. Have the Family Discussion

"Many Indians in US have that feeling that we should go back, but they don't discuss, they don't sit together, they don't make the list. Sit together - husband, wife, kids whatever age they are - and discuss. What are the pros and cons? Take two hours and sit and discuss. Many things will come out and you may get strength to decide."

2. Ask the Right Questions

When listing cons, ask: "Does this personally affect us?"

"Okay, the roads are bad - does that personally affect us? No. The areas are filthy - does it really affect us? There's politics everywhere - is that really affecting us? No. So what is important? My son's education is important. Our family bonding is important. Is that affecting us in US? Yes. Then it's time to move."

3. The Input-Output Reality

Srilata's most powerful insight addresses the cultural dilemma many NRI parents face:

"If you give US environment, the output will be US culture. You're giving environment of US culture and everything, and you want him to respect Indian culture, be like Indian culture - that won't happen. Either bring him to India and give Indian culture, then the output will be Indian culture. Or if you give US culture, accept that your child will become Americanized."

4. The Problems Framework

A friend's advice that crystallized their decision:

"If you stay in America, you will face American problems. If you stay in India, you will face Indian problems. Now, which problems are you comfortable facing? Which problems are you comfortable tackling? If you come to that answer, then you know where you should be."

5. Accept Your Choice Fully

"Culture is culture - both are at their own places. But the dilemma is that NRIs think 'we are Indians, our children should get Indianized' - but in America, that doesn't happen. If you give this input, the output will be like this. If you cannot accept that output, then you need to change the input."