[Assam] Studies in US; work visa; my US Army experience

Sat May 1 17:18:07 PDT 2010

Ram-da,

It is more of a cameo appearance. Will visit u anytime I am around texas area.

Regards.

Umesh 

--- On Fri, 30/4/10, Ram Sarangapani <assamrs at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Ram Sarangapani <assamrs at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Assam] Studies in US; work visa; my US Army experience
To: umesh.sh05 at post.harvard.edu, "A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world" <assam at assamnet.org>
Cc: "Jyotirmoy Sharma" <jyotirmoy.sharma at gmail.com>
Date: Friday, 30 April, 2010, 16:19

Welcome back, Umesh

On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 3:13 PM, umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com> wrote:

Jyotirmoy-da

You are right that military life is not for everyone; it cannot be equated to white or blue collar jobs of the civilian world. a soldier has to be mentally and physically tougher than the terrorist. Thats why the process of becoming a soldier is really tough. Hurt Locker , oscar winner movie, was quite positive, showed how soldiers bravely faced the daily problems of their bomb disposal unit.

The pics u see of army celebrations of christmas are true, but only for those in the garrison or camps. many more are out on patrols and missions or training. If everyone celebrates then who will provide security?
As George Orwell has said: "People sleep peacefully at home because rough man stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

About remote colleges : How many international students go to Alaska's Univs even though they may be accredited? Not many I would guess - becos of the weather. Edu is expensive so go where you get scholarship. that would be a good start. 

Reverse brain drain is a farce. Only those who lose their jobs in the West go back to where they came from. One of my nieces'
family went back to India from los angeles after 10 years on work visa - her husband is a CPA - becos he kept changing jobs , so remained on work visa and lost his last job and went back to Mumbai - his hometown. My cousin sister (her mom) was so proud that her daughter had found herself ahusband who earned hundreds of dollars per hour in The US in famous companies like Sony. Atleast my cousin sister would not be happy by her daughter's reverse brain drain I'm sure.

Umesh

--- On Fri, 30/4/10, Jyotirmoy Sharma <jyotirmoy.sharma at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Jyotirmoy Sharma <jyotirmoy.sharma at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Assam] Studies in US; work visa; my US Army experience
To: umesh.sh05 at post.harvard.edu, "A Mailing list for people interested in Assam from around the world" <assam at assamnet.org>
Date: Friday, 30 April, 2010, 9:57

Hi Umesh
Good to hear from you.
There are some points you mentioned which seemed alarming - like
applying to a University where no international student applies. What
is the repute of such a University? What is the motive of the
applicant - education and career or migration to the US at any cost?
Would a degree obtained from such an institute hold any value? I am
not sure how welcome one would feel being the "odd man out". Just
clearing the customs at LA airport, one gets a real feeling of how
welcoming people can get.
I was also surprised to hear of no Christmas, 4 July, Easter etc. The
photos on the television show big feasts during such days. At least
that's what we see of the Australian camp during Australia day,
Christmas. Maybe no holidays, but it is still celebrated, isn't it?
Another issue that maybe you have skipped or forgotten is mental,
family trouble that often soldiers face because of their long stints
abroad coupled with seeing all the blood and gore in real life. "Hurt
Locker" movie is a good pointer.
I think while US still attracts talented professionals, job market is
tough ( that is what I heard from a friend from US who came to Aus on
a business trip ). And the reverse brain drain is already happening,
at least in the IT sector.
Hope you have positive experiences.
JS

On Fri, Apr 30, 2010 at 11:25 AM, umesh sharma <jaipurschool at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> Hi All,
>
> I think this is the first time since I joined US army that I am sending this as a message. Life has been busy but now before I get my US passport and head back to Asia (to Iraq - not India) , I would like that other friends also benefit from the experience. Friend Kamal who also helped me get to the US as my Harvard sponsor, yesterday mentioned that I should write a book or something about my US Army experiences, even if I have to omit the secret stuff for security reasons. Well, I would have to omit most of what I do here, but also cannot take any pictures at all or even mention where I am and what I am going to do next. Its called "Need To Know " basis.
>
> Recently, my unit posted on their Facebook site that we are going to Iraq (which I have known for atleast 6 months now), thus, I was able to say that I am going to Iraq - becos it was already publicly declared by the army.
>
> Military Control
>
> We have many many rules here, which I cannot share, just like some of the others who work cannot share their work secrets/rules. Army rules extend beyond normal work area and govern us 24*7, even when we are on leave. If one soldier makes a mistake- traffic violation for speeding or beats up his dog and is put in jail - everyone in our unit is punished extra PT on weekends. Noone can leave the job, noone can just take leave offhand. Most likely leaves aren't granted unless its a matter of life and death. When we go to Iraq we cannot just decide to visit Turkey, Greece or Egypt on a weekend for sightseeing. We have to work all 12 months - no holidays! No Sundays , No 4th of July, Christmas, New Year breaks etc. Atleast for most of us. We do get some leave time - but again its a secret - I think.  We would be told at the last minute - in case some soldier leaks the info while telling friends. The enemy also accesses FaceBook, Twitter , Orkut, reads
>  soldiers blogs etc.
>
> Enemy is watching
>
> If we place pictures, videos on such sites or on youtube the enemy can also see them. That limits what we can and cannot do.
>
> So i thought that life becomes more complicated as we come closer to the day we board the plane for Iraq let me leave some pointers for those who wish to come to the US to work/study.
>
> US work/study
>
> Things have changed a lot as far as working in the US is concerned , esp for those who are in the IT field. Gone are the days when consultants could get people to get visas , come to the US and then look for jobs. Thats why so few are applying for H1B work visas now.
>
>  However, I didn't come by that route. I got my work visa only after I had a job in hand. For students things are still the same - though job market is still slow to pick up. Students can apply for scholarships. I know of atleast one IIM Lukhnow graduate (Syndham's College, Doon School) who got FullBright Scholarship from US Embassy in India to study at Harvard. All expenses paid. A few have gone to remote universities who look forward to international students and are ready to give full scholarship to those who apply - esp to bright ones.
>
> Friend Santanu mentioned that the "Rule of Thumb" was to choose a University noone had heard of in a location noone had heard of before - becos there hardly any foreign students would be there - and those who apply would be welcomed with open arms - for diversity, multi-cultural feel, international experience to local students.
>
> Those who feel confident enough should try the top univs as well - who have more money to give schol. Harvard has been thinking of making its college education (BA, BS) free to all those who get admission (becos they are all great students and also becos Harvard has so much money that the intrest alone can take care of the tuition etc)
>
>   New opportunities are opening - like those who are in the US for over 2 years on any kind of visa could join the US Army and get US citizenship - they will have to work for the army for atleast 4 years to maintain their citizenship.
>
> A few of my US students are currently planning to join the US military  - some directly joining US Military colleges, some following ROTC - where one completes a college degree and also trains to become an officer. Something like NCC , but here after 4 years one gets college degree as well as a job as military officer.
>
>
> Technology
>
> The other day friend Akshay Jain of DeltaNet CyberCafe sent me a message and I was reminded how important - I would say crucial- his cybercafe was in my coming to the US. I still remember how I was celebrated by offering free iced coffee to all guests/customers at DeltaNet (Dhuleshwar Garden) when I had got everything lined up - inlc my US visa - to got Harvard. Internet is critical for everyone - including the US Army. Some might recall that it was the US Military which invented the internet.
>
> Using technology to get ahead is a key - ofcourse many would waste their time in video chats and computer games. Ofcourse, those who are skilled in video games and joy stick can fly unmanned planes etc - so useful to US Army - even Indian army is taking it up against the naxalites.
>
> Fitness
>
> Well, keeping physically fit has its advantages too - one can join the military. I wonder how many of us are as fit or fitter than we were while in high school.
>
>
> Umesh Sharma
>
>
>
>
>
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