Back from Vegas and more
The trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon was great. It was a small family reunion with the Vora Family, my uncle and his family, and my cousin Anup all getting together. We went up and down the strip but after a while things look the same. I put $12 on NC State winning the BCS College Football Championship in 2008…the odds are 200-to-1 but that’s school spirit, right? Sapana tried her hand at blackjack but ended up even handed. I loved the Bellagio fountains.
Complementing the glitz of the Strip was a trip to Red Rock Canyon, just a 20 minute drive west of the city. It is a spectacular reserve, with diverse geological rock formations and an awe-inspiring mountain wall that instantly reminds me of the ‘Shield Wall’ protecting Arrakeen in Dune. We also spent two nights at the Grand Canyon. A bunch of played poker in the backseat (the notable stops along the way were the Hoover Dam and a classic Americana diner). The Grand Canyon is a lot more…well, grand than I last remembered. We saw the sunset both nights. One morning Sachi and I took an 11 mile hike along the rim of the canyon which was really great. I was too tired in the mornings to see the sunrise. One notable thing were the tram drivers — the absolute best park tram drivers I’ve ever seen in my life. Friendly, lively, informative, everything.
Pictures of all three places can be found at my photo gallery.
I’ve spent the past two days spending time with my uncle’s family before the four of them leave back for India on May 31st. Then, my sisters and Naman are scheduled to leave on our roadtrip on June 2nd. It has been a lively fun couple of days.
My cousins Adit and Aditi are starting the 7th grade in India. They learn English, Hindi, Marathi (all three are languages), Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, History, Civics, and Geography.
All at the same time. In parallel. From the 5th grade to 10th grade, with each year adding more topics and material than before. Yeah. American kids are doomed. Oh, in the 9th standard they can drop a language if they want….they will still be fluent in 4 languages by the time they are 16.
Looks like I got my housing assignment at Stanford — a 4 bedroom apartment in Rains. I’m scheduled to move in September 15th. I gotta take care of some business there before I leave, like submitting a transcript, a photo for the ID card, filing the FAFSA, etc.
I’ve also done some reading that I’ll share with you later.