For most part I would not, and cannot change much! I would have prepared little better for the winter as I did not remember how cold it got in February in India. All other things that happened would have happened no matter what I did. I could have moved into the hostel room little earlier – but that is not such a big deal.
Teaching and Department: I could not have changed the teaching assignments I got. Some of it had to do with the department. I volunteered to take the extra courses I was teaching, no one forced me. But I was only being part of the tea.
I think the HOD could have had a meeting of all of us and told everyone about what I was doing there. And also arranged a presentation from me where we could have exchanged ideas on how to things better both in USA and India. Although, in my short time here, I can see that things have not changed much in the last 30 years. How I got my education is pretty much how these students are learning. I think it may have gotten worse because one should change with time, yet nothing has changed there. In any case, I feel I could have been used more constructively in some other ways, rather than just teach classes. The Dean could have also arranged some seminar. But then with the whole turmoil of the Dean and some faculty leaving, things were just not stable.
Keeping Busy: I would advise anyone going like this to India to have plenty of work or things to keep oneself busy. There were hardly any days that I got bored because I had plenty to do. It helped that I had people to visit on the weekends, otherwise too many Sundays on campus would have been hard for me. That was one problem I had at DSVV (Haridwar).
Food: I should have eaten out more! I ended up eating a lot in the mess because I was careful about my health, but I could have eaten out more!
Last Day: The most surprising day for me was the last day at work. It was a Friday. I was teaching my Biotech and PCM classes that day. I took some pictures of my Biotech class, so I could remember how and where my students sat. The surprise came at the end of the class, when almost all of them went out and came back with a beautiful cake and had the sweetest send off for me. They brought the samosas and drinks and invited the Biotech faculty for the little party. We took pictures, they sang songs....all in all really nice. I will have these memories for life!