Today is my last day in China and last day of my work. It has been a memorable 10 weeks so far. There was work, fun, excitements and frustrations. Sometimes felt really tired of this different life and wanted to return to my comfort zone but at the same time on other sunnier days, life was a bliss here and some part of me wanted to start over with all the unknown adventures yet again.

The work was great. Accomplished quite a lot without feeling too overworked. The hours at office were really productive. I am happy that I could complete the work I planned to in the way I wanted to. Both my group and me knew from the very beginning that 10 weeks is really a very short period of time as far as research is concerned specially, since I strated a complete new project right from scratch. But we were optimistic that we would be able to do enough progress to have a clear roadmap for the future direction. And today I am satisfied that I could narrow down the broad problem, solved part of it and know how to progress to improve it. I will continue working on it once I am back to school and collaborate with my group here at IBM-CRL. We hope to have good results and come up with  paper for the upcoming pacific visualization conference.

I want to take this oppurtunity to thank the INFOVIS group at IBM-CRL and especially to my manager Dr. Shixia Liu. She was helpful and attentive to my requirements all through. The entire PIRE team deserves a special thank from me to make all this happen. Its one of the most wonderful memories I would have with me for a long time.

 25 days from today, in June I had my birthday celebrated here in Beijing. There was a nice surprise party at IBM-CRL as well as a wonderful dinner arranged by Chris, Paula, Leena, Jan Chris and Tariq at a nearby Indian Restaurant. The day was wonderful right from the start and I never got a chance to feel the pang of homesickness, thanks to everyone.

Also, here are few snaps of me working at IBM-CRL, having group meetings and just having nice time with the group. It was really a tough job getting permission to take these snaps and a lot of paperworks need to be completed to achieve it.

Today as a farewell, my group is taking me to bowling followed by dinner. I still need to pack and then tomorrow I am off to India for a two weeks break.

I am very excited to be able to see my family after a long time and hope to spend some quality time with them. But, I am feeling a little sad that this journey is over, something I had anticipated for months. In my quite trouble free life at USA, I will miss seeing so many people on the roads, packed buses, taxi drivers each thinking themselves as cousins of Schumacher! I will miss the hard hard spartan bed at the dorm, the nihaos and the xie-xies.......and last but not the least... I will miss my thinkpad..I am sad I have to return it today! :(

Now that I have more time, I will post some of my experience here in China in details.

Till then.....