Ann Arbor Michigan

From New York we left for Detroit, and from there to the University town Ann Arbor. This is where our son has been living for the last 3 years, having completed his MS in Automobile Engineering, working and pursuing his PhD.
We were there for about 2 days, and we all left together for San Francisco, from where our journey was to begin in a rented car.
Ann Arbor is a quiet place, there is nothing much to write about it . You would find a lot of young people everywhere, for it is a University town. It is quite pretty with beautiful landscaping, lakes and malls, restaurants and theaters, Indian shops, hospital etc, 


The University of Michigan boasts one of the best college towns in the country: Ann Arbor, only 45 minutes from the city of Detroit. Freshmen are guaranteed housing but are not required to live on campus.
Our son lives in an apartment sharing it with one of his class mate. These buildings are mostly occupied by foreign students mostly from India, China and  Korea. All these apartment buildings face a beautiful lake and the landscaping around is very beautiful. 
Ann Arbor has a lot of parks, where one can find students jogging, running, cycling or just doing nothing.

Some facts about University of Michigan as found in the Internet:
Michigan’s graduate programs include the highly ranked Stephen M. Ross School of Business,School of Education, College of Engineering, Law School, Medical School, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, School of Public Health, and School of Nursing in addition to the well-regarded School of Dentistry and Taubman College for Architecture and Urban Planning. The University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers is ranked among the top hospitals in the country. Former U.S. President Gerald Ford, actress Lucy Liu of the Charlie’s Angels and Kill Bill film series, and NFL quarterback Tom Brady all graduated from Michigan.

Picture of Janardhan  during a presentation.

The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through pre-eminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future. Students have the opportunity to work with world-renown faculty. There are literally hundreds of clubs, groups, and organizations covering a variety of social, cultural, and  academic interests. The University abuts the city of Ann Arbor, which has its own thriving social and cultural identity. There is literally something for everyone here.


Since Michigan students are generally considered well rounded academically and socially, many companies are eager to hire Michigan graduates. It is not too big, its not too small. Its a perfect fit size wise.   Once you're a Michigan student, You'll always be a Michigan student. There's an intangible element of Pride that becomes part of you and can never be removed. The place kind of grows on you, and you become so comfortable, that living somewhere else becomes too difficult.
Our son likes this place very much, he has free access to do a lot of research in his chosen field, and is confident he would get a good job. He had worked hard to get into this University, for it is supposed to be the best for Automobile Engineering. From a very young age he was only interested in automobiles, and his intention of joining this University, finally got fulfilled.
He has decided that he would be settled there only forever. The opportunities that are there for him to pursue in his field cannot be found in India. Maybe if the situation in this field in India changes, he would definitely come here. I wish he had chosen some other field to pursue, that way he could always think of coming back to India at the right time.
So, although he might be satisfied with the right kind of job, I feel sad that he has chosen to live there, for after sometime he would want to come back to India, and like many others he would never be able to come. I know how lonely life can become after sometime, for no country can be as vibrant and so full of life, ever changing like India.
But  I guess to get some thing you have to give up something. As long as one is happy doing what one likes there should be no problem.
There is the Henry Ford Museum to see, and they organize a lot of automobile exhibitions, and there a few  other interesting places to see if one has the time. Every place in Ann Arbor can be reached in just 10 mins, it is a nice peaceful town.
May be during our next visit we would be able to explore a little more.