Some observations, notes, cautions, etc.

So here are some helpful tips for new comers to this land of USA

1. The Sun rises in the south-east and sets in the south-west. No arguments on this. They simply taught us wrong in the books about the east and west thing.

2. Ask people how are they today. In most probabilities you will get back a ‘Good’ in reply. I have never heard a ‘Fine’ till date. Also, the ‘good’ is most of the times elongated to sound somewhat like ‘gooood,’ unless it is followed by a counter question like ‘Good; and how are you today?’

3. Daylight Savings is an intelligent mechanism to conserve power. And it is a still better mecahnism to lead to confusions. Not to mention, all of a sudden I found myself attending night lecture sessions as opposed to the afternoon lectures I began with; but still conserving electrical energy, dont ask me how.

4. You know winters are approaching when girls on campus start wearing sweatshirts, but still continue with their mini-pants with strategically placed school names and logos.

5. You run out of toilet paper a day or two before your exams. You call it co-incidence if they run out on the day of exams. Having said that, co-incidences do happen.

6. House cleaning is avoided until a relative announces his/her/entire family’s arrival.

7. ‘Soft white light’ is yellow, anything but white for we Indians. For locals, it is white. But a lemon is yellow unanimously for everyone. I am yet to research further on this so as to affirmatively conclude whether these are cultural differences or educational differences, or both or neither. In case of neither, its a pure case of eye defects.

8. You cross roads at right angles. Ofcourse, you have the freedom to deviate two degrees in either direction.

9. The fire alarm has to go off when you cook at home. If it doesnt, get it checked. You never know when it might come in handy.

That’s it for now. Only some of the amazing things here discovered in the last five months.

Note:  The above things sound stupid, because they are stupid. And if this stupidity hurts you, well, I dont care.

 

There is no place like home!

It’s been a month since I landed here in US. 18th July doesn’t look long back, but it is. There was excitement everywhere; people coming to meet from all over; if not, then atleast a ring on Graham’s successors. I was busy packing stuff and unpacking and repacking. All the “maybes” a few days back, but “just can’t” today were being moved to the attic. It all looked never ending. After all, I could carry only 96 kgs of my world with me! Realising this some days before I left, I was giving away my belongings to friends and families; but you can’t give away “can’t carry” things gifted from friends over the years. In addition, other practically-junk-but-still-dear possessions amassed over time have to be protected from the hands of the folks and moved to safer places. I couldn’t sleep for those two days with all these excitements around. How could you?

All the initial excitement with which I came here is now long dead. Strange land, stranger people, but probably the strangest of all is the logic here. Or simply call it foreign. How else do you explain the phenomenon of muggers who point a $100 gun just to get $5 out of you? Oh no, I wasn’t robbed but this is the general scenario. Then again some more responsibilities fall on you, for the good though. And then you wonder how your elders managed with all these nitty-gritty things; looking for apartments, doing groceries, cooking, cleaning, laundry, getting gas, electricity, phone and net connections, paying all those bills and deposits before due-dates, opening and maintaining bank details, buying mattresses, beds, study desks, sofas, coffee table, chairs, dining table, all those electronic items like ovens, microwaves, even fans and bulbs…pheww…and these are just the essentials. Heck, forgot to mention about the trash. How many of us have even moved out the trash on a regular basis at home?

And amidst all these, no dear ones are with you. Yes, technology does provide you with innovations like talking to them and seeing them on gadgets, but absolutely nothing can give you the physical intimacy. As a very stupid but cherishable example is that my mom can no longer pull me by the ears to make me stop this post right here and make me have my lunch. Indeed, sounds funny, but think over it again, it’s anything but funny. Need a better example? Think of that beautiful gesture when your mother moved her hand over your head in affection.

Ok ok, I am getting sentimental. But I have a reason; I am almost missing home, almost missing parents, almost missing friends and almost missing you too, reader. Why almost you ask? If it weren’t almost, I would be back home now. There is no place like home!

Also, do pay a visit to Kusum Rohra’s blog. That post touched me, made my eyes moist and made me miss my folks back home more badly. Do I know her? How did I get there? I just searched for Kurla, saw this title and just had to read the whole thing then. No wonder then, I copied the title.

Duh, ran outta time, have to have something to eat and move on with life. Have to move out trash too! All this without ear-pulling is difficult.