So, a lot of people have been wanting to know how I came to the US and what I am doing here. To the more mundane and dumb of you my answer will be I flew. But that of course is only for those who fit that bill. My presence here seems to generate a lot of questions. Brilliant questions like "So have you become an American now?", ordinary ones like "So, how do you like it there/here?" and out of the world ones like "Is America like how you expected it (to be)?"
I am going to quench the thirst for knowledge for all you guys by telling you a story. Let me begin at the middle as that is what concerns you. Now, before I begin I have to confess that my journey was most uneventful and reading is strictly at reader's discretion. The story (for you) starts on one a/August afternoon. August the 5th to be precise. In Bangalore (Bengaluru to those who insist). Any student traveling to the US will know all about what a harrowing experience it is. Not the journey, but the leaving India part that is. I had the usual troubles of trying to convince everyone not to come to the airport, that I'll pack myself (my stuff that is, but the other option would have proved better), that I'll not talk to strangers etc.. etc.. A young student traveler is one of those great events which unites every acquaintance of the said student. You can listen to the same message, warnings, advice from everybody around you.
I actually began to feel if I was taking the right step in leaving them behind. But I did. A lot of my friends came to the airport and my advice to all the would be travelers is, ask your friends to come. More the merrier. It gives no option to your relatives but to relax. The tension seems to ease. I flied emirates and my route was through Dubai and Dulles to Raleigh. My first piece of good fortune happened when my baggage was checked in in spite of one of my bags a good kilo overweight. I guess they expect Indian students to come loaded..
An international student to the states from India needs to pass immigration twice, once in India and once in your port of entry. I hardly stopped at either one, in India because the questions were simple enough, in Dulles, well we'll get to that. The emirates leg of the journey was the best because of a lot of reasons.
1. They had great service, 2. They had a good selection of movies (watched Greenzone), 3. I made a good friend in Dennis from IBM, 4. It was just short enough and 5. The view of Dubai from the flight was breathtaking to say the least.
For the first time in my life I fell in love at first sight. She had that kind of effect on me, did Dubai. She looked brilliant bedecked with lights and sky scrapers, with the Al Burj dominating the skyline. One picture of the city just peeking over the wing, will stay with me for life....
I am going to quench the thirst for knowledge for all you guys by telling you a story. Let me begin at the middle as that is what concerns you. Now, before I begin I have to confess that my journey was most uneventful and reading is strictly at reader's discretion. The story (for you) starts on one a/August afternoon. August the 5th to be precise. In Bangalore (Bengaluru to those who insist). Any student traveling to the US will know all about what a harrowing experience it is. Not the journey, but the leaving India part that is. I had the usual troubles of trying to convince everyone not to come to the airport, that I'll pack myself (my stuff that is, but the other option would have proved better), that I'll not talk to strangers etc.. etc.. A young student traveler is one of those great events which unites every acquaintance of the said student. You can listen to the same message, warnings, advice from everybody around you.
I actually began to feel if I was taking the right step in leaving them behind. But I did. A lot of my friends came to the airport and my advice to all the would be travelers is, ask your friends to come. More the merrier. It gives no option to your relatives but to relax. The tension seems to ease. I flied emirates and my route was through Dubai and Dulles to Raleigh. My first piece of good fortune happened when my baggage was checked in in spite of one of my bags a good kilo overweight. I guess they expect Indian students to come loaded..
An international student to the states from India needs to pass immigration twice, once in India and once in your port of entry. I hardly stopped at either one, in India because the questions were simple enough, in Dulles, well we'll get to that. The emirates leg of the journey was the best because of a lot of reasons.
1. They had great service, 2. They had a good selection of movies (watched Greenzone), 3. I made a good friend in Dennis from IBM, 4. It was just short enough and 5. The view of Dubai from the flight was breathtaking to say the least.
For the first time in my life I fell in love at first sight. She had that kind of effect on me, did Dubai. She looked brilliant bedecked with lights and sky scrapers, with the Al Burj dominating the skyline. One picture of the city just peeking over the wing, will stay with me for life....
அப்பறோம் என்னாச்சு சொல்லு சொல்லு
ReplyDeleteDubai may be beautiful, now it is in lots of debt crisis.. :P
ReplyDelete@Ivan JI:Exactly what my brother told me when I compared the views of US and Dubai from the plane..
ReplyDeleteThambi, technical error. You "flew". Not flied. :P
ReplyDelete