The US of A - First impressions

The 29th of July, 2010 was the day I arrived at the United States of America. At the cost of a cliche, it still seems like yesterday that I arrived at the DFW airport and was standing at the baggage claim already with one eye on the luggage carousel and the other looking out for my cousin who was to pick me up.

There are a few things I felt that day that I distinctly remember.

A feeling of security on being greeted by my cousin at the airport. I believe that not many of the students that leave their home country have this luxury of a familiar face, let alone family, once they arrive at a foreign country for higher education. As the days pass by I come to realize how important family is in this unknown land. Although I have only been able to meet my cousin at two more occasions in almost an entire year, it is just a good feeling to know that in any emergency, family is not far away. I think I especially feel this way because of the close family bonding that we shared since we were kids which is another thing that I see that most of my peers here do not really enjoy even though they may have cousins or aunts/uncles in the USA.

The second thing, I remember was a feeling of a whole new world on taking one step out of the baggage claim area. I remember my heart skipping a beat when the Texas summer heat first hit me. For a second I thought I was in Chennai, except for the lower humidity in the air. I think I have been spoilt by the pleasant, not-so-ridiculous-afterall weather of Bangalore. Especially after going through one complete cycle of north Texas weather, I think Bangalore is indeed a haven. More about the weather to come later.

The third feeling that engulfed me was the feeling of the enormous amount of money being spent on my education. I always did know about all the financials but the realization that the machine has now been set in motion can be a bitch when it overcomes you. This feeling grew exponentially when I signed the electronic cheque for the first semester's fees and continues to grow to this day on every small expenditure I incur; may it even be as small as a sandwich from the dollar value menu. It is now evident that it is a perpetual machine.

I am now going to skip over the obvious things such as amazing roads and the like for which you may refer to any other such a blog or even the book 'The Inscrutable Americans' by Anurag Mathur. However, coming from a conservative country, the amount of electrical energy that is used to light up the cities, the suburbs, the streets or even the freeways seems unnatural at first.

All said and done, the one feeling which has definitely overridden all of the above was the feeling of absolute independence. A welcome feeling at first which died faster than it overcame me as the responsibility quotient started kicking in.

There is so much more to share on so many more topics which each individually deserve their own dedicated stage time. So, they shall follow in more posts to come.

THE PSYCH MOON

'twas another evening as usual thought he
all it needed was a hint of excitement, may be
it came across as a long drive with pleasant music to hear
but the psych moon snickered in the night sky, hear, hear

coming toward the end of the long drive that night
were two knights with no armor looking into the night
caught by the sight of the psych moon were they
dropped the lasses home and went hunting for prey

not intrigued by fowl play they battled odds all
as KFC was finger lickin' good 'n all
'twas all over by midnight and they turned to retire
a canine marked the end howling at the psych moon's attire

Little things, Big things

It's always funny how what we refer to as the little joys of life are generally what may be considered to be milestones in one's life.

One of these is how one spends his/her first salary.

The day I reported for my first job, I knew that with the first paycheck, I would simply use it all to do something for my parents. After giving it a lot of thought, I decided upon buying wrist watches for both my parents. This lead to a lot looking around at Titan Watches showrooms and a lot of research on the internet and with peers; and a lot more looking around at more resellers.

The funny thing is that once the money was actually credited into my account, I was already thinking just as my dad would think.

"Is the watch really necessary at this point of time?"

"Would this really make them proud of me without thinking about why I spent it all at one shot?"

So, finally this lead to a conversation between me and Richi( my sister) where we decided on what would be the best course of action; and thus, we executed the same just a few brief moments ago.

I just withdrew the whole amount and handed it over to my parents. I realize now that not only was this the most responsible thing to do, it was the only thing I could have done to bring about the glimmer and shine that I saw in their eyes. Yes, a picture perfect moment which can come only once in everyone's life; a milestone; a little joy.

Stop-gap job

I like the jargon. 'Stop-gap' has a distinct tinge to it; like we're trying to make something look better or cooler than it actually is. Here I am, having rejected what most fresh engineering grads consider as 'an amazing break' at Mphasis ( one of the leading IT firms in India) only because I do not want to be tied down by a two year bond ( I intend to start my post grad studies this fall). Now I'm thinking, was that really a smart move?

I can't really say; because last time around, I was dead sure that I will start my post grad studies at Nottingham last , only to find out that a delayed security clearance from the UK-FCO (ATAS) would spoil my chances. Whatever the reasons, just because their website claims to process your application within 10 working days, it isn't safe to assume that applying two months in advance is a safe deal.

I am now faced with one of the only feasible 'stop-gap job' options - the BPO, or more commonly known to most Indians as a call center.

Pros :

> Easy to find one

> Decent pay (can save up for a Mac RAM upgrade)

> Transport provided

> They don't really care if people quit after half a year. They have an entire new generation of youth coming out of college desperate for jobs at about the time that I plan to quit.

Cons:

> Odd working hours

> The "Oh, you work at a call center!!!" syndrome

> Future prospects if worst case, I can't make it for a masters this time around

Bottomline, having looked at other options for the last couple of months, other than direct sales, I don't see another feasible option for now.

Just hoping some of the applications for higher studies that I have made come back with positive results soon. That should make decisions a lot easier.

What is this bullshit?

Why is it that we men always believe that there is that someone special?

Why do we expect things?

Why is it that we want to look into her eyes?

Why is it that we want to handle her like the most delicate, most expensive ornament?

Why is it that we want?

Why is it that we hurt so bad when it can never happen again?

Why is the want?

Why is the need?

Come to think of it. Is there a need?

Short story

I was born.

Tough decisions

There are many moments in life that we all are afraid to finally face.

Tough decisions that have to be made.

I had to unfortunately make one such decision today.

A flash shower from the skies on a perfectly sunny day.

It poured cats and dogs for just two minutes; like the heavens were marking a point in history that is the unfortunate end of an era, leaving us gaping at the probable future.

I wonder what lies ahead.

Life is the determinant of a complex matrix that is filled up by the decisions that we make, they say.

I hope this decision tilts the scales towards the positive.

More importantly, I hope i can live with this.