Year I am …

I  would want to start off this post with due credit to one of my friends who wrote a similar post … due credit to him because I am using the title from his post and well, I had also told him pretty well in advance that I would be using the same title, if I ever get to writing this , So here goes … Year I am …

From being the girl making her own efforts to come onsite in the first place To the girl who has now completed one year of continuous stay here and is now making her own efforts to go back home … did someone say Life comes a full circle

I still remember the night I was standing with my parents, brother and my Father’s friends who had come to see me off at the Mumbai International Airport … we were standing there, chit-chatting when my brother just came up and thrust a bottle of Snapple in my hand with the words “Ye le, udhar US mein jaake tereko ye bahut milega pine ko !” Yes, that’s his way of making me aware of things … and boy, was that helpful or not … I got to see and drink a lot of Snapples … made from the best stuff on Earth

Then came the announcement time and I found myself leaving the protective shell of my loved ones and go on a journey hitherto just dreamed of and aspired for … a realm of novel experiences, new people who are all just waiting for me to come and work for them, no friends, just colleagues, and No support system … that is when it dawned on me … Careful what you ask for

It was a long journey, it still is … but now I can say that I have been there, done that … and can feel slightly and safely proud of me-self … especially so because just today morning I got a compliment … “oh CONGRATULATIONS.. impressed by your survival instinct”. And now that I sit back and introspect, it is an ongoing journey and wasn’t easy at all … from learning to make that perfect coffee for your taste ( I have already lost the count of how many trials of combination I made before hitting the jackpot ) to learning the nitty-gritties of exchanging pleasantries … all so new … especially so when you hardly have anyone to teach you these finer nuances … its different you know, from getting a ready-made cutting at the tapri to speaking 6-7  words just to get the right blend of coffee for you … reminds me of that dialogue from “You’ve Got Mail” wherein Joe Fox says ( and I quote ) – The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don’t know what the hell they’re doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.

And then there is this whole new routine … you reach office by 8-8.15 a.m. … when I had heard about this in India, I was like – are you kidding me, I don’t even wake up by then – but here I find myself all ready to leave for office by 7.15-7.30 a.m. and then by 8.15-8.30 a.m. I am already neck-deep in work … impressive ( that’s the word you use for things which are soooooooooo unlike you but you still manage to do them, successfully at that )

Then there are the other finer nuances of wearing formals at work – that was a transition I tells ya from the plain Salwar Kurta in India to crisp formals here – then understanding those varied accents, creating a space for yourself, getting pestered and at times being the pesterer, balancing the work with your enjoyments, maintaining your cool ( yeah, i’ve officially lost it only just twice in this whole year ), and then if you do all this many times, it gets into your personality and you change ( in a good way professionally ) … atleast that’s what I have got from a near someone … glad about it and well yes, let me take this opportunity to profusely THANK that person …

The experience was also FANTASTIC in that I got to visit sooooooooooo many different cities which I had only seen in movies and on television and had never even wondered about going to those places … Chicago, New York City ( 4 times ), Pittsburgh, Washington D.C.,  Orlando, The Niagara Falls ( countless times ) and Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto ( twice ) and Mississauga across the border. Let me take this opportunity to THANK all those who helped make these trips hugely enjoyable in their own ways … from the bus driver to the person who gave me the directions … every single one of them … EVERY trip was so so good, I don’t even have words to describe the enormous joy I felt upon visiting each and every city … just the smile that flashes on my face after seeing that place in any movie/television series says it all … Love the Feeling … yayyyy
From the Hulk Ride at Universal Studios to the pic-clicks at the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. to the riding on Lower and Upper Whacker Drive ( old Gotham City from Dark Knight ) in Chicago to the numerous attractions of New York City to the Temple and beautiful bridges of Pittsburgh to the  photo with Mickey and Minnie at Disney’s Magic Kingdom to the posing with Tom Cruise’s and Rob Pattinson’s wax statues at Madame Tussauds’ to submitting yourself to the beauty of Finger Lakes to the Enlightened Crowd at Montreal to the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City to the Parliament and Museum of Civilization in Ottawa to White House in D.C. to African Lion Safari in Mississauga to CN Tower in Toronto to Buffalo Zoo to Sea World in Orlando to NASA in Houston to Times Square and Empire State Building in NYC to Willis Tower and Architectural Cruise in Chicago to Niagara Falls from both sides of the Border … phew … it is all rushing to me now … So Many Memories, So Much Fun

There is also this enjoyable ( for those of you who know the details already, yeah, I would still say enjoyable ) work experience, interacting with so many different people, balancing their work requirements with yours, troubleshooting, seeing your work actually being used by people and being able to get direct feedback from them, the going one-up and many such one-ups in terms of your technical knowledge, the work relationships – some of which metamorphosed into friendships too – the Distance from Family, the longing video-chats with them, the disturbance on not being able to be in your comfort zone ( yes, it matters a lot and surfaces quite often and catches you unawares ), the surge of emotions when things are not going as you wanted, the JOY on having that near-PERFECT day where everything, absolutely everything turned out the way you wanted … the turning sour of some seemingly good interactions, the framing and exponential growth of some really great, joyous, funny, witty and frank friendships which will be cherished and always looked up to, the child-like joy and experience of visiting so many places, the catching up with acquaintances who had a pre-conceived notion about you but now are great friends to talk to and share experiences with, the apparently hard times of catching buses but scheduling your stuff so that even that’s perfectly enjoyable, the morning refreshing cup of coffee at Coffee Roastery, the Cafe Mocha at Starbucks, the newly-made-regular 2 cream 1 sugar coffee and Toasted wheat and honey Bagel with butter from Tim Hortons, late-discovered sandwich at Subway, the peanut butter and jam on toasted wheat bread ( tried on the recommendation of a dear friend ), the still continued reading of all ingredients before buying any eatable to make sure it has no egg no meat ( yeah, not even fish ) – its funny coz two of my very close friends got this habit too, so much so that they started reading ingredients even when buying stuff for themselves – hahahaha, now that’s what you call “having an effect”

And of course, there is this Beautiful, never-to-be-forgotten experience of being a witness to all four seasons out of your country … I still remember being enthralled on seeing snow for the first time in my life … that joy continued for 3 months, then came Spring where snow shed from the trees and new shoots sprung, then those shoots unfolded into green leaves and there was a marked change from all white to all green … wow, weren’t the evening walks fun in that spring and summer, miss it … then the greenery gave way to a palette which had almost all the hues that could be thought of … purple, green, orange, yellow, red, add to it the yellow of sunshine and blue of clear sky … I was mesmerized and captivated and enchanted and awed and … I can really go on and on, run out of verbs and still not able to picture the frame I have in my mind when i remember Fall … it was so veryyyyyyyyyyy BEAUTIFUL … and then the gradual shedding of leaves and onset of winter … and 26th November, 2010 when it really snowed cats and dogs, no one would have thought it was the first snow of the season … and then that Windy day, where wind was blowing so hard, it was difficult to watch without support … believe you me … that was the day I felt the mighty wind … Its great to be the witness and experience enriching experiences.

What else did I do … I had the pleasure to meet some of my relatives about whom I had only just heard … it was great to meet them, greet them, be a part of their lives, they have made me a stronger person too because they provided me the warmth and homely environment when things were getting just a bit too much for me to take and I needed a break. They have been so very welcoming, so warm, wonderful, lovely relatives, never for once I felt out of place or a newbie, it was as if I had known them and been with them all along … it was an absolute FUN to spend time with them, know them, respect them, adore them and enjoy with them … they took me places, made sure I was looked after well, coz hey, if they were new for me, even I was new for them … still, the warmth, the love, the affection and the blessings showered upon me have touched me deeply …

At work place or at the place I live in, I have met and interacted with many people … some good, better, best, most bad, worse, worst, some mean, some unthoughtful, some caring, some affectionate, some independent, some opened their hearts to me and took me to be their friends, some opened up their hearts for me, some just made me slog, some slogged with me, some stayed up with me while I worked to keep me company, some spread rumors about me, some took a chance to see me for themselves, most believed the rumors, some crazy, some angry, I have lost weight fretting over my work and some people, I have gained many smiles from the experiences and good times I shared with some, some great photographers, some great talkers, some talented people who keep to themselves but are geniuses in their own might, some not-so-talented bums who boast around and manage the goodies … it was wonderful to be able to interact with them, filter out the ones I wanted to know in my list of friends and not worry about the rest … and I am so glad to have those friends in my life … we may not interact daily now, but whenever we do, it is quality time. And what makes it all the more special is we had no clue of each others’ existence until we met and now we are added up in each others’ social networking profiles and the mental profile too …

The differences I find between my life in my home country and here are numerous, not in terms of the nature of work but also the things my thinking brain lists and points out to me. The work is more hectic and challenging here and the people are courteous and appreciating here. The exchange of smiles and greetings everywhere, the warm handshakes, the exclamations, the interactions, it feels so good. At home, there is no need to “feel” it, it is there everywhere … the greetings’ exchange may not happen but face it, its your comfort zone, your local to catch, your tapri-chai-time ( not to mention the time spent in making everyone in your tapri-chai-group get up and go for the chai ), your family, your buddies, your group, the opposition group … its all there

The difference is very visible, its cleaner here, its more organized here, legal work and documentation is simpler here, the duplicates and triplicates there are annoying … so yes, the differences are many and very obvious at that. And how that has affected me ?! well … it has made me more thoughtful of my surroundings, more open on voicing my opinion on how things work, more observing, more independent, more knowledgeable, more efficient, more frank, stronger and wiser ( if I may add )

So, all in all, I have learnt a lot, changed a bit, have got loads and loads of professional and personal experiences  to boast of, have lost some friends, known many people and learnt lessons from having them even as aquaintances, have forged couple of great friendships and some awesome professional relationships which will stay with me all my life, my guiding lights, my dear ones, and of course, a special mention to the Chef at the grill in my office canteen who goes out of his way to get me variety/my choice of vegetarian food …

A line from a popular television series flashed and made a good candidature to be the closing line of the post, so here goes …

These days are ourrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs, Happy Days )

Tears of Joy – Where Dreams Come True …

All along my life i’ve been hearing this phrase . . . Tears of Joy !
And I always used to think how tears can come when its a joyous occasion. But I always used to let it pass and think that I’ll get to know the meaning when it’s time. Little did i know then that this learning will come when after passing the first quarter of my Life. The Almighty has His own ways of teaching things. He taught me my lesson in a very “practical” way.

It was the 6th of November, 2010. Little did I know that an indelible memory is waiting to be all mine. At around half past noon, these proverbial tears of joy really came into my eyes and went all the way down to my neck making their way on my cheeks. The occasion : I was watching the “Dream-Along With Mickey” parade at the Magic Kingdom park in Orlando, Florida.

There was so much joy around, so much happiness, and more than what was outside, it was the mirth in my heart that made me cry. I consider myself very very Lucky to be able to view it standing right in front of the Cinderella Castle where it was happening. It was truly a Dream Come True watching that performance. And while I deeply terribly missed my family, the amalgamation of colours, the smiling faces of all the performers, the surroundings, the doting fathers carrying their kids on their shoulders so that the kids could have a wonderful view of the extravaganza . . . It was all so humbling . . . So joyous . . . I think I truly am falling short of words to describe my feelings . . .

Probably I was the only one crying there, but I really could not help it. If anyone from the Disney Performers ever read through this, let me take this opportunity to thank them – from the bottom of my heart !!! The show was wonderful, as was the rest of my tour of the amazing Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

There was the float parade wherein Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Bear, Mr. Incredible, Genie, Crab, Toy Story characters, the Chipmunks, almost everyone was atop floats parading through the main street to the Castle and back again. then as the day progressed, we got to visit Mickey and Minnie’s homes, even got a chance to photograph ourselves with Mickey and Minnie in the Judge’s Tent, then took the rail from one corner to the other, and even took Peter Pan’s Flight, experienced  Snow White’s Adventure and a lot more fun than I can put down here in words.

Towards the evening, we all gathered in front of the Castle to witness Disney’s Electrical Parade and my my, what a parade it was . . . Spectacular !!! More floats, more choreographed acts, more Disney characters, more fun, more extravaganza. But what followed was the most anticipated event of the day and the Wishes Fireworks show did not disappoint us one bit. the synchronised fireworks were truly well-augmented by the changing colours of the Castle to match the colour of the firework. It was a blazing display of light, sound, fantasy, colours and filled you with Awe !!! You are so spell bound enjoying the show that you do not feel the dipping mercury. It’s only after the show is over and you come back to reality that you realise that all your hair are standing on end and you are cold.

Then after warming up a bit and enjoying the surroundings a bit, we finally headed for home with joy-filled hearts, counting our Blessings !!!

It’s truly a place where dreams come true . . . An experience of a life-time !!!

The Mighty Fall …

The dictionary defines Fall as the season of the year that comes after summer and before winter. However, it doesn’t  describe the beauty that this season brings along.

After the sultry summer, its a treat to the mind and eyes to watch those trees loaded in all their magnificence with brightly colored leaves – a welcome break from the usual green. The hues are pleasant to the brain and extremely picturesque. A touch of green here, a bloom of yellow there, some aging brown here, a patch of orange there … and what you have on the horizon’s canvas is a beautiful amalgamation of Nature’s painting.

To the wandering mind, its a captivating view, something to fill yourself with. Just watch the different trees en-route your destination and soak in the beauty. It has the power to take control of your mind, you cannot help but be enraptured by the scenic view all around you. And, if you happen to go to a botanical garden during this season, you’d be enthralled, purified and your mind will be cleared of any “clog”.

I am waiting to be mesmerized … although the process has started !

Can it be an employment opportunity ???

Employment is one thing which is difficult to come by … not these days, but just remember the situation that was prevalent a couple of months ago !

And, in such times, when you travel by bus in a foreign land, your naive mind unknowingly starts comparing between the two systems … as if comparison is the most normal reaction when you first travel by bus outside your country.

It so happened, that I had to stay back late in office that day, and the people with whom I pool a car were all done with their work and ready to leave for home. Since, it was going to take long for me, I asked them to proceed and thought : its okay, I would get to travel by bus and know the route, just in case I am forced to travel that way again … (little did I know then that this was the best decision of my life here, as travel by bus was going to become a regular feature in the days to come).

So, at 5.30 p.m. we left from office (me and my friend who is a veteran in bus travel) and literally ran to catch the metro which would take us to the bus stop. We were so late, that my friend had to step on the stairs which had already begun to fold back up … what a novelty … here, the metros have folding stairs which fold and unfold at every stop, and if someone places their foot on them, when they have begun to unfold; they stop unfolding until the persons have got inside the metro … I was amazed !!! Now, after we all got it in – panting after running this small distance – the stairs folded back, the doors closed and metro started moving. Once inside, we all realized how deeply we were panting. A month of absolutely no physical exercise in a weather so replete with snow made us so dull that a small run – “sprint” would be the perfect word – left us gasping for breath. Hmm….bad !!!

Anyways, since our destination was only two stops ahead, we didn’t have to pay anything at the metro. Travel till the first 5 stations is free – nice na !!! We boarded at the Seneca station, passed Church station and then got off at the Lafayette Square (station is named after the Lafayette Hotel, which is at the square just ahead of the metro station). Once out of the metro (the stairs again unfolded to help us step down ) we walked our way till the bus stop – only about a 20-25 steps ahead – and waited for our bus (2C) to come. Now, a thing to note about these buses is that you got to give the exact cash amount or swipe the bus card, whatever it is that you have. Otherwise, the extra amount goes as a donation to the NFTA – the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority which runs these buses. So, my friend helped me with the change (5 cents) and I supplied the remaining 2 $ bills and we boarded the bus.

Now, even before I had boarded that metro, I had asked my friend – why do they need exact cash, doesn’t the person who gives the tickets returns you the change ? And my friend started laughing aloud. And I realized how dumb I was to ask such a question. Because, there are no people employed on these buses to return the change. You have machines – two of them – in which you have slide your money. One for the bills and the other for your change. The machine which takes in the change has the slot to swipe the bus card – for people who have a card. How nice ! I immediately started comparing it with our bus conductors … clad in their khaki uniform and somehow making their way through the (over)crowd and coming over to you clicking their stapler like thing right in front of your two eyes (four eyes if you are bespectacled) and singing – ticket ticket. Then you give the money which disappears in that trademark brown/black bag which hangs over their shoulders and the ticket is torn from the stack in that steel box like holder, stapled and then handed over to you. Then comes the change – in all sorts of crumpled notes and greased coins – and you are all set to travel. These conductors not only have the responsibility of dispensing tickets to the hordes and hordes of people which swarm in the bus to travel from one place to another, but they also have the task of pulling the chain, whenever the stops arrive. Now, this is a big responsibility because you miss one stop and many people will almost beat you to death. So, never ever underestimate a bus conductor. He is the multi-tasking, multi-talented man who will ensure that you obey the rules by buying a ticket and who will make sure to pull the chain and announce the stop so that you can get down, new people can join in and the bus moves on

This is one BIG difference which buses here don’t have as compared to back in India. Buses here do not have conductors

People slide in their change in those machines and go over and take their seat. And once their stop is nearing, they pull the chain so that the bus will stop at the next approaching stop and they can alight. No hassles, no issues and I wonder whether the buses here get so overcrowded that people have to stand on other people’s toes !

Its good in a wa, not to have conductors – spares them the trouble of having to make way through the crowd – but wouldn’t it generate a nice employment opportunity ???

Is anyone listening to my bright idea ???

P.S. Buses here also maintain air pressure … a luxury which only long distance travel buses offer in my land !