Uncle Sam experience

Ah! Well . Finally there is an attempt to write a blog after many attempts of thinking of doing it!! Procrastination unfortunately is a unnecessary evil. This is a blog written due to some difference that happened in my life which followed a path of constancy. The difference was in terms of self-improvement or whatever people call it. I had thought that I had been living in my space for a long time, doing some sort of monotonous chores and taking the weekends by spending time in my home or occasionally meeting friends. So finally it was desperation time as I started pushing for the "difference". I started trying out new things, took up MBA classes, gave interviews for a few companies, started developing interest in some extra-curricular activities etc..etc.. But then comes the umbrella rule which I will be explaining it to u later . This rule for instance is when a guy thinking that it would be a rainy day will take all the precautions not to get drenched in rain(like carrying a raincoat, umbrella etc) but unfortunately it would be a sunny day that day. So better being surprised be a sunny day instead of getting drenched in rain if it was a rainy day. That surprise was a long trip to US which I was supposed to go some 2 years back and could not go due to certain circumstances . So I sort of had to give up on it. But now there was a problem of plenty. I had got a new job and had the offer from my company to go to US. I have always thought that it is either nothing or everything. The same thing happened to me. What do I do now? i thought. I however decided to pursue my original interest as old feelings always linger with u just like your first love!!

From the moment I arrived in US, there was a feeling of seclusion . I along with 4 friends arrived in US 2 nights after my birthday. Suddenly I found empty streets at 9 p.m. Something drastic has happened if the same thing happens in Bangalore. So I just thought " What the hell was that about these empty streets" . Then i joined my friend's home in US and there was dinner. I had a sense of guilt hovering around me while having dinner as I did not know the ABCD of cooking. So how am I going to survive was my first question to myself? But then first time is what everybody are going to experience when they start cooking. Somehow I managed and the the recipe was edible. These days I feel a sense of deja vu about my cooking while thinking about my time during my earlier cooking days. Days passed and I started settling into the new job both in home and office.

TRIPS:

We visited quite a number of places in California. The good part of that was that each trip was distinctively different in experience. I have been to Grand Canyon, Vegas, LA, Universal Studios, SFO, Yosemite and some hiking trips. Each had their own beauty. While Yosemite was a picture of complete wet greenery, Grand Canyon was a picture of complete dry muddy mountains. I sometimes wonder how within a stretch of 500 miles anywhere in the world, the demography changes completely. In a comic way naturewise , God has given a little bit of everything for us to enjoy. It is only after seeing all these places, I sometimes get the feeling that why I havent explored the same thing in India even though there are many places like in India itself.Dont know whether it is ignorance or willingness to appreciate nature in India or maybe whether there are other distractions (family, friends etc) to keep us engaged. Hard to explain.

VEGAS:

Ah!! I did not know what was so special about Vegas. Everyone were talking about Vegas. People were chuckling when asked about Vegas. Wat the hell was that? And moreover "Hangover" movie was released and a line in the movie became the catch line " Watever happens in vegas stays in Vegas". To our astonishment, this line is still famous till this day. Such is the effect of the movie. When I entered Vegas, it was like I was entering a new world. Such was the brilliance. We were stunned by the "enlightened" city( enlightened has many meanings here!) with flashing lights everywhere. Beautiful women were roaming here and there with their boyfriends on one hand and beer on other hand. :D Such is the effect of the women. All was new : the casinos, the poker games, beer on the streets, the big fountain, the lights, the crowd etc. I have to mention that we played a game called "Russia Roulette" in one of the casinos and surprising won some money!

DRIVING LICENSE: Sometime we feel that bad luck hits u only once . I had failed the behind-the-wheels test twice!! U might think that this guy does not know how to handle a car. That was the reason for him to fail a driving test. Well thats where you were wrong. I failed the driving test the first time because the car did not get started. That was because the battery of car was drained out. Don't ask me how did it drain out. Thats is bad luck. The second time I went , the car started. That was an instant relief for me. But hold on for a second, when the driving instructor told me to switch on the brake lights, the brake lights were not switching on. Yes u are right . This was the second time I flopped without driving. I had a weird feeling that I haven't felt in my life. I did not know whom to blame. Is it just fate or is it a blunder? I am still trying to figure out that. But it makes a good story for the grandchildren. Isn't it? But then there is a saying " If u can't change fate , change your attitude. With this saying, there was a happy ending. I passed it at the third attempt. Yes, the car started and the brake lights were working correctly. 90% of the battle was won. I only had to drive. Thats weird . Isn't it for driving is the most important part for obvious reasons in any test. Yes thats how I felt.

EPILOGUE:

Hmm.. On the first note one would like to think why people would like to come to Uncle Sam and why is it regarded as a prestige to come to US. Lot of factors . Would write a separate blog on that!!The main reason obviously is known by a most of them of course! But that doesn't matter. Really! Well. i actually realized a lot of things after coming here. Realized how to adjust realized how to cook (really!), realized sometimes what loneliness means, realized the importance of friends in our life, realized how to talk to various people, realized how much I am being loved by my parents and friends( a lump in my throat while writing this sentence, realized why US is more developed than India, realized how people ditch the home country to settle in US for selfish needs(though some of them may disagree with me on this) and other realizations. But these realizations might make you a better person. That is why it is always good for a person to experience a different country and go back (some of them unfortunately don't). So Uncle Sam has made me realize a lots of things and hopefully made me a better person.

Cheers,

Uday