ITS SUNDAY!

It's sunday. and am in home studying for my law exam.
Worst part, the weather is so splendid, you would like to go for a walk at least.The whole days gone.................studying.
A quick lunch, and back to typing my law case briefs.Last night was along one too , went to bed around 4am.
Around 4pm today , went to the student learning center to get my documents all printed. the weather was just too good. you could see students in all their summer wears lounging the campus.
Today's not the day to study at least.After my work , i stroll around the campus. No wonder people get crazy here for summers.Its just so nice.The climates superb.
I sat in those benches that u have in the university alone and stared at the trees and the roads. Life was so hectic and mad, but perhaps it wasnt so bad. All the projects and exams and two story submissions for the campus newspapers.The call this afternoon, the dance senior student and the student senator whom i had called for the interview, called back! So, the interview just happened over th ephone and am relieved and at least one's done.
I hate to come back home and pour over my computer and photocopies and books. I love the clear sky, the nature. I love sitting alone and thinking. The house here is all closed. once you are in , its like You are caged till u go out again.
I yearn for my home balcony, the lovely star lit sky, the huge blue couch and the movies.
I am back home and dont want to study. Just hoping that i had people to go out and just sit in the dark and may be munch a packet of pop corn or sip a coke.
So, cup of coffee and watching "Charmed" is all i get to do , in this lovely day. Reminders on, have to get back to study.
Wish , it was all lovely and i have more to do on such days!!!!

saturday special

A bright day begins with a lot of hope. Mine was nothing different. I had my projects to think about and studies to complete.

Till I decided to clean up my kitchen and then head over for the chores. The party on Friday night was fun. A gathering of four people (if that’s called party!!!!) from Thailand, Korea and Ghana and me.

It was food from all the native countries and lots of thinking aloud about the new life in USA. It was all cheery and nice.

So, here I was Saturday morning cleaning up the pile of spoons and forks. On a different thought of doing it in the dishwasher, which had sat idle all these days. I did inspect it often, but never had the courage to do it alone. Feeling like Johnny, the bravo……..I decided it was time. So, I had all my pans and other stuffs in the washer till it seemed all loaded.

The detergent in place and few turning of the knob…….till it was the exclamation of success. I did it.

All for a few minutes, till foam was spilling all over my kitchen floor!!! Gosh, now this wasn’t a perfect Saturday.

I was running around trying to stop it, with no avail. Finally, last night party glasses that you get in all the stores, pack of 20 for a dollar…was my only hope. There I was, busy- trying to get all the spilling foam in the glasses, so that they didn’t mess much with my floor. That was really hard, once one was filled, I had to replace with another, wash that and get it back in place and the cycle never stopped for hours.

Well, yes I did switch it off. Opened the washer to find it full to the brim with the foam .Alas! Took out all the utensils washed them and put them in the rack to get back to cleaning spree again.

Three hours of hard work and yessssss……the kitchen was clean and I was satisfied with a back pain. But, nonetheless the kitchen looked spotless.

A visit by a friend in the afternoon and finally, off to the Asian market that’s a five minute walk from my place with Naparat( my friend from Thailand). The market was more of a jaw dropping experience. One could get all the oriental food varieties and I was happily going around all the vegetables, which I had never heard name off and a new world being opened in front of me. It was o much fun!!

There were noodles and pork and shrimp and beef. And dried fish and varieties of stuffs that almost took my next two hours just going around the place. The horrifying part was the crabs and some fish put in the aquarium like things and were huge in size and were all alive to be taken by the customers. So, if u wanted live crabs, you had to take it from there. The sizes of the crabs were unbelievable.

I loved the place, promising that it was not only interesting but being here you would actually end up trying to cook different cuisines. So, next time I need my grocery I would be going to this store and enjoy the thrill of shopping grocery which I always thought to be boring.

Back home with drizzle and strong winds, where the umbrella would turn upside down and with all those packets in your hand, you could just helplessly giggle. Me and Naparat , in my home having the ‘poky’- a biscuit like stick with strawberry flavor and a bowl of ‘rajma’ ….the basketball match ….it wasn’t a bad weekend I guess.

Among all the hard work and the messing up, trying to learn up new things can be disastrous but somehow it ends up being fun, making you feel the difference. The warm shower to cleanse up your thought and finally the zeal to make it better remains.

With Valentines Day coming up, commercials going crazy and projects making you mad, you still remain you. The little girl who dreamt under the glittery shine of the night sky and looked up to the moon to have her childlike dreams come true, wasn’t doing a bad job!

the transition

The change is something that will not go unnoticed, even if you might try to. The flight is just different, something that just changes your life forever. If this just happens to be your first international flight, it can be a little nervous time. After all that apprehensions and packing, you are ready to fly.

The flight from India to any place in USA is time consuming. Ending up in cramps is nothing new, but this flight is something you might enjoy. The food and the connecting flights and a new face beside you, is not what all might enjoy. But, I did. Landing in Paris was wonderful a thought in itself. Wait, till you realize that there is no one to help you out with friendly advises about what to do next, but the screen that is all you have. Takes a minute, but you know what you have to. There you go, international already. If the connecting flight happens to be AIR FRANCE, its just good food. If food is something you can be cautious about, a strict vegetarian diet is a must. You can hear the complaints of some fellow passenger of getting a meal that was not vegetarian! Oops!

The flights might be comfortable, but traveling for hours and trying to get some sleep on the flight can be a little irksome. As you shift in your seat hoping to find that comfort position to catch some sleep, you think of trying out the gadgets they have popped up in you hand. You have a television to watch and channels of music to surf through, or even video games to play. You are the monarch in the air!

While you watch the display map if the flight, you realize with all that time, you have drifted far away from your country. The jolly security officials with their accented “namaste” in the USA, might just bring a smile back to your tired soul. You are not so far, are you? Finally, the destination. The airport takes you aback, it is something you have watched all these days in the movies sitting back home. It’s reality, where in you step into. The casualness of the place, the momentary sights that might embarrass you , till you realize you are the only one in flushed cheeks. The eateries, the people, the vastness of the airport terminals, the laughter of the passerby….all takes you in.

The roads are a wonder; self explained and organized so much, that it confuses you entirely. This is not what you had expected. The efficiency and the modernization of the toll bridges might take your awareness for while, till you realize your jaws have been dropped for a while. Oh….my!!!

The place is all scenic, the beautification mind blowing, till you can’t stop thinking that you favorite spot back home is much more beautiful but just that it’s not so well maintained. They just about beautify every place they can think of. The strangeness remains, till you suddenly spot Aishwarya in a TV interview in ABC and find her so close to you. The wonder clings on to you, while you eat or sleep or just visit a simple store. It is the hugeness, the vastness, the availability and the range that strikes you. Oh, or may be just everything …..the sofa that lies beside the road or the TV beside the garbage bin. This is what the place is, the carpeted bathrooms, the range of the simple corn flakes that you had hated. The cars and the temples and the very strange you that tries to get hold of every information that one can gather. The night mesmerizes you, the lights that make the night so unlike night, the thrill of seeing it all. All this, till you realize they are a just a part of you, you reach out for a paper towel with ease. You talk with that developing accent, eat burgers and doritos and call your home as India. You are a part of the place, yet so Indian. Yes, you have finally reached.

mind ur business

dont have a car? thats fine. u can walk..........till u hear this.

went out for a walk this evening , tired of staying in home and pouring over my books and computer. after a good warm relaxing shower, thought of going out for a walk.
weathers cold and windy , but thankfully i knew it, so was dressed enough to give me a nice feel.it wasnice.

was heading towards my university......when....

"excuse me".
.....it wasnt for me i was sure, i didnt know many people here.

"excuse me"...
.i turned around to see, two boys coming towards me.......god......did i know them?

"Hi. how u doin?"
goshhhhhhhh, no. i didnt even know him. a litle nervy by now.

"u go to this college?"
"aha".....is all i said. one seemed ready to talk to me. the other walked on the other side of the road. what was i supposed to do? run back home? or tell him, u are scaring me.

"how old are u?"
"does that matter to u ?".......

one big smile.........
no, i didnt need the next answer......so pat went my reply....."know what am married!!!!" (god, i wish i was or have a bf who would come and whisk me of all this trouble).

"u married?"
"yes , i am."

"u love ur husband?
"well........needs comfirmation....just in case...i dont..."yes, of course."

"oh..............man!"
looks at the other friend.......am sweating by now.scared.what next?

"want a drink?"
"no, thanx.nice talking to u . c u later.bye"hoping , this helps him get the messege.

oh, he got it.walks away tothe other guy, muttering, as if lost his prey!!!
thank god u saved me.

should i turn around and go back? or go to the university for a walk?i decide to go for it.to hide the fact that i wasnt scared. if he saw me once , am sure we will meet again.

one quick walk, and back home. till i spot another indian girl , in salwar and god......no woollens( must have come in mrning when it was warm!!!!!) walking the same way.
should i warn her too? ok...may b not. let her enjoy the evening.

resolution.....well, will sit for the driving license test as soon as possible.i know, exams are there......but, at least i can go out for a drive sometimes.

whew!!! one month here and have smeone walking upto me to talk that crap.now, thats being here perhaps.it was a warm welcome.....to the ways and lifestyle of america.

mind ur own business.