Part 4: "The list" (contd....) _ Part 4 of 4

-> Impressive:

• 1   It’s a given here that people are generally honest.  It is assumed you will drink what you have paid for even if the vending machines are beyond the site of the counter person. Return policies are mostly no questions asked. No need to be stuck with store credit you will never use.
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• The absolute wonders of a Digital Wallet are what I have witnessed. Of course India has had these things for some time now and is definitely heading that way, monetization or demonitization but it’s really easy to walk in and out of an Uber without even touching your wallet. All’s charged to the card.
• 
  
• No being stuck paying toll tickets. You pass the highway and a picture of your number plate is captured by the camera on the street. Again charged to your card.
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• A lot of processes that are automated making it very simple. E.g. rental bike stands, public parking tickets and a few more.

These are a few to name for now…. I’ll keep making mental notes as I come across what I like to call as ‘Best Practices’ for India J

-> Now coming to the Not – so – great:

1)   Well if you are from Mumbai or any other “city” this aspect will be a dampener. America being “the America” we assume it to be, apart from the downtown (known as  “town” side to Mumbaikars) isn’t really well connected by any other transport but your car.  You cannot survive without knowing how to drive or owning a car. You won’t find your ‘nukkad ka dukaan” (shop by the corner) to buy that milk or bread you suddenly run out of. All these outlets cluster together intermittently just like you have all the houses cluster together community wise. So unless you are living in apartments near these outlets, forget about your plans to club your evening walks with making small purchases.

2)   Generally very peaceful. I know that is something I should like, but I miss the noise from India. You appreciate peace and tranquility only when there is lack of it, not when you are surrounded by it. J

3)   The US will spoil the concept of a bath tub for you. Sitting all bubbly in that bath tub possibly with a glass of wine even if you don’t drink and music and treat yourself to a relaxing bath as the bath salts tickle your feet and sooth your senses is what you have always fantasized then the act of having to scrub the mildew it gathers around itself every three days totally plunders it for you. You will neither have the energy nor the will to pamper yourself after that.

4)   When I asked 3 of my fellow students at the university what came to their mind when I say ‘India’ the responses I received were “Slumdog Millionaire”, “Curry” and “Engineers”. I didn’t really know how to feel about that and how that reflected both the perception of my fellow students and India.

General quirks- -

If you are not much of a talker then boy o boy, you can run into some serious trouble here or could easily pass off as someone rude. Americans here indulge in a lot of ‘small talk’. So be ready with your responses and manners to “how are you doing today?”, “it’s a beautiful day isn’t it” and other conversation starters at the billing counter, on the telephone, to random strangers on the street. A random “hi” on the street or sharing smiles across with a random stranger is very common a sight. Try doing that in Mumbai and people will think you are probably high.

Coming back to the education part, and you will realize that ‘tiffin’ is actually a very Indian English word that will have your husband’s boss look at you in wonder as you gladly jabber away not realizing it. Crossing the road is so much simpler especially since you can cross only after the sign as you are walking across the “cross walk” and not the zebra crossing.  And no diarrhea isn’t the scientific name for loose motion. It’s just diarrhea.  The nations crazy about and love their American football. Not to be mistaken with soccer. It’s called football but no one ever kicks the balls or handles it with the feet.  They could have called it American handball. And the other such interesting nuances continue to intrigue me.

And as I continue to let the place intrigue me further, I also continue my journey to explore my surroundings and myself in this not-so-new-now country.

That’s all for now and definitely a lot too. Who has the patience to read four part series of a self proclaimed writer these days? I’m glad you did! And you continue to J and for that it is necessary that I must end now!

But not before I wish you all a Happy and a Prosperous 2017.

Part 3: "The List" _ Part 3 of 4

Priyanka Chopra, the Quantico lead – at least that’s how people know her here said in a lot of her interviews with her even more Americanized accent that since her move here “there is a lot of education that is happening”.  (so much for shorter sentences ;)  And I definitely agree to that. Education is definitely happening. Like it will when you are acquainted to any new culture. Honestly I won’t even blame her for those rolled R’s and what may seem to many as “aff” pronunciations, it’s just so much simpler. It is.  Else you just land up repeating yourself. But I sure find myself smirk a little every time I hear some recent immigrant Indian try and want to make their accents sound American but instead just land up sounding awfully nasal and funny.

How am I getting educated? Well for one I am a Global citizen or at least that is what I thought. After all I am a Mumbaikar, how much more global can it get.  Mumbai has it all, doesn’t it? From street food to high end restaurants, from Vada Pav to Vietnamese, from high tech metros to leaky buses, from suave Sea Links to stinky creeks you find it all.  If I were to define Seattle or say the US I’ve seen until now in the simplest and the crudest of ways I’d say most of it looks like “Powai Hiranandani.”  Yep, there you go! As plain as one could put it.

So I am going to quickly list down the things I’ve found great, impressive and not so great in the almost half a year I have spent here….

-> Let me begin with Great : The things I find wonderful here

1) A country, an institute, an organization is only as good as its PEOPLE. People here seem awfully kind. The customer care representatives, staff, shop owners will make you feel like they really “listen” to you. They won’t seem morose or like they are doing you a favor by engaging with you when you step into their outlet to give them business.  Everyone definitely seems more responsible, disciplined and respectful not only to others but also to public property even Indians J. Whether it is ascending or getting off trains or buses, through doors, on the street, in queues, it shows. Perks of having lesser population and more resources.  Though that definitely can’t be sighted as reasons for the red paan (betel leaf) stains on newly constructed railway stations or lovers names being etched on the walls of forts.

2) Work Life Balance in its TRUE sense. Though you have HQ’s of FB, Microsoft, Amazon and other IT companies here, the lives of people here seem fairly relaxed. Google Maps will  pop up with a red even if there are merely four cars in front of you. And they call that Traffic!! You rarely end up stuck at the same signal more than once! Well if that’s traffic, then try the western express flyover in front of Oberoi Mall Goregaon from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on any given day. We might as well have a new word coined. J

3) Respect for YOUR time. No ones in a hurry yet everyone’s on time. They’ll respect your time, apologize profusely even if you waited only for ten mins. 8 out of 10 times the bus will exactly be on its scheduled time. And I mean EXACTLY on time. The accuracy freaks me out at times especially after having waited for buses that arrive so royally and unapologetically late by an hour at times in fact many a times. And if you are wondering about the other two times the buses are late? Well in one case it’ll be not more than 2 mins later and incase it does delay more, that may be because of some ad hoc road block or pardonable road incident. We don’t realize it but it definitely helps us plan our day better. And since we are talking about public transport having the same smart card for trains and buses? Smart I’d say!

4) RESPECT for everyone in general. Even the homeless on the streets and that is what I love. We deny with respect. They accept with respect. Even if they are faking it, at least it is civil.  Thanks Giving, Christmas and New Years saw everything shut. Showrooms, restaurants, outlets almost everything.  People need to be home spending it with family and friends and not slogging it out in the name of profit.  Ever think we will like or have something like this on Diwali? And I say like with a reason….

5) NO ONE Cares. No one cares about what you are wearing, whether your hair is colored green on one side and shaven the other, whether you are dating someone younger to you or twice your age, about what you are doing in your personal life and even if they are interested they don’t show it at least. In short, you save yourself from being judged for no rime or reason by people you don’t give a dime about. Living your life as yours is way easier here.

6) How every apartment has a savior in a DISHWASHER. Period.

Part 2: Early Days _ Part 2 of 4

“Early days” …..

The early experiments began in the kitchen. I can now safely proclaim that I know of all the Indian Youtube cooking channels – the Nisha Madhulika’s, Vah chef’s, Kabita’s, Rajashri’s, Sanjeev Kapoors, Rucha’s kitchen of the world. And can also review them dish wise if need be. However tasty or tasteless the dishes turned out, I ensured I had them captured and sent to the multiple groups I have on watsapp only to be enthused further by their kind comments. But the initial excitement of cooking soon saw itself fizzle out too. And while I still like cooking I now certainly know that I can never belong to the group of people who say that “Cooking is a stress buster!!”

 A course in Communication Strategy found itself knocking my door.  That does a decent job at keeping me gainfully occupied. Oh not to forget all the different workouts I’ve tried, watching on youtube. Yep, only watching!! And hence I can also watch all the weight as they pile up on me. A sight I am made to witness every time I put on something pretty and tight and a thought I rubbish every time I see something sweet and white. Actually it doesn’t have to be white (that was only rhyme sake), it just needs to be sweet.

And so as I sit to pen down my encounters in the U.S after that not so brief introduction, I hereby plan to incorporate one of  Ms. Lee’s teachings from our writing class - Keep the sentences short!!!! Something I was always bad at. So here I go….

Part 1: “So U.S.A haan?” _ Part 1 of 4

I’m rusty. It’s been a while I have written for leisure. But before my thoughts bury themselves with the other many thoughts that lay buried thanks to my laziness, I wrestled the desire to postpone this to yet another day and finally give words to my flittering thoughts.

“So U.S.A haan, you must be excited?” was a line I heard more than the number of times I may have liked to before I actually sat on that Emirates Seattle bound flight on 23^rd July, 2016 to begin a new chapter in my life.

“Was I excited?”, I heard me questioning myself. Well yes, it would be my first ever trip to ‘The United States of America’ except that this wasn’t a trip. This was a change. The excitement to explore a new place was probably bogged down by the thought of leaving behind the life I knew for all these years. (suddenly I see myself becoming age number conscious :P so we go subjective). My family, my friends, my job, the extra curricula’s, the familiarity - in short everything I knew till now. All I knew was that I was going to the man I married.  The man I wished to spend the rest of my life with. My only known face, my friend in a new city. Poor guy, the pressure was on him – to keep me engaged! But I must say he did a good job at that, still continues to too. Rarely did I feel like I was missing out between all that Tamil banter and the biggest thing was using my new found “free time” to be put to good use.

Seattle: The only other time I heard about the mention of Seattle was in the movie “Sleepless in Seattle”.  Sleepless and me? Phu! Never.  Armed with the possibility and the idea that “the world is my oyster”, the excitement was bubbling. I could do what I wanted to, be what I wanted to be. Start on a clean slate, follow my passion!! Passion? but what was my passion? And I soon realized that without deadlines, accountability and say urgency the best of possibilities and intentions fizzle away. I couldn’t let that happen to me, could I? or so I heard me telling myself after the initial slumber. The city seemed extremely welcoming with warm, beaming and a friendly family awaiting me here.

*For Part 2,3 and 4 Click on Home or on the Back button