The return back home always gives me the inspiration that the enthusiasm of the exploratory journey fails to provide. As i write this, in the departure lounge of the Heathrow airport, i realize its been two months since i have been away from home, from India. people might stay months, years, life's even, away from their motherland, with the material comforts as their only companions, I can't. I might have to at some point in time, but in my imagination, that time is far away.There's a lot to learn here.
From the people. Their culture, their mannerisms.
Aeron said today, " you might find the people of England, perhaps rude." Shocked that i actually felt the reverse, he narrowed down his generalization to London. (more about Aeron later). People of England had been cordial and friendly in Huddersfield, a small town near Manchester. Perhaps the small place and old-country-style setting gave us the real taste of "true" English culture. Perhaps Indians in the rural are more cordial and friendly than the urban Indians. Warm and friendly, even the weather welcomed us at the onset of our journey. My experience in the UK was altogether memorable. meeting my sister after about a year, living in her small Heidi-like cottage was like living in my childhood dreamland. Enid Blyton, Dickens and my other childhood companions seemed to look at me from every corner, from every cottage. It sure felt bad to leave England in just about 2 weeks, but my excitement to meet my other sister was not to be contained. My departure came ever too quickly for me, before i could take in everything that Huddersfield had to offer, before i could see the beautiful daffodils or the rhododendron bloom in my sister's garden, and after what seemed like ages of killing a thousand slugs.
My flight to the USA was pretty eventful, with nothing to eat till 1 in the afternoon in Dublin and sleep filled eyes, a result of getting up at 3.30 in the morning. Long flights don't help though... i couldn't sleep a bit. The air hostess in Air Lingus was rude and racist and kept being rude to me for no reason whatsoever. I bore it all with the happiness of meeting my sister after almost an year. Having started the journey at 3 in the morning, we finally slept at 1 in the night. so add 5 hours to that, and it means that my day stretched to almost 30 hours.
But my first glimpse of America was BREATHTAKING. the captain of the flight was awesome. when we were flying over the Atlantic ocean, he dropped the height so that we could see the whales and dolphins jump and swoosh in the ocean below. The left side having seen it, he dipped the plane to the right so that the passengers on the right could have a look as well, announcing alongside, " ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain XYZ. for your entertainment folks, the people on the left can see the mermaids frolicking in the ocean... and now the people on the right can have a try at disbelieving their eyes. Alright, here we go back up guys." my first view was of the Chicago skyline, and it stood up to its reputation. soon after i was in the countryside, watching deer and sand quarries and wind farms on my way to Purdue University.Though largely different experiences, both US and UK were strangely similar. both places i went to were small quiet towns, and people extremely friendly. though i wouldn't want to enrage either by pointing out more similarities, it was fun. in more ways than one.
the young crowd that i had missed in England was more than made up for in America. staying in the university, i had extensive interaction with the elite of the American youth. playing with the basketball players, meeting the nerds in the library, and the fraternity members lounging outside their frats... all was a part of my "American" experience..
Yet the vast availability of the comforts seemed empty if you see the life of the people there. it isn't easy. They say life is comfortable here, but those who work here know better. the the amount of work, and the "senior-pressure" takes it toll on you. its even more difficult for the international students. coming from different countries, they are obviously ill-suited to the environment, to the culture, to the food habits etc to say the least. they try and find places which gets them their kind of food, and thus either end up spending more than required or under-nourishing themselves.
Life there is difficult, albeit lucrative.
no matter how multi-cultural a country is and how tolerant the people are, no one ever gets the acceptance and comfort that one gets in their own nation.
Hell, life is difficult enough in one's own country without adding to one's misery.
I wonder why I always end with mixed feelings, i wonder why i am neither too happy nor too sad with things, be it something expected to make me sad or something expected to be to my liking. Is life always a bundle of joy and sorrow together???
