It has now been over three months that I am in United States in the State of North Carolina in the city of Raleigh. I am already done with a total of thirty two homeworks and five exams in my four courses. I have classes four days every week and the rest three days I am either doing my lab work or am sleeping. America has taught me to be busy, so busy that I wish days could have been longer with thirty-six hours in it.
I am quite all set in my apartment here. The american apartment is a techno-freak, automatic, machine run house. It has everything that you need from a microwave to a dishwasher, to an oven, washer, drier and so on. Perhaps my folks back home would have called this a hotel. But alas, the guy who used to run after comforts once, satiates his conscience by sleeping on the floor today with comforters (as they call it here...a mere US version of 'katha'). That is all to cut the long story short.
October 13th, 9:00 am...I am at the Atlanta Airport, standing amidst thousands of people. I glanced around to see that this place is so fast moving, faster even than the second hand of the clock. People running to queue up in lines near the check in counters, people gathered at the baggage carousal, everyone busy with their own lives, no one even took a single micro sec to look back at things...People just moved on there...
I got the real picture of an american city that day, the last time it was the short accidental honeymoon of turmoils at new york and now it was Atlanta, Georgia State.
From my disembarking point, the baggage carousal was a mile away...and much to my ignorance, I didn't take the airport air train to reach there, instead walked all way to my destination inside the airport. I could see shops of American Eagle, Starbucks coffee, airport duty free shops of cheap alcohol, and the most common 'sandwich and burgers' shops...I found people dressed neat and clean (what we call tip-top) in jackets and long coats, with bags in one hand, and a lid covered paper glass of coffee in the other, some busy with their laptops, some reading the local daily and some busy romancing their better halves.I was time to say "Hello Atlanta!!!"
Atlanta was the first US city that I measured every corner at length and analyzed every aspect critically. I didn't have time to see New York much, so Atlanta served as the first urban metro city to me. Six lane flyovers and free ways, sixty and seventy floor skyscrapers, concept of downtown and uptown, hooters where waitresses wear bikinis, world's largest aquarium, my first whales and sharks and sea wolves, Coke Museum, Olympic Park, mammoth sized shopping malls, my first showrooms of Versace and Gucci and Armani and Rolex and so on, Merc Benz, Bentley, Dodge Vipers and Range Rovers, that was what Atlanta all about the city of 50 Cents and Usher stood proud as a symbol of modern day civilization.On my way to downtown Atlanta, when I saw the tall skyscrapers standing upright as emblems of modern urbanity, my heart overflew with emotions. My heart welled up...if only Ma and Baba and Didi would have been with me. I still remember it was some bollywood movie, shot in Europe, that I went to watch with my sister and after watching it, she had said "Tirtho, it would be really great if you go abroad some day and then you take me there and then we would visit all these places and have loads of fun." I really missed my folks that moment. I felt like crying out with joy. I continuously photographed the place and kept on shouting with excitement...USA is like the land of dreams...Its truly said that in USA, all your dreams come true, this nation doesn't upset you."
My trip to Atlanta will always be a special one. It was primarily possible because of a friend of mine from Georgia Tech, whom I accidentally met in Raleigh. We are good buddies now and are constantly in touch. He is 'punjabi munda' from Delhi but desperately wants to be an American. He is continuously at probe for blondes and brunettes but fate never accompanies him. I was more than happy to be at his place and roam around with him. He took me to my first pub and disco theque in USA. He made my first dream come true. He has carved a niche in my heart by making it so special to be there. The trip to Atlanta will always be a special one.
...to be continued...
No comments:
Post a Comment