US of A!!!!

Reading my previous blog would have made it clear to many that I am in the US of A now. United States of America..Big words to describe a nation..unlike a five lettered word like India! And a BIG place indeed, though I am not sure whether that "unity" really exists in these states. Come next Sunday and it will be exactly a month since I landed in this "foreign" country. Recalling the day I set foot here, I was actually reactionless. Most of the student-friends who flew along with me were talking of calling cards already. Some were actually crying! I wondered when it would be my turn to become homesick. Fortunately untill now, I haven't experienced it. According to me, the real value of parents/friends shouldn't be felt only while we are away from them. And if anyone thought that I am used to staying away from my parents, u guys are wrong. This is the first time ever that I am so far away from my family and staying with roommates. Fifteen thousand miles away from home sweet home!! Well..,nothing great though. Technology has made it so favourable to connect to them anytime. So, no issues I feel. Still,there is this fact that there is no way I can shake a hand with someone physically now. Maybe this is where perseverance comes into picture, followed by determination to achieve what I am here for.

Coming to the point, there are many people who have asked me to describe my experiences, right from the day I stepped into the first flight. Lufthansa treated me well, except for a few minor issues of leg space and food. To be frank, the Vayu Vajra in "Namma Bengalooru" would have been more comfortable! But, owing to the fact that I couldn't afford a business class seat, I cannot really complain. The journey was not so exciting, but not bad either. Frankfurt was my first stop over. Its a beautiful place with much of the green space retained without exploitation. And yeah, Germans are beautiful. Bold and beautiful rather.(The word beautiful may be replaced by handsome for the opposite sex). Two and a half hours later, another Lufthansa flew me to Dallas. She pierced through the air at an altitude of over 40000 ft with a speed nearing 500mph. Yet, it took a solid ten and a half hours for me to reach my destination. Seriously, that was when I realized how vast our planet is! :)

Indian students from UTD had come for my pick up by the time I had landed. They gave me a glimpse of Richardson and its telecom sector on the way. First sight of my school was rather appealing. I could see the buildings amidst widespread greenery. Here and there were a few squirrels extra-large in size when compared to their Indian counterparts. What surprised me most was the sun still brightly smiling at 8:00 pm in the night. Never knew Americans did so much of daylight saving! From the day I came in,I had one week before my classses started. A seven day off from classrooms was considered blissful back in India. Conversely, I waited for school to begin here, since i knew only a handful of people with whom I could hang out. And life just doesn't move on without a computer. So, initially I had to put up with the 'handicapped days' of no-phone, no-laptop, not-much-contact with the rest of the world, which is a striking contrast to my character of socailizing with more and more people.

Fast forward,its been two weeks since I entered the "back to school" days. Believe me, the very first day was enough for us to get digging into our books. I remembered one of my seniors' words that getting a masters degree is as tough to tread as on the edge of a razor. Assignments and projects are making their presence felt eventually, and all I can say is life is not at all easy. Added to this is the part time job of cooking, cleaning the house, shopping, working etc etc. I sometimes get a feeling that we could get another degree in home science!! However,looking at it in a different sense, this life is making me more responsible. Its all about time management. So, no complaints.

The other side of college days-Fun also has its share parallely alongside studies. It was a great feeling to celebrate "Ganesh Chathurthi" in the most traditional pattern which included doing the vrat,performing bhajans,hogging a typical Indian feast, and immersing the Lord's idol in a lake the next day. My first trip to Downtown Dallas and ISKCON temple yesterday were indeed satisfying.(For pictures, see my orkut account).We also had this cultural event called "Fall Bash" organized by and for freshmen of 2009. Participating in various events, such as singing (in languages we have never spoken before!), walking the ramp for the fashion show, tapping our feet to the tunes of DJ night was a truly memorable experience.

Summing it all up, America is treating me in a way different from the desi life. No doubt it is difficult staying away from near and dear ones and managing everything by myself. But,the optimistic feeling of becoming more independent is what is carrying me across. Personally, I never took America to be a fantasy while being in India. That mental preparation is kindof helping me out now. So,I feel its left to the individual to see life in whatever fashion he/she wants. The broader the perspective, the better.

"We must each find our separate meaning in the persuasion of our days until we meet in the meaning of the world." -Christopher Fry.

Plans for a Promising Future...

"Would you tell me which way I ought to go from here?" asked Alice.
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get" said the Cat.
"I really dont care where" replied Alice.
"Then it doesn't much matter which way you go" said the Cat.
-Lewis Carroll (novelist and poet), "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

While most kids have this wavering not-able-to-decide innocent mindset, there are others who might be pretty rigid in their decisions.Although it is agreed that there will be comparitively lesser number of people who plan their future way past in their childhood days, and actually achieve what they wanted to become , it wouldn't be a complete fiasco to find such people now. However, in most cases as in mine, it is destiny that is deciding what we are to become. And, I guess we have to owe this to the situations that indirectly shape our future goals.

If my previous lines sounded a little pessimistic, you are mistaken. Though I believe that "philosophical" words such as 'destiny', 'fate' or 'fortune' rule our lives to a certain extent, I am completely aware of the fact that hard work always leads to success. Innumerable are the instances where in one has put his mind and soul into achieving his long term goals. A multitude of living exemplaries like Dr. Devi Shetty, Mr. Narayan Murthy etc can be cited in this regard. In case of the former, it was his unflinching dedication coupled with a heart touching incident that made him take up the noble profession of saving others lives. His ailing father, who died of a cardiac arrest may be one of the reasons that made him vow to serve heart related ailments in others.

In this way, there may be several incidents that entrance someone into achieving something. But, we cant wait for a particular incident to happen so that it moves us first and then firm up our mind, can we..?
Well, contrary to the above illustration, there can be various situation dependant events that can act as 'spoilsport' in our path. Like, for example, a person dreaming of a career as a pilot and having an unrelentless decision about the same , can have all chances of developing a visual malady of high power! Owing to the current regulation that there is no scope for anyone else in the flying division other than the ones with perfect vision (not even the ones who have undergone Lasik surgery), what is the victim supposed to do?

So whats the solution? What can we deduce from the above? Obviously to find alternatives. Brooding over what bad has happened in the past does not solve the problem, but might worsen it. Having a blinkered vision, especially in a situation like today's recession, is not the key to success. The fall in economy contributes as a major source towards financial backwardness, but not as a backwardness of our existing intelligence to come up with alternatives. No doubt the economy is shaken, but not our spirits.

Obama puts forth this idea in a more convincing manner while addressing millions of people. "That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.Our nation is at war, against a far reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, as a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the way we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, from data and statistics.

On this day we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
In re-affirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches or fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated more often men and women obsure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

This is the journey we continue today. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began, our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminshed. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin the work...."

These lines somewhat influenced me to shift my focus towards going for higher studies, which otherwise had been postoned for a year or so. In other words, it helped me find alternatives towards achieving a promising future. And now that I am preparing for the same, a sense of optimism lingers in me. I dont mind modifying the current situation to say that the recession happened to assist me pursue higher education right now. Similarly, I feel everyone can inculcate an optimistic view and interpret their adversaries as the coming up of something new and promising. Who knows what is instore for us, and why not think of it as something more beneficial than before? So, lets be more prepared to face such bizarre circumstances in our life. Let us emancipate ourselves from the wall that we have built around us, so that we can view the world from a broader perspective. After all, these kind of exigencies are a test of time and they ipso-facto have to slide back to normal. Nevertheless, failures are always the stepping stones to success, right...???