MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF USA

Millions of books are written and millions of people have visited the country and each of them has had millions of things to say at different points of time but every experience is new and every visit is unique.... I was not particularly fascinated by the USA from very long and to be honest was not particular to come here or do anything here.  Mine was a typical middle class mental block and it was one of the several ones I had . My friend SVS has been inviting me to visit him for more than a decade now .. I was not driven mentally emotionally or even at the desire level to ever visit this country .  Hence I even avoided to visit this place last 2 decades..


But our children will change everything for us ... Grusha my sweetheart changed my world view . I resisted her idea of wanting to come here ( usa) and pleaded her to study law, media, management in best of college in India but her focus, her determination , more importantly her clarity made me  fall in line with her need and ambition .    I started understanding and knowing the country better , merely be being receptive about everything in the USA.. I am happy to admit that quality of living ( not just the known comforts and communications ) and in particular the predictable and consistent systemic respect for co humans  are more authentic and comforting .  That was a key determinant change factor of perception for me. And I have no shame in admitting  all my bias was owing to lack of wanting to know . Thanks to grusha and changes in India in last in the last couple of years , I am now more open to know world outside ..

USA  as everyone knows is a tough place for the brand new comers unless of course you have a great and  caring friends like sai dinakar and Keerthi who made me feel at home and have given the best that any hosts can do. Being in Boston was more like being at a known place . Travelled on car everywhere under their guidance and advise and life was damn simple and exciting . Shopping malls was tiring but inevitable as we were virtually setting up a home for grusha. The terrific patience and care of Sai Dinakar in all matters especially shopping was not only useful but very touching . Driving down twice to Hampshire was a great boon . There is this feel and look of Europe in Boston, and may be more englandish is what I told grusha when the flight was landing and indeed there are reasons to feel so.  I loved the European influence in Boston. How can I ever describe what I felt entering , smelling and believing that I visited Harvard and MIT. It's almost like a fairy tale . But than, except just express the liking for the place , I do not have the authority and competence to talk about the life and greatness of USA.


There is this dissatisfaction and unacceptability of why there is no transport like in India ? Why is there no enough people to talk . . But aren't these questions not silly ? USA is USA and we can't expect this to be like India. But which ever place , what ever is the comfort , without few people who are our inner circle, all that will cease to have a meaning . This is Indian middle class mind set and nothing wrong though misfit in situations like here.

I am bowled over by the systems, impersonality and  how one can depend on technology here.  If you are tech savvy, and can appreciate systems, best place to live here as nothing can wrong with you . Everything is updated and dependable . People are polite but do not expect warmth . I am wondering , what right, authority or eligibility I have to say anything about the place , where I am just a week old and too in the totally protected hosts and driven around safely and beautifully including twice to Hampshire and once to Quincy market . Hampshire is like all our hill stations in India and can never go wrong on seasons.

But but after grusha is dropped to her campus and I come back, USA INDIA and all places in the world seem the same.. It's all empty, lifeless and endless.  It's the people that make the places wonderful.

my good fantastic perception about Usa .. May be each region , place has its own distinctiveness and differences .  I have hardly explored any of those . But 2 things have made feel confident about this place and in this place .  One is that , you can depend on the technology and systems .  Be it navigating thru GPS, parking lots, updated information on the net about every single thing and almost error free public systems . I did not experience the power of people on roads like policemen, or any other person... They also seem not to exist .. But power in terms of money is crucial and that determines the good living versus difficult living ... Nothing else.


I am still not qualified to write anything about this country as I am here only since a week and that too going around with the secured caring people . Just to have a sample of experience, I just took a stroll on the streets ..  God, there was only me walking around and it felt so awkward.  In fact at one point I even got scared.  I saw thecop and didn't dare to look at him.  I felt what do I answer if he asks me ... Where am I heading and why am I walking ?  In India I got scared to walk as I cannot cross the road, I get suffocated at dust, smoke, sound and unruly traffic and here I got scared at the chaotic loneliness and total contrast to India .

After that scare I just headed towards a mall and felt more settled . Sai called me just then and assured that cops don't question even I was awkwardly walking all alone as long as I am walking by the side. Then I started thinking inwards and asked myself if I can be all by myself here without depending on someone . I felt it is indeed possible if  we have money to afford a car and few friends who u can talk to and meet often ..  Suddenly some emptiness dawned on me and felt what is happening ?

It was just the off Shoot of the pain of leaving grusha behind yesterday ...  It was good as long as she was with me and now everything seems unimportant and unexciting . May be for me , it's not places but people are important and with people around, I may love places like USA which are better place to live than India ... But without inner circle people , any place is empty and with our people, village, ganji, stroll , black and white tv , bajjis are enough . Hence I am glad I got exposed to some part of USA

But my country is not giving me that support , that Honesty, that innocence, that simplicity...... It is not the place that I grew up with and not the place that this generation wants to see.    So I don't mind grusha to USA, but not the ideal situation as probably I am that simple who would miss her with single breath , every single good, bad experience and want her physical presence to see and talk to her, to hug her . Nothing is ideal in this world and changes are the reality . Grusha has the maturity, balance and clarity to adapt to new situations and hence she will rock. I will try to make the best of my holiday by spending time with my best buddy SVS at dallas. i reached this place yesterday , 27th Tuesday at 3 pm. First impressions, not beautiful, not extravagant like boston but here spending time with svs is crucial.


Once again i realized that, which ever place it is, what ever we do, the following are important..  Know ourselves from deep inside and conquer all that causes emptyness in us, accept all changes and keep sailing by keeping larger value systems in tact . Give the new generation all the needs to expereince the world , be contemporary and most importanly spread the radiance of happiness.  All it takes is wanting to be happy and not look for something to be happy.  But having said all this, I am notsure how will i miss grusha after i get back to india . Hopefully my learnings here and use of technology better, skype, viber, whatssapp and traditional calling should help.... to be contd  .