And here goes my customary post for the month of April, just to let the world know I'm alive (barely) and (in the) well.
It's now been a year since I landed here, in what I refer to as the good ol' US of A. It was a hot summer day in India on the 7th of April last year, as I walked down the tarmac to board a Kingfisher flight to Mumbai. Now as I think back over the last year, and its ups and downs, it seems as if it was a lifetime ago. (excuse the cliché)
I've travelled extensively over the past year - probably more than the rest of my life put together - which brings me to the reason I call Kingsport the good ol' part of the US. It looks exactly how someone uninitiated doesn't expect the US to be.
Most of the folks back home imagine the US to be endless miles of concrete jungle and skyscrapers - an extension of New York City. Heck, I've had friends visiting from US metros shocked by the greenery around. The biggest building over here is the office I work in - it has three whole stories!
Kingsport is the sort of place where people can still leave their doors unlocked (although I wouldn't advise it, and I hope my insurance agent isn't reading this)
When someone asks me where I am in the US, I almost never say Kingsport. Simple reason - a conversation would generally go like this:
Uncle/Aunty: "So beta, where in the US are you?"
Me: "It's a place called Kingsport, uncle/aunty" (and knowing fully well that no one apart from Kingsport-ians? would know that this place exists...)
Uncle/Aunty (if I'm not fast enough): "Accha beta, which state?"
Me: "It's in Tennessee, uncle/aunty"
Uncle/Aunty: "Haan, is that near California? My son is working there..."
Me: "No uncle/aunty, it's in the East"
Uncle/Aunty: "Oh, does US have a east side? I thought US was in the West"
Me: "No no uncle/aunty, US does have a east side, that is where New York is..."
Uncle/Aunty: "Oh, my nephew works in New York, you should visit him some weekend"
Me: "I'll try to... New York is also pretty far from here, nearly 10-12 hours by drive"
Uncle/Aunty: "Acchaa...." (still wondering about this mythical state of 'Tennessee' and convinced that I'm making it all up to avoid meeting their relatives)
That's why most of my conversations go like this:
Uncle/Aunty: "So beta, where in the US are you?"
Me: "New York, uncle/aunty"
Uncle/Aunty: "Acchaa...."
Happy belated anniversary to me.
8 comments:
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Deepak once said, exactly at 8:41 AM...
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What about the roads full of potholes ? I bet no one would have seen such an USA in TV. :D
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god once said, exactly at 5:43 PM...
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April(????) blog is good.... By the way, won't your Uncle/Aunty continue to talk further like "Have you met my son in NewYork? Please meet him. His address is bla.. bla.. bla... I also tell him to call you" ? :)
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Aparna S Mallya once said, exactly at 9:27 PM...
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nice post, Dev. Happy Anniversary!
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Upasna once said, exactly at 8:15 AM...
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hehe...next time ur home get uncle aunty a "I love NY" t-shirt, they'll believe you :P
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Dev once said, exactly at 10:23 AM...
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@deepak: Well, it ain't that bad here. As I said, we're old school.. the picture perfect Uh-mair-ee-ka!
@god: You are unnecessarily complicating matters!
@aps: Thanku thanku! Welcome to the East.
@upasna: I already got two, and one more that says 'Someone in New York loves me' :D
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Upasna once said, exactly at 8:18 AM...
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Awww Dev...who's the one??...out with the gossip now!! :D ;)
