Little would have the Wright brothers known, that for the remarkable achievement of their first flight, there would be a smart guy cursing them standing infront of the LCD panel monitor using the free internet access provided by Singapore Changi airport. Many more hours to wait for the next flight here. And this free stuff isn't for eternity. All good things must come to an end, they say. And no free stuff is unlimited except if provided by God. Singapore Changi Airport is excellent, no doubt, but it is no God. And the free internet is only for 15 mins. The count down is going on in the background, increasing his heart beat rate. Would he be able to finish this blog before it is too late??? Just cut it, he is trying to make it dramatic. If the session ends, he can always click on the link again and gain another 15 mins. Only that there should be none with growling looks at your back waiting to use this. Anyways, he is standing here for almost half an hour now and standing is no fun. So, here he goes and clicks on the publish button before it times out!!!
It was really tough. Trust me, it was really tough for him when he took to driving after a week after landing in the US of A. It was not the driving that was difficult. it was not even the right and left confusion that left him bewildered. The pitiful state of California freeways, on the contrary, gave him a more familier feeling. The bumps on the roads, and the rental car correspondingly making noises, the hot weather did all that was necessary to keep him reminded of his origins. The email and the telephone, the most utilized tools by any s/w guy did come handy many a time again to be in regular touch with the mother land. Why is it that his thoughts are running again and again to the motherland,? It is not so much because he is a super-patriot than that the subject of this is closely linked to our beloved India. The urge...... The urge to.....
Trust me, when I say he really had a difficult time here in the US. With a few thousand miles behind him on the US interstates and freeways, driving in US is no new to him. But driving back in India has put in to him this inevitable habit. He has no doubts what so ever, that there are many drivers back there who think it is an unquestionable right that is automatically bestowed on them when they sit in the drivers seat. And being so accustomed to exercising that right back in India, how can you expect him not to do it here in the US?
When he approaches a signal light which is already green, he does it, almost involuntarily. There are crossroads with four way stop signs, he stops there and before taking the turn he does it again, as though programmed to do so. Another car is in the next lane well in the speed limits and driving in a near perfect straight line. But still, he can't resist doing it. Remotely somewhere in his mind, he is insecure about the whole thing. Who knows, the guy in the next lane might suddenly jump in to his lane without any kind of indication!! So, the uncontrollable urge streams forth and manifests itself. Aren't we all habituated to this, aren't we all ever alert while driving in India. Who knows when an autowallah stops or suddenly takes a turn!! With all these in the subconsious mind, how can anyone expect him to overcome the urge. The insurmountable urge to honk!
After a long gap, he is back again. He is stuck in the US of A. :( and by the start of next month, he should be back in the motherland. Travelling is fun. Meeting people and going palces is good learning. But why doesn't he feel so this time? Does he feel so American that he no longer finds USA alien? Or has he lost interest in these things suddenly? Rather, he is not getting time this time to enjoy himself. Nor does he have the same kind of company that he had in his earlier trip to the US. Not that he had pre-known aquaintences with him, but he had made friends here. Friends pretty "interesting". Friends, that he never thought would persist to be so. But as days pass, he finds that he had not found just people with whom he can pass time but friends who can potentially remain so for a lifetime. Or at least, for the time being, let him hope so....
