A new chapter

Emotions were churning inside me, as I bid goodbye to my family and frens and went into immigration. Tears were choking me as I handed over my passport onto the immigration officer. He is not amused..he has seen many teary eyed women.

He takes one look at my passport and says “Davangere avra?”

I nod my head frantically “ Howdu”..I smile at him in between flowing tears.

He again takes a look and say “Mysore address ide?”..

So I explain “hutiddu davangere..irodu mysore”

He then asked me a few questions about my husband after which I ask him “neev davangere avra?”

So he replied “illa madam..bangalore.Aadre nange kannadaavru sikidre kannadalli maatadstheeni..yeno khushi.”

“hogid bartheeni”I said and I left.

We are still waiting to board the flight. I sip on coffee which tastes salty with my tears and think of all those lovely times I spent and the people I am gonna miss.I was kicking myself for not hugging my cousin thinking he might get embarrassed. I shouldn’t have worried so much about his feelings..now I feel miserable.I look around. I see bored faces..people used to traveling…scared anxious faces and I wondered whether mine looked the same.Then I saw a guy who had a white inflatable pillow on his backside. It looked as if the commode seat had stuck to his bottom.As he turned around I started laughing. Its an adventure..I am not gonna feel miserable I decided and drank the rest of the salty coffee.

I am in the plane and I see a genial looking Indian beside me. He was surprised to know I was married and I was very pleased at that J (I love it when people think I am younger than what I actually am)

He told about his life in Singapore and he was very uncly-uncly sweet.As expected the minute I told him that I was from mysore he asked “I heard the land rates re going sky high there!”

People wherever you go…are the same. They want you to tell them about land rates in Mysore!!!

I am in the Singapore airport. Its a feisty ..energetic place. Its vast and full of places to shop. They have exotic flowers everywhere and its like a sea of people. I sit at the corner and look at the people passing by. Chinese twittering like birds, a sardarji speaking loudly, a tamil lady shouting at her husband…air hostesses with waists smaller than my small finger walking around gracefully …

Two Indian guys sitting behind me and commenting on who’s the prettiest among the parading girls. I am so glad some things never change.

I am in the last leg of my journey. I have two Indian guys beside me- which makes it

three vegetarians seated together. On the other side was a Chinese girl who would

get up every 2 hrs to wash her face. The guys beside me were software engineers, timid and the guy beside me watched KANK twice! There is another Indian couple-newly wedded who stick together like bubble gum.

We stop over at South Korea. The airport was colorless-everything in pale peach. The whole place had a dreary feel and I was glad when the plane took off again. Nation

like people have personalities. Singapore was like a girl who throws her head back and laughs…whereas south korea reminded me of a stingy old man.

As we approached America I was thinking “I am flying over pacific ocean..the biggest ocean in the world; house to millions of species of marine life…and its green. My fav ocean when I was in 6^th std! Right now I am going around the world”.

It’s a strange sensation to travel the whole of Sunday and reach on Sunday.I think of H2G2 and time traveling. I wonder how traveling in outer space would be.

When they announced that we will be landing in US, My heartbeat increased…Its strange.I identified myself so much as an Indian, it felt strange to come to a

new country where I was called “Non-immigrant alien”! Suddenly you think big.You are no more a mysorean...or don’t just think Karnataka is the best. Suddenly you think of yourself as an Indian. Great feeling that!

The new chapter of my life was starting.

I finished my entire schooling within 4km radius…and I stayed in Bangalore for the next two years and went home every weekend. And here I am..far away from everything I knew to be safe and nice-leaving it all to start a new life. Then I think of Saif; I smile. Everything will be alright.

My mental picture of America-snow, blondes and beautiful cars on clean roads.

What I saw-sun shining gloriously, brunettes most of them Indian and I was yet to get out of the airport to check out of the cars.

The immigration officer seemed shocked that I was married (I look too immature).He chatted with me for ten mins…and I keep telling Saif that if I weren’t married, he would have asked me out for a date! Saif keeps telling me that I am getting delusional.

After 20 mins of suffering in hauling bags out, I was in Saif’s arms. It felt like home.