Up and down, round and round

It was Labour Day on the 2^nd of September 2013 and since it was on a Monday , we were blessed with a long weekend. I didn’t have plans and was to be home bound, of course. So, because I had a lot of time in hand, I thought of inviting a friend over for lunch. I called and she, very sweetly, obliged.

I am not a great cook nor am I interested in improving my culinary skills. Food is God. But cooking, I think for me, is a duty and we just “Do” it. Don’t ask why, how, what. Just get done. Duty should not be questioned. Otherwise it isn’t duty any more. Of course, I wish we were “breatharians”. Duties can be challenging sometimes.

Anyways, my friend was also duty-bound to compliment me. That’s what friends do. They compliment you even if you landed up adding “a little more” salt in the dish. After our meal, she decided to take me out for coffee. I love coffee and what makes a cup of coffee more interesting is the company. With conversations, it better and with wavelength-matching conversations, it’s heaven.  But this cup of coffee with her, changed my view. She took me to the Kirkland Waterfront and having coffee there was blissful. You know that feeling when you are in a crowd and within that you have a small haven where you feel safe, calm and above all, at home; it was like that for me. First we minutes, both of us were quiet, watching the tiny waves.

 My friend has a thought provoking streak about her personality. We were engaged in a straight-forward yet complex discussion about “life so far”. It was refreshing to know a different perspective altogether.

“Coffee at a waterfront” was never in my bucket-list but it has accommodated itself right on top now. I would like to do this again.

In the evening, I met another friend. We had dinner at an Indian restaurant. I had mutton after a very long time and it felt great. He was kind enough to drive me around and show me beautiful things in my vicinity. How less I knew about the place I live in.

The following day came as a complete surprise. Four people come together and decide to go to the Space Needle in Seattle. The drive from Bellevue to Seattle was beautiful. Clean roads, scenic beauty and no honking. I think it took us around 50 minutes, out of which 10 were spent going round and round the same buildings. It was quite funny and it was the intelligent GPS which made us do that.

Well, “things change only when you change” and it was proved when our friend behind the wheel decided to go against the current and navigate by instinct. It worked and we reached the graceful, strong and standing tall at 184 metres, the Space Needle.

While riding up the elevator, I noticed the sequence of my thoughts. First few floors crossed, I was more than happy and eager. After being high enough, I started to feel a bit claustrophobic and after a few more floors went by, I looked down and wondered if we would reach safely. All this, believe me, took only 40 seconds. The ride lasts only 40 seconds.

And once you are on “the floor”, you realize that it’s worth it.

Magnificently constructed and an opulent architecture; one can go round and round on the floor and get a 360 degree view of the city. Besides, the building houses a few restaurants and a take-away joint. There is small shop for all the dull souvenir-enthusiasts, as well.

There is one striking thing I remember when I was right on top of Space Needle. And that is hunger. Higher altitudes make me hungry. I was famished and when we came down, I gorged on a Mac D burger. That’s not all; I had excellent food in copious amount at a little place called Naan and Curry, specialized in Pakistani cuisine.

When I look back, this long weekend seems “planned”. Funny! May be by the “Supreme Force” and no plan of mine would ever match up to such an eventful yet peaceful one. 

To whom-so-ever it may concern, Thank You.

Clueless in Seattle – First impressions

Okay, I’ve completed one month, successfully, if I may add, in the United States of America. First trip abroad, first time far away from family, first time seeing (and now using) push buttons to cross streets, first time feeling the chasm of difference between a developed nation and a developing one. Several firsts and I am pretty sure there are more to come.

That night when my family came to see me off at the Mumbai Airport , I wasn’t quite sure I would make it in one piece to Seattle. We don’t trust ourselves enough, do we? There was one stop in Dubai, where I walked a few kilometres only to find a washroom. Then the journey was rather smooth, although I had reduced my blinking just to make sure I was alert and I had not slept one bit. When I look back, all of it seems so childish. I had an Ethiopian sitting next to me and he seemed completely at ease.

Seattle airport is multi-storeyed and IT HAS A METRO RAIL OF ITS’ OWN. I had to ask several people (several times) just to confirm if the metro would take me from one floor to another. Well yes, I did annoy some folks I asked. But for me, it’s unimaginable. Welcome to a Developed Country! I said my little prayers and got into the metro. Every second was heavy.

Only after I saw familiar, friendly faces, did I take a full breath. I could have cried but I decided to make a strong attempt to keep my emotions in check. “Public display of emotions is such a no-no”. My friends, by God’s grace, made every bit simple from here. I was taken home luxuriously in a car and was served excellent food which I gorged on. Since this is a work-related travel, I had to report immediately, of my arrival, to my manager. I went and met him; got myself a US number SIM card. But all this would not have been possible without these amazing friends. I was dizzy due to lack of sleep and handed over my purse to my friends. They took care of all the formalities, payments and of me.

Sometimes I wonder, if I hadn’t reached as per the plan, would my company, the one I work for, go looking for me?

I stayed in comfortable surroundings for a while when I was putting up at my friend’s place. My house hunt was on but I couldn’t finalize on something concrete till I read an ad on one of the online portals. I saw the advertised place; an apartment with a fireplace! And a separate bedroom which I didn’t have to share with anyone, was, of course, just the way I hoped for. Well, sometimes life treats to like a princess.

Here I am recounting and laughing to myself for all the silly questions I kept asking people. I still remember the first time I saw a post at the corner of the road which had push buttons to cross streets. I pushed the button but I wasn’t sure if it would work, so I pushed it again. I still did not get the “Cross Now” signal. So I pushed the button, yet again. Ahh I pardon myself, it was ignorance! After all, from where I come, we stop the traffic by walking right in front of honking vehicles. And yes, nobody and I mean nobody honks here. Honking, I remember Papa telling me, is considered insulting. Papa hardly honks, he usually prefers waiting. So you cross streets after pushing buttons, walk on pavements for long distances and only then are you led into fine, well equipped shopping plazas.

Shopping was quite an experience. I am not someone who enjoys it so I had taken with me my lady friends, who, I knew, would come up with the best solutions. Every item was discussed, every section scrutinized and every stone was not left unturned. Well, you can expect that with ladies. Shopping, I’ve come to understand, is an art. It is knack of being intimate with yourself and literally “feeling” what you want from the galore. I miserably fail in this department since I usually shy away from intimacy!

Speaking of intimacy, I do see a lot of couples, homo and hetro, in buses smooching. Sometimes they do go overboard although for me it’s a complete pleasure. Public Display of Affection is so “I’ll do it my way” kind of a thing. The ones who do it, are usually American. People of other ethnicities seem rather stressed, deep in thought unlike the free Americans. 

Indeed, this country spoils its’ citizens.