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.