Hmmmm............ I continue my talk on USA... So I appreciate many things in US... The law is quick and there is less corruption, at least at the lower levels.. U cant escape being fined by trying to bribe the traffic police.... Not even "Please please Uncle.. I forgot at home tactics will work" The students dont copy or cheat in exams at least not as bad as they try to do back home... Not that everyone of them is honest... But they somehow stick to rules... These people are unconventional in thought and at the same time, they stick to rules.. Weird paradox!! Isnt it?
You would think that many people would be rich and most of them lead a luxurious life .. but every place has its own story of poverty. Its poverty that drives people to shoplift, mug, rob, eat junk and grow obese, neither luxury nor being brought up as spoilt kids drives them to crime.. Its pure poverty...
With the high standard of education, we would expect to find many educated people here... But many dont intend to study beyond High school.. Not that they lack intelligence... !!
USA is indeed a intriguing country... But its still enjoyable... The sense of adventure and the risk taking nature is appreciable.. They love sports.. You can try all the new sports like ice skating, go karting, etc etc... ( the sports that are a rich man's luxury back home)...
I will continue my blog on the same topic... keep reading and do comment....
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
US.... and the life here....
I had never imagined I would come to this land of opportunities ( cliche') ... I still wonder how a die-hard brain drain supporter like me had landed here... I still remember those days when I had given fiery speeches in the college assembly in my undergraduate days about why intelligent brains leave India...... Hmmm.. hey .. dont think I have double standards... What made me come here was that I needed to resurrect my career....!!! Probably everyone had such reasons... ! I feel so sorry for having hurt a very dear friend who wanted to come to US very much in our PG days and I used to discourage her very badly by commenting on " The worthlessness of US" ...
Every dog has its day( again a cliche') and this dog ( probably I would be the gentle labrador if ever I am a dog.. huge and cuddly and gentle) had its year (2007) to come to US... I remember how fast my decisions had been and how quick everything moved.. GRE,TOEFL, Application, Admission , flight and here I am... It was only a matter of 6 months that took to get me into this land of paradox....
I remember the first flight... I had booked the window seat as I wanted to lookout from the sky..( I later realised my ignorance.... A window seat is really uncomfortable as u have to cause inconvenience to two more people to get up to go to the loo) .. Probably the travel in trains had hung onto me that made me want a window seat...(:-))
I looked out of the window and all I could see were clouds... I thought travel in the aeroplane would be exciting like we are moving forwards... But all the while, it was nothing but a feeling as if the plane is stationary.. the only exciting thing about the flight was the channel which displayed how and where we were flying.. So it was excitig to learn we flew over Greenland and North pole at a height of about 10,000 meters..( higher than Mt.Everest) ....
I could give an account of all our travel and travails we faced.. but I am not writing a travelogue... Its a blog and a blog isnt supposed to be boring...
So change the track... USA.... I am not in love with it nor am I enamoured with it.... But I appreciate many aspects of it....
The first thing abt US that is in complete contrast with India is its Technology...They have an amazingly developed technology ( read all facilities)...
I also appreciate the sense of art they have....their art is unconventional... they try to build something extraordinary out of ordinary material... and they appreciate every form with an aesthetic sense ....
The standard of education is also different with the application mode of study being encouraged... The students who had been habituated with mugged up study back home may find it difficult here....Brains r to be used...!!!!!
When i had come here with my Teaching assistantship, I had a pre conceived notion that I would have to deal with rowdies and uncontrollable brats... But I was proved wrong.. American students are polite, disciplined and good... They are casual in their talk but they do respect ur teaching and try not to disturb you in the class.... It was a big surprise for me... !!!
Well... let me continue my blog later .. I will come with why I call "US the land of paradox" in my next post....
Keep reading....
Every dog has its day( again a cliche') and this dog ( probably I would be the gentle labrador if ever I am a dog.. huge and cuddly and gentle) had its year (2007) to come to US... I remember how fast my decisions had been and how quick everything moved.. GRE,TOEFL, Application, Admission , flight and here I am... It was only a matter of 6 months that took to get me into this land of paradox....
I remember the first flight... I had booked the window seat as I wanted to lookout from the sky..( I later realised my ignorance.... A window seat is really uncomfortable as u have to cause inconvenience to two more people to get up to go to the loo) .. Probably the travel in trains had hung onto me that made me want a window seat...(:-))
I looked out of the window and all I could see were clouds... I thought travel in the aeroplane would be exciting like we are moving forwards... But all the while, it was nothing but a feeling as if the plane is stationary.. the only exciting thing about the flight was the channel which displayed how and where we were flying.. So it was excitig to learn we flew over Greenland and North pole at a height of about 10,000 meters..( higher than Mt.Everest) ....
I could give an account of all our travel and travails we faced.. but I am not writing a travelogue... Its a blog and a blog isnt supposed to be boring...
So change the track... USA.... I am not in love with it nor am I enamoured with it.... But I appreciate many aspects of it....
The first thing abt US that is in complete contrast with India is its Technology...They have an amazingly developed technology ( read all facilities)...
I also appreciate the sense of art they have....their art is unconventional... they try to build something extraordinary out of ordinary material... and they appreciate every form with an aesthetic sense ....
The standard of education is also different with the application mode of study being encouraged... The students who had been habituated with mugged up study back home may find it difficult here....Brains r to be used...!!!!!
When i had come here with my Teaching assistantship, I had a pre conceived notion that I would have to deal with rowdies and uncontrollable brats... But I was proved wrong.. American students are polite, disciplined and good... They are casual in their talk but they do respect ur teaching and try not to disturb you in the class.... It was a big surprise for me... !!!
Well... let me continue my blog later .. I will come with why I call "US the land of paradox" in my next post....
Keep reading....
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Summer is here
The Summer s already come in the hot land of Texas where I live.... The spring existed only for a week as if it were exempted from staying and remained only for the sake of attendance....
Summer I love because of the breeze that flows past in the morning and evening like a compensation the weather has provided for being harsh during the day...
But the Summer here is so different, makes me nostalgic and yearn for my country.. The breeze flows but it doesnt carry the scent of jasmine..... Nor the sweet bitter enigmatic flowering scent of the neem...I miss the resplendent bloom of the gulmohurs... the most beautiful tree in the world... The red canopy of flowers on a leafless tree...
I miss the road side stalls selling buttermilk and sugarcane, ( would be called unhygienic , I would call it Immune boosting) ,probably they would also be canned here.... the date palm fruits( called Nunju in telugu and Nungu in tamil)...
The thing I would miss terribly are the mangoes... the benisha , banganpalli fruits.. tasty and delicious...
Or the sweet moments with the family when the power is shut off to conserve energy, talking of all the memories lying on the terrace looking at the starry night...
The smell of water on parched earth and the various methods to cool the room.... the different birds that came on a migratory tour... blue, yellow coloured, small, long, twittering beings that liven up the morning....
The children here would have never known this.. they have memories of playing on various rides in an amusement park.. but to live in a land which still has places unspoiled by corporate world, My country, its heaven....!!!
Summer I love because of the breeze that flows past in the morning and evening like a compensation the weather has provided for being harsh during the day...
But the Summer here is so different, makes me nostalgic and yearn for my country.. The breeze flows but it doesnt carry the scent of jasmine..... Nor the sweet bitter enigmatic flowering scent of the neem...I miss the resplendent bloom of the gulmohurs... the most beautiful tree in the world... The red canopy of flowers on a leafless tree...
I miss the road side stalls selling buttermilk and sugarcane, ( would be called unhygienic , I would call it Immune boosting) ,probably they would also be canned here.... the date palm fruits( called Nunju in telugu and Nungu in tamil)...
The thing I would miss terribly are the mangoes... the benisha , banganpalli fruits.. tasty and delicious...
Or the sweet moments with the family when the power is shut off to conserve energy, talking of all the memories lying on the terrace looking at the starry night...
The smell of water on parched earth and the various methods to cool the room.... the different birds that came on a migratory tour... blue, yellow coloured, small, long, twittering beings that liven up the morning....
The children here would have never known this.. they have memories of playing on various rides in an amusement park.. but to live in a land which still has places unspoiled by corporate world, My country, its heaven....!!!
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