100 Days in Woodland Hills

I don't believe I've dissipated (spent is not the apt word here) more than 100 days in the United States. Everyone including our street dogs knew, I was not upbeat about leaving Chennai.

What is more intriguing is that I've carried a strong heart all through these years, without being aware of it. Of course, I broke down one fine morning sobbing to go home.

Wait. It's got a history attached. Rewinding to the days when they were gearing to pack me up, I never showed enthusiasm towards leaving the place. When the most common question from peers in a similar situation would be, "When am I leaving?", my only question to Srinu was, "How long should I stay there?". He wouldn't have got the intensity of the question then. Perhaps, now he would.

Things started right from day one. There was no one in town to receive me. They were all in a merry trip, quite typical of vegetables flourishing here. I'll be right back to vegetables. The moment I saw known faces staying here, things got sinking in.

• You (Non-Resident Indians) don't live in the United States.
• You stay here.
• You earn.
• You jump on deals and coupons.
• You don't know what to do.
• You stay very economical on food.
• You are lavish on gadgets.
• You buy useless things on discount just because they are offered for half the tag price.
• You plan for week ends.
• You plan for long week ends.
• You don't want to be at home during week ends because it is not home.
• You stay on the exchange rate.
• You learn the traffic rules.
• You get a driving license.
• You have insurance.
• You follow the traffic rules in letter and spirit.
• Still when you see a black-and-white car, you say, "Police!!".
• You help out others.
• You make India-calls.
• You wear sun glasses.
• The Laptop is your mother.
• You get weighing scales.
• You turn the bottle around to see the number labelled: calories.
• You register on matrimony sites.
• You watch worthless pirated movies online.
• You say hello to strangers.
• You tell yourself, "I'll return once I have enough money to settle down". That day never comes.
• You roam around sans life in the eyes.
• You stay a vegetable, among other vegetables.
• You look at the sky and think, "It's cloudy today".
• You see BMWs and Benzs parked on the road.
• You see people carrying their little dogs like they carry toddlers.
• You wear the cheerful mask.
• You wear a rubber smile.
• You look at the sky and think, "It's a clear sky".
• You see fire engines rushing and wonder, "where the hell is the smoke?".
• Your last day in the country comes once your Visa renewal is rejected.
• Your last day in the country comes when your marriage proposals are outright rejected by four or more prospective alliances.
• You talk to dumb asses who think India is a country full of monkeys.
• You stay inside glass doors and check weather.com
• You check the temperature on iPhone while you wait for the pedestrian signal.

It's not that I hate this place. I just don't belong here. I consider this a sentence for all my past sins. If it is true, I'm entitled to commit a sin every day for 272 years.

Hope to return in one piece by the year end. After all, Hope is a good thing. No good thing ever dies.