This is how it began

Finally the engines were on and shortly after that our huge 777 Boeing was rolling towards the runway. A rush of adrenalin, a unique cocktail of sheer thrill and fear of the unknown, and random flight of few butterflies in my stomach - yup, this was sort of what I felt. The mixed feeling was so complex that it is beyond my skill in English to explain. Especially when you are not a native English speaker plus trying to remember and write what you exactly felt almost seven years ago - the job gets harder. So, bear with me my dear readers - fun is on the way. Oh! by the way I am sure, as of now, you have no idea of what I am talking about. Well, this was how my first trip to Uncle Sam's land started. Coming to America was never been a part of my plan, not that I really had a plan for my life anyway. Being an Indian - sorry have to stop now, be nosy and express my opinionated mind frankly. When I hear Americans call the native Americans as "Indians", it annoys me to my bone marrow. It was an unintentional mistake by Mr. Columbus (I guess it due to the combination of peer pressure from fellow explorers to find to exotic land of India combined with sea sickness and indulgence on rum). native Americans are "native Americans" not "Indians" just as "America" is not "India". I think it's the time to correct this epic historical mistake because you guys are pretty much calling the native American as Indians not from India which makes them basically fake Indians. Please show this age-old culture some true respect that they deserve. And I am not just writing this because I am going to marry an American girl who is partly native American- say what??!!! Indian dude marrying a white chic and not doing the arranged marriage thingy!! well, I will come to that in due time. Coming back to what I started - I thought I will let my life float on the tidal wave called "being Indian" which is as simple as - 1) getting and letting your ass kicked in school, college and millions of entrance exams 2) followed by a getting a job which you will hate yet most probably will do until retirement 3) getting hitched to a girl you barely met 4) followed by increasingly higher power of your glasses, getting tested with high blood sugar, high cholesterol but never doing real work out 5) having kids, dealing with their cough and cold, potty training, diarrhea leading to sleepless nights and high blood pressure 6) having heated discussion over India-Pakistan relationship with friends, gossiping about your neighbor's daughter 7) follow your kids life starting from 1) - all of the above oughtta be completed by the time you are 30 and onwards your kids life will be your life. Every moment will be dictated by a higher power, not the Almighty kinda higher power, but higher powers like your parent, aunts and uncles, and several other close to far relatives (some of them you never met and never heard of) and nosy-street-smart neighbours. Honestly it's a pretty safe scheme of life. You never have to think of what you want to do or never get confused about your next move or never have to be a grown-up matured adult although your childhood will be stolen by the time you are in kindergarten. There will always be a higher power to guide your life. Dear readers, you may call it being robotic, I call it "being Indian" - minimum risk factor, maximum laziness, side effect may include utter bitterness at the end of your life. Honestly, I had all my intention to be in that life-stream. But you know what they say - man proposes and America disposes. So here I am in Uncle Sam's land. To be continued .....