Arrival in USA

Well well well... after all those nightmares about how horrible my journey to USA could be... I was in for quiet a pleasant surprise considering the way things went over the past 24 hours. I left home at about 8pm or so (even though my flight was at 0020, just to avoid traffic delays and subsequent nbd (nbd = nervous breakdown = IITianese for intense tension bursts one encounters when things don't go as expected)), and reached Mum airport by 8.30 (I guess someone spread the news that I was flying that night... people dared not venture out on the streets :P) Anyways, my driver had the highway to himself and didn't mind showing me some of his look-i-am-the-street-hawk styles. So there I was... way ahead of schedule... and at the insistence of my parents, I went inside early to check in my baggage. That I forgot they told me to come out again to meet them is another story. So there I was happily enjoying a John Grisham novel inside while my parents were getting worried outside. Then I suddenly realised this and immediately called my guys waiting outside... got an earful... but that's okay... am not going to see them for 3 months neways :P

So I was all set for my flight... and what a flight it was... a comp for each seat with plenty of movies, TV series, games and music, I never felt bereft of my PC :) And there were 2 cute little 4 year old girls on the adjacent seats, who strangely enough found me to be friendly and were chit-chatting and laughing all along (Wow I have a way with kids? Kab se?) Anyways... one of these 2 little girls slept on the seat beside mine... and was finding the seat to be smaller than her liking.. and didn't mind giving me one of her occasional kicks :) Anyways... a 4 yr old's kick on my massive body is of hardly any consequence... but her mom was embarrassed like hell.. kept apologising frequently... I told her I don't mind... and that it was okay.. I understand the little one is a bit uncomfy... but that was it... so I also had this extra kick-service delivered on flight.

Hmm... so much for seating and travelling... now comes fooding.. Take this from me... Delta serves excellent food... to good to be called airplane food... but just one drawback though... they don't bother heating it... but then I guess the taste kinda makes up for that... coz I cannot complain at all given all the good food that was offered. (Hey did I also mention 'great' airhostesses serving that food? Maybe that also made up in a way for the lack of warmth :P)

So my whole flight from Mumbai to NY could basically be summarised as Blood Diamond + Cold god food + laat maare beti aur haath jode ma + scramble (one of the several games on that flight-comp.. and the only one that I played.. competed with the 4 yr olds on this one :P) Upon arrival in JFK, I was a bit nervous as I was in the land of 'foreigners' now.. and was worried about customs, wondering if they may question me bringing in sweets and snacks.. but gosh... customs and immigration was done with so peacefully.. no pains at all. Now came one more pain... I had to fly over to Washington DC immediately (no.. not for meeting Bush... rather to come over to my cousin's place instead :) )... I asked airport authorities on where I should be taking the flight... and this is what they told me... (each word of what I shall say is true) They said: Go to the 4th floor... take the train to terminal 6... thereby go to the ground floor for check in and collecting your boarding pass... Hey wait! Wasn't this supposed to be in the same airport... then what's with this 4th floor and train thing? I said.. let me check out.. had 3 hrs to kill before the flight anyways.. and man was I in for a sight... JFK I guess is so big that it could be a city in itself... the train ride to my terminal 6 took me a good 5 mins.. and mind you... by trains I mean the hallowed NY-subway type trains... those that race along their tracks... and what a huge airport it was... a god sight.. sad I don't have a cam now... shall click some pics on my way back though definitely...

Now was another tricky part... checking in into a domestic US airliner... Jet Blue... Jet Blue had a whole terminal dedicated to themselves... with an extensive domestic flights network... so I had to check in here.. and was worried if my baggage cannot be checked in if it's found to be overweight... but things went peacefully here as well.. and I was happily through to boarding the flight...

It's just a 1.5 hours flight from JFK to Washington Dulles... but Jet Blue doesn't treat it like an ordinary flight just coz it's so... Complimentary snacks and drinks were regularly served... and this plane had a comp too!!! With Direct TV programming as well! Man wasn't this a gem of a flight... There was also this Firang ladki sitting beside me... time went well chatting with her about life out here etc etc. I am so stupid though not to have asked her name... but she was equally stupid not to have asked mine :P

Anyways... after over 24 hours of travelling I finally made it to USA :) My cousin came to pick me up here... whereby I bade goodbye to that firang ladki and got ready for an hour long drive home along Washington's roads... goes without saying that I shall praise the roads and blah blah... so I may as well skip that part for something more...

One thing stands out though in whatever encounters I had today with Americans though... they are possibly the most friendly and most hospitable and most courteous people in general I have ever seen... They always gave me the 'smiling faces' and the 'thank yous' and the 'I am sorrys' and the 'good days'... everyone... right from the airport authorities to my co-passengers in general and also that firang ladki... Man I guess I am going to enjoy this trip like I have never ever imagined!

Just one thing bugs me though... and I have formed an opinion on it - paper is good agreed... but a bad substitute for water :) (smart people can guess what I am saying immediately)

~Ta tas.

P.S. It's Cornell visit time tomorrow... a 6 hour drive from DC to Ithaca... more on that and on life in Cornell in subsequent posts...