So it begins. The American chapter of my long-forgotten blog. A million toils lie ahead of me as I have ignored this old friend for too long. There's my sister's marriage to cover, plus there's the tornado of thoughts that rages through my mind in these, my first few days in 'the land of the free'.
I look out through the windows of my carpeted studio apartment to see a red Ford Mustang and an equally red Honda CBR600 parked on my driveway. Yeah, no prizes for guessing that they ain't mine, at least not yet. But just taking a cab from a house where these kind of exotics are casting their divine glow keeps me constantly reminded about where I am. U.S.A, or at least what I've seen of it thus far is an exercise in lavishness. Huge open spaces, huge SUVs rumbling down the roads, pretty houses spaced so far apart that you could build two houses in between and superstores that could house at least 10 Indian bazaars. But its simple, since they have it, they might as well flaunt it.
And as opposed to the big, brash image that the country seems to project as a whole, they are incredibly polite and amazingly disciplined people. It's my first foreign country but I don't think its possible to be more well-behaved than they are without seeming artificial. If first impressions are the last impressions then it'll be difficult to overturn this one. I did run across a few 'punk'ish teens on the train to Taunton, and they were hardly angels! But if every one were really the same, it'd be really boring.
Uh! What else? It's a really beautiful place. New England is an area which is considered especially beautiful and Taunton (the town near Boston where I stay) falls within this zone. It's lush green all around, overflowing with blossoms, perfect weather and a general sense of utopia. I feel a bit like a fool with all those sweaters and woolen socks bursting out out of my suitcase but I'm told by all my American friends that winter will be a reality check for thin skinned Indians like me. Right now, it's spectacular weather with a bright sun and a cool breeze. There are so many things to say and so many things to do, so I'd better break this up here. This sure ain't my last post!
