A final look...
9 - August - 2008
3.20pm: Left home. Gave a final look. I was the last to get out. That was obvious. I felt dazed. Was this really happening?
4pm: Reached BIAL. A whole gang of us were there. Lots of questions from everyone, especially Sumanthu. Restlessness creeped in. I had a hard time balancing between friends and family. Wanted to talk to everyone. I could hardly talk to Chaitra ... or even Bharath ... but i was happy that Sheela, Pavan and Shreyas were there.
4:55pm: Started the bye bye(s). Everything was happening mechanically. Mohana was still complaining that i am doing a silly thing by going into the airport so early. But i will surely miss his complaints, his scoldings, his lectures. Every hug made me weaker. Gave a hug to Bharath and Sumanth. Told them i'm gonna miss them a lot. I meant every word of it. I had taken it for granted that they would always be around ... now everything looked so depressing. Every word made me nervous. I made sure I just said a simple bye to Chaitra. The more i looked at her, the more I would cry. But i wouldn't cry ... i shouldn't cry ... sister-in-law was in tears ... i knew mom would break me down, so i tried to stay calm. Sharath gave a hug ... he looked sad ... the idiot said he'L miss me ... i'L miss that idiot too ! That's it ... there's no point in holding back. What happened thereafter i wouldn't know ... dad said something like he was proud of me ... mom kept asking me how i'd stay away for 4 years ... hugged Arya for a final time ... shit ! Did this have to be this hard? Tears just rolled down. Hugged my friends. Later learnt that Pavan broke down crying too. The idiot - why does he like me so much?
5pm: Entered BIAL.Gopinath helped me with the formalities. Things happened smoothly inside. I liked the place, but it was nothing compared to what I'd probably see in America. BIAL looked more like a big box. I calmed down. Got to talk to everyone again this time through tiny window holes. I looked a lot more cheerful this time. So did everyone else. Now i just had to wait for Kingfisher ... the air hostesses ... oh yeah !!!
6:15pm: Boarded the plane. Looked neat ! Hurt my thumb when placing the hang baggage inside the cabinet. Oh God this was too too heavy. So was my backpack. My shoulders ached ... but i was waiting for my take-off. My first take-off !
6:30pm: Plane starts to move. It picks up speed. Real speed. A kick from behind and we have a smooth lift off ! It happened so smoothly i did not feel a thing. I did want to feel something atleast. But the soaring made me ecstatic. Awesome !
6:50pm: Had bland food. Skies looked lovely. Air Hostesses looked lovely.
7:45pm: Traveling in a plane is so much like traveling in a bus. It started getting darker. Mumbai night sky was fantastic. Never seen such a beautiful Mumbai. They sparkled like jewels in an ocean of darkness.
8pm: Got down the plane. Took a coach to the international airport. Very uncomfortable journey. The airport seemed really bad. Nervously waited for my baggage to arrive.
9:10pm: Still no sign of the airport. Too much traffic.
9:45pm: Finally reached. Turmoil near the airport. No sign of my baggage at all. Visitors flooded the place. It was a mess. Horrible airport.
10:30pm: Finally got my baggage.Checked them in. Feared that the plane has taken off. Passed through all forms of security. The leather jacket had me wet. Was feeling sick. Sweated a lot. Thankfully the plane hadn't left without me. Met Manasi in the big crowd. She looked like a totally confused girl. But my first impression was pretty good. A friendly girl. I think had seen this girl before in the airport. I just did not know it was Manasi.
11:30pm: Boarded the plane. Next seat was empty. So Manasi comes over. Had a fun journey inspite of the inhospitable air hostesses. Both of us joked a lot about every air hostess. She kept asking me about how my girlfriend should be. We kept talking nonsense. Our food plates were still on our table. It was night and no air hostess came to collect those plates. Because of the table, both of us could not sleep as we could not stretch our legs. Finally, i took all the plates from her table, folded it and let her sleep. But i had a bad night ... my leg ached ... finally some air hostess came and picked those plates. Early morning, got a view of the beautiful Greenland along the way. It looked like a windows wallpaper. The snow-capped mountains were so beautiful ! Its a feeling i can never describe. Both of us were silent for a long time. Kept looking at it without blinking our eyes ... such a magical place. I know very very few people get to see something like this.
21 - Aug - 2008
1pm: Met Advaitha and Sreya at the orientation session of our department. Excited to meet my fellow colleagues. Had some fun and boring orientation sessions. Spent time with Sreya. Talked for a long time with Madhav. I slowly began finding Madhav fun. His words were encouraging. The last dean's round was fun. Met HeeJung, the South Korean from our department. She's nice. Felt great to talk to a lot of people. Headed home with Pratyush. Got lots of parathas. Saw I dream of Jeannie again.
10-30pm: Took a long walk along Shadyside. Was good talking about a variety of topics. The buggar Pratyush really speaks well. Reminds me of Shashi from my mom's side. But these days i'm a bit ok as Pratyush is around ... atleast i am not alone at home.
3.20pm: Left home. Gave a final look. I was the last to get out. That was obvious. I felt dazed. Was this really happening?
4pm: Reached BIAL. A whole gang of us were there. Lots of questions from everyone, especially Sumanthu. Restlessness creeped in. I had a hard time balancing between friends and family. Wanted to talk to everyone. I could hardly talk to Chaitra ... or even Bharath ... but i was happy that Sheela, Pavan and Shreyas were there.
4:55pm: Started the bye bye(s). Everything was happening mechanically. Mohana was still complaining that i am doing a silly thing by going into the airport so early. But i will surely miss his complaints, his scoldings, his lectures. Every hug made me weaker. Gave a hug to Bharath and Sumanth. Told them i'm gonna miss them a lot. I meant every word of it. I had taken it for granted that they would always be around ... now everything looked so depressing. Every word made me nervous. I made sure I just said a simple bye to Chaitra. The more i looked at her, the more I would cry. But i wouldn't cry ... i shouldn't cry ... sister-in-law was in tears ... i knew mom would break me down, so i tried to stay calm. Sharath gave a hug ... he looked sad ... the idiot said he'L miss me ... i'L miss that idiot too ! That's it ... there's no point in holding back. What happened thereafter i wouldn't know ... dad said something like he was proud of me ... mom kept asking me how i'd stay away for 4 years ... hugged Arya for a final time ... shit ! Did this have to be this hard? Tears just rolled down. Hugged my friends. Later learnt that Pavan broke down crying too. The idiot - why does he like me so much?
5pm: Entered BIAL.Gopinath helped me with the formalities. Things happened smoothly inside. I liked the place, but it was nothing compared to what I'd probably see in America. BIAL looked more like a big box. I calmed down. Got to talk to everyone again this time through tiny window holes. I looked a lot more cheerful this time. So did everyone else. Now i just had to wait for Kingfisher ... the air hostesses ... oh yeah !!!
6:15pm: Boarded the plane. Looked neat ! Hurt my thumb when placing the hang baggage inside the cabinet. Oh God this was too too heavy. So was my backpack. My shoulders ached ... but i was waiting for my take-off. My first take-off !
6:30pm: Plane starts to move. It picks up speed. Real speed. A kick from behind and we have a smooth lift off ! It happened so smoothly i did not feel a thing. I did want to feel something atleast. But the soaring made me ecstatic. Awesome !
6:50pm: Had bland food. Skies looked lovely. Air Hostesses looked lovely.
7:45pm: Traveling in a plane is so much like traveling in a bus. It started getting darker. Mumbai night sky was fantastic. Never seen such a beautiful Mumbai. They sparkled like jewels in an ocean of darkness.
8pm: Got down the plane. Took a coach to the international airport. Very uncomfortable journey. The airport seemed really bad. Nervously waited for my baggage to arrive.
9:10pm: Still no sign of the airport. Too much traffic.
9:45pm: Finally reached. Turmoil near the airport. No sign of my baggage at all. Visitors flooded the place. It was a mess. Horrible airport.
10:30pm: Finally got my baggage.Checked them in. Feared that the plane has taken off. Passed through all forms of security. The leather jacket had me wet. Was feeling sick. Sweated a lot. Thankfully the plane hadn't left without me. Met Manasi in the big crowd. She looked like a totally confused girl. But my first impression was pretty good. A friendly girl. I think had seen this girl before in the airport. I just did not know it was Manasi.
11:30pm: Boarded the plane. Next seat was empty. So Manasi comes over. Had a fun journey inspite of the inhospitable air hostesses. Both of us joked a lot about every air hostess. She kept asking me about how my girlfriend should be. We kept talking nonsense. Our food plates were still on our table. It was night and no air hostess came to collect those plates. Because of the table, both of us could not sleep as we could not stretch our legs. Finally, i took all the plates from her table, folded it and let her sleep. But i had a bad night ... my leg ached ... finally some air hostess came and picked those plates. Early morning, got a view of the beautiful Greenland along the way. It looked like a windows wallpaper. The snow-capped mountains were so beautiful ! Its a feeling i can never describe. Both of us were silent for a long time. Kept looking at it without blinking our eyes ... such a magical place. I know very very few people get to see something like this.
US at last !
10 - Aug - 2008
5:30am: Reached Newark. Collected baggage. Was totally tired by the time i collected stupid Manasi's baggage. Looked like she was totally dependent on me to take her to Pittsburgh. Checked the luggage in. Confusion over where to catch the next flight. People kept misguiding us. Manasi and me catch the monorail to the other terminal. Nice journey again. Bid Manasi goodbye. Told her we shall meet in the orientation ... hopefully. Got to call home. Finally ! Was such a big relief. "Mom, Dad, I am calling from America" ... that doesn't happen to everyone does it?
10:30am: Boarded US airways (looked like a tiny bus) to Pitt. Fun journey. Got a visual treat of the surroundings. Could see the tiny Statue of Liberty. Comfortable journey. Was ecstatic to spot the Cathedral of Learning. Met Sandeep in baggage claim.
12pm: At Ankit's place. Had a bath. Felt so comfortable. Ankit and Saurabh go for shopping. Both look so unfriendly. They were already suggesting me to find a different place soon. Couldn't stop myself from sleeping. Slept for a couple of hours till 6:20pm. Did nothing. Ate nothing. Went for a long stroll. Felt a tinge of homesickness, but was still tired. Met Ankit's friends. They were fun. Was happy to meet a Mysore guy. Was happy to talk in Kannada.
5:30am: Reached Newark. Collected baggage. Was totally tired by the time i collected stupid Manasi's baggage. Looked like she was totally dependent on me to take her to Pittsburgh. Checked the luggage in. Confusion over where to catch the next flight. People kept misguiding us. Manasi and me catch the monorail to the other terminal. Nice journey again. Bid Manasi goodbye. Told her we shall meet in the orientation ... hopefully. Got to call home. Finally ! Was such a big relief. "Mom, Dad, I am calling from America" ... that doesn't happen to everyone does it?
10:30am: Boarded US airways (looked like a tiny bus) to Pitt. Fun journey. Got a visual treat of the surroundings. Could see the tiny Statue of Liberty. Comfortable journey. Was ecstatic to spot the Cathedral of Learning. Met Sandeep in baggage claim.
12pm: At Ankit's place. Had a bath. Felt so comfortable. Ankit and Saurabh go for shopping. Both look so unfriendly. They were already suggesting me to find a different place soon. Couldn't stop myself from sleeping. Slept for a couple of hours till 6:20pm. Did nothing. Ate nothing. Went for a long stroll. Felt a tinge of homesickness, but was still tired. Met Ankit's friends. They were fun. Was happy to meet a Mysore guy. Was happy to talk in Kannada.
I shouldn't have come here.....
11 - Aug - 2008
9:30am: Got refreshed soon after a good night's sleep. Kept waking in the middle of the night because of jet lag. Forced myself to walk to the bus stop. Caught the Port Authority bus. Had fun. Tried to call home but in vain. Couldn't call Sandeep too, was a bit frustrated. Headed to PNC Bank and opened a bank account. Saw Manasi outside, but was in no mood to talk to her. Felt sick. Headed to Panther Central and got a Pitt ID too. Cool, things happen so fast and so smooth around here. Did not know what else to do. Was tired walking around long distances. Was a bit irritated as i couldn't talk to anyone.
3:15pm: Headed back home. Had a bit of a trouble finding ways. Gobbled whatever little i could. Drank juice. Head was heavy. Thought i'd probably call Sandeep later and slept. Woke up in between, Ankit had returned. I couldn't use his phone as he was unwilling to give it to me. Was even more frustrated. Tried calling Sandeep from outside. Did not work. Headed back home. I just needed to get out of Ankit's place. God! They were so unfriendly. They would not even talk to me ever. And were behaving so strangely, as if they hated me. Shit!
5:30pm: The guys had left. Slept again. This time, i was really homesick. Never dared to open my eyes until next morning. I was scared to get up. Did i do the right thing by coming here? Or is this the same question everyone asks themselves initially? I hate this God forsaken place. Gotta check how many floors the Cathedral has ... maybe i should jump off from there if things go terrible. I was so happy back home. Oh God !!!!
9:30am: Got refreshed soon after a good night's sleep. Kept waking in the middle of the night because of jet lag. Forced myself to walk to the bus stop. Caught the Port Authority bus. Had fun. Tried to call home but in vain. Couldn't call Sandeep too, was a bit frustrated. Headed to PNC Bank and opened a bank account. Saw Manasi outside, but was in no mood to talk to her. Felt sick. Headed to Panther Central and got a Pitt ID too. Cool, things happen so fast and so smooth around here. Did not know what else to do. Was tired walking around long distances. Was a bit irritated as i couldn't talk to anyone.
3:15pm: Headed back home. Had a bit of a trouble finding ways. Gobbled whatever little i could. Drank juice. Head was heavy. Thought i'd probably call Sandeep later and slept. Woke up in between, Ankit had returned. I couldn't use his phone as he was unwilling to give it to me. Was even more frustrated. Tried calling Sandeep from outside. Did not work. Headed back home. I just needed to get out of Ankit's place. God! They were so unfriendly. They would not even talk to me ever. And were behaving so strangely, as if they hated me. Shit!
5:30pm: The guys had left. Slept again. This time, i was really homesick. Never dared to open my eyes until next morning. I was scared to get up. Did i do the right thing by coming here? Or is this the same question everyone asks themselves initially? I hate this God forsaken place. Gotta check how many floors the Cathedral has ... maybe i should jump off from there if things go terrible. I was so happy back home. Oh God !!!!
Brighter times. Really?
12 - Aug - 2008
10am: I hope I can shift to Sandeep's place today. Met Vikram in William Pitt Union. He speaks Kannada. Amazing! Laughed so much at his antiques. First time I think I am laughing in this God forsaken place. Fun filled Tuesday morning. A close resemblance to the guy in 'Inscrutable Americans'. I was so happy to have met him, Made a few friends like Shreya, Sai, Anup and Deepak .
7:30pm: Finally shifted to Sandeep's place. Took nearly 30 minutes to find an entrance inside. Had to beg for someone's phone to give Sandeep a call. But what a scary place. There were beer bottles stacked up everywhere. The place stinks! The floor was sticky. The rooms were small and choking. Atleast I have a place, and atleast I have company. I better be thankful for that. Met Madhav and his girl friend K-Ann in the evening. Oh i hate Madhav too now. Went to his place - the Coronado apartments. Disgusting place, a dungeon really. How could Sandeep want to live in a place where you had to depend on artificial lighting all 24 hours. I pray we don't get this place. My first impression of Sandeep was real good. But looking at his friends and tastes, its scaring me a lot now.
9:30pm: Got a vegetarian pizza at Pizza Palermo. Really bad. Wasted 10$.
10:30pm: Scary night. Busy 5th avenue outside. Lovely Iral in the room. Jason nowhere to be seen. Sandeep fast asleep. Me, trying to.
2:45am: Half asleep. Weird sounds in the kitchen. Bottles fall. I see someone trying to come through the kitchen window from outside. I was scared stiff. A tall structure looms past me. I dared not to move even an inch. A burglar? A psycho? Or was this Jason? Possibly. Oh God, what have I put myself into. I am living with party animals, beer drinkers, live-in relationship kinda people in this terrible place and this terrible country. Felt homesick to the core. Its a phase, its just a phase.
10am: I hope I can shift to Sandeep's place today. Met Vikram in William Pitt Union. He speaks Kannada. Amazing! Laughed so much at his antiques. First time I think I am laughing in this God forsaken place. Fun filled Tuesday morning. A close resemblance to the guy in 'Inscrutable Americans'. I was so happy to have met him, Made a few friends like Shreya, Sai, Anup and Deepak .
7:30pm: Finally shifted to Sandeep's place. Took nearly 30 minutes to find an entrance inside. Had to beg for someone's phone to give Sandeep a call. But what a scary place. There were beer bottles stacked up everywhere. The place stinks! The floor was sticky. The rooms were small and choking. Atleast I have a place, and atleast I have company. I better be thankful for that. Met Madhav and his girl friend K-Ann in the evening. Oh i hate Madhav too now. Went to his place - the Coronado apartments. Disgusting place, a dungeon really. How could Sandeep want to live in a place where you had to depend on artificial lighting all 24 hours. I pray we don't get this place. My first impression of Sandeep was real good. But looking at his friends and tastes, its scaring me a lot now.
9:30pm: Got a vegetarian pizza at Pizza Palermo. Really bad. Wasted 10$.
10:30pm: Scary night. Busy 5th avenue outside. Lovely Iral in the room. Jason nowhere to be seen. Sandeep fast asleep. Me, trying to.
2:45am: Half asleep. Weird sounds in the kitchen. Bottles fall. I see someone trying to come through the kitchen window from outside. I was scared stiff. A tall structure looms past me. I dared not to move even an inch. A burglar? A psycho? Or was this Jason? Possibly. Oh God, what have I put myself into. I am living with party animals, beer drinkers, live-in relationship kinda people in this terrible place and this terrible country. Felt homesick to the core. Its a phase, its just a phase.
Downtown !
13 - Aug - 2008
8:20am: Got to downtown to meet the realtors of Coronado. What a place? This is USA. Huge structures. Amazing buildings. Thankfully our place was already taken by someone else. I don't have to live in that dungeon. Had a tough time finding my way back. Headed straight to orientation at WPU. Met Manasi, she seems well-settled in America. I was the one - most pathetic!
11am: Orientation was cool. Got fruits to eat. Kept meeting Manasi, had short conversations.
12pm: Sandeep and me start hunting for apartments. Found one filled with blacks somewhere near Baum Blvd. Ran out of that place. Found one in centre avenue. Seemed decent. Took it. Much much better than the dungeon, this was filled with light. Kitchen was huge. The room looked cute. Ate delicious rotis and had mango lassi at Gujju aunty's place. Had been a long time since I had eaten something that filled my stomach. Mind seems to be a bit stabilized now. But I really don't know.
8:20am: Got to downtown to meet the realtors of Coronado. What a place? This is USA. Huge structures. Amazing buildings. Thankfully our place was already taken by someone else. I don't have to live in that dungeon. Had a tough time finding my way back. Headed straight to orientation at WPU. Met Manasi, she seems well-settled in America. I was the one - most pathetic!
11am: Orientation was cool. Got fruits to eat. Kept meeting Manasi, had short conversations.
12pm: Sandeep and me start hunting for apartments. Found one filled with blacks somewhere near Baum Blvd. Ran out of that place. Found one in centre avenue. Seemed decent. Took it. Much much better than the dungeon, this was filled with light. Kitchen was huge. The room looked cute. Ate delicious rotis and had mango lassi at Gujju aunty's place. Had been a long time since I had eaten something that filled my stomach. Mind seems to be a bit stabilized now. But I really don't know.
Orientation Day 2
14 - Aug - 2008
Broke locks of my baggage as I had forgotten the combination.Was eager to hear about cultural shock in the second day of orientation. Ate a sandwich in Subway. Enjoyed the company of Pratik and Vikram. Spent a lot of time with them. Spoke to Sandeep for a long time in the evening and night. Saw each other's family photos. Went to Pizza Pallerma for dinner. This time, it was much better. Slowly enjoying Sandeep's company. Seems like as long as i am with him, i am never homesick.
Broke locks of my baggage as I had forgotten the combination.Was eager to hear about cultural shock in the second day of orientation. Ate a sandwich in Subway. Enjoyed the company of Pratik and Vikram. Spent a lot of time with them. Spoke to Sandeep for a long time in the evening and night. Saw each other's family photos. Went to Pizza Pallerma for dinner. This time, it was much better. Slowly enjoying Sandeep's company. Seems like as long as i am with him, i am never homesick.
Home sweet Home
15 - Aug - 2008
10am: Spoke to Jason about his family and about life in India. He seems to be a nice guy really. My freaking out was totally unnecessary. He is so attached to his family that he is planning to meet his parents that weekend. Hmmm, Americans !
11:30am: Paid for rent. Management seems poor, as expected. Cooking range still not working. Headed to the library and had long chats with Sumanthu, Mouna and Ishita.
3pm: Went to Vikram's place in Squirrel Hill and had a long chat with him. Did not like his place so much. Moved to my place and began unpacking stuff. Finally! Felt a bit homesick. Was alone at home. Longed for some company. Badly missed Arya. Tears did fill my eyes frequently.
10am: Spoke to Jason about his family and about life in India. He seems to be a nice guy really. My freaking out was totally unnecessary. He is so attached to his family that he is planning to meet his parents that weekend. Hmmm, Americans !
11:30am: Paid for rent. Management seems poor, as expected. Cooking range still not working. Headed to the library and had long chats with Sumanthu, Mouna and Ishita.
3pm: Went to Vikram's place in Squirrel Hill and had a long chat with him. Did not like his place so much. Moved to my place and began unpacking stuff. Finally! Felt a bit homesick. Was alone at home. Longed for some company. Badly missed Arya. Tears did fill my eyes frequently.
Adaptation
16 - Aug - 2008
9:30am: Headed to WPU and called Arsikere. Thankfully Chaitra picked up. I was dying to hear her voice. Spoke to almost everyone there. Felt great.
1:30pm: Couldn't find lunch anywhere. Did a bit of shopping at CVS. Had bread finally.
6pm: Headed to GSPH for Swades movie screening - Independence day special. Still felt slightly homesick as I spent the whole day alone. Took the company of Vikram, Sandeep and Melanie for watching the movie. Melanie happens to be a Manglorean. Spoke to Shivayogi finally. Thanked him sincerely for his help for arranging a bad temporary accommodation place. Loved the movie again. Had some good pizza and mountain dew. Loved the night. Spent it chatting, making fun, fooling around. Almost 11 when we left the place.
9:30am: Headed to WPU and called Arsikere. Thankfully Chaitra picked up. I was dying to hear her voice. Spoke to almost everyone there. Felt great.
1:30pm: Couldn't find lunch anywhere. Did a bit of shopping at CVS. Had bread finally.
6pm: Headed to GSPH for Swades movie screening - Independence day special. Still felt slightly homesick as I spent the whole day alone. Took the company of Vikram, Sandeep and Melanie for watching the movie. Melanie happens to be a Manglorean. Spoke to Shivayogi finally. Thanked him sincerely for his help for arranging a bad temporary accommodation place. Loved the movie again. Had some good pizza and mountain dew. Loved the night. Spent it chatting, making fun, fooling around. Almost 11 when we left the place.
Independence Day
17 - Aug - 2008
11am: Headed to Cathedral of Learning for the Independence Day celebration, since I was unable to find the Falk Library. Checked out the cathedral. Awesome place. Looked like Hogwarts from Harry Potter. Went along with the parade. Saw a few cultural programs. Was excellent!
12-30pm: Headed towards Falk Library again. What a walk uphill? Got lost inside Children's Hospital UPMC. Took 20 minutes to find the way out of the building. Scary place. Finally found it. Met Vikram there too. Got back home early. Badly homesick again. I thought things had gotten better, but I have been continuously hit by homesickness. God save me !
11am: Headed to Cathedral of Learning for the Independence Day celebration, since I was unable to find the Falk Library. Checked out the cathedral. Awesome place. Looked like Hogwarts from Harry Potter. Went along with the parade. Saw a few cultural programs. Was excellent!
12-30pm: Headed towards Falk Library again. What a walk uphill? Got lost inside Children's Hospital UPMC. Took 20 minutes to find the way out of the building. Scary place. Finally found it. Met Vikram there too. Got back home early. Badly homesick again. I thought things had gotten better, but I have been continuously hit by homesickness. God save me !
Mexican Food
18 - Aug - 2008
10:30am: Called Bharath's place and spoke to almost everyone.
1pm: Attended the check in session of OIS. Registered for classes. Still not sure about the funding and GSR situation. Had a long talk in Google with Sharath in the evening. Felt lonely in the evening, so called Sandeep for dinner.
8-30pm: Met at DeSoto street and headed towards Chipotle, the Mexican Grill place. Tried a Burrito bowl veggie. Seemed good. It had beans, rice (like pulav), onion, capsicum (!!) and some more stuff. Was not very filling but wasn't that bad either.
9-30pm: Took a long walk with Sandeep to the Peterson's Center. Spent a lot of time there. The view of the UPMC structures were lovely. Talked a lot about movies. Had great fun. We share so much in common. Our thinking, our ideals all match so well. Headed home a lot more cheerful.
10:30am: Called Bharath's place and spoke to almost everyone.
1pm: Attended the check in session of OIS. Registered for classes. Still not sure about the funding and GSR situation. Had a long talk in Google with Sharath in the evening. Felt lonely in the evening, so called Sandeep for dinner.
8-30pm: Met at DeSoto street and headed towards Chipotle, the Mexican Grill place. Tried a Burrito bowl veggie. Seemed good. It had beans, rice (like pulav), onion, capsicum (!!) and some more stuff. Was not very filling but wasn't that bad either.
9-30pm: Took a long walk with Sandeep to the Peterson's Center. Spent a lot of time there. The view of the UPMC structures were lovely. Talked a lot about movies. Had great fun. We share so much in common. Our thinking, our ideals all match so well. Headed home a lot more cheerful.
Shopping
19 - Aug - 2008
12pm: Checked out AT&T plans in Radio Shack. Was so happy to find a blackberry for 30$. Promised myself that I'll get one of that.
2pm: Was even more ecstatic to find the cooking range working at home. Decided to experiment. Tried the instant tomato baath. Was alright.
6-30: Took a long walk to Sandeep's place. We then headed towards Waterfront for shopping at 'Target'. Target was overwhelming. I later learnt that Walmart would be even bigger. Did a lot of shopping of nearly a hundred bucks. Ate lots of Pringles.
10pm: Ate frozen cheese pizza at Sandeep's place. Was lovely. Decided to sleep there itself. Could not sleep that well.
12pm: Checked out AT&T plans in Radio Shack. Was so happy to find a blackberry for 30$. Promised myself that I'll get one of that.
2pm: Was even more ecstatic to find the cooking range working at home. Decided to experiment. Tried the instant tomato baath. Was alright.
6-30: Took a long walk to Sandeep's place. We then headed towards Waterfront for shopping at 'Target'. Target was overwhelming. I later learnt that Walmart would be even bigger. Did a lot of shopping of nearly a hundred bucks. Ate lots of Pringles.
10pm: Ate frozen cheese pizza at Sandeep's place. Was lovely. Decided to sleep there itself. Could not sleep that well.
Pratyush comes
20 - Aug - 2008
11am: Headed to Radio Shack and took the risk of getting a connection. Disheartened to find Blackberry a lot more expensive. It had hidden costs. Took a Sony Ericcson w580i instead. It seemed cute. Did a lot of cleaning at home. Waited for Pratyush. He would be staying at our place temporarily.
6-30pm: Headed to Kohli's for shopping. Headed back in 71A bus to find Pratyush inside. Made him get down in a wrong stop leading to a lot of embarrassment for me. He must have been worried about our empty apartment. He talked about himself and his greatness for a long time. Thank God he stopped. The idiot speaks very well, but unfortunately only about his greatness.
9-30pm: We made parathas. Was good. Saw some stupid 'I dream of Jeannie' comedy serial in his laptop. This guy is weird. He and his affinity to old people and old comedy shows and old music. He's 26, older than me for sure! Talked with Raamu for a long time and answered his questions as though I was attending an interview. He finally decided to send the money.
11am: Headed to Radio Shack and took the risk of getting a connection. Disheartened to find Blackberry a lot more expensive. It had hidden costs. Took a Sony Ericcson w580i instead. It seemed cute. Did a lot of cleaning at home. Waited for Pratyush. He would be staying at our place temporarily.
6-30pm: Headed to Kohli's for shopping. Headed back in 71A bus to find Pratyush inside. Made him get down in a wrong stop leading to a lot of embarrassment for me. He must have been worried about our empty apartment. He talked about himself and his greatness for a long time. Thank God he stopped. The idiot speaks very well, but unfortunately only about his greatness.
9-30pm: We made parathas. Was good. Saw some stupid 'I dream of Jeannie' comedy serial in his laptop. This guy is weird. He and his affinity to old people and old comedy shows and old music. He's 26, older than me for sure! Talked with Raamu for a long time and answered his questions as though I was attending an interview. He finally decided to send the money.
Department Orientation Begins
1pm: Met Advaitha and Sreya at the orientation session of our department. Excited to meet my fellow colleagues. Had some fun and boring orientation sessions. Spent time with Sreya. Talked for a long time with Madhav. I slowly began finding Madhav fun. His words were encouraging. The last dean's round was fun. Met HeeJung, the South Korean from our department. She's nice. Felt great to talk to a lot of people. Headed home with Pratyush. Got lots of parathas. Saw I dream of Jeannie again.
10-30pm: Took a long walk along Shadyside. Was good talking about a variety of topics. The buggar Pratyush really speaks well. Reminds me of Shashi from my mom's side. But these days i'm a bit ok as Pratyush is around ... atleast i am not alone at home.
Department Orientation Day 2
22 - Aug - 2008
8-30am: Another set of orientation sessions. Was a bit boring this time. Loved the department orientation though! Was shocked to realize that there are only 3 PhD students including me. Was a bit proud of myself too ! And was amazed to find Jatinder, my colleague. The guy is so funny. And he's a biotechnologist too, the jack of all trades type. Overall, I enjoyed the day, and I loved my department. Was a pleasure to meet Dr. Feingold. She was such a nice lady.
6pm: Headed to Heinz Chapel and St. Paul's church with Sandeep. Loved both places. Spent a lot of time at Sandeep's place. Went to Tamarind for dinner. Had Chole Bhatura. Ahhh! What a pleasure! Great night. Loved Sandeep's company again.
8-30am: Another set of orientation sessions. Was a bit boring this time. Loved the department orientation though! Was shocked to realize that there are only 3 PhD students including me. Was a bit proud of myself too ! And was amazed to find Jatinder, my colleague. The guy is so funny. And he's a biotechnologist too, the jack of all trades type. Overall, I enjoyed the day, and I loved my department. Was a pleasure to meet Dr. Feingold. She was such a nice lady.
6pm: Headed to Heinz Chapel and St. Paul's church with Sandeep. Loved both places. Spent a lot of time at Sandeep's place. Went to Tamarind for dinner. Had Chole Bhatura. Ahhh! What a pleasure! Great night. Loved Sandeep's company again.
Walmart
23 - Aug - 2008
2pm: Headed towards Walmart. Not such an impressive place. Looked similar to Target. Sandeep did a lot of shopping. I couldn't decide on what to buy, a sleeping bag, quilt, comforter, shoes. Nothing impressed me. Got wonderful lighting for the hall for a cheap 5$. Took some photos. Dumped stuff at my place. Ate some more parathas and naan. Had a nice walk with Pratyush again.
2pm: Headed towards Walmart. Not such an impressive place. Looked similar to Target. Sandeep did a lot of shopping. I couldn't decide on what to buy, a sleeping bag, quilt, comforter, shoes. Nothing impressed me. Got wonderful lighting for the hall for a cheap 5$. Took some photos. Dumped stuff at my place. Ate some more parathas and naan. Had a nice walk with Pratyush again.
Welcome Day !
25 - Aug - 2008
4pm: Kept worrying about how the class would be. Had a picnic in WPU. Ate well. Loved the cookies. I remember eating four. Walked with Advaitha and Jeet to GSPH.
5:30pm: Class in an auditorium! With nearly 110 of them. Statistics was going to be tough, atleast that was the impression given to us. A part of it went above my head. A part of it was assimilated. Time dragged on painfully. Weird class. Really weird. But I survived the first day. And the next day promised more interesting classes.
4pm: Kept worrying about how the class would be. Had a picnic in WPU. Ate well. Loved the cookies. I remember eating four. Walked with Advaitha and Jeet to GSPH.
5:30pm: Class in an auditorium! With nearly 110 of them. Statistics was going to be tough, atleast that was the impression given to us. A part of it went above my head. A part of it was assimilated. Time dragged on painfully. Weird class. Really weird. But I survived the first day. And the next day promised more interesting classes.
Shock !
26 - Aug - 2008
9:30am: Dr. Finegold's class promises good fun. But not really. Everything went above my head. Was too tough to comprehend. Was petrified about the assignments and exams. How the hell will I manage all of this?
5:30pm: A very slow dragging class from Dr. Songer. But atleast I understood most of it. And to a certain extent, I was prepared for class too. But what a slow class? His class was being recorded on an iPod and that would be uploaded online. How weird is that?
7pm: Got a rude shock. The security deposit check was presented to the bank and it bounced. A bounced check! That does not seem so pleasant in a place like America. I'L be fined like hell. Night, got kind of a court notice or a warning letter from Lobos Management. This is getting scary. I am financially broke. I am not the only one to blame though. But my financial management was pretty bad this time. I may lose out on nearly 80 dollars. That's close to three thousand bucks. Shit !
9:30am: Dr. Finegold's class promises good fun. But not really. Everything went above my head. Was too tough to comprehend. Was petrified about the assignments and exams. How the hell will I manage all of this?
5:30pm: A very slow dragging class from Dr. Songer. But atleast I understood most of it. And to a certain extent, I was prepared for class too. But what a slow class? His class was being recorded on an iPod and that would be uploaded online. How weird is that?
7pm: Got a rude shock. The security deposit check was presented to the bank and it bounced. A bounced check! That does not seem so pleasant in a place like America. I'L be fined like hell. Night, got kind of a court notice or a warning letter from Lobos Management. This is getting scary. I am financially broke. I am not the only one to blame though. But my financial management was pretty bad this time. I may lose out on nearly 80 dollars. That's close to three thousand bucks. Shit !
The Grand Meal !
27 - Aug - 2008
9am: Usual classes. Started off with Dr. Gollin. Old weird lady. But her class is bound to get more interesting. Met her after class. She gave a couple of hints to find a professor but was not of big help.
1:30pm: After hearing the sad news that PNC will be charging me with 31$ overdraft fees too, I head towards Dr. Kamboh's office. He seemed ok. Asked me to relax. His questions were a bit puzzling, as though he was testing me mentally. His words were comforting though.
8:15pm: Headed to Tandoor with Sandeep and his cousin sister Lavanya. And i was expecting some old lady to come. Lavanya was pretty cool with almost everything. She made us eat heavily. Ah ! What a satisfactory dinner. And that too to end it with Mango Lassi. Prices were reasonable too. Just one class the next day. Hope I can apply for Social Security Number. Wanted to sleep early. But talked a lot about friends with Sandeep. So slept at 11-40pm. Hope I get money soon. I need it real bad.
29 - Aug - 2008
9am: Why the hell did I ever come here? Oh God that question again. Classes are so tough. The worst part is, either the other students are too experienced, or they just understand everything. Its just Advaitha and me seeing stars. Jatinder seems to have dropped out of this course. And Advaitha still pretends to understand everything. HeeJung must be in a better position too. Atleast she has taken her stuff seriously and is already working on it. Already i feel bad about missing an epidemiology class yesterday evening, and now I am not able to understand anything. How the hell does everyone know that Down's Syndrome is not just trisomy 21? That's what we have always known for such a long time. I am starting off way behind others, and I don't even have proper lab skills to show off. This is going to be really really tough. At one end, its great to be in a place where everyone are the experts, i know not everyone is qualified to be here doing a PhD. Getting to Pitt itself is such a tough thing to do and its amazing I am here today. At the same time, it gets so frustrating when there is not even a single course that I am good at. Now my basics are showing. I guess its the usual mantra 'hang on' and things will surely get better.
11:15am: Seemed to have got the wire transfer of 979 bucks. Finally i get to own a laptop. Awesome! Atleast my financial status is slowly improving.
04 - Sep - 2008
1pm: Eagerly waiting for my laptop. Amazing timing. Headed back soon from college and found the UPS truck standing close to my place. Finally got my machine. It was awesome! Really good steal! I am so happy today. Now Sumanthu and me can chat forever!
5 - Sep - 2008
3:30pm: Andria, Kate and Sarah accompany me on an amazing ride to Pymatuning. It was sad i could not get a picture of them. But they were good company. My idea of Sarah being bad company was totally wrong. In fact, she was much nicer than the other two. What more do I want in USA than a joyful 2 hour ride with 3 American girls.
7pm: After some fun moments with ping pong and pool, I tried my hand in the game flip cup. I was surprisingly good in it. Could do the flip on my first attempt twice. It was intense, there was a lot of adrenaline rush, and it was damn fun! Thanks to Sarah who pushed me into this. Had a tiring night. Spoke to Janani and Manjula midnight. Me and my time sense!
6 - Sep - 2008
6:30am: A futile attempt to catch the sunrise. Spoke to Dr. Ferrell about the lotuses! Had a boring morning session of talks. Talked to Manu, but could not talk to Navya. Sad!
4pm: Canoed with Jatinder and almost ran into big trouble with the swift current and a canoe that refused to turn. But it was an amazing experience, something I thought I would miss. The ferry ride was more boring although the wind hit you a lot harder than when we canoed. Played a hard game of soccer for nearly 90 minutes. I realized i am pretty bad at forward position but a real good defender. My legs lost their function completely.
10pm: Peaceful night. Gazed at the solar system for a long time. Lots of stars, a satellite too. Had an amazing sleep.
7 - Sep - 2008
10am: Bid goodbye to Pymatuning. Had a fun filled talk with Mouna almost for an hour. It was also the celebration of my one month completion at Pittsburgh. Greeted Sandeep with a smile. Got shelves for our living room. Sandeep shopped more at Target but I refused to accompany him. My legs were like that of a handicapped person.
I have successfully completed 1 month at Pittsburgh. It was tough, but the journey has been amazing. I continue this journal only at the time I head back home to India. This journal has helped me a lot, to clear my head, to vent my frustrations, to express my happiness. I think I can manage on my own from now. It was a good experience writing here. My emotions varied each time. Now, i am on my own. It is still a long way to go. But i hope the journey is going to be worth it in the end. Will log back hopefully when the time comes to head back to home. Every moment spent when I called back home, called to Bharath and Sumanth, called Chaitra, Sudhanva and Madhuri, Kavya, Vikki, everything was so wonderful. I still know i depend on my friends and cousins back home a lot to keep in touch and to keep me happy. They will do that, no doubt about it. Every time it looked like they needed me, and this time, I needed them the most. There were times I felt I was pathetic. A fully grown 23-yr old guy, crying because he's staying away from his mommy. But again, it showed how much and how deep my attachments were. Arsikere was not just my native place ... i identified my memories with that place. I have never gone far away from home, i still do not know my way around the south of Bangalore. And to stay around 8000 miles away is really no joke. And staying here, in its own way is tougher than staying in a hostel. From cooking to cleaning, everything has to be managed by me in a place where the concept of vegetarian is so vague.
Of course, back home, my parents think i have only had a good time here. Let them think that way, i don't want my parents to start worrying. I shall only say the good and sweet stories to them.
From being a pathetic homesick guy to giving a seminar to other homesick people asking them to cheer up ... it was quite a change. But i changed fast. That amazed me. Never trusted myself to do that so fast. And the Manasi, who i thought was well settled was homesick to the core. The seminar was mainly addressed for her and Shreya.
Sandeep was probably not that homesick because he got to stay at his aunt's place in Atlanta before he came to Pitt. That was a nice transition. But i give credit to Sandeep for helping me a lot. He unknowingly helped me settle well in this dreadful country.
Today ... Sandeep and me stand at the center of our group of friends ... and the journey was so amazing. I think this is the point i can stop writing. Life is never a bed of roses always, you just have to take the thorns as you enjoy the flower. Adios.
9am: Usual classes. Started off with Dr. Gollin. Old weird lady. But her class is bound to get more interesting. Met her after class. She gave a couple of hints to find a professor but was not of big help.
1:30pm: After hearing the sad news that PNC will be charging me with 31$ overdraft fees too, I head towards Dr. Kamboh's office. He seemed ok. Asked me to relax. His questions were a bit puzzling, as though he was testing me mentally. His words were comforting though.
8:15pm: Headed to Tandoor with Sandeep and his cousin sister Lavanya. And i was expecting some old lady to come. Lavanya was pretty cool with almost everything. She made us eat heavily. Ah ! What a satisfactory dinner. And that too to end it with Mango Lassi. Prices were reasonable too. Just one class the next day. Hope I can apply for Social Security Number. Wanted to sleep early. But talked a lot about friends with Sandeep. So slept at 11-40pm. Hope I get money soon. I need it real bad.
Screwing Time !
9am: Why the hell did I ever come here? Oh God that question again. Classes are so tough. The worst part is, either the other students are too experienced, or they just understand everything. Its just Advaitha and me seeing stars. Jatinder seems to have dropped out of this course. And Advaitha still pretends to understand everything. HeeJung must be in a better position too. Atleast she has taken her stuff seriously and is already working on it. Already i feel bad about missing an epidemiology class yesterday evening, and now I am not able to understand anything. How the hell does everyone know that Down's Syndrome is not just trisomy 21? That's what we have always known for such a long time. I am starting off way behind others, and I don't even have proper lab skills to show off. This is going to be really really tough. At one end, its great to be in a place where everyone are the experts, i know not everyone is qualified to be here doing a PhD. Getting to Pitt itself is such a tough thing to do and its amazing I am here today. At the same time, it gets so frustrating when there is not even a single course that I am good at. Now my basics are showing. I guess its the usual mantra 'hang on' and things will surely get better.
11:15am: Seemed to have got the wire transfer of 979 bucks. Finally i get to own a laptop. Awesome! Atleast my financial status is slowly improving.
Got a lappie!
1pm: Eagerly waiting for my laptop. Amazing timing. Headed back soon from college and found the UPS truck standing close to my place. Finally got my machine. It was awesome! Really good steal! I am so happy today. Now Sumanthu and me can chat forever!
Pymatuning Day 1
3:30pm: Andria, Kate and Sarah accompany me on an amazing ride to Pymatuning. It was sad i could not get a picture of them. But they were good company. My idea of Sarah being bad company was totally wrong. In fact, she was much nicer than the other two. What more do I want in USA than a joyful 2 hour ride with 3 American girls.
7pm: After some fun moments with ping pong and pool, I tried my hand in the game flip cup. I was surprisingly good in it. Could do the flip on my first attempt twice. It was intense, there was a lot of adrenaline rush, and it was damn fun! Thanks to Sarah who pushed me into this. Had a tiring night. Spoke to Janani and Manjula midnight. Me and my time sense!
Pyamtuning Day 2
6:30am: A futile attempt to catch the sunrise. Spoke to Dr. Ferrell about the lotuses! Had a boring morning session of talks. Talked to Manu, but could not talk to Navya. Sad!
4pm: Canoed with Jatinder and almost ran into big trouble with the swift current and a canoe that refused to turn. But it was an amazing experience, something I thought I would miss. The ferry ride was more boring although the wind hit you a lot harder than when we canoed. Played a hard game of soccer for nearly 90 minutes. I realized i am pretty bad at forward position but a real good defender. My legs lost their function completely.
10pm: Peaceful night. Gazed at the solar system for a long time. Lots of stars, a satellite too. Had an amazing sleep.
Goodbye for now!
10am: Bid goodbye to Pymatuning. Had a fun filled talk with Mouna almost for an hour. It was also the celebration of my one month completion at Pittsburgh. Greeted Sandeep with a smile. Got shelves for our living room. Sandeep shopped more at Target but I refused to accompany him. My legs were like that of a handicapped person.
I have successfully completed 1 month at Pittsburgh. It was tough, but the journey has been amazing. I continue this journal only at the time I head back home to India. This journal has helped me a lot, to clear my head, to vent my frustrations, to express my happiness. I think I can manage on my own from now. It was a good experience writing here. My emotions varied each time. Now, i am on my own. It is still a long way to go. But i hope the journey is going to be worth it in the end. Will log back hopefully when the time comes to head back to home. Every moment spent when I called back home, called to Bharath and Sumanth, called Chaitra, Sudhanva and Madhuri, Kavya, Vikki, everything was so wonderful. I still know i depend on my friends and cousins back home a lot to keep in touch and to keep me happy. They will do that, no doubt about it. Every time it looked like they needed me, and this time, I needed them the most. There were times I felt I was pathetic. A fully grown 23-yr old guy, crying because he's staying away from his mommy. But again, it showed how much and how deep my attachments were. Arsikere was not just my native place ... i identified my memories with that place. I have never gone far away from home, i still do not know my way around the south of Bangalore. And to stay around 8000 miles away is really no joke. And staying here, in its own way is tougher than staying in a hostel. From cooking to cleaning, everything has to be managed by me in a place where the concept of vegetarian is so vague.
Of course, back home, my parents think i have only had a good time here. Let them think that way, i don't want my parents to start worrying. I shall only say the good and sweet stories to them.
From being a pathetic homesick guy to giving a seminar to other homesick people asking them to cheer up ... it was quite a change. But i changed fast. That amazed me. Never trusted myself to do that so fast. And the Manasi, who i thought was well settled was homesick to the core. The seminar was mainly addressed for her and Shreya.
Sandeep was probably not that homesick because he got to stay at his aunt's place in Atlanta before he came to Pitt. That was a nice transition. But i give credit to Sandeep for helping me a lot. He unknowingly helped me settle well in this dreadful country.
Today ... Sandeep and me stand at the center of our group of friends ... and the journey was so amazing. I think this is the point i can stop writing. Life is never a bed of roses always, you just have to take the thorns as you enjoy the flower. Adios.
