Its a bit premature, since I've a month to go. However,I'll be in India at that time and my reflections may be influenced by my experience there, and hence the haste.
The story begins when I landed at the airport at SFO, in the last week of August. It was a tiring flight and I was unwell, so there was more relief than enthusiasm. I usually feel a thrill of expectation whenever I land, irrespective of whether it is Madras or Madrid, Bombay or Beauvaix. Immigration and Airports are the same around the world, clean, crisp and refreshingly efficient*. And it was a pleasant surprise that SFO was among the few airports not indulging in racial profiling (I'm not particularly against that method- from a rational standpoint, it is more efficient than brute-force search, but less effective than heuristic search).
It was great to see my cousins in the crowd. I was surprised that the younger was taller than the older cuz, given the age gap. And realized that family is one of the greatest gifts I inherited. And that there is something about blood-ties, which trumps all but a handful of other relationships. And that years of absence were immaterial when it came to family.
Then the highways and a beautiful home. I loved it. And hated the distance from India. I was living in a dichotomy, torn between the heart and the brain. The brain had won when I left IN, and it lost when I landed. IT took me a while to get used to the space, the sky, the water, the silence, the small comforts. It gave me time to heal, not just the sore throat but the pangs of separation. Again, family played a major part in the healing process.
It was soon time to leave for LA, and by now I was enthusiastic and excited! It was an adventure driving down and I met a lot of people at the time. It was new and different and incredibly beautiful. I felt a rush of independence. And the cash I earned was an added bonus.
The first quarter was tough. Every day of the quarter, beyond the first 3 weeks, was a painful blur of heart-rending soul-destroying darkness, exacerbated by YOU-KNOW-WHAT, but somehow Los Angeles healed me and for that I'm eternally grateful to her. Her constancy in bright sunshine, in the gentleness of rains and the happiness reflected in her people all helped. Also, I was living healthy- walking a lot, breathing good air, living frugally (much more so than I would in IN) and eating healthier. And lets not forget salsa nights at Wockano and Zanzibar.
From New Years on, things improved :) I made progress at work and at friendships; also obtained an internship. Learnt, partied, and felt more cathartic about what I'd left behind. And throughout I became more independent. I was finally ready to embrace this country as my own**.
*Note (2015): It's amazing that I found the airports "efficient" back then. #RelativismGoggles
**Huh.
