New place, new beginning...

'You may proceed. Have a pleasant stay.' The airport security guy said maintaining a tough look.
As we exited the port of entry, a sudden reality check of being in States engulfed me.
I looked around and greeted a new world. People rushed pacing their way whereas I strolled like a tortoise reading every board and not missing any announcement in a different accent. :) It was music to my ears! The thought of starting afresh in a new country amidst new surroundings and new people was exciting and scary at the same time.

As we stepped out of the airport I was frozen in a nano second. The chilled wind hugged me tight. I jumped into the cab without wasting any time. I couldn't stop shivering and was scared that my teeth would chew down my tongue.

'Hi, How are you guys doing?' our taxi driver said.
'Very well, thank you.' Tarunn exchanged the greetings.
'Wh..y is it ssso cold.' I said in a shaky voice rubbing my palms together. It was almost 2 Celsius (35 Fahrenheit)!
He chuckled and said, 'Oh, it's a warm day.'
'Hell no!' I smiled.
My eyes were glued on undulated, far-flung landscapes. Sun played hide-and-seek through clouds, showering its smile on and off. Moving on the highway, speeds of vehicles scared me for a bit, but I got over it quickly. We stopped at a signal and I could not help, but notice the traffic lights hanging on wires and dwindling with the wind. I hoped they don't crash land on one of the cars because of high wind speeds. In India we have traffic light posts (which most people don't follow). Everyone stopped peacefully here with absolutely no honking. Ah!! I thought to myself, what a difference. By now people would have honked your brains out to get ahead half past the red signal in India and few would have jumped it as well.

Go Green!! In a flash of a moment our driver took a sharp turn to the right and my heart stopped.
'Oh no no no, watch out! We are in a wrong lane!' I shrieked.
'Its right side drive here. Happens with all. Is it your first time to States?' He said in a very friendly relaxed tone.
'Oh yes. What was I thinking? So silly of me.' I covered my face with hands in embarrassment.
A few seconds of silence, as I calmed down, we all laughed like freaks.

Just like the opposite side drive, life has also taken a new turn. Unseen pathways and new beginning. There's a weird excitement.

Finally, we reached the hotel. As Tarunn cleared the bill for taxi, I collected the room keys from reception. After few minutes, I wondered where Tarunn went. I went out from warm cosy area to the windy extreme looking for him. He waved at me standing next to the line of suitcases.
'Why standing in cold?'
'We need to drag the suitcases ourselves.'
'What? You've got to be kidding!'
He smiled, 'That's how it is here,'
'Good lord! In India tip 100 rupees and people will carry you to the room as well. Haha.' I blabbered as we carried all the loaded suitcases to our room.

Jet lagged plus enervated, I couldn't control the urge to dive into bed. We have had our share of crazy days of winding up an innings in Bangalore. Along with it, series of late night send off parties by friends and family. Life had just squeezed to limited number of suitcases that we could carry with us.

I woke up rubbing my eyes in dark. God, how much did I sleep? Is it the next night? I searched for my watch. It was three in the morning. What a jerk, I should sleep again. After multiple failed attempts, I got up irritated to the core, grabbed my phone and read series of messages from friends.
'Gosh you are in States! I always wanted to be there. How are you liking it? My dear friend typed with thousands of smilies. :)
'Umm, so far so good.' I typed thoughtfully.
'Great, where in States?'
'Michigan.'
'You don't sound that excited.' she intervened.
'And, you are overexcited.' :) I giggled while I typed,
All sounded like being in States was a biggie and I should have been extremely excited. I wondered and asked myself as to how I was feeling.

Well, was it a dream for me to come here?
Not even a daydream with open eyes. :P

Is it a life changing thing?
It's definitely a new phase. And, every phase has its own charm.

Am I excited?
Yes, there is a childlike excitement of exploring the new world around, of knowing and experiencing. But surely I miss something. Maybe my friends in States can correlate well with missing-something-feeling of mine.