அன்னியன் - Anniyan

18.04.2005

New Ark, US

Whew!!! Such a big airport, so many people moving around and suddenly you feel alien like among them. So many shops of chocolates, drinks, eatables all were eye catchy. The I-94 procedure, it was so much blown up and it was nothing. They just asked my passport and to fill in a form and everything was done. Even after I left the counter and to collect my lug gages,

I was still thinking did I miss any counter, did I miss any procedure, have I escaped through any wrong entrance, what will happen if they catch me for skipping a procedure, more confused (or feared ;-)

My first $ was spent was for getting a Cart to keep the lug gages (3$). While collecting lug gages also, I was told that maximum cases they get lost, so I was keen in collecting my lug gages, and my luck or so both the suitcases came safely.

Then went out to find out where to report next for the connecting local flight. Roamed here and there (didn’t feel like calmly sit and watch around the people, the new place) and found the counter and got the pass. I had to wait for another 2 hours. Now I get time to look around things.

The shoe polish counter was the first one I was looking very strangely, a chair fitted to the chair in a pretty good height, both the guy who comes to polish his shoes and the one who polish the shoes sit in their comfortable places to do their work and get their work done. Hmm… so no job is considered as mean here, that’s a nice thing to know first.

The kid and his gigantic father playing, the group of college guys and girls sitting behind, it was very different when you are a foreigner, rather than you watching a foreigner strangely, you are watched strangely. Don’t know when I slept, suddenly when I woke up, thank god it was right time.
Went for the flight and this domestic flight was much like a town bus, so narrow, so small. I didn’t get the feeling that I’m in a flight, until I watched outside the window after this took off. I used to think, the airhostess instructions and their actions in our domestic flights to be very mechanical, but the old (very old rather) female, announcing her did everything in a mechanical way. She seemed to talk very politely, over well mannered but everything was very mechanical, it looked as if she was programmed to do it.

It was an excellent view outside, the night view of the city , superb. Another 2 hours travel, and I reached Cincinnati airport.

Ohio, the state in which this city is located is the "Birth place of Aviation", yeah its here where the Wright brothers did their invention. Just felt for a moment, that I have come to the right place :-).Cincinnati, this city is famous for its lots of firsts.. few interesting things are…

1853 - First practical steam fire engine.

1869 - First city to establish a weather bureau.

1869 - First professional baseball team - Cincinnati Reds.

1902 - First concrete skyscraper built in the U.S. - the Ingalls Building.

1952 - First heart-lung machine - makes open heart surgery possible.

Ok… ok… enough of this history and geography, now is the real comedy starts.

After reaching, I went to collect my lug gages. I wanted a trolley now to put my lug gages. I found couple of trolley’s placed together in a place and when I tried to remove them, I couldn’t remove. I just started to pull very hard and then saw the notice that, I had to put 3$ to get one trolley out.
Huff!, 3$ for one trolley for just few minutes,

hmm.. ok now where will I go for 3$ exact coins to drop in. I had only denominations starting from 10$. I also couldn’t find any machines giving change. I was now confused what to do and was moving here and there to find anyway I could get some change.

There was an "Indian Thaatha" who watched me do all this funny things and he called me up. May be it was written in my forehead that I was confused, he understood what I was up to and he asked me to wait till his brother comes with some change. Then I asked him, where could I make a phone call, thank god, he gave his mobile to make a call and when the BRM attended the call, he shocked me, by saying he was expecting me by tomorrow only.

No accommodations arrangements made. Then immediately he made some arrangements and said and address. After the address, he said he’ll give the directions to it and started saying some numbers I-75,Exit 15, this that… I was thinking what directions he is giving, because I expected something like go straight, find this place turn left, turn right kind of directions. Anyhow, noted it down. Thanked the "Thaatha" for the call.

Now it was "Indian Paati" turn to help me, she took my 10$ note and inserted to the machine where the trolley is attached and it gave me the 7$ change back. The place she inserted the $ note was written as Bill, these people here mention the notes as Bills.

Huff!, I didn’t know this and I was looking only at the hole for the coins. Ok, first thing to be learnt here BILLS means $ notes :-).

Got a Cab (wow a Chevrolet as a cab, cool), and gave him the directions. Tried speaking to the cab driver to know about the place (just the same way I used to do wherever I go new), but this guy didn’t guy expect the passenger to talk to him other than the directions I think (don’t these people over here interact more than what they actually need?)

Reached the hotel, my ML/Team Member was waiting, checked in my lug gages and he took me to his house nearby to have dinner. Rice, Bengali food and that too home made food as my first meal in US. Tasty food or my hunger, I didn’t know that but had a good dinner :-). Called up home to inform that I reached.

Returned back to hotel with some bread, eggs, juice packs, sweets to survive for the next day.Tried to watch TV for sometime, and then feel asleep. My FIRST NIGHT ;-) in US, deep sleep without knowing what all comedies I’m going to do tomorrow.