I never really understood Einstein's theory of relativity, or the likes of it as understood by the commons. Not until now. As I bounce today on my seat listening to RHCP (suggested by a very dear friend of mine) without grasping a single word of the Zephyr song, I contemplate on the semester that passed by me like a storm raging in fiercely but leaving me unhurt. Except for an additional inch of hair that grew in my scalp, I wonder what part of me changed in this roller coaster ride in USA. I still feel the same way for cricket as I felt for the shiny penny that lay on the road, I still yearn for mouthfuls of fried prawns when my roomie slams the plate of 'dal bhat' in front of me on a cheerful Friday, I still clean my nose with the skill of a sculptor carving an exotic masterpiece and my heart still beats for my people who live far far away in a place, untouched by sophistication and artificiality.
But the truth remains, four whole months have passed in front of eyes and I have gone through a phase in life called the transience, a fleeting time filled with enormous energy, which showed me a whole new life beyond the mundane. "I am living a dream" is what I tell my friends when they ask me "How's life out there?" Right from the act of using tissues to avoid the rigorous washing of hands to the convenience of swiping a card for any damn transaction, life in USA is what you call 'Smooth'... And if you have funds, life could move from 'smooth' to 'luxurious' in a snap. When I traveled in the congested local trains, I never gave much thought to the idea of finding a cushioned seat near a window every time time you climbed in. Or when I traveled in a bus, I would more often jump off the bus way before the stop arrived. The concept of bus and train doors closing in and finding seats empty define luxury for this Mumbaikar.
There is so much to say about these four months, but so little patience in me that I would not write ahead at all. But the weird notion of someone wasting their valuable time reading this blog pushes me to jot down some adjectives and nouns for the sake of creating a picture of my life before the poor reader's eyes. Let me begin from my home, away from home.
My home. A grand house built of bricks and wood in Cedar lane as a part of a row of similar houses.
