Showing posts with label United States of America. Show all posts
The Story of Kirk - And the Life Lessons he Taught Me
I visited the West Coast for the very first time in 2014. I was staying at a hotel near Cocarane Plaza in Morgan Hill — a serene little village, a bit away from San Francisco. My office was at a walkable distance from the hotel, so I avoided taking an Uber most of the time.
 |
| With Kirk - Our Goodbye Moment in 2014 |
It was during one of my morning walks that I first noticed a man outside Walmart. His name was Kirk. I remember the day we shared a smile for the first time. He spent most of his day in the plaza outside Walmart, usually seated on the same bench. After a few days of passing by and exchanging glances, I finally initiated some casual conversation with him.
“Where do you stay?” I asked.
“This place is my home,” Kirk replied, pointing to the bench outside Walmart.
That’s when I understood — he had no home technically. At night, he slept somewhere near the freeway 101. That was his routine.
One sunny Saturday afternoon, with no particular plans, I decided to explore the shops around. I saw Kirk sleeping on his usual bench. I tried not to disturb him.
“Why don’t you buy a bicycle, Neeraj?” he asked as I passed by. I realized he wasn’t really asleep. I was impressed by his attentiveness. I smiled.
“Well Kirk, I’m here for just a month. I don’t want to buy any asset here,” the thoughtful finance guy within me responded instantly.
“You can donate it when you leave,” he said. “Donating is good for you. Don’t they practice giving there in India?” Kirk added.
I nodded and gave it some thought. Maybe he is expecting me to donate it to him, I thought. That day, I felt a bit disconnected from Kirk and avoided further conversation.
The next day, he met me again. He had just finished his breakfast. It was a Sunday and I had a whole day of free time. Kirk offered to take me hiking around.
“The fact is, I will be leaving for India on Thursday,” I said.
“Well, that’s it?” he responded, in a choked voice.
I offered him lunch that day, and he happily accepted.
“Why are you homeless, Kirk?” I asked, after gauging that I wasn’t intruding too much into his personal life.
“I was at a crossroads in my life,” he began. “There came a moment when I had to choose — settle a wrong marriage, continue the battle in court, or donate my wealth to her.”
Kirk paused, the chopsticks in his hands motionless.
“And you know, I chose the latter. I bought my freedom,” he said.
His eyes showed no faith in the judiciary. It had clearly been a tough decision — to keep fighting and ruin the rest of his life, or to walk away and live like a free bird, managing with the little finances he had left.
I remembered his advice about buying a bicycle, and my assumption that he wanted it for himself. I was wrong. Completely. I had doubted a man who had the courage to donate his life’s savings to a selfish woman, and chose to live on the streets instead of living tied to bitterness.
 |
| The last time I saw him |
That Was The First Snowfall At Schaumburg
When I reached the United States land for the very first time in July this year, I always wanted to experience the snow. Unfortunately, I was planned to leave for India in August and it seemed that my wish will be unfulfilled. In Chicago, it usually snows in mid November or early December. To my amazement, I was destined to visit the USA again in October. This time I was planning to stay in Schaumburg, Illinois until mid November only. It was a too close call for me to expect the snow during my this stint.
The winters in Chicago are extreme and last year the temperatures had dropped tremendously. It is an irony that this place transforms into a beautiful paradise in summers and turns into a cold hell in December-January timeframe. As November began, there was a steep drop in the temperatures. And by this time the weather in Chicago was too much to bear for a person like me who had been accustomed to living in a warm, comfy climate. For the past couple of weeks I was living under a temperature that was good enough to harden water. As a matter of fact, the water in the lake outside my hotel had stopped waving. But it was yet to solidify and it would take lesser than 10 degree Celsius for it to turn into ice completely. I knew this won't be so soon. Every day the weather was different. In fact it was such an amazing thing to experience a bright sunny day in the afternoon when you knew it was completely cloudy and cold in the morning. I had started to believe why Americans are so keen to know about weather forecasts. A bad weather could affect your day and plans for the week. I had too started following the weather predictions very closely and it really made me happy to know that the weekends are clear and sunny. I never longed for a sunny day so much ever while in India. Ironically, my reactions to a bright sunny day in India are just the opposite.
Well, I knew that I was returning back to India the next week and a sunny day was no more a matter of my interest here in Chicago. It was my last day in Chicago and I was all set to travel back the following night. I had gone through the weekly predictions and knew that it was just going to be another cold day. While I was engaged into a discussion with my co-workers, something dragged my attention.
 |
| Experiencing the first snowfall in Chicago |
"It is too dusty today", I said.
My co-workers pondered at the statement I just made. They stared at me for a moment as if waiting for an explanation. And soon the moment of silence broke into a laughter as they clarified that it was snow.
Top 10 Experiences In the United States
Many of my close friends and acquaintances have been asking me about my experiences in the United States right after my first visit to this nation of Prosperity. More than the travel experience, I would like to emphasize on my people and cultural experiences in this post which I believe has left a significant impact on my mind esp. after my consecutive visits to the country. There are several great things that America should undoubtedly be proud of which includes their infrastructure, broad open freeways, ease of luxury, quality of lifestyle, their minimum wages practice and a broad open mindset to treat every individual with dignity. There are several things that I found intriguing while in the USA some of which I would like to pen down along with some other things for which I can only pity the Americans. Let us start with few good things first.
Treating Individuals with Dignity and Respect
No wonder the United States has strict laws in this matter and it is just not fair to mistreat your co-worker, individuals providing you household services, family member including a toddler or a random person on the street. Treating each other with respect irrespective of his/her creed, race or origin of birth or position at work is something taught to the American kids right since the tender age at schools. Unlike India, an average worker’s lifestyle is much more uplifted than his Indian counterpart. There is almost no discrimination of work in the United States. At work, you may have a top designation or a better job role but when it comes to treating individuals, it is always with dignity. At a workplace, every individual contribution is valued and respect for individuals is a major factor for a better productivity at a workplace. When it comes to Indians working at an American workplace, well, it really hurts for me to say that Indian Managers are the ones spoiling this culture. There seems to be a long way for them to get out of the Superiority complex given that at a workplace there is just a Senior-Junior relationship that prevails.
Random Greetings
All these days I have been accepting random greets from strangers while at the workplace or while walking down the streets. This was unusual for an Indian like me where I have been seeing people in my country staring at strangers continually until he remains in the range of the visual contact yet reluctant to offer a smile. That is something me, being an Indian would like to be ashamed of. I am sure that Indians would try to evade this in the pretext of cultural differences but to all such guardians of Indian culture, I would just like to ask if it really costs to greet a random person you come across? Believe me, I had been away, lonely on the other part of the globe yet such gestures helped me pacify my loneliness and made me realize that I am not away from home. If we could just stop comparing ourselves with others and overcome our jealous mindsets, I am sure this is not that difficult. Today, we are so much engrossed with our self-centeredness that we easily label a person greeting you as crazy or an overfriendly weirdo. Something worth giving a thought!
The Road Belongs to Pedestrians First
I have never felt so privileged to walk on the street before. If you are a pedestrian, you will be treated like a God in the United States. No wonder, that there are strict laws and penalties if you hit a pedestrian or a construction worker which may go up to USD 10,000/- and imprisonment. Right since my childhood days, I have been taught to look over the right and the left before crossing a road. On the contrary, I have seen cars and trucks stopping several yards away to give me a way while crossing the street. Moreover, cars stop compulsorily at the STOP signs even though there are absolutely no pedestrians crossing the roads. I was really amazed to see the Zebra crossing rules really adhered and put to practice. Most of the times, I felt embarrassed to make so many vehicles halt on the roads just for me. Wish I could explain them that I am not used to such a royal treatment on the streets. What a regard for human life! Well, if not something to learn from, this is something of which most of the Middle East and Asian countries should be ashamed of.
 |
| Millennium Park @ Chicago Downtown |
Feels like a Valued Citizen
No land on this planet is free of Crime but Certainly, being an American feels like a privilege when it comes to regard for human life. While in India, we keep on hearing victims dying of abuses, yet ignored by the authorities until it grabs a certain threshold of attention or attains a certain level of pressure on the authorities. Just call up the 911 helpline and boom there is a troop of Cops to escort you. Well, I did not have a practical experience of it but I really adore their readiness. Apart from this, the liberty of thoughts, liberty of beliefs and the freedom of life free of discrimination makes it one of the best countries to live in.
Mom does not know where to ask her Son to Eat
American food is the worst food in the world. Nonetheless, the Americans are fond of food, with numerous food joints, fast food chains and eatery options, what they are left behind with is a body loaded with extraneous fat craving for some more. When it comes to food, it is sad and true that Americans do not know what to eat. Most of them run behind Italian burgers, pastas, macaroni and salads. Pork, becon and Ham are their favorite ingredients in almost every food item which often makes the food rich in fat content. Given that an average American leads such a luxurious way of life, does he really need to follow such a fat rich diet? It is truly said that diseases like the Diabetes, Obesity, High blood pressure and Hypertension are the diseases of the Rich. There are always good nutritious food options available which Americans can learn to cook on their own and eat. Of course, giving up their conventional food habits will not happen in a day, rather it needs to be cultivated. I seriously believe that, the United States needs a food revolution.
Sex Just Happens in the US
While in most of the Asian countries, pre-marital or extra marital sex is considered a Sin, most of the Americans including the teenagers believe that Sex just happens. Now, what is that supposed to mean is something that I would like to leave up to you. For instance, I had been to the Water Tower Place, a prominent Mall at the Michigan Avenue in the Chicago Downtown with a co-worker friend, and happened to come across this lady managing a shop. This friend of mine was quite a talkative person and was in no time engaged in a conversation with the lady. After a brief spell of a friendly conversation, they ended up with this topic of having fun this weekend. Well, I was quite sure where this conversation would have landed up my friend in a situation which his fiancé would never like. Sex just happens is the conception and it is an integral part of friendship and a relationship is what most Americans believe. Of course, the United States is a free country and so are the sexual preferences and sexual whims.
Americans can buy Almost Anything
The American Dream is prosperity and with prosperity comes the continual desire to make human life easier and more convenient each day. Keeping this in mind, sellers and manufacturers can encash any of their weird ideas to penetrate into the American market. It could be anything like an automated floor mopping broom, a lipstick that also serves as a lip balm, onion peeler or an egg smasher. They are so used to technology that it is almost impossible to imagine daily life without machines. No matter what is sold, you will find a buyer for virtually anything and everything.
It is a Culturally Poor Country
Americans are the most confused people when it comes to their culture and matters of heritage. They have some weird festivals like Halloween for which they spend Billions of Dollars on evil decoration materials, vampire or a zombie costume and makeups. They believe that this is a tribute to their ancestors who are turned into ghosts and regard it as a matter of celebration. I have seen people shopping like crazy for Halloween. When it comes to shopping how can I miss describing the festival of Black Friday or the so called Thanksgiving when several almost kill each other to get the best deal at Walmart and Best Buy outlets. I wonder why this is called Thanksgiving and not Sorrygiving in it’s true sense.
It’s just the United States and Rest of the World
I remember how one of our American Onsite Project Manager landed himself in trouble at the airport after he was made realize by the authorities that he actually needed a Business Visa to travel to India. All these years, he had never been outside the United States and had been travelling all throughout the United States only. In fact, this is a common mentality built due to ignorance amongst a majority of the Americans who truly believe that it is just the USA and rest of the World. Being born in the most powerful country in the world does that give them this privilege? America may be a free country but you would still need a Visa to fly to other countries. Alas! We hardly care is what most of the Americans think about it.
Nothing is sold less than a Dollar but Pennies are all Over
Pennies or a Cent coins are found abundantly almost all over the United States in ample quantities. They are in every car, office cubicle and most of the times lying orphan on the streets. No matter you like to carry them or not, if you do a cash payment at a store you will get a handful of them in return. Weather you opt to throw them away or collect them is left up to you. Many think that it is almost worthless but they are still abundant in circulation and there is almost no dispute I have found in the United States over change.
The United States has been a Prosperous Nation for several years and I believe that, strict implementation of policies, adherence to the laws, dedication towards the national affairs, harmonious attitude towards the state property, ethics and respect towards it’s citizens are few of the driving factors towards the success of the Country. If I were an American citizen, I would have happily paid my 30 percent taxes as I would be sure that this money will actually return back to me in the form of better freeways, free quality education for my kids and improved infrastructure and transportation facilities. It is only after a democratic government could build such a trust, the citizens would feel motivated to work towards a Nation of Prosperity.
 |
| Lake Shore at the Chicago |
Walking On The Movie Streets @ Millennium Park, Chicago Downtown
Believe me, I just happened to visit the Chicago Downtown last month with almost no idea what the place had in store for me. Thanks to my American friend who initiated this weekend outing which was a much needed break from the mundane days spent at the hotel at Schaumburg, Illinois. This is just like what we have seen in the movies, I exclaimed as our car entered the busy street near the Chicago River Walk. This was the street which was featured in several of the Hollywood Blockbusters including The Dark Knight, Transformers and Home Alone. And yes, this was where Amir Khan drove his BMW bike in the Bollywood Blockbuster DHOOM 3. I had been a close observer of these movies for quite some time now but was never bothered about the location where these movies were shot. Having it all of a sudden before my eyes and getting told by someone about it was an unparalleled feeling. Of course, Chicago Downtown was better than how it looked in the Movies unlike several other locations featured in the movies which are nothing but sets mocking the original places.
 |
| A Street at the Chicago Downtown as seen from the Millennium Park |
The Cloud Gate a.k.a. the bean was one of the most beautiful pieces of Architecture at the Millennium Park. One cannot simply miss it’s polished surface reflecting the Chicago skyline and I am sure it has been featured in several movies. It was good to know that this famous structure was designed and developed by an India-born British sculptor Anish Kapoor. This was another reason for me to believe that most great things in the United States are masterminded by geniuses having Indian roots. It was a weekend and the Millennium Park was a crowded place with people from all age groups. There were several cultural activities happening around at the Park. We enjoyed a short musical performance by some of the Japanese school students that concluded our stint at the Park.
 |
| Cloud Gate @ Millennium Park |
The movie world is a fictional world but places like the Chicago Downtown was a real experience for me and being there was no less than being in a Dreamworld.
Subscribe to:
Comments
(
Atom
)
Posts
