Ann Arbor post - part IV

That evening a friend of our colleague met us in the hotel. The colleague was to join us the next day. Let’s name this friend as A for convenience sake. He was A Sincere Hearted Orderly and Kind gentleman. We went to his apartment to meet my former team mate who has been staying here for the same client. We had a nice time as we exchanged pleasantries and caught up with the lost times. I bought a reliance calling card online through which we can call our contacts in India. For 10 dollars one would get a number and pin using which you can talk upto 78 minutes. Then we went to a place called Bombay groceries.

You got to see that place to believe it!! Once you enter that place you will forget that you are in US. It has all the stuff which you would find in a regular “Food world” or a “Subiksha” outlet all sold in dollars instead of rupees. It even has a video library section where in you can rent in a movie cassette from a decent collection of Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu movies. I didn’t note whether it had movies from other languages.

I wanted to call up my mother that instant and tell her that such a place existed.

After stuffing our bags with “Frozen parathas” and “Ready to make Sambhar” mix kind of stuff, we came back to the hotel all in A’s car. I didn’t know that we were to use more of his services in the subsequent days.

A very interesting thing to note in US is that the sunlight stays well upto 8-8.30 PM in the evening! It get dark only after that. And also the first light of the dawn breaks out only at 7oclock on the morning! (nobody gets up before that anyway!! Except me of course! )

I forgot to tell you the time difference between here and Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor falls in Eastern standard time zone which is 9 and half hours behind IST. Which means convert your day to night or vice versa and just add 2 and a half hours. For example if its Monday morning 6.30 AM in Chennai it would be 9PM Sunday night in Ann Arbor.

The next day we were to go to the client’s place. We booked a cab (there is no other way) and went to the client’s place!! I was again impressed by the orderliness and ease of traffic. I guessed it would be sometime before I got used to it.

Buildings in US don’t have a ground floor! All buildings start from the first floor! So if you have a 3 storey building you have 4 floors (1,2,3 and 4) instead of ground floor, first, second and third.

That evening we went to open up a bank account. We were suggested a place near our hotel by the fellow infoscions who had already opened up an account there.

SSN is a major headache wherever you go!! SSN or a social security number is the unique number using which each person is identified in the US. They ask for it wherever you go and since you don’t have it as soon as you in US we have to make temporary arrangements with the establishment before it arrives.

We gave our passport number as an alternative document and got the account created!

Another word which you will get to hear whenever you are going to do any financial dealing, is credit score. In US a credit rating is maintained for individuals based on their history of credit worthiness. In other words it is based on the track record of their ability of the money they had obtained from any financial institution. Since we were new to this country there was not credit score for us so we had to pay a hefty caution deposit to establish our trust worthiness.

The next major arrangement to be done was the accommodation. With the help of the fellow infoscions who were based in that city already we narrowed in to an apartment called Pheasant run. It is a huge campus with around 20 single storeyed structures evenly spaced out with lawns and wide roads. Each of these structures has 8 apartments in it. We get an option of choosing either a single bedroom or a double bedroom apartment. There was a special offer going on wherein one month rent was free if we take a lease for 1 year.

And also since we didn’t have any credit score we were pay a hefty caution deposit of $685. The discounted rent came upto $625 and there was a processing fee of $25. But before we could move in we were to arrange for the energy and insurance. There is a company called DTE energy which takes care of the gas and electricity needs of the house. We need to set up an account with them so that our usage can be billed. Even there we had to pay a substantial caution deposit as we didn’t have any social security number.

Then there was the insurance. We called up an insurance company and the attendant took us through the ordeal of answering zillions of questions, the answers for most of which didn’t know. There were questions like

How far is the nearest fire station?

When was the apartment built?

What is it made of?

What is the roof made of?


Etc etc



After that we got cashiers cheque (something like a DD) from the bank and paid of all the charges for the apartment. It should be noted that to go to all of these places we had to book a taxi!!

That weekend was when we moved in to the apartment and as soon we came in we had to indulge in a shopping exercise to stock up our homes with basic articles and also to replenish our groceries.

The next day we went to an Indian restaurant in downtown aptly named as “Madras Masala”. We took the buffet lunch worth $8 and included lot of mouth watering items that can found in any restaurant back home. The rasam needs a special mention as I gulped it in to avenge the burgers which had been battering my taste buds for a week.

After completing one full week in a new country I got settled with the pluses and minuses of the new place. While food and transport were the major problem areas life was pretty manageable otherwise. But I was given a neat welcome by the host of surprises which I had come across in a brief period of time.
--The End

A translation of this series can be found in my tamil blog.

Ann Arbor post - part III

As soon as I got out of the plane I hooked up with couple of my colleagues who had come in the plane. We were instructed to Immigration counter first.

I found myself in front of a slightly obese lady with absolutely no smile . She asked me a few questions like

“whats is your profession?

“Which company are you from?”

“Where are you going to stay?” etc etc

Then she tore off a part of the I-94 form and staples it to the page opposite to my visa page. This document would serve as the document that would authorize me to live and work in US for the time specified in the form.

Then we went ahead to the baggage claim section. I was slightly apprehensive about whether I would lose my baggage as I had to switch to planes with very little time. But thankfully I got it though I had to wait for it for some time.

Then I went straight to the customs. I gave him the filled in blue form which was given to me in the plane. There was not much to check as I didn’t have any valuables and also I didn’t have any food items, plants, animals or any other stuff. But still the officer in the counter asked me a few questions.

“What’s there in the baggage”

“Some clothes and a few kitchen utensils”

“Did you bring any food items Sir?”

“No”

“Then how are you gonna eat?? You gonna shop it here?”

“Yes”

“Okaiy!!Wish you a pleasant stay Sir”

“Thank you”



I was through!!!!!!!!!!!

So I was finally into the US of A after completing all the formalites!!

I waited for a few minutes for my colleagues to join me. Then we went outside to fetch a cab and set out to the hotel.

As we went t the transportation section a gentleman approached us and enquired as to where we need to go.

We told that we need to go the hotel and we need a cab which would accommodate all of our baggage!! He promptly called in a van and even helped us get the baggage into the van.

Since I have had infinite number of bad experiences with autowallahs in general and Chennai autowallahs in particular I found this experience very very very refreshing.

Soon we were cruising through the road towards Ann Arbor. I think the first thing that hits anyone who travels to US for the first time will be the roads. There are so wide,clean and well laid. Also the traffic is very well regulated and there are no traffic policemen. Everyone follow the traffic rule and to be frank I feel everyone follows them because everyone else follow them!!!!!!! 

I have always felt that 80% of things, if not more, we do is determined by peer pressure. An average person will start doing something if you could just convince him/her if it’s the most fashionable thing to do or if that’s what the most are doing!

I believe there will be a time when following traffic rules and other disciplined social behaviors shall be the example rather than an exception in India. Upto that day its upto the responsible youth of India like us to be the exception until it becomes the example.


This was what went through my mind as we went to the hotel marveling at the buildings and lawns that lined the roads on both sides. Another very noticeable aspect of this country is there is a looooooooooooot of space!!! They have ample car parks in front of any buildings and in places like a mall the car park is as big as the floor area of the building if not more. We had already been told that car is must in Ann Arbor as public transport is virtually null. EVERYONE has a car and NOBODY walks.

We found that out when myself and a friend ventured out of the hotel for lunch and scouting as soon as we reached the hotel. We couldn’t find even one soul who was on foot and it looked odd as we crossed roads in a hurry. The temperature never goes above 10 degrees Celsius and drops to zero at nights or when it rains. We were in spring and the climate was expected to improve as summer jets in.

As we went in search of food we discovered another aspect of this place! There were not many shops around and even the ones around were not in walking distance. There was a mall nearby but you got only dresses, automobile parts, jewellery and othe cosmetic stuff and not a loaf of bread!

So after loitering in the cold for around 30-45 minutes we entered a eating joint called wendy’s.

I was busy reading the menu banner so as to find some vegetarian meal. Atlast I decided to take a “simple classic somethingy”. Though I could see a meat like thing in the picture I decided I would order it without the meat as I was too hungry and there wasn’t too much of an option.

I went to the attendant and said I would have a classic burger without meat and then I added is it vegetarian?

And I got most bland expression on her face. I couldn’t believe that she didn’t understand what I said. I tried to repeat by what I said by infusing some American accent and added I would like to have it without meat!!Also I ordered some tea. After five minutes of tussle she finally tapped onto the machine in front which spat out the change for the 10 dollar bill I gave her!

As I dropped the coins into my wallet I felt “ How am I gonna survive here if I have to work so hard to get just one meal”.

My woes were doubled when I saw a brown colored piece in the stuff packed in my burger which looked like meat. I knew going back to her would be of no use! So I gave to my friend that piece of the meat and started eating the burger which was nothing but a bun,some cheese and few sold cabbage leaves!!!Nothing compared to the regular meal we have in India everyday!!!

The most interesting point was that it was the least enjoyable meal of all of my stay because after that we had been able to cook our own food and I have been able to order vegetarian food without any problems henceforth. Even now iam not sure whether the lady really didn’t understand me or was she just faking it!

That evening I was to meet the most helpful person in the whole of my stay!!
--to be continued.

Ann Arbor post - part IV

Ann Arbor post - part II

Around 12:30 – 12:45,the flight attendant started calling in people for the flight. First, the passengers of the business class were called in and then economy class passengers called in based on the seat number. I went through a passage where my boarding pass was checked in and I walked ahead into the passage leading upto the plane’s door.

As soon as I entered into the plane I realized that its bigger than the domestic flight in which I had come. There were 9 seats in a row split into 2-5-2 seaters. My seat was the last seat in the 5-seater,again! No window seat!! 

Another disappointing aspect of this flight was that the airhostesses were big women who were past 35 years of age!! I was even tempted to address one of them as granny but was held back thanks only to my fear of being kicked out of the plane.

Soon the plane started and this time I was too tired to feel anything except for the slight realization that I was leaving my country!

I was tried to look outside the plane through window past the aisle and the two seater but it was shut off by the lady who was traveling with her husband with a baby.

I decided to get some shut eye but before that I was given some light snacks lest I don’t go to bed with a empty stomach. I munched the food item as I was watching the huge screen displaying the flight path and other relevant flight information.By then one of the attendants gave me a headphone which plugged in to the arm rest of the seat. Soon I fell asleep.

When I woke up I could see that a movie was being played on the big TV!!

It was movie featuring Salman khan,Kareena kapoor,Jackie shroff,Om puri and shilpa shetty’s sister(I forgot her name).


Here goes the story.

The story starts with Salman khan admitted in a lunatic asylum run by Om puri.

Kareena kapoor is his daughter

and she and Jackie work in the asylum as doctors!! (the rhyming is just coincidence!! )

Salman is admitted because he had gone mad(I mean, in the movie) when he “accidently” kills his wife after romancing with her in the picturesque tourist spots in Europe.

Kareena is this caring doctor who nurses him back to good mental health with the help of Jackie and eventually falls in love in the process.(I mean isn’t that obvious ???)

I never fathomed to understand why gorgeous looking heroines always fall for the crazy,dull,mentally unstable,rickshawallah,taxiwallah,rowdies etc etc in the movies.

Aren’t there enough decent software engineers available whom you can trap??

Anyway coming back to the movie, Om puri is totally pissed off when he comes to know that his daughter is in love with a crazy guy!! So he carries out a high profile operation on salman which renders him into a vegetable state!!

Unable to see Salman in such a hopeless state Jackie kills him by stuffing a pillow on his face.

Jackie goes to the jail for his offence and Kareena goes mad for her lost love!!!

After watching this “crazy” movie I watched the antics of the tiny tots near by to my seat and then gulped in the beautiful sceneries painted by the morning sun on the plain skies of Europe.

By the time I had only a 1 or 2 hours of journey left. I was thrilled to know that my plane was flying over cities like Prague,Vienna,Frankfurt etc etc. these were all the cities which I always wanted to visit and they were just “crashing distance” away from me!!

Even though I knew that there wasn’t much of a formality to be carried out in Amsterdam I was afraid whether the flight will reach the destination on time and whether I will have enough time to catch the next flight.

But thankfully the flight reached just 10-15 late. The gate number for the Detroit flight was announced by the flight attendant as a high percentage of people from this flight were to catch that as well.

I raced towards gate number 9 as I marveled at the clear and open design of the Amsterdam airport. Also there was a feeling of me not being part of the crowd as that was the first time I saw so many Caucasian foreigners in such a short span!

I joined the line which I found in gate number 9. After answering the security questions about the baggage I was guided to a desk where my passport was verified and some computer work was done with my passport information as the lady at the desk nimbly tapped on the keyboard. Then it was the security clearance again as I went through the metal detector tests after which I was through to the passage to the plane.

Soon I was into the airplane and found my way to the seat. Again it was quite unnerving to be amidst lot of African American and Caucasian people who were a lot bigger than me!!

I found my seat and this time it was a window seat !!!! And the flight had a better on-board entertainment system with a small TV for all seats. I even had a remote with which I can select a variety of options to be displayed on the the screen like movies,flight information,games,music etc etc. It was so cool.

By the time I learnt couple of my colleagues were traveling in the same plane. I met with one of them and made sure that we went together to the hotel once we reached Detroit.


As the plane started we were given couple of forms based on the nationality. Since I was an alien I was given a I-94 form and blue colored form. The I-94 was to be filled up with the details of my stay like the address and other information. This was to be the document that shall authorize me to stay and work in US. The other one was the customs form. I had to declare any valuables I had brought and also whether I had brought any food stuff,soil,plants,animals etc etc.

I filled it out and then started watching movies. The view outside just the blinding white of the clouds as the plane swam across the clouds with the mighty atlantic lying beneath.

I watched a couple of movies which I always wanted to see. They were Toy story and Bugs life!!! I loved it!

I also watched a light comedy “Fun with Dick and Jane” starring Jim carrey. Any Jim carrey movie is worth watching atleast one . What say?? 

After the plane entered Canada I gaped at the breathtaking beauty of the rural landscape that appeared beneath me. The trees,the greenery,the lakes,the roads neatly drawn with perfect color and contrast with intermissions of my view by passing clouds was a treat to watch. There were times when the sun reflected so brightly off the clouds that I was forced to close the window

After a memorable flight travel the plane landed in Detroit airport tearing through the cloud screen that had enveloped the city. Detroit, the automobile capital of US and a city with a sizable African American population also holds the dubious distinction of one of the most crime ridden city in US.
--to be continued

Ann Arbor post - part III

Ann Arbor post - part I

Wrote this during April 2006 when i came to US!
Been a while :-)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear readers,

As I went through a few events in my life in the past few days I was filled with this unexplainable restlessness. A restlessness to tell all that I was going through, to someone. Also it was a feeling that, I would have found it useful if I had heard all this from someone.

So this writeup is precisely an attempt to record the information I had chanced to come across in my life and to present it to you as a letter.

A letter from a friend who wants to share his experiences. A letter with the message of friendship and greetings!!!

From Ann Arbor* with love.



*Ann Arbor is town near Detroit,USA





Ann Arbor post



Life presents us with a variety of experiences.

Experiences which make us both laugh and cry and a few which leave us somewhere between the two

Experiences which are remarkable and insignificant and a few which falls in between the extremes.

Experiences to cherish

Experiences to forget

Experiences to celebrate

Experiences to mark our life with dots which can be connected at the later part of our life as a line that would reveal the portrait of our life



I knew I was about to be part of such an experience as I was traveling to the Airport with my parents. It had taken a while but the feeling of my first onsite trip was filling my heart with all the excitement it had to offer.

As I watched parents gleaming with pride, my mind was torn in worries of the trip. This trip had a few specialties to its credit.

It was my first trip beyond Bangalore.

It was my first trip outside the country (obviously)

It was my first trip on a plane.

And so on.

I was the most worried about the process that I had to follow during the flight. Though I had attended the travel briefing arranged by my company , I had slept through it like I would have in any other session!!I think its fair to say that no amount of counseling can fully prepare someone for such a huge venture.

I reached the Airport and got in with my luggage in my formal best. I had even worn a blazer to complete the “formal”ity.

Thankfully I had my aunty around who works in the airport so she was there reassuring me that everything is going to be ok and I was going to get through it like a breeze.

There were three flights which comprised my trip. The first leg was from Chennai to Mumbai in Jet airways, the next was from Mumbai to Amsterdam in Northwest, then it was from Amsterdam to Detroit in Northwest airlines again

I went straight to the jet airways stall in the departure segment as I didn’t know what to do!!

After instructions from the Jet airways staff, I took my baggage for my screening. My check in baggage was passed through an x-ray of sorts and the contents inside were checked for any “weapons of mass destruction”. 

Then I went straight to the Jet airways stall where my baggage(both check in and cabin baggage*) were weighed and were strapped with the flight stickers. I was also given the boarding pass there.

Then I went through the security check. Here I was checked with a metal detector and was let through as the only metals I had were coins and the metal in my belt.

After this I was waiting in a hall which had lot of exits. These were the gates through I was to go, to board the flight. But before that I had to wait for the the announcement and the gate number for my flight to be flashed. As I was waiting I could only think what was in store for me in Mumbai as I was unsure what process I should go through over there. Soon my Gate number was announced and I got into the airlines bus after showing my ticket. The bus took me to the plane and I boarded the plane through the “portable staircase”!!!

I got seated in seat which was in the aisle side of a three seater and as I was watching the Chennai MTC buses and suburban train through the window, couple of big men excused themselves and sat in the adjoining seats which effectively blocked most of my view.

Soon the plane started , and after taxiing for few minutes it started traveling on a higher speed on the runway

The thrill of take off is to be experienced to be believed. It’s an experience which gives you the excitement of thrusting into sky with the fetish of a roller coaster.Soon I was in the air and I was presented with the most amazing view, I had ever seen in my life as I gaped into the beautiful landscape which emerged beneath with the pinhole view that I could get. As the plane ascended higher and higher one of the huge gentleman opened up a newspaper which completely blocked my view. 

I laid back into my seat with an uncontrolled enthusiasm which was overflowing through my eyes and my involuntary smile.

I knew I had embarked on the most significant journey of my life yet.



To be continued………………….



Check in baggage – the baggage that shall be carried with the plane in a cargo section. Most airlines allow you to carry two baggages with upto 23 Kgs each

Cabin baggage – the baggage that can be taken with you in the plane. Most airlines allow you to carry a single check in baggage upto 8kg.

You can carry a laptop bag or a handbag in addition to this.



Yours,

CVR





Flight number 0468 en route to Mumbai was fast sifting through the clouds of my beloved Chennai. After a brief demonstration of flight safety techniques, we were left alone except for the occasional interludes by the flight attendants for snacks and other refreshments. I exhausted the contents of the local Mumbai newspaper which carried the “Lata Mangeshkar – flyover story” as I tried to take my mind away from my apprehensions about the travel. There was not much luck with the view as the varying postures of the gentlemen between me and the window presented me openings ranging from pinhole to semi-pinhole sizes.

But the one and a half hours drifted away pretty soon and soon I was presented with the gorgeous view of Mumbai at night!!! The lights shone like the glitter off a pretty lady’s dress as my plane swerved in for the landing. If take off was an unexplainable bundle of awe and excitement then landing can be termed as beautiful bunch of moments filled with thrill and anticipation.

As the plane landed I couldn’t help rambling in my mind as to what I should do once I get down. I got into the jet airways bus and was dropped in at the gate.

What do I do now????

I had absolutely no clue!!

I just took my cabin baggage and strolled towards the exit as I was too afraid to just stand there lest I look like a blinking idiot in blazer. My eyes were scanning for a Jet airways office!! After turning down a couple of offers for a hotel from enterprising gentlemen, I went straight to the jet airways stall which was right outside the exit. As I blurted out my questions in the most nervous form of English available, the attendant quickly pulled in another attendant who was comfortable with the language.

After checking my flight ticket he instructed me to collect my baggage and contact the Northwest airways stall(the flight in which I was to travel to Amsterdam). I went back into the airport by showing my boarding pass from Chennai to Mumbai and tried to blend in with the crowd which was waiting for their baggage.

As if out of nowhere a stout short gentleman emerged and said, “You are chakravarthy from Chennai??” I don’t know how he recognized me but this guy from Northwest airlines told me to collect my baggage and contact the officials who were posted in the northwestern corner of the huge room!!!! (What a coincidence!!).I soon collected my baggage and slowly found my way towards those officials and stood in the queue. Soon it was my turn and a neat looking guy approached me. He requested for the passport,ticket and a few other documents like the deputation letter. Then he mechanically asked a few questions like “did you pack your own baggage”, “did you get anything from anyone during your stay in the airport” etc etc as a part of mandatory check. I didn’t know that I was to hear this a few more times before I reach US.

I was given an “embarkment-disembarkment” form which I was to fill in and submit during immigration.


After this he said there won’t be any more baggage checks until I check out my luggage in my final destination. He instructed me to take the shuttle which would take me to the international terminal.

I walked over to the exit which was right around the corner and patiently waited for the shuttle. My mind was jubilant as I was thrilled to be standing in the “New york of India”,the business capital of the nation,the city full of life and vigor. I have been amazed by the efficiency of dabbawallahs and the entrepreneurship of the mumbaikars which had enabled the city to earn a unique place in the country. I have always wanted to visit Mumbai and regretted that it was going to be a very short stay!!

As I stood watching the bill boards I resolved I would visit the city again and spend the time it deserves. Shuttle services are operated between the domestic terminal to the international terminal of the Mumbai airport for free as a complementary service as the distance between the two terminals was not walkable.

The bus travel was hardly 10-15 mins at the end of which i got down at the international terminal. After roaming about a little outside trying to find out the right gate, I walked into the Gate 2 which housed the Northwest airlines stall.


Soon I found the Northwest airlines office and was in front of a bespectacled young lady who peered suspiciously through the glasses.

I gave her my boarding passes and told her that I have to travel to Detroit via Amsterdam. She got my passport and frantically typed something in the keyboard in front of her!

She then asked whether my cabin baggage can be added to the check in baggage as there was no space in the flight cabin for which I obliged as I had all the required documents in my hand baggage.

After that I was guided to the immigration counter where I submitted the “embarkment-disembarkment form”

As I anxiously waited before the official , he stamped a few stuff onto the form and asked.

“which company are you from??”

I said “Infosys”

And as I waited curiously for the next question, he asked “aur kitna badega shares infosys ka?*”

It took me a while to realize that the question was asked on a lighter vein. I smiled politely and got my disembarkment part torn off and given to me. This needs to be given back when come back to India. Then I headed straight to gate 7 which was printed in my gate pass. But it was only 8.30 pm and my flight was at 00.50!!!!

I called home and reclined into a couch (they have quite a few of them lined up!), reading a book presented to me by my former team mates with a bald headed guy on the front cover who happens to be the CEO of GE(yeah it’s the same book featured in the bill board right in front of shols infy).


After a while I passed the security check and waited in the waiting room which opened up into the gate to the plane. As I was waiting for my flight to leave my country I knew that there will be times when I will be waiting to come back!!


To be continued…………

*-how much more the share values rise for Infosys

Ann Arbor post - part II