Ann Arbor Michigan

Shall I get into a MS program? Study in India or abroad? Should I work first as I have no practical work experience? Do I actually want to pursue architecture? Damn yaar,  Isha ki job lab gayi hai aur voh already meri age pe itna kama rahi hai! Riya got an admit in the best institute for M.Arch! Shall I pause a little and think? Am I really that useless? God help me!

Here is presenting my Once Upon A Time story to Ann Arbor, Michigan! Continue reading if you want to know the experiences of KuriousKannya

***KuriousKannya Reaches Ann Arbor, Michigan***

So it all started back in 2018 when I was in my 8^th semester of undergrad school and mom asked me to give a shot at GRE. I was interning in Malaysia, life was going well I was living on my own, managing my own expenses when I suddenly developed a new thing to stress about ( kyunki ek baar jo maine commitment kardi phir mein apne aap ki bhi nahi sunti!). Time passed by and the wall of my room started turning into a canvas with words that I haven’t even heard till date even after staying in the US for about 5 months now!

Well cutting the long story short, GRE arrived and passed as well as deadlines and I got an admit into ‘The University of Michigan’ to pursue human computer interaction that ranks in the top 5 of the world. It was as if celebration time had arrived, numerous phone calls, farewell parties, last minute meetups; my life turned into a roller coaster with mixed emotions.

The one thing that I will never forget in my life was ‘The Interview’ well I am talking about my Visa Interview. For those who are planning to get a US visa read it carefully! Preparing for it is more or less like your 12^th board exam. Health check, crammed answers check, prepared in front of the mirror for the viva check, hair tucked behind the ear for the photo check, no smile check, no dark makeup check , get all your documents prepared much prior to the final date check, start answer by ‘respected sir ‘ end answer by ‘ respected sir ‘ check and do not I repeat do not look fishy or act sleazy! So my interview was roughly for 15 minutes and thank god for the brand of the university the officer did not pester me much and did not return my passport.

Visa lag gaya ladki ka, this statement came in like a war attack statement. Mausi started making my favorite food and masalas and kept them in the freezer for me to carry, mami enthusiastically would come in and give me quick motivational talks and would help me segregate all my stuff, my chachis ( I have 2 ) would call me frequently as they don’t stay in Delhi, mummy ordered all my favorite things and made sure I underwent all my medical tests, papa managed to take out time from his extremely busy schedule and made sure all of us spend quality time together. The only person in my entire family who wasn’t emotional was actually my brother, dearest Anvesh, my tiny little innocent brother. For him my admit came in like a free pass entry ticket to the Orlando Disney World. Mummy didi jaari hai toh mein bhi didi ke paas jaunga padhne, Haina? Sorry Haina! Trust me he was the happiest person and didn’t shed a micro ml of tear during the entire scenario.

Within a few days, there I was standing at the T3 terminal in front of the Alitalia check in counter with over packed bags over stuffed emotions and an oversized red teeka on my forehead! An Indian family never forgets its ritual! After emptying my tear bank and hugging my parents tightly and getting the last minutes senti photos clicked to post on insta I entered the airport aka a new journey to cherish for life and beyond.

Thanks to my parents I was always exposed to international cultures and tours and travels and the one thing that I grasped on from all those trips in my life is that if someone helps you have to #palat kar smile and say a huge gratitude-full ‘thank you’. So I followed it with my immigration/emigration officers - air hostess - Information kiosk helpers – waiters – guards - cab drivers and finally managed to reach Ann Arbor that I now call home!

An honest confession, the American culture is pretty easy to get acquainted with and is not what you see on Netflix. All you got to do is belong to that place-person-surrounding ( apni bhasha mein,  Mahol mein behjao ). Did I make sense? The first thing that I adopted from the culture was to turn off my shy mode. Don’t be shy, no one judges you here, strike a conversation with anyone like seriously anyone, your grocery store helper or cab driver everyone has so much to talk about! The second thing that I learnt here was courtesy, the number of sorrys, thank yous and excuse mes that I used in these 5 months is much more than what I have used for the past 23 years of my life! Thirdly, ask when in doubt. Lastly, open the door for every person who is behind you or else you’ll be given the title of a rude selfish person.  

May I remind you that I am from Delhi? A major point of difference that every Delhiite deals with is the problem of traffic. The road network, my friend, is the cleanest I have seen so far, far better than most of the Asian and African countries where I have been to. People actually do not honk! Just like India there is a strict no lane breakage policy which to my surprise is strictly adhered to here. A novice can honestly learn how to drive on a busy road and practice here as well! lol, my father had to wake up at 6 in the morning to teach me how to drive back in India, I am sure you’d know the reason. Talking about the pedestrians, they are the most privileged in the states as the red hand does its job pretty well and an actual hand is not needed to stop the vehicles. Quick fact: Seeing fancy convertible cars might seem alluring initially but then you’ll get used to it.

I still remember the day I first stepped into the United States of America. The air so fresh the grass so green the sky so blue! Wait what? It was 9:30 p.m and the sun was still shining bright. I reached Ann Arbor in August right before fall and experienced the long day cycles. Throughout the summer I enjoyed long trails, water sports, trekking etc. Days were passing pretty hectic with work bombardment on my tiny soul and suddenly one day on way to the busstop I observed sprouts of colours on the huge green trees. Within 2 weeks Ann Arbor was visually heating and producing shades and tints of warm colour palette. Vibrant hues of red, orange, yellow painted the entire city. I captured some beautiful wallpaper for my predator ( follow my Insta stories to know what predator is ).

Summer, Spring, Rain, Autumn and Winter were the different typologies of weather that I had learnt, seen and experienced in India, but my friend it’s a myth. Ann Arbor gave me an actual reality check. Fall aka Autumn can be beautiful, winter in India is actually the summer of Ann Arbor and when the sun is blazing hot in AA it penetrates your skin and burns it. In my opinion a child must be taken to states like Michigan, Boston or Chicago to be taught about weather change.

Well now that I’m mentioning all my firsts in here, how can I let go off my first snow! Oh my gosh, if you haven’t seen snow I insist you need to visit a place where you can see live-real-actual snow ( Not the artificial snow worlds please ). My first snow was so over whelming that I have a tiny blog post on my experience which can be viewed here https://justpalat.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-first-feeling.html . Although snow eventually became my favorite but I am duly waiting to experience the actual winter in January. Several warnings, tips, clothing brands, winter essentials have been shared and processed in by my professors and fellow American friends but the one thing that everyone repeats on repeat is- watch your step! Snow is pretty but frozen ice is dangerous!

My move to Ann Arbor has till date been quite pleasing and warm but I do get homesick often. I miss aunty momos, haldirams ki pav bhaji, pind baluchi ka butter chicken, Brahmaputra ka shwarma, kakke di hatti ka paneer aur naan, kuremal ki kulfi and the list can go on and on. Well another few hours and my insta stories would be flooding with most of these items. Oh my god can’t wait!!  

So here I am on my way back travelling to India, my home, my country the place where I have my family and the place where I belong and writing about few of the most beautiful months I have spent in the beautiful United States of America. See you after the winter break if I easily pass the immigration! :P

P.S. Happy winter break! Have a good one! Go blue #wolverines

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