My trip to America....

One fine evening in office, I was busy working, when my boss came and asked me,”Ashwini, are you ready to fly to US for a new project?”I was taken aback and said “Yes, of course.”Knowing tales of people being asked this and then not sent, I was not too excited at first. Things started getting serious when I had to submit some forms for getting an appointment at the US VISA office. We were briefed for the day by our HR department. They told us to convincingly fool the immigration officer that we are not going to work there. We were told to carry bank balance sheets, letters from company etc to show that we were definitely coming back. Having heard many tales of rejection of VISA I was a bit skeptical.
The day dawned and I got up early in the morning. The appointment was at 8.30am.I reached there by 7.15am.There was a stringent security check. I was carrying just my documents and a wallet. I waited in a line and had my fingerprints scanned. I was amused to see signs written even in Gujrati and every minute announcements being made for some Patel or Shah. I waited anxiously for my turn. At all the booths about 5-6 people were called at a time. In my case, I was the only one called. I got nervous a little. The immigration officer was an old man in his fifties and had my documents before him. He first asked me if I was a campus recruit to which I replied in affirmative. Later came questions about my client and how long I would be staying in the US etc.After about three long minutes, he said you would get your VISA in 2– 3 days. I smiled triumphantly and said Thank you.
After a few more days of anxious anticipation, finally our tickets were confirmed. I bought a new bag and did some other shopping too. The day of my departure was hectic. I double checked everything I was carrying and got into the cab called for me to take me to the airport. My brother had left for London the week earlier and I wished he was there to see me off. I was used to seeing him take a cab ride to the airport and wished he saw me do that for once.
I had been to the Mumbai international airport about 2-3 times before. But this time it was different. I had butterflies in my stomach. I was very excited and a bit scared too. There were many Haj pilgrims there that day and the airport seemed very crowded. My sister –in-law bought passes for mom, dad and herself and told me to go on inside. I went in and thought they would join me inside later. I went through to the airline’s check in counter after standing in a wrong line for some time. The flight baggage restrictions allowed 2 bags of 23 kgs each. I had only one bag to be checked in weighing about 26kg.I tried stuffing some of the extra baggage in my carryon bag, but still could not get it down to 23.One friendly lady at the counter saw my misery and offered to help. I somehow convinced her and she allowed my bag weighing about 24kg.I still fail to understand the logic of not allowing a bag more than 23kgs ,but two bags of 23kgs each.Anyways I was happy it all ended and my colleague, who was supposed to join me, arrived by then. The sad part was my parents had got a pass for the wrong gate and I could not meet them. We went through immigration and security and waited for our flight. We had to first fly to Dubai, then Washington and then finally to Chicago. I became a bit sentimental as the flight took off from Mumbai. I had never been so far away from home for so long. It was going to be a difficult journey for me. But soon all those thoughts were left behind and I started watching the movie Delhi -6 on my TV. We landed at the Dubai airport and I was awestruck by it. It was rather a huge shopping mall. Next came a long flight to Washington and I had a tough time eating breakfast without brushing my teeth. We landed at Washington and I had a slight pain in my knees due to the long flight. It was cool to keep adjusting my watch according to the new time zones. My colleague did not adjust his watch so we always knew what time it was back in India. There was a long line for immigration check. It was the most important thing for entry into America.
“So are you here to work?” asked the not so amiable immigration officer. Looking up to him, tired, irritated and a bit excited too after a 14 hour flight from Mumbai to Dubai to Washington, I answer the dreaded “Yes”. I quickly correct myself by saying “Am here for a business trip”. He chuckles and asks me to look into the camera for a photo. I barely smile and he eggs me on. I feel triumphant listening to the clicks of his stamp on my I95.I have finally made it…..
So it seems, but there’s more coming…
Next an officer asks me “So what kind of food are you carrying M’am?”I put up my best smile and say “Just dry and processed food. It’s ready to eat stuff which needs to be cooked to be palatable.” He is happy with that and I move on. I turn back to catch up with my colleague but can’t find him anywhere. He is apparently sent for a secondary inspection for carrying the same dry and processed food as mine.
I am a bit scared and nervous; I go through the security check and come up in front of a screen trying to locate which gate my plane boards. One friendly security officer sees my misery and offers to help, directing me to a wrong gate. I walk back and forth finally locating the correct one.
I wait anxiously for my colleague to show up. But he does not for a long time. All kinds of weird thoughts in my mind; I am staring at the escalator which brings up people into the waiting area…
After a long and anxious wait...my colleague shows up with a beaming smile. We exchanged the usual “What happened? Why? Where?” questions and wait at the boarding gate. We discuss everything from Obama, Bush, and Health care reforms to Michael Jackson. Some unknown people smile and say “Hello”, I find it weird, only to realize later this is the norm rather than an exception.
An announcement for boarding is heard and I begin the final phase of my journey to Chicago. I finally land at Chicago O’Hare airport. The airport is huge and some people are singing away with their guitars, having a good time. I enjoy the music and make the long walk to the baggage claim area. There are escalators even to walk on. There are some musical lights along the way, red, green and blue lights like strings of a guitar, rhythmically changing on the music. I step out and wait for the person who is supposed to pick us up, wondering how he will know which gate to come at. I realize it’s chilly and put on a coat. My first brush with the wind of Chicago…The person showed up and we exchanged pleasantries, he then took us to our new home to be for the next two months.
The hotel looked like a mansion from outside. I went up to my room. A cool one room suite complete with a bedroom, living room and kitchen, all in one room. My window overlooked a lake and the highway far away. A parking lot, three storeys high was on the right. There were many lamps in my room, two by the bedside and two more elsewhere. I wondered why they can’t just use a tube light instead. I brushed my teeth and had a much needed hot water bath. No geyser, no button to put on, just turn the knob and you get hot water for the shower. All the taps worked that way. I then unpacked my stuff and tried hard to stay awake. We had to go out for dinner.

to be continued....