My fIrSt tRaVeL......

This is the story of my "My fIrSt tRaVeL......was on work, to a place far away from home, a foreign land"
(It's a long post and not edited and will still be continued. Hubby wanted this story from me and is completely for him to read my experience..Pls take a coffee break!!)

It was a yr I had started working with my employer, in 2003 when I got my first opportunity to Travel abroad. It might not THRILL me much as I write now, but a complete contrary feel then, out of the WORLD; sailing in cloud nine was "ME" when I called home to flash this news......

Now, what’s it that we INDIANs go through, when we get opportunity to TRAVEL abroad on work? Am still unable to crack the puzzle, but I must confess the FEEL is MIRACULOUS.....well, Back to that day when I had to submit my passport to my manager / HR.

I felt really nice, "hiding my FEAR"; going ahead to prove to be my dad’s brave girl. I was also dating my hubby then, who was almost in happy-tears (Happy since he could get all the goodies from me) and mom scared to send me away from home for the FIRST TIME ever!!!!

It was hell of a merry go round to get my Thatkal passport and Visa and all those paperwork done to travel to States. My mom, who has never experiened such things or never been out much, helped me great guns in getting my passport on time ( will call n thank her today)...I was really tired, forgetting my fears and tears until the D-Day arrived. It was the REAL urge to cancel and get back to my SAFE nest. It scared me more that I will be staying with 2 other girls whom I have never met in Life. Life had started throwing its lessons on me, I had no option but to Live with this for next 3 months.....’ had multiple challenges to face like travelling to unknown country, unknown people, sharing an apt with people I have never met, food, most of all my WORK and training.

After all the drama of saying Good Bye...WAIT....I need to mention this....We were at the airport and hubby had managed to come there to see me off..With my entire family there, it was so difficult to even talk to him for more than a min...As time was rolling, I had to move in the Line, when I see him standing in a corner with tears, me wanting to be there and talk to him was such a urge..He never cried, but realized ...It was this incidence, I got more closer to him and more “CONVINCED” of whom am gonna spend my rest of life with..Its that moment, which helped me FIGHT the battle of our marriage....( Hugs to this moment of our Life)...

Ok, after all this, it was the 3 flights we had to travel for series of hours...It was truly exciting and made me pretend as a woman with confidence...Not much to talk with other 2 girls, we somehow managed to know eachother...The thrid flight to Pittsburg ( Our destination) was 9 hrs away and it was that time, we all fell asleep in the airport, hardly realizing what time or day it was...The KICK was felt, when we got up to realise they were closing the gates and was a final call for us...we rushed like athletes, almost tear eyed, plead the security to let us in...It was then in the flight, we shared our first smiles together...( Now, one of them is my very close fren)

Fast forward.......
We are settled at our studio apt, check the facilities...I rush to the Huge window and get the right feel of setting my foot in a foreign land. Its the same feel I go through, which everyone would would when they are in a foreign land. Its more to do with the difference in the surrounding and less know-how about it, rather than anything else ...Its quite Mixed..My main intention was to EAT something and get comfortable with the new home and those girls.

I BEST MIXED-BITTER feel is what I name the period as, unknow to everything and not sure what to expect. Days rolled mostly in fear for me ( yeah, am not that brave to anything NEW in life) and took me a month to crack the puzzle to "How to stay with 2 women under same roof" and cooking, doing your own chors, freaking in new country, managing work, training and homeowork. It was not EASY for the kind of girl I am but Those phone calls from parents, sissy and hubby made me hold back those tears of insecurity. We knew only our way to work and the downtown in Pittsburg and never dared spend or try any other lane/places to visit. We always cooked in our apt and looked at each other if we had to go out in the cold and spend outside. There were lot of pressure and exp[ectaton in terms of our work and I had the initial language issue in undertsanding what they spoke, expected and intentions. I walked slowly in the lanes, looking(staring) at the cars, people wondering how different it is from the Life I have led for 22 yrs. With all this 'Not so good' and 'Unique' feel stepped into second and last month of my stay, which will totally in contrary to aftersaid!!!

there were 3 more people added to the project, so we were now a gang of 6 and I was already quite close to two other girls with lot of adjustments and fine tuning with each other. we all started to try out different places after work and shop for ourself. I specially want to mention it was the "FIRST TIME" , I was independenty freaking out late in the night, doing what I want, eating when I want, cooking, wearing my kind of attire, it was totally MY LIFE and I loved it completely. No one to question me and the feel of being just myself was simply wow! I loved everyday of my stay there, made frens locally, tried different wine and we even partied in the apt. 6 of us, in different country and leading life in our terms!

To be continued........
Phew...