MAY 18th 2011

May 18th, holds a special significance for me. Exactly ten years earlier I set foot on the American soil with a wildly beating heart. I was all alone in my flight journey anxiously anticipating the whole new world awaiting me.

My marriage was a rather hurried affair in a traditional Indian arranged style, so as a couple, me and my husband barely had enough time to spend with each other before he had to leave back to New York for work. So when I came to USA, I had to confront a completely new environment within an alien culture solely trusting my husband whom I immensely liked but still didn’t really know well. In the subsequent years though, his support alone proved to be the biggest asset in every endeavour I made.

My first impression of NY was very grim. While driving from JFK airpot to Staten Island I was shocked to see dull colored apartment buildings on the way. Accustomed to seeing colors everywhere in India, all I could think was, if this is America, what is the big deal? Those early days were very hard when silence of the surroundings drove me crazy. I used to crave for the buzz of the neighbourhood, the attention of people, the usual chitchat of market vendors and the lack of these things often pushed me on the verge of frustration. 

Eventually though, the same silence that I used to hate started evoking a sense of peace in me that I never knew I had. I started listening to the pitter patter of raindrops on rooftop, the rustling of leaves on a windy day, the tinkling of faraway windchimes. Most of all, the quite spells taught me to contemplate, it gave me a clarity of thought. The buildings here may be dull colored but they never look gruesome once they are old and they have no horrid-looking cement marks to patch up leakages.

An important part of my American stay has been my status as a H4 (dependant spouse) visa holder due to which I wasn’t able to work. In those vast free moments, I got opportunities to explore my hobbies. I tried my luck at everything I could lay hands on. Artificial jewellery making, cooking, interior decoration, gardening, photography, painting, scrapbooking. But the most important and the treasured one I rediscovered is Writing, the one I had a flair for since school days but never really pursued.

In spite of all this, several times depression hit me with full force knowing that in India I would have had a hard core career-oriented job. There were times in the past when going back to India seemed to be the topmost priority. Despite this, we chose to stay in USA because something always held us back. Probably even without our knowledge we had started assimilating this culture into our own, it no more felt alien. We liked the discipline, the cleanliness, the pollution-controlled environment, the easy access to nature here. During  these ten years we travelled a lot and the unpredictable beauty of this diverse land left us mesmerised.

There’s a saying, ‘Do in Rome as the Romans do’ but  amazingly in USA,  the free country that it is , this does not apply. Rather the population here is really versatile in accepting the immigrant culture. I have always celebrated our major festivals with full glory and never felt a shade of gloom during these days. I have fallen in love with the country I have explored in the last decade.

India beckons from time to time with its colorful sights n’sounds and I give in to temptation. After all, my very own morals and values find their  firm roots in the rich brown Indian soil.

Today, India resides in my heart as ‘Back Home’ but USA has made a special place for itself as my ‘New Home’.