To be honest, I had dreamt of coming to this country all my life. I was swept with awe when I first set foot at Atlanta. One thought immediately came to my mind - anything you find in this land will be on a grand scale. The people of the US do not know the beauty of miniaturization, unlike the Japanese. Big roads criss-crossed by bigger flyovers, huge cars flanked by giant trucks, tall buildings with glass facades .. my my! Even the people seem to be of a bigger build. I remember buying a shirt of the smallest size available at Haggar's over the weekend, and unsurprisingly, it was oversized :)
So here I was, in the middle of nowhere - "vast, flat and ugly" - according to my friend who picked me up at the airport in Dallas. I had to agree. All around I could see well-maintained stretches of grass and no trees. It looked so green, yet barren .. A few tall buildings dotting the horizon here and there. Real estate goes a-begging in this part of the country I suppose!
People are good. I mean, friendly, at least. Anybody you run into - on the street, in the park, up the lift (oops, elevator!) - they never fail to give a courteous, and sometimes self-conscious, smile. It is the 'desi' junta that I feel are confused. Most of them fumble around with words or actions or both when they run into others. I haven't been able to fathom what it is which stops them from saying a friendly 'hi' or at least acknowledge one another .. Expecting too much from our people??
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