A month passed by since I am back to India. Suddenly in between I was having a different kind of a feeling. I was so busy in work at office and some personal work in hunting for the property. I was just living every day. Go to office, come back, sleep, do some work, fill forms and back to office, meetings and tracking. Just like salt or sugar when dissolved with water will loose its original form. I got dissolved in this busy world. Today I was listening to some of my favorite songs that I used to listen in Kansas. It had happened something like this that the USB memory drive of 1 year which was disconnected from my PC, suddenly got connected and started showing me off all the history files.
Initially Kansas was like a boring place, but slowly as I went on spending my days in here, I started liking the city. What was special about the city, the people I met here, the homely nature of the city, the plaza, the parks, the downtown, the candlewood suites, my running path, the office, the work, everything almost everything in here. As though I found it was not good for buying anything much of electronics items unlike the deals in Fry’s electronics of Phoenix. But I did roam around places here and went around lot of restaurants and pretty good hang out places. Though all along the time we went on blaming Kansas for its geographic position, it is like you won’t understand the importance of something that you have, until you loose it.
Initial one month went off in just getting settling down in here, getting my laptop, SSN, DL, car and things like that. Then when we 3 Honeywell guys (Bejoy, Arya and me) got together we started experimenting the roads and places around. After the Wipro guys and gals pitched in the Candlewoods, our group started growing. I still remember I had invited everybody to The Country Club Plaza, I had heard that it was a good place! that’s it. We missed the exit or a lane change and went altogether in a different route. Someone helped us in showing us back the route, but we were in doubt whether they are helping us or taking us somewhere. After the first visit to Plaza and then later discovery of this place, it formed our favorite place to hang out every weekend. Few of the places of Plaza I just can’t ever forget. The fountains around, the bridge over the water stream, the statues, the cheesecake factory, the starbucks, the America’s Pub, the Barnes and Nobels, so many other restaurants. Plaza is one such a unique marvelous place; it is so romantic, it so mystical and magical.
We went on trips to the cities around as far as possible. St Louis was the first trip. It was just 260 miles away from Kansas. It was good fun time to see the arch, the kiddy museum, the zoo and just roaming around. Only frustrating part for me was that I always missed the exits, may be as I still say it was because Vinod was helping me properly with navigation. The Chicago trip was just amazing. Man! Chicago, has its own flare, it own style and attitude for which I liked it a lot. Just after spending 3 days in Chicago I felt it is a city to live. The drive was just too long and memorable. My second profession was driving, I was a driver :), but since I love driving, I don’t mind this even as a profession. The Dallas trip was good, too long drive for 2 days, but it was a good break. The Rocky mountain trip was rocking. Rockies in covered with snow was like heaven, it was too beautiful to handle, the lake walk, the trees half covered with snow, the colorful lighting on streets, the thanksgiving parade, the starbucks over there, twin owls hotel. It was one trip with no deadlines and we watched so many movies while in hotel. It was the best trip of the year. The New York trip was fantastic in its own ways. These cities are just the best cities in the world. “I love New York” that is saying that goes around everywhere in NY and I really feel the meaning of it.
The friends I got here, I believe them to be friends for lifetime. I just hope so that we keep in touch till the last moment on this earth, but I don’t know. My Honeywell folks were Bejoy, Arya, Madhava, Harshad, Prashanth, Sachin, Enrique. From Wipro were, Anoop, Pooja, Vidya, Matangi, Nakul, Ayyanar, Vinod, Nirmal, Safeer, Srirajesh, Imran, Senthil… Well! I am not taking any attendance here :). Each of them came and went off for a period of a time. I always had a strange feeling why do people meet and depart. I used to kind of give them send off and I used the feel what the hell am I the host here or what. But I knew no one is permanent, even one day I have to leave from here. Anoop Pooja and Safeer were on H1, so in a way it was good for me with a thought that I will always have their company. Unfortunately something happened, Pooja left Kansas, unsolved mystery forever for me. All means of contact with her was lost just like that!. I wish even today Can God make some modifications here. Anoop was always there, in fact he was a default person in all my trips and weekends. Dude! Thanks man!. Matangi is an amazing cook and she never feels bored to cook any day any time. She is like a radio (Mat don’t feel bad, it is a complement in a good sense), once it is ON it goes on and on. Nakul was cool, we all had a big adventure and worlds of fun was loads of fun. Arya is a cool person, I really had such a good time to have him in our company. He has his own typical style and philosophies. Something or the other thing would be going on giggling, laughing or some jokes when he is around. Madhava is one person who ultimately gave me a send off. On the way back to India I went through New York and New Jersey. Anoop came along and we roamed around a lot of places in New York. It has just too hard for me to say Bye to him, talking some crap and avoiding eye contact I ran off to my path next ahead at the Times Square. It is very difficult for me to stop writing for this blog, because I have so many more things to say. The strange yet another thing is that I started writing this post when I was in India and I am completing this when I am back in Kansas again.
All these memories are buried in my mind and would remain green forever.
