My First trip to US .. and my First Blog :)

My exploration started with my passport... the trauma i had gone through to get a new one was really tough ... The day i came to know that i need to go to US, first thing got struck my mind was my Passport.. which expired long time back, i did not bother to re-new it as i lost hope that it will be of any use.... i found out that passport re-new has gone hi-tech, which means we need to fill a form online on submitting it, then we would get an appointment and we need to visit passport office on that fateful day, unfortunately hi-tech systems were down due to a hacker blocked the appointment slots and then sold it... (passport office woke at last to realize the fact and shut down the systems with no intimation when they will be back...) This is fortune or call unfortunate to my fate.. :). things don't work out when u need them... same with me... now i need to get the passport in one month...this was the big task for me ... started knocking at each & every individual to find ways .. but in-vain... I approached my Guru (meaning of Guru = there is no match for it :) ) .. he showed me a path.. I just followed it ... and it happened at the right time on the deadline i had my passport. (that's the power of Guru)
Now scary part of the trip ... Visa  hehehe.... i was scared by every one and it went quite opposite ... i got the Visa with out any hurdles (Thanks to lord Chilkur Balaji ) Now comes the availability of flights ... agent with whom we were getting tickets played a cheap trip with us... blocked ticket were given to some one else and i need to find another flights ... at last i got a ticket to SFO (HYD- ABU Dhabi-Chicago-SFO) this was my route.. and total flight duration 32 hrs (full paise vasul) ....imagine for a person going for the first time is this pain needed?
 Day has come of my departure... i left with some mixed feelings(happy and UN-happy) and the journey started .. full of surprises time difference... not sure what to eat (is it lunch/B'fast/supper time) to brush ur teeth or not.. with guts eat what ever came to me... :)
at last i landed in Chicago... and my domestic flight to SFO was in the next 2 hours, when i came to Immigration check.. it was huge line.. for a moment i thought i am still in India :) ... it took me almost One hour 40 minutes to clear it... next thing was to check out my luggage and run towards domestic terminal... and i checked in my luggage and got hold of flight to SFO ... this was my first achievement in US i felt ... As it was a domestic flight, now it was full of Americans hardly any Indian ... I felt Odd Man out :) it took another 5 hrs to land in SFO.. finally landed in SFO, it was night around 9-00PM .... I tried to make a call to find out is some one to pick me to the Hotel.... and i could not make a call as it needs a calling card to make call... it was hell for me for a moment, some one on the help desk at the airport donated a call from there mobile.. and to my utter shock, there is no one to pick me .... I went to check out my luggage ... i tried to take out a trolley, i was told that i need to pay 4$ for it... how do i pay? big Q, I had 20$ as the least denomination .. i tried to get change from the change machine... it was short of change.. Ohhhh.... at last got hold of trolley and moved out of the airport...there was a beautiful car (Black Cadillac sedan) approaching me, driver was saying taxi Taxi.... I was bit hesitant to talk to him assuming it would cost me a lot ... guy got down from the car (he was wearing a Blazer) and asked me for the taxi again..i thought i can trust him, & first Q i asked him how much it would cost to go to SunnyVale, he said 100$ which was in my budget... i then dared to hire it.... it was really luxury car from inside... got introduced to each other, he was from middle east...nice guy very curios to know from which part of the world i belong to and so on.... on the way i asked him where can i get calling cards and how to use them.. he took me to a shop and i bought a calling card and he offered me his mobile to use.. I called back home after almost 36 hrs and spoke to my family...



My First Trip to US.. Land of Opportunities people call it as... it was really dream come true for me. it took 12 years for this chance... 12 years of my IT experience and finally landed in the silicon valley ... Sunnyvale. My first feeling about US was good Infra structure no doubt and disciplined driving on highways… and fully dependent on gadgets like GPS, you can’t live without them. "One can live without legs but not without a car in US."

People her are very much found of there pet animals... particularly Dogs... they love them.. and I was surprise to see this... as in India you find stray dogs all over and life of dogs in US is a luxury :).
If i could tell the same to an India dogs, no doubt they would pray for life time to be re-born as a dog in US :) {that's too much about pets :)}


One more thing you will learn is that you will get use to live in silos... independently no human touch to the things... every thing you do as if some one has asked you to do... close to a Robo.
But if you want to be a Monk, this life style will suite very well...Unfortunately my friends who stay in US are on the East cost and I was alone on the West cost.. flying to east would cost time and money :)
So I had to spend first few days alone (which i can't bare), Going to office and back to Hotel.
Bought some rice, Dal and vegetables to cook and started to cook and i was happy with my cooking.

when i was introduced to an another Hyderabad guy, I was so happy. This Guy (Shamanth Reddy) has changed my stay in US...I started getting a feel of surrounding places and US. Shamanth was like light in the dark :) for me. Used to Spent time with his roommates, they were very joyful. I went to Half Bay Moon beach with Shamanth & Co, it was too scenic spot than a Beach, it was too cold evening. (this was my first weekend in US) in the night went to India restaurant had dinner and went to Bowling.

second week, I got introduced a person (he is a future Monk) currently being called as Susil, he knows in-out of lots of spiritual things... and runs  "e-ashram "  he is different from the rest of us... hope to see him soon in full AVATAR.
And rest of the week end i was at Hotel... third week end went to SFO golden gate, Lombard street, Pier 39 and did some shopping in SunnyVale.
 
I had a chance to work with different kinds of people, no doubt good exposure. 

After all the day had come... day to return back... Shanmanth + future Monk had dropped me at SFO airport and after a long long journey i landed at Hyderabad, and my friend Kalyan had come to pick me from the airport (early in the morning 3:00 AM)

If i look back ... there are people who really helped me, with out whom this would not have happened... I really Thank them from my bottom of my heart {Please don't ask me to put this line on the top of the story... :) }

If i keep writing my return trip ... This blog page would be put to test... :)
I would cherish this experience and look forward to explore many more new places soon :)...


Life really changes without your intervention.... it is all of twist and turns and lot of fun filled and it is a different life if you have lots of money... it's Lots of luxury , lavishness and life looks  totally different... people see you with different means or else they even don't bother you... use the power of money in a appropriate way .. do some good things to society you live in...there are lot of humans who are not even have food for one time a day....