America Travels.

There’s nothing quite like a change of scenery to give you some new perspective. Even though this exchange programme to the US (on Gender Issues) had been in the pipeline for almost half of last year, it happened, thankfully, at a time when I needed to get away. And get away I did. To four cities in an entirely new country, meeting new people, experiencing new ways of living, new food, and all the rest of it.

People have asked me what I liked best about the US, and what I liked least. To go into conversations like these could take a fair bit of time. How can you sum up a trip of almost a month into just a few lines? How can you encapsulate the experience of a lifetime into a simple blogpost? But maybe that’s where words have their limitations, because some experiences just cannot be relived, or re-experienced.

America surprised me. For someone going abroad (Kathmandu in 2007 doesn’t count!) for the first time, I was nervous. I was plagued by idiotic worries about getting through Immigrations, clearing Customs, or even facing racial slurs. I’m happy to say all the worrying was, ultimately,not required. Not only did I get through the international travel all right, I even helped out Bibha, the girl I was travelling with – also one of the people on my programme. Of course, jetlag isn’t the best – and a body-clock out of sync is a nasty, nasty feeling!

Washington DC had its own charm – it’s a corporate-looking city steeped in history and culture. If you’re ever there, do check out the Smithsonian museums – believe me, they’re worth it. The city is pedestrian-friendly and I spent some pleasant time just walking around on my own, enjoying the chill and the feeling of being in the US capital. Indianapolis (Indiana), on the other hand, was friendly and sweet, almost like a warm cup of tea, except that it was COLD. Brrr. Heading back to the hotel from a pub at midnight, walking through -8 degrees Celsius is pretty much a one-of-a-kind experience. You haven’t known cold until your lips numb up, trust me. Dallas (Texas) was flashy, shiny, and big – the buildings were big, the hotels were big, even the burgers were big! But I met some of the nicest people there, and of course – a cowboy too. And finally, Salt Lake City (Utah) was the place I liked best. It was almost like the handshake of a person you’re meeting for the first time, but whom you take an instinctive liking to. The city’s old-world charm, combined with its beauty of the surrounding mountains, made SLC a place I want to visit again. In many  ways, too, SLC reminded me of Calcutta, making me feel immediately at home.

I could go on and on about America, and perhaps it would have been a more prudent idea to dedicate an individual post to each city. Time, however, is not on my side. There are people who despise America, there are blatant America stereotypes that make for good jokes, and of course, there is the threat of racism. There is so much negativity one could combat my post with, but I have come back with the best of memories. Everyone’s been nice, people have gone out of their way to be helpful, and I even got a smile and a “Hello, how’s it going?” whenever I walked into a lift. Plus, the traffic management is SO GOOD, it’s impressive –> one of the things that struck me most, as a person who has major trauma issues about driving in Calcutta!

I would never compare India to America, because the issues that each country deals with are vastly different. But I realised that we’re really not all that different. Sure, we may talk differently, or eat differently, or even worship differently. But when it comes to the heart of things, we’re really pretty much the same people, with much the same problems, similar priorities, and while the ethics may differ – we do share common threads.

But sitting in America, thousands of miles away from home, with only pictures to look at when I got homesick (and occasional Skype chats), I did miss home and everyone in it. I missed my family, my cat, baari’r ranna, my friends, my own bed (in no particular order). But it was wonderful while it lasted. It’s not everyone that gets to visit America on the invitation of the US government, and I like to think I made the most of my trip – right from dancing around in the snow to getting lost in the lanes of unfamiliar cities, from overdosing on steaming hot chili to shopping my heart out, from swapping history and culture with Americans to attending a gospel concert. Plus, I met some people I’m not going to forget and whom I intend to keep in touch with, I met with organisations that are doing some really inspirational work. The trip’s done me good, it gave me a change of scene and in many ways, a change of heart.

What a way it was to start 2012.