Churchill's Commentary on Man
Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on as though nothing has happened.


Looking Forward and Moving Ahead - Part I


All these days, I only seem to have planned the act of going THERE.
For the past one year.


Starting rite from the very act of:
asking seniors where to go to,
to the application process,
to getting recommendation letters,
to getting admitted,
to contacting the professors and getting aid,
to getting my I-20 and preparing for VISA interview,
to booking the flight tickets,
to getting stuff for going there,
I only seem to have planned the act of going THERE. I never imagined what I would be able to do, have to do and what I must do over THERE. I never even thought about the act of living THERE.

I am always a person who planned out lives, and always played by the book of life. I like keeping things organised, and nothing going "not according to plan". So it seemed to me that by now, I should have planned what to do there. But without prior inforamtion of what to expect, and what I have to do, I simply can't plan. This somehow did affect me in a different sort of way.


Some of the uncertainties that I would have to face seem to be:
I havent got an apartment yet. Am I going to live on the street? (God forbit, NO) .
What type will I get?
Will it be big and comfortable?
Will it be close to the college?
Will it be furnished?. If not, where do I have to go for that?
Will it be in a good neighbourhood?
Will I have time to cook atleast dinner?
Will I be able to get good Indian stuff there to cook?
Are there enough Indian stores nearby?
Is there a good transportation system available? (I know its answer: NO) Can I get a bike (cycle) to get around easily?
Can I get a driver's license?
Will I be able to get a car, on a lease atleast?If so, will I be able to afford an insurance for it?
I still dont know what courses to take.
I dont know what books to take.
I dont know how much the workload would be.
I dont know how much the atmosphere would be, having studied only in the stuffy classrooms of IIT.
...


The list is on and on and literally endless.


With so many things pre-occupying my mind eternally, and with soooo many uncertainties, how can I organise everthing here. The difficulties do seem unsurmountable. Its like trying to race to every tall peak of the world, every second, every minute and every hour of every day.


To top this all, I have been asked by a parent of one of the students in my college (and school) and who is also heading to the same univ (with full aid, of course), to look after him.


Quote:

The only reason I am sending my son there is because you are going there too. You two have been classmates since school and I cant imagine sending my son alone. In fact I would not have even sent him to any other IIT. So can you please take care of him? Look after him properly and please always support him. You probably cannot understand how much he means to me. Ask you mother, to get to know how I feel.

Unquote.


What am I doing? A babysitting job? As it is, I seem to have enough going to pre-occupy my mind for a long time. And now, THIS. All I could say over the phone was "Ok ... I will ... Surely ...". I still havent got a roof over my head there, and you want me to take care of him too. Listen. I know how over-whelming this is to you. Leaving your son for 5 years in a foriegn country is not an easy job. For anyone. Even for me. But I first have to take care of myself


Besides, there is a good Indian diaspora there and even an Indian Students Association, who usually take care of the "special" needs of people. And Indians generally have each other to depend on. (That doesnt seem to satisfy me, though.) Any problem, they should be the one who is approached first.


To be continued...