Last Sunday I went to drop challa to the airport, he walked in to a duty free shop and the lady at the front desk said I couldn't walk in since I wasn't traveling. I waited outside and had a small chat with the lady. She must have been about 65 years old or so. Here is how the conversation went,
Lady: Are you his brother?
Me: No, he is friend of mine
Lady: You from India though?
Me: Yes, and where are you from?
Lady: I am from Denmark. When did you come to US?
Me: About 2 years, not so long ago. How about you?
Lady: Oh! I came here a long time ago, I came here around 1960 for my bachelors. Never went back. You can't go back after you come here.
Me: Why would you say so?
Lady: I wanted to go back, but you get caught in two worlds. You want the freedom, your own country. When you are here you want to go back and when you get back you want to come here. You get caught in between, you can almost never make up your mind.
Me: Hmm, may be!!
And then challa came back, so had to leave.
What scares me is the way she spoke, there was almost an air of inevitability about it. At this point of time I am not thinking about when to go back, simply because it's just too far ahead in time to plan, I am just concentrating on my PhD.
But like I said, the lady almost made it sound like its a decision that's already been made, its inevitable, is it?
Lady: Are you his brother?
Me: No, he is friend of mine
Lady: You from India though?
Me: Yes, and where are you from?
Lady: I am from Denmark. When did you come to US?
Me: About 2 years, not so long ago. How about you?
Lady: Oh! I came here a long time ago, I came here around 1960 for my bachelors. Never went back. You can't go back after you come here.
Me: Why would you say so?
Lady: I wanted to go back, but you get caught in two worlds. You want the freedom, your own country. When you are here you want to go back and when you get back you want to come here. You get caught in between, you can almost never make up your mind.
Me: Hmm, may be!!
And then challa came back, so had to leave.
What scares me is the way she spoke, there was almost an air of inevitability about it. At this point of time I am not thinking about when to go back, simply because it's just too far ahead in time to plan, I am just concentrating on my PhD.
But like I said, the lady almost made it sound like its a decision that's already been made, its inevitable, is it?
3 comments:
make sure prospective students' parents shouldn't read this. If they do, then someting else will be inevitable.
to each his own, cross that bridge when it comes, etc.
As in Matrix Reloaded....
The Architect - "Which brings us at last to the moment of truth, wherein the fundamental flaw is ultimately expressed, and the anomaly revealed as both beginning, and end. There are two doors. The door to your right leads to... The door to the left leads back to ... As you adequately put, the problem is choice. But we already know what you're going to do, don't we?
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