The American Airlines flight was much different from the Jet Airways flight. It was full of foreigners (rather I was the only foreigner). This was the first time I was among so many firangs. It was surely none of my comfort zones. There were a few Indians too, inside the plane, but they were very stangely indifferent. They were all trying to make friends with the Americans.
My seat was right in the middle of the Economy Class this time. I realized that I was more comfortable in Jet's corner seat than AA's middle seat. The Plane, the Seats and the Airhostesses were much better in the Jet Airways flight. The American Airhostesses seemed pretty arrogant, and much less caring. The service was definitely much better in Jet Airways.
I also realized that inspite of asking myself many times not to, I constantly compared whatever I saw, to how their Indian counterparts were. I have been doing that ever since I entered the American Airlines plane to this day. May be it's natural for any foreigner. Although, I cannot comment on non-Indian foreigners in America coz I haven't spoken to any, I don't think they are any different.
I wasn't lucky enough even on this occasion. No hot gal by my side. Mine was a window seat this time. And, believe it or now, I had company, though only for some time - a lady whose name was Nancy Hahn. She was a very nice lady. She worked in Misys Healthcare - a Client company for an Indian company.
She was coming from Bangalore, India. So the obvious topic on which to start a conversation with her was the Weather in India. Being an American, she must have had a really tough time enduring the Indian summers. I brought it up after our greetings to each other, and as expected, she had a lot to say about the heat. That made me feel that Americans are talkative. Or was it just that she was a woman? Could be the latter.
After talking for about 10 minutes, Nancy moved to one of the empty middle seats so that each one of us could sit comfortably. I was again left alone. Though Nancy was there whenever I needed help with figuring out things. Like I didn't have an ear phone and seeing the confused look on my face, she got one for me from the Airhostess. And on many occasions, she was there to guide me with the things the Airhostess carried...in her trolley.
I felt very tired. Took some apple juice. The LCD here didn't have much to check out. It was smaller than the one in Jet Airways. I still put on the headphones and played something coz I figured that if I had the phones on, I didn't get that stuffy sensation in the ears which I usually did in the domestic Indian flights. I was quite comfortable though I sat for hours without changing positions for long in each of the flights.
The American Airlines Plane flew much higher than the Jet Airways Plane. Most of this flight was over water. And we were above clouds for the major part of it. It being my second International flight, most of the excitement that was there before and during the first one waned away. Things got less and less special for me. The Airhostesses and their trolleys seemed like a routine affair. For lunch, there was a special order for me. My company had asked for a vegetarian meal for me. I felt so Indian for the first time. The food was good. My optimism about American Veg food grew stronger.
I got reprimanded once by the Airhostess for ordering before she came to me. She was serving the guy behind me and I was next in line. I told myself - those Indian gals in Jet Airways wouldn't have been so rude :-(.
Things started getting uneventful. I was tired. I slept a lot. When I got up, we were 45 minutes from Chicago O'Hare. The Aircraft was shaking due to turbulence. It descended after a lot of circling around the Airport. Lot of traffic at the airport, I guess. I walked out of the Aircraft. Nancy and I were walking side by side until we came out.
O'Hare is a big big airport. That's what I heard from many. Even the LCD showed a big big map with lots of gates. While I was there, I couldn't get much idea of its size coz I was led out of the plane into corridors and passages and then to a big hall where I had to do Immigration Check and stuff. Nancy showed me that I had to stand in the queues for Immigrants was she was going to a queue for US Residents. Since we were parting, I felt that we might never meet again. It was good to have the contacts of someone who'd helped you so much. So I asked Nancy whether I cud have her card. She didn't have one to give me right away. Then I asked her for her email Id and she gave it to me on a piece of paper. I was elated. We said byes and then we joined our respective queues. When my turn came, I was asked "Why are you here" at the counter. I blurted out the answer I had prepared during my VISA interview - For technical discussions with our clients and customers. I was also going to add - Preliminary design and analysis - to it, but then I felt it wasn't required. My passport was stapled with a piece of one of those forms I had filled with a stamp of Aug 04 2007 thumped on it. I later came to know that the form is called I-94 and the stamp indicates the maximum time I am allowed to stay in the US.
I collected my luggage (called baggage in air-travel terminology). I was convinced that Chicago was where I had to collect my baggage from. My next worry was about how to check it into my next flight to Cincinnati. I had been thinking about these for days. I enquired and came to know that I had to go to another gate to catch the domestic flight to Cincinnati and to go to that gate, I had to catch a train. There was an escalator to take me up to the train stations. Sindhu had told me about those escalators and the fact that you should not keep much luggage if alone coz you need to leave the trolleys and lift all the luggage yourself from here. I didn't have much to carry though, and my suitcase had wheels too. So I could easily walk with my baggage and reached the station in no time. The train came very soon. I got into it. I noticed that everyone else was so much taller than me. In India I am of an average height. There were 2 cops standing right in front of me. I told them the gate I had to go to and asked them where I had to get down. They said it was the very next stop and they were getting down as well, so I could follow them. I did that.I got down at the next station. I saw Nancy there. Said a Hi to her. She came along. She helped me checkin my baggage for the next flight to Cincinnati and also guided through the security check and then to the right gate for my next flight. It was so kind of her to help me, though I had never asked for it. I guess somehow she realized that I was new and needed help and was also a good boy.
The Security check was interesting. I got to see the domestic air-travellers in the US. It was like a casual thing for them. In India, air-travel is a big deal, even by Air Deccan. The security check was pretty strict. Everybody had to take out shoes, watches, everything metal. I wonder how women manage with rings at all kinds of places. Rings in ears may be allowed coz they can be seen. What about the rings elsewhere? Anyone knows? Don't the metal detectors shout when such rings pass through with any woman?
I again felt proud at my decision of taking off my socks. After the security, I enetered the huge domestic terminal of Chicago along with Nancy. There were hundreds of gates from which hundreds of flights were departing every minute. Wonder how they manage such traffic.
Our next flights were from different gates. So it was time for another Good Bye to Nancy and this time it was indeed the last one. I wondered whether we could sit and talk for some more time, coz there was still 1.5 hour time for my flight and 1 hour for Nancy's. But Nancy didn't seem interested. So I let her go, and looked for my own Gate. It was not far from Nancy's. I could see her.
There were many seats in front of each gate. I could not sit for long. My legs were aching. I started romaing around. The bag with the laptop in it was heavy. I still walked. There were stores all over - McDonalds etc. I didn't eat anything. Just kept walking. Saw a public coin phone at one place. I didn't have coins. There was an option to swipe a card and call. I swiped but it didn't work. I gave up. First encounter with these coin/card automated things in the US! I came back to my gate, sat on one of the seats and checked if my laptop worked with any of the available wireless networks. It didn't.
I looked around. First time in my life, I saw a real girl in a real mini-skirt. Of course I did see in movies, but never in real life. I was in Mumbai for 4 years, but never saw one. And here at the airport I saw one girl with a perfect figure and in a mini-skirt. She was an Ui-Ma kind of girl. It was treat to watch her running, pulling along her bag with wheels.
Then there was a couple with a chhmaaaaaaall kid pulling all their luggage as they were walking. That was very cute. I should have taken a pic. It didn't occur to me at that time. I went and complimented the parents that their kid was very cute.
I kept waiting for my flight's boarding anouncement at the gate till the last 15 minutes remained. Looked around, even Nancy had gone. Just then, it was announced that my flight would depart from another gate that was pretty far away. Less than 15 minutes remained for the departure. Now that worried me. I ran. It took a long time to reach that gate, and when I did, a lady there said she had closed the boarding for the flight. I wonder how all other passengers had come to know of the gate change. The LCDs all over the airport were still showing the earlier gate number for that flight. Anywayz, the lady opened it again for me, and I went inside and boarded the flight. I was the last one to get it.
This plane - American Eagle - was a pathetic Aircraft. It was like a long pipe with 3 lines of seats. There were no Airhostesses - just one steward, who was effeminate and seemed gay and was acting smart. It seemed there was no AC also. The plane was very old and ill-maintained. Overall it was a bad flight. I slept through most of the 1 hour I was in it.
Cincinnati Airport is much smaller than the other ones I had seen during the day. I collected all my baggage. Thankfully, nothing was lost. I had heard tales of people finding their bags missing when they reach US. I was relieved to find everything right there.
I had to call a cab. I was wondering how to. I asked a cop. He told me that I had to call from the phone at a corner he pointed to. I went there. A Chinese looking gal was on the phone asking for a cab. She spoke with an American Accent. She asked me if I needed a cab too. I said yes. She called one for me too. She told me the cab number, which I did not understand. I asked her again, she told me again. Again, I didn't understand. She was too arrogant. Didn't respond a bit to my smiles. She went away. I decided I was going to call the cab myself. I didn't know what number to dial. I looked around, there was a register with many numbers. I was having a tough time. I picked up the receiver, it connected me directly to the cab-service guy. I asked him for a cab and he told me the cab number. So I was relieved that I too had a number now.
I came out of the airport to where the gal was standing and waiting for her cab. There was one bus picking up passengers on the other side of the road. I wondered where that went. Since my company was paying the cab charges, I decided not to worry about the cost of going by a cab. The gal sat in a cab that was not of the number assigned to her. Actually the cab guy came looking for someone who had already left. So she sat in it. Later when her cab came, I sat in that. Wonder who sat in my cab!
Well, as all this was happening, I kept saying to myself - Man! You reached your destination! Here you are at Cincinnati - Ohio - USA. Palmistry is bogus!
To Be Continued...
My seat was right in the middle of the Economy Class this time. I realized that I was more comfortable in Jet's corner seat than AA's middle seat. The Plane, the Seats and the Airhostesses were much better in the Jet Airways flight. The American Airhostesses seemed pretty arrogant, and much less caring. The service was definitely much better in Jet Airways.
I also realized that inspite of asking myself many times not to, I constantly compared whatever I saw, to how their Indian counterparts were. I have been doing that ever since I entered the American Airlines plane to this day. May be it's natural for any foreigner. Although, I cannot comment on non-Indian foreigners in America coz I haven't spoken to any, I don't think they are any different.
I wasn't lucky enough even on this occasion. No hot gal by my side. Mine was a window seat this time. And, believe it or now, I had company, though only for some time - a lady whose name was Nancy Hahn. She was a very nice lady. She worked in Misys Healthcare - a Client company for an Indian company.
She was coming from Bangalore, India. So the obvious topic on which to start a conversation with her was the Weather in India. Being an American, she must have had a really tough time enduring the Indian summers. I brought it up after our greetings to each other, and as expected, she had a lot to say about the heat. That made me feel that Americans are talkative. Or was it just that she was a woman? Could be the latter.
After talking for about 10 minutes, Nancy moved to one of the empty middle seats so that each one of us could sit comfortably. I was again left alone. Though Nancy was there whenever I needed help with figuring out things. Like I didn't have an ear phone and seeing the confused look on my face, she got one for me from the Airhostess. And on many occasions, she was there to guide me with the things the Airhostess carried...in her trolley.
I felt very tired. Took some apple juice. The LCD here didn't have much to check out. It was smaller than the one in Jet Airways. I still put on the headphones and played something coz I figured that if I had the phones on, I didn't get that stuffy sensation in the ears which I usually did in the domestic Indian flights. I was quite comfortable though I sat for hours without changing positions for long in each of the flights.
The American Airlines Plane flew much higher than the Jet Airways Plane. Most of this flight was over water. And we were above clouds for the major part of it. It being my second International flight, most of the excitement that was there before and during the first one waned away. Things got less and less special for me. The Airhostesses and their trolleys seemed like a routine affair. For lunch, there was a special order for me. My company had asked for a vegetarian meal for me. I felt so Indian for the first time. The food was good. My optimism about American Veg food grew stronger.
I got reprimanded once by the Airhostess for ordering before she came to me. She was serving the guy behind me and I was next in line. I told myself - those Indian gals in Jet Airways wouldn't have been so rude :-(.
Things started getting uneventful. I was tired. I slept a lot. When I got up, we were 45 minutes from Chicago O'Hare. The Aircraft was shaking due to turbulence. It descended after a lot of circling around the Airport. Lot of traffic at the airport, I guess. I walked out of the Aircraft. Nancy and I were walking side by side until we came out.
O'Hare is a big big airport. That's what I heard from many. Even the LCD showed a big big map with lots of gates. While I was there, I couldn't get much idea of its size coz I was led out of the plane into corridors and passages and then to a big hall where I had to do Immigration Check and stuff. Nancy showed me that I had to stand in the queues for Immigrants was she was going to a queue for US Residents. Since we were parting, I felt that we might never meet again. It was good to have the contacts of someone who'd helped you so much. So I asked Nancy whether I cud have her card. She didn't have one to give me right away. Then I asked her for her email Id and she gave it to me on a piece of paper. I was elated. We said byes and then we joined our respective queues. When my turn came, I was asked "Why are you here" at the counter. I blurted out the answer I had prepared during my VISA interview - For technical discussions with our clients and customers. I was also going to add - Preliminary design and analysis - to it, but then I felt it wasn't required. My passport was stapled with a piece of one of those forms I had filled with a stamp of Aug 04 2007 thumped on it. I later came to know that the form is called I-94 and the stamp indicates the maximum time I am allowed to stay in the US.
I collected my luggage (called baggage in air-travel terminology). I was convinced that Chicago was where I had to collect my baggage from. My next worry was about how to check it into my next flight to Cincinnati. I had been thinking about these for days. I enquired and came to know that I had to go to another gate to catch the domestic flight to Cincinnati and to go to that gate, I had to catch a train. There was an escalator to take me up to the train stations. Sindhu had told me about those escalators and the fact that you should not keep much luggage if alone coz you need to leave the trolleys and lift all the luggage yourself from here. I didn't have much to carry though, and my suitcase had wheels too. So I could easily walk with my baggage and reached the station in no time. The train came very soon. I got into it. I noticed that everyone else was so much taller than me. In India I am of an average height. There were 2 cops standing right in front of me. I told them the gate I had to go to and asked them where I had to get down. They said it was the very next stop and they were getting down as well, so I could follow them. I did that.I got down at the next station. I saw Nancy there. Said a Hi to her. She came along. She helped me checkin my baggage for the next flight to Cincinnati and also guided through the security check and then to the right gate for my next flight. It was so kind of her to help me, though I had never asked for it. I guess somehow she realized that I was new and needed help and was also a good boy.
The Security check was interesting. I got to see the domestic air-travellers in the US. It was like a casual thing for them. In India, air-travel is a big deal, even by Air Deccan. The security check was pretty strict. Everybody had to take out shoes, watches, everything metal. I wonder how women manage with rings at all kinds of places. Rings in ears may be allowed coz they can be seen. What about the rings elsewhere? Anyone knows? Don't the metal detectors shout when such rings pass through with any woman?
I again felt proud at my decision of taking off my socks. After the security, I enetered the huge domestic terminal of Chicago along with Nancy. There were hundreds of gates from which hundreds of flights were departing every minute. Wonder how they manage such traffic.
Our next flights were from different gates. So it was time for another Good Bye to Nancy and this time it was indeed the last one. I wondered whether we could sit and talk for some more time, coz there was still 1.5 hour time for my flight and 1 hour for Nancy's. But Nancy didn't seem interested. So I let her go, and looked for my own Gate. It was not far from Nancy's. I could see her.
There were many seats in front of each gate. I could not sit for long. My legs were aching. I started romaing around. The bag with the laptop in it was heavy. I still walked. There were stores all over - McDonalds etc. I didn't eat anything. Just kept walking. Saw a public coin phone at one place. I didn't have coins. There was an option to swipe a card and call. I swiped but it didn't work. I gave up. First encounter with these coin/card automated things in the US! I came back to my gate, sat on one of the seats and checked if my laptop worked with any of the available wireless networks. It didn't.
I looked around. First time in my life, I saw a real girl in a real mini-skirt. Of course I did see in movies, but never in real life. I was in Mumbai for 4 years, but never saw one. And here at the airport I saw one girl with a perfect figure and in a mini-skirt. She was an Ui-Ma kind of girl. It was treat to watch her running, pulling along her bag with wheels.
Then there was a couple with a chhmaaaaaaall kid pulling all their luggage as they were walking. That was very cute. I should have taken a pic. It didn't occur to me at that time. I went and complimented the parents that their kid was very cute.
I kept waiting for my flight's boarding anouncement at the gate till the last 15 minutes remained. Looked around, even Nancy had gone. Just then, it was announced that my flight would depart from another gate that was pretty far away. Less than 15 minutes remained for the departure. Now that worried me. I ran. It took a long time to reach that gate, and when I did, a lady there said she had closed the boarding for the flight. I wonder how all other passengers had come to know of the gate change. The LCDs all over the airport were still showing the earlier gate number for that flight. Anywayz, the lady opened it again for me, and I went inside and boarded the flight. I was the last one to get it.
This plane - American Eagle - was a pathetic Aircraft. It was like a long pipe with 3 lines of seats. There were no Airhostesses - just one steward, who was effeminate and seemed gay and was acting smart. It seemed there was no AC also. The plane was very old and ill-maintained. Overall it was a bad flight. I slept through most of the 1 hour I was in it.
Cincinnati Airport is much smaller than the other ones I had seen during the day. I collected all my baggage. Thankfully, nothing was lost. I had heard tales of people finding their bags missing when they reach US. I was relieved to find everything right there.
I had to call a cab. I was wondering how to. I asked a cop. He told me that I had to call from the phone at a corner he pointed to. I went there. A Chinese looking gal was on the phone asking for a cab. She spoke with an American Accent. She asked me if I needed a cab too. I said yes. She called one for me too. She told me the cab number, which I did not understand. I asked her again, she told me again. Again, I didn't understand. She was too arrogant. Didn't respond a bit to my smiles. She went away. I decided I was going to call the cab myself. I didn't know what number to dial. I looked around, there was a register with many numbers. I was having a tough time. I picked up the receiver, it connected me directly to the cab-service guy. I asked him for a cab and he told me the cab number. So I was relieved that I too had a number now.
I came out of the airport to where the gal was standing and waiting for her cab. There was one bus picking up passengers on the other side of the road. I wondered where that went. Since my company was paying the cab charges, I decided not to worry about the cost of going by a cab. The gal sat in a cab that was not of the number assigned to her. Actually the cab guy came looking for someone who had already left. So she sat in it. Later when her cab came, I sat in that. Wonder who sat in my cab!
Well, as all this was happening, I kept saying to myself - Man! You reached your destination! Here you are at Cincinnati - Ohio - USA. Palmistry is bogus!
To Be Continued...
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