The number of participants seems to be doing a yo-yo on us. This time round we got only 7 but the mix was as diverse as San Antonio – in fact, we even had two American women sit in on this one. We always start the day by getting the women to share their stories as a warm-up. I want to highlight one story of Neeru Kulhar. Neeru works as a software developer for the Citi Group – one of TCS’s major clients in the US. She is also a single mother of a 6 year old. She was married at 20 and life hasn’t been easy since. Neeru’s assignment in the US is only for two years so she didn’t want to uproot her daughter who is now with her family in Delhi. Her aim from her two years in the US is to save up enough money to make a down payment for a house she wants to buy for her daughter and herself. But this isn’t a sad story. Neeru’s making the most of her time in the US. She knows it’s a unique opportunity and doesn’t live in the guilt of leaving her daughter behind. She has a great circle of friends, travels a lot, works hard and it’s almost as if she’s living her 20’s now.
Unknowingly, she also challenged a set notion I had about life abroad. For me, the only way you could enjoy your time abroad is by mingling with the locals. I thought if I go abroad and interact only with Indians, it’s a waste of an opportunity. But when I saw Neeru’s friend circle, I felt differently. They’re all Indians, they all work for TCS, and they all live and hangout in the same area. In fact it’s like they’re living in a mini India here. They share a ‘all for one and one for all’ spirit and their camaraderie is palpable. They joke, laugh and tease each other much like the characters in ‘Friends’ – each with their own stories and eccentricities. My realization after meeting them was that it doesn’t matter who you hang out with. What matters is that you surround yourself with people who believe in you and will be there for you when in need and you for them. Neeru’s found that support system in a small town called Ervine just outside of Dallas and I’m sure they’ll be with her wherever she goes.
Dallas a.k.a The Big D
I stumbled across something unique to do in Dallas - an ‘art walk’. It’s a 3 mile walk highlighting 30-odd interesting pieces of art and architecture in the downtown area. It’s designed in interest of public health to ‘encourage’ the slightly-large-sized people of Dallas to walk and comes with a map and quick description of the places. So, I took along 8 unwilling Indians (Neeru’s group) on this walk. (Unwilling because it involved art, walking and windy weather: not things that would typically excite an Indian). But they came around and agreed (maybe just to not dampen my enthusiasm) that it was an excellent way to see the city. We ended the evening at the International House of Pancakes. Some Americans look down at IHOP as blue collared but you'll be hard pressed to find a place that serves better pancakes than them. I’m a fan now.
In the Air Quip:
Americans have a strong sense of pride in their military. I had a small taste of this on my flight out of Dallas. In his address to the passengers, the pilot mentioned that we had some military personnel on board and that he was proud to serve them today and thanked them for the service they do for the country. The passengers followed this with a thunderous applause in acknowledgement of the pilot’s comment. Small gesture but big impact for the people who make sacrifices for their country – something we should replicate in India too.
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