An introduction of sorts.

Dear Mom and Dad Within days, you will find your feet touching the American Detroit soil. And at that moment, perhaps, you might find yourself baffled by the number of Indian and Eastern Asians around you. I suppose, you would think that after going through immigration and customs, you might actually see all that is ‘American’ , but, it is at this point that I want you to know that, defining what is American, is much harder then you think.
In fact, I still haven’t gotten around it. Without question, I will be and am very excited to have you here. I am even more curious to hear of what you think of this country. It isn’t mine, but I have been here long enough to associate some of it personally and on rare occasions, emotionally. So Welcome then! Enjoy the wide roads on our way back from the Airport. Mom, I will be doing 120 Km/hr but you won’t notice. The vastness of the free ways and the monstrosity of cars around will make you believe that we are cruising. It is an illusion that never grows old. Dad, perhaps you could sit up front. Not that it matters, the view from each window will be the same. Flat. We will be headed to Ann Arbor. Dad, this where I spent all you money going to school! But fear not, you will plainly see where all that money was spent. And the pretentiousness of this town is a free bonus. Yet, I like it and I am certain you will too. Besides, when I am at work, it is the rare public transport system that exists in this town that could come of good use. Mom, you make lunch and head out with Dad to the innumerous wonderful parks here to have a picnic. It sounds like a wonderful idea but I never did it. I have planned many adventures for us. Forget completely that America is by default a cold place. The summer’s will be warm and when we head to west coast, expect them to be Indian hot. And while you will notice the same street markings and the same franchise restaurants every town we visit, I recommend that you both gather some patience. There are differences, slight and magnificent differences. Back home, we rarely notice people. Impervious to differences in skin color and vocal accents we simply focus our biases on financial wellbeing and their family cars. But here, while castes are unheard off, racism is a strong talking point. You will notice as we take cabs, travel in a subway or take the bus, certain jobs would belong certain colors. But I request you take notice how jobs here are not classified as bad or god. People do their job, irrespective of the profile. This will become evident as we stop at public restrooms on an interstate to find cleanliness that perhaps even the Mumbai airport will fail to match. Speaking of jobs, Mom, you will see fellow Indian men and women of age at the cashier counter in the local grocery store. Their name plate on their much too colorful uniform would loudly say that they are either “Suneetha” or “Brijesh”. Yet, they will speak in a useless accent they have tried so hard to absorb. They will ask you, “Plastic or Paper?” Here, I will take over while you continue pondering why their families do this to their parents. I am convinced that is not a punishment but perhaps the only way they can maintain sanity in this country. An idle mind in America is more then just a Devil’s workshop. Besides feeling sorry for anyone here is not best practice. Everybody makes it here. There is sense of do-ability. Be it from fixing a broken down car or plumbing an old house… using tools to fix things comes as second nature to Americans. And they do have tools to fix broken hearts, minds and relationships too, but, perhaps it’s best we don’t discuss them. It is unlikely that Indians can ever use them with successful results. So, then lets continue our adventures. Unfortunately Mom, most of our adventure will involve countless hours of mindless driving. We will traverse 400 miles in a day and still manage to catch a few sights in the evening! We will fill gas by the gallons and count distance by state boundaries. Dad, there will be plains upon plains of sightlessness near the Midwest area. But I promise the approach to New York and Chicago will be unforgettable. Some sights on the west coast will be new for me too. We will discover them and enjoy them equally. Mom, I worry about what you will be able to eat. There are vegetarian options but they usually lack any seasoning at all. Dad, I am guessing you will be tired of American food within a week. However, being a melting pot that it is, we will experiment different cuisines as much as we can. I will label them as 50 dollar experiments. You think I sound a tad disapproving? Maybe. All I wish is that you discover the positives yourself. I assure you there are plenty. Further, if any of the above mentioned scenarios, In fact, excite you, then I cannot ask for any better. Welcome! To the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave; to a country that is everything to everybody. A country like every other and perhaps no other A country from which you can expect it all, except perhaps, a sincere feeling of being home.