How it all started...again

May 8, 1999. It was a glorious Saturday, summer was in the process of re-introducing itself to the local residents, around 11:00 am my flight (operated by Thai Airlines) landed in San Francisco, California. 24 years after my original entry to the world, I was born again. There was no customary fanfare or crying associated with births, instead there was calm, caution and the most unlikely emotion of fear. I was already a Sagittarius  and this made me part Taurus, a Zodiac sign that will soon change my life forever.

Growing up in a middle class family in India, flying was a mode of transportation strictly applicable for the wealthy, so there were a lot of firsts in those 24 hours of travel, glass ceilings broken if you will, that I experienced and endured, plane ride being the most prominent. The boy from New Delhi had now made it to the land of opportunity via Chinese Taipei and Bangkok.

"Sawadee Kha", that's Hello in Thai said by a woman, that was the first phrase I heard as I entered the cabin, beautiful (aren't they all) flight attendants welcomed everyone aboard, till date that's the only Thai I can speak, there was no conscious effort on my part to memorize the phrase, I probably registered it permanently in my brain in a state of shock and awe and it just stuck.

There was no preparation on my part on how to travel as  I was a headless chicken for the past 2 days making sure paperwork/currency was in order, finishing up my work assignments and meeting family and friends, how I escaped a nervous breakdown is still a mystery. I remember vividly after I said goodbyes to my teary-eyed Entourage at the Airport, I had to sit down and take it all in, I was operating solely on Adrenaline until that point. As I gathered myself and went up to the counter and had the conversation with the airline personnel, I realized it was happening.

First Plane Ride

Still reeling from exhaustion, the most exciting thing in the cards for me was sleep but the barrage of food and drinks was about to begin. This was starting to get interesting, unlimited food and drink for "free"? The only other place where we would normally enjoy this kind of food freedom was weddings, North Indian wedding receptions to be succinct.  My brother Anand, cousin Arun and I would compete on who can drink most "Rasna" (famous orange juice in 80s and 90s) or consume ice-cream that would generally be available in abundance at these events, alas there was no one on the plane to challenge, it just wasn't the same.

Speaking of challenges, the first one presented itself in the form of buckle or seat-belt. Seasoned travelers settled in quickly as they fastened my newest enemy, I had to study someone do it while not looking like a stalker, somehow I was able to learn the art and soon I was in Elite company. "something to drink Sir?" asked the attendant very politely, I nodded positively and there it was, my first food or beverage on an airplane, concentrated orange juice, it was very acidic, it has been a while since then but I remember that taste very vividly, probably due to the shocked state of the mind that may have recorded it. Almost every event since then for the next several hours was a first for me, from receiving hot towels in the plane or learn how to properly latch the bathroom door securely on the plane or ascending at several thousands of feet from the ground.

And then it struck me, I was going to miss the Cricket World Cup for the first time since I started following as a young lad, it was starting on May 16th, a week after my departure. Fortunately I was only supposed to be gone for a month for training in a software product so that put me back in India on June 9th which means I could still make it in time for most of Super Six stage and Semis and Final, there was some solace for me at least, as far as I was concerned June 9th couldn't come any faster. Eventually my tired body and soul gave up the fight as I drifted with eyes closing on me, before I knew it the first stop was here, "Bangkok, Thailand".

Bangkok to Taipei

I got off the Bangkok airport for the transfer, it was the first time my feet were touching the ground that wasn't India, a bittersweet and tiring moment. As tempting it was to buy something as a souvenir, I wasn't interested in finding out the conversion rates for local currency (they use baht in Thailand) and break my only $500 for a paltry item from the Airport. Yes, apparently my employer was quite a visionary, they sent me to the United States of America for a month with a single bill. If you break it down, it comes to about $5.37 per meal if I chose to eat 3 times a day, suddenly the idea of bringing home made food on the plane didn't sound so lame.

I was still starstruck by the idea of visiting a foreign land, different people and  culture although being from India prepares one to learn to get along with different demographics. I had a few hours to kill and that is a very dangerous period to concoct all sorts of crazy ideas. I wasn't convinced if I was the right candidate for whatever I was sent to do but it was already too late, it isn't like I can call it off and take a flight back from Bangkok to New Delhi and get a refund. I was confident about the technical skills, but I was mortified about talking to people. In India we thought of Americans talking with a mouthful of oil or water in other words it was very difficult to make sense of anything unless you squint to the point you feel lightheaded, how was I supposed to do that and still look impressive? More than that, how in the hell are they going to understand me, we talk like it is a race and that was a problem.

As I collected these thoughts, the flight was ready to move on to the next stop, Taipei. I wasn't sure if I was in mainland China, but quickly got educated by one of the signs that it was actually Taiwan, boy the lessons just kept coming.