The Day I Fell in Love with America!

I always had a personal vendetta of sorts with America, since I was on a long-distance relationship with my then-boyfriend (now, husband) for about 3 years when he was working in USA. The cause for our separation (read : America) naturally made me detest the place to the core. However trivial it might sound, that was the only reason for my repulsion to America. While people all over the world craved to materialise their American dream, I hardly ever gave it a thought! Meanwhile, I travelled to different countries and even stayed in one of them for about a year. Perhaps, the travel during that time, gave me a lot of perspective about life and its journeys.

As luck would have it, 6 years later – here I am, in America! No matter how hard I tried to ignore visiting this place, I had to finally pack my bags and get my passport stamped for travel to the United States. I still remember how in the immigration queues at the airport, I was perhaps the only one who looked disinterested, and lacked that typical spark in the eyes of a first-time traveller to the US. I somehow got the vibe, as if rest of the crowd is over-excited to board the flight to USA and live the American dream. At that time, it was so annoying. In fact, now I have developed a strong belief that life will always put us in a situation which we strongly tend to repel. That is life’s way of letting us grow and adapt maybe.

I moved to USA, about 5 months back and currently staying at Austin, Texas. Having stayed in California for about a month initially, I finally moved to Texas last December. For the first month, I was so cynical about America that I did not even leave a single opportunity to compare its amenities with better options elsewhere.

I think I must have been the worst critic of America in its own soil, for that one month. Nevertheless, destiny had its own plans and I moved to Austin.

The first aspect which immediately caught my attention was Austin’s vintage countryside charm. Lush green landscapes, sparkly clean roadways, the jigsaw of entwined flyovers one above the other and the heightened speed limits on the road summed up aesthetically to create my first impression on Austin. Little did I realise that this was my first step towards diluting my animosity towards this beautiful country.

Yes, you heard it right – I address America as a beautiful country now.

As days passed by, the city of Austin had begun to bloom with various shades of spring blossoms. I had never seen such hues of nature before. I had started warming up to Austin, its landscape, food and people alike. Most importantly, I had started liking the amazing food trucks in Texas. Then, one fine day, my husband drove me to the city suburbs for an anniversary surprise day-out. And there we were – at the Austin Helicopter Tours. Within minutes, I was getting ready for my FIRST helicopter ride in America. Our pilot was an extremely friendly guy, who kept pointing out every minute detail about the functioning of a helicopter, expectations from the ride and overall review of this city.

That whole idea of getting all geared up, signing waiver forms, attending guideline sessions and what not, makes the whole experience so thrilling.

In about 30 minutes, we were all set for the ride. I still remember the pilot’s advice vividly before we headed towards the helicopter pad. He’d said – “Please go to the restroom, before you hop into the helicopter. Because, there’s no option in air!” So that brings me to Rule No.1 – Before any aerial adventure trips, do not forget to empty your bladders before you start.

And there we were – all suited up and thrilled for our ride. The helicopter engine had to be turned on for a while, before taking off. Meanwhile, our pilot ensured that all our headphones were intact and we could hear the pilot’s instructions perfectly. This brings us to Rule No.2 – Always ensure that your headphones and their respective mics are properly functional, before taking off on an aerial ride. The noise of the helicopter blades, makes it almost impossible to hear anything without the headphones.

Then, after a round of safety briefing on the latches and buttons inside the helicopter, we were all set. Slowly, we rose above the city skyline and started flying over the lush green landscapes of beautiful Austin. The city of Austin has it all – from towering skyscrapers, lush greenery, cultivated fields to placid lakes, beautiful hills, an aesthetic scenery, architectural wonders – all within the confines of a single city! I can never forget how my heart raced with a child-like joy, when I experienced the bird’s-eye view of the beautiful houses. It was almost as if a common template had been applied to each individual housing complex ~ a beautiful house, a car-shed and a huge tree in every complex.

The vehicles were moving in straight lines, the houses were neatly arranged in square-shaped confines, the cars looked almost arranged in perfect dimensional parking areas – everything was just so aligned!

As I flew over the city, I could sense that uncanny feeling of being at ease. For the first time after so many days in America, I could feel a sense of calm and acceptance. Was I warming up to America finally? The beautiful city of Austin welcomed me with open arms. So, this day – 13th December 2017 marked the beginning of a new-found love for this beautiful country of dreams!

Aerial view of Austin !!

That feeling of soaring above the skyscrapers and witnessing the beauty of the city skyline, is inexplicable !