That New Year!

Look who's here!!! Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Rachna Parmar who needs no introduction. I was skeptical on asking her for a Guest Post as this is the first time someone is writing a guest post for this One Year old baby of mine. I wasn't even sure how to approach her. However I did, she did accept my request without a question and has given it to me way before the Ddate. I just couldn't wait for the blogaversary.  Many thanks to you, Rachna for accepting my request. Now, let me tell a couple of words about her. 

Rachna is a content-writer by profession and an avid blogger with passion. She is the super mom of two super-duper kids, a doting wife and a person with fire in the belly!! Whatever she does, she makes sure to leave her stamp. Let's see what she says at Rachna Says..

That New Year!

The year was 2000. After my wedding and a few days spent at my in-laws place in Hyderabad, my husband and I flew off to the USA. He had been recently employed there. We were going to stay in a motel for a few days till we got our apartment in Fremont in about 10 days’ time. Our flight took off from Ahmedabad, India, on 31st Dec. I cried bucket loads. The tears would just not stop. I don’t remember crying like that in public ever. It had finally hit me that I was leaving my precious family and country, all my loved ones and going away with a man still strange to me. My poor hubby did not know how to console me, so he kept quiet. Something that he has now mastered over the years :-). He knows I will get a hold on myself if left alone for some time.

We had a stopover at Hong Kong. For the first time, I saw real Chinese food. It deflated me. It was so bland! I could barely gulp down that tasteless noodle soup. To add to the misery, I was vegetarian.When we took off from Hong Kong, it turned New Year as per local time. There was loads of joy and wishing Happy New Year in the flight. Many hours later at San Francisco International Airport in the biting cold, it was evening on 31st night. It was already dark, as sun sets early in these parts. We waited to take a shuttle to our motel. Shuttle is a shared transport with many others and hence cheaper on folks like us with lighter pockets.

I was peeling my eyes and staring at everything --The huge airport, weird signs, and no noise. We had to wait for a long time till we got a shuttle going to our area. Finally, we managed to reach our motel quite some time later very close to midnight. It was almost deserted. A sleepy man checked us in and gave us our keys. We had to lug our luggage everywhere – load them and take them out. Our first experience in learning how to carry our own weight. Much later, while shifting houses, Gurdev even drove a U-Haul Truck himself! Anyhow, we got some coffee from a machine. It was the yuckiest, most bitter coffee I had ever had. I put in as much creamer as I could find but the taste did not get any better. I gulped it down to warm myself.

Hubby went to find a calling card to call back home. We were wide awake. We came back to our room, crawled in the huge covers and then ate some khakhra with pickle that my mom had lovingly packed along with so much other food. That is the best khakhra we've eaten. We still recall it fondly. We even had it for breakfast the next morning :-). After calling both our families back home, we spent our first New Year’s Eve in a motel sitting up and chatting excitedly like two little kids. This was our third New Year on the same day – Indian, Chinese and US :-). This was among the best New Year’s Eve I have spent in my life – filled with excitement, no frills, in an alien land that became very dear later and with a man who is now my best buddy and lover :-).

  Pics courtesy: Freedigitalphotos.net

P.S from Latha: I want to thank all my readers/friends who have been with me from the inception of this blog and have given your encouragement, support and honest criticism through this past one year. I hope and wish that you continue to do the same in the years to come.