Phase 2: Commencement

My mom sat with me in the afternoon; asking if I was ready for the new phase in my life. She thought I was, and so did I.

The flight to Newark was full of some of the best words written to/for me; with the upgrade to Business from Brussels onwards adding a lot to the excellent experience.

Jersey City was hot, to say the least. I was ready with a sweatshirt in one hand, and a raincoat in the other. The weather was sure to play a large role in this new phase of my life.

After a smooth immigration and an excited hug with my sister, we moved on to her house. The living room was a guy's dream; a 32" Sony LCD, a Harman Kardon sound system, a Playstation 2, a Nintendo Wii, and the Rock Band Set. I spent a couple of hours singing, drumming and playing the guitar; obviously out of tune.

The next few days passed by in eating different cuisines having really large portions, roaming around Manhattan like it was Bombay, experiencing Eureka-like moments for some engineering problems, and cooking a little bit of food.

We drove to Pittsburgh on the Friday. After a brilliant brunch of eggs, sausages and the world's yummiest pancakes, we arrived at the Steel City. Pittsburgh at night was quiet, to an extent that we felt a little scared walking back to the hotel at 10.30 pm; but that is how Pittsburgh is, not unsafe, but quiet.

Most of the next day was spent apartment hunting and settling down. We took a tour of Carnegie Mellon and fell in love with it.

America has really impressed me; at least with the food if not more. In the 10 days I have been here, I have had Indian, American, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Chinese and Thai food. On my list next are Polish and Spanish.

It has been a good first few days of the new phase!