Winter Holidays 2019

The Start

After a fruitful first semester at Rutgers University, New Jersey the mood has been set for holidays and am waiting for an impending trip to Home, India on Dec 27. Since, there are few days before my trip to India, me with my roommates have decided to go to New York city. On Dec 24 right before Christmas, we have visited Vessel - an architectural marvel, Eat the 1$ pizza on the streets of Manhattan, Bryant Park - a park in between a busy city which has to be visited at-least for it’s ice skating ground, Empire State - tallest building in NY, Rockefeller Center - second tallest building in NY, and the most awaited Times Square. Although NY city is always happening and colorful it has been amplified by the festivities of Christmas.

The Journey to Home, Dec 27

If it would have been a fairly simple task then it wouldn’t have got a place in this blog. The roller coaster ride started with me deciding to take NJ transit to go to Newark airport. The most predictable and punctual trains of NJ started running late delayed by 1/2 hr and fully packed. Routes of trains were altered to minimize delays making me get off a train which is supposed to reach airport and have to board another train. With all this a 1 hr journey to airport via train took 2 hrs. After reaching airport, while checking in I was told that my ticket is not valid as it is to Mumbai via Canada which requires a transit visa. Airline staff has asked me to either cancel/ reschedule the ticket to a different flight on another day as all flights are filled that day. New Year around the corner I know that both of these options are not viable and also all my consequent domestic connecting flight tickets would go for a toss. Upon my request while the airline staff is looking for other possible options, here comes the savior from the neighboring check-in counter listening to our conversation and says “A ticket has just popped up for a direct flight to Mumbai, please check-in him in that ticket ASAP”(Maybe someone might have cancelled a ticket). Luckily the flight timing is in such a way that my domestic connecting flights from Mumbai didn’t get affected. If it’s not for their kindness, I wouldn’t have a pleasant trip to home.

These holidays are different

It’s always good to be back home once in a while as it gives a sense of comfort and relaxation. I have been at home for so many holidays but this one felt very different. One reason might be that these are anxiety free holidays coming after a long gap of two and a half years which includes my job experience of 2 years and a semester. Although there are holidays during 2 years of my job they are different as I am always planning and working on what to do in the future, but this time having completed the internship process for the coming summer, I have nothing to plan as I just have to attend my second semester at Rutgers. It has been a long run, right from the moment I decided to write GRE to the moment I cleared Visa interview soon after which I traveled to the US and started the first semester along with the preparation for internship. So, this definitely is a much needed break.

Fun holidays

What makes you happy? I can’t think of a single definition/answer for it. Different people get their enjoyment from doing different things. This holidays I decided not to go anywhere and just stay in the house, living a simple normal and leisure day. Some of the best memories I have from holidays are learning to peel out a coconut from my father, eating Ravva Dosa (An indian breakfast) made by my mother, climbing a Guava tree in our garden (planted by me in childhood) and plucking it’s fruits, visiting my paternal grandmother and maternal grandparents spending time with them, attending my niece’s naming ceremony (as life takes its own course of action all my cousins becomes busy in their own life and these ceremonies are a great way to reconnect to our kith and kin), doing festival shopping with my sister, walking on the streets of my hometown with my friend from childhood eating the same street food which we used to eat 10 years ago and gossiping the same way we used to, and finally celebrating Pongal festival by inviting relatives to home. Best part of the holidays is home food, what good are holidays for if you don’t gain weight :P.