adjusting

All said and done, this is a foriegn country and I will have to adapt myself to the ways of these people. I would be lying if I said that I feel perfectly at home here. Once in a while I am not sure as to how I should behave. Americans are friendly people. Whenever you interact with a person, be it a salesman or a taxi-driver, you are greeted with "Hi! hows it goin ? " I am often left wondering as to what is the right amount of friendliness I should show towards them. Sometimes I get the feeling that I am being regarded as rude. We, in India donot say "Hi!" to the doodhwala, or the taxiwala. So I have to make a conscious effort for that. I'll learn the tricks with the passage of time.
Also, the traffic. Its different. Since its left hand drive and cars keep to the right of the road, I often end up looking at the wrong side of the road before crossing the road! Sheila didi understood exactly how I felt, because she went through the same thing in India! The people here are extremely courteous too. If you are crossing the street at a zebra crossing, vehicles actually stop for you to pass by. Sometimes if you are waiting on the footpath for traffic to decrease before you cross the road, vehicles will stop to let you pass by. Can you imagine something like this happening in Calcutta? I often find this very wierd.
My Indian accent is a minor problem too. Sometimes I have to repeat myself to make myself understood. I have realized that the best way to speak is slowly and clearly, and not try to match the locals in their speed and style.
At home I am getting used to an Indo-American lifestyle. These guys keep the apartment really clean so I too feel obliged to put in that extra effort to maintain the cleanliness. I am also watching some baseball, because my room-mates just love watching it.

I have been speaking to a lot of people over the phone. Old IIT friends, Don Bosco friends, family - so that itself is keeping me busy.

Well thats all for now. More later