Wow! When I started working at Ford, I didn’t know I would get to travel home in such a short time. But, with an approval from my boss and a coworker accompanying me while traveling made this trip possible and fun.
Going home is always a special feeling and this one was even more special as I was visiting my parents for the first time after getting a job. It was a good feeling and something that I know my parents always wanted.
I book the cheapest tickets I could find and was on my way to home before I even know it. I was so excited that I packed all my bags weeks in advance and got all ready to feel home vibes. Before I left US, I took a good look at my car which was parked in the shed and bade a silent goodbye.
My roommate was kind enough to drop me off at the airport. My route was Detroit to Newark. From Newark, I was supposed to board a flight of 18 hours to Mumbai. From Mumbai, I had booked a train ticket to get to Nagpur, from where I would take an auto rickshaw to finally get to my hometown Patansaongi, which is roughly 20 miles from Nagpur. As you can see, it was not a direct journey to my place, but I didn’t seem to care about it as long as I get to go home and see my family.
The flight from Detroit to Newark was uneventful. It took a couple hours to get to Newark, where we had a layover for a couple hours, which was enough to have dinner and stretch our legs before starting the immigration and security.
The seats that were assigned to me and my colleague were far apart, so we requested a couple people to switch so that we could sit together and have a good conversation during the flight. The 18 hour flight sounded daunting to me at the beginning but realized that if you know someone on the flight, this long stretch doesn’t seem that long anymore. We talked a lot, then watched movies, and I slept for the good amount of time, which is my favorite thing to do while flying.
After 18 hours, we finally landed in Mumbai and after spending a few minutes at the Duty Free Shop and Immigration counter, we parted ways. My colleague left for his place and I was supposed to spend a few hours at the airport before heading to the Mumbai Railway Station to catch a train to Nagpur. Those few hours were in the middle of the night and having caught all my sleep during the flight, I decided to binge watch Netflix. This made those few hours went by quickly and I finally headed to the railways station.
Booking a cab from the airport to the railway station was also an experience on its own. As I didn’t have my Indian SIM card with me, I had to rely on the Uber concierge to book a cab for me and help me locate where it was. Fortunately, they didn’t rip me off with some extravagant charges and I could reach the railway station without any event.
The scene at the railway station was entirely different. It was missing the cleanliness and calmness of the airport and after spending a year in the US, I was irked at the smell and the dirty state of the railway station. I just wanted my train to arrive so that I can get home quicker. But, time travels slower when you are in a hurry, right? It felt like a day when the train finally arrived and I got to my seat, settled in, and just dozed off.
The journey was quite boring as I had no one to talk to, but loved reading a book and catching up on my sleep. I finally made it to Nagpur at around 3PM. I was overjoyed at the idea of having reached a place which was close to my heart and I spent a couple years of my life. After soaking in the whirlpool of emotions, it was time to take the next step – which was to head home in Patansaongi.
I had a couple options to get home. The first option was to go to the Bus Depot and take a bus to Patansaongi, which was cheaper but extremely inconvenient with all the luggage and mental struggle. The second one was to hail an auto from the railway station to home, which was costlier than the first, but extremely convenient. I went with the latter.
It turned out to be a good decision. My heart was beating with every minute. I had longed seeing my home and hometown from the distant so that I can capture that moment perfectly in my memory. The moment was finally upon me and it was so serene. The heart never stopped beating faster and before I know it, I saw my mom, eagerly waiting at the doorstep with my sisters by her side. It was such a wonderful feeling that someone was waiting for me to come home and greet me. Surprisingly, my Dad was also home, which I didn’t expect at that time of the day.
Once I reached home, I paid my respect to my parents before paying the auto rickshaw driver the fare. My Mom did aarti for me, which was extremely serene experience, which was enough to capstone my arrival at home.
Post that, everything fell in order, with me opening their presents and stocking up on home cooked food and talking nonchalantly and constantly, just what I love to do at home.
It was a good day. It was an awesome day, and is still etched in my memory.
Next stop – visiting extended family at Morshi, Maharashtra, India.
stochasticity 