Last week I left New Haven, and the sacred space of Yale University. I left the beautiful looking buildings, the well kept lanes, the green campus, the finally-warming up weather, the lush museums...In short, I finally escaped the pretty trap Yale. Not to forget that I left a whole bunch of friends behind - people whom I believed to be my family at Yale, who brought to me a culture I longed for, forever, in traces and parts. Although it wasn't overwhelming to leave Yale. I was quite done with it, and I was content of absorbing it as much as it offered me. I needed a change of place for sure.
I collected a lot of notes, cards and gifts from all of my friends before leaving. Neelima visited me over a weekend from New York, and we did almost nothing but talked. I met a lot of friends I might perhaps never see again. I realized that I had made far too many friends than I would expect myself to be knowing. These included classmates, senior students, post doctoral fellows, colleagues from work places beyond of course, friends from the desi community. Each person contributed something to my life in one way or the other. I wrote numerous card notes myself. It was a pleasure to be writing notes after a really long time for people.
Apart from packing, there were lots of things I did in the last three weeks at Yale. Every weekend, we explored different places - from hiking to strawberry picking - thanks to Anumeha's newly occupied car! She took us around a lot of places, and I truly realized what an experience living in the US could be with a personal vehicle! My radius of exploration was pretty limited earlier to the extents Yale shuttle covered.
On another note, I had learnt a lot of Yale, and thought of writing a post enlisting tricks to survive in New Haven. However, I soon realized that my way of living over the two years at Yale was something that not many people would like to imitate or follow. Coming from a middle-class financially constrained background, I might be too strict and limited in my overview, and might not make good case for a person who was coming to experience and enjoy the university life. I decided that it must be left to the individual to explore Yale on his/her on terms. But I do think that living with room-mates, especially those who have grown up in the US can fundamentally change your attitude towards being and even exploiting what the place really has to offer. I was slightly unfortunate since I didnot live ever with "roommates"!
I still don't know how to look back at Yale, for I am too absorbed perhaps in making the immediate future work. I have moved to California bay area, to live with my cousin, searching for jobs here. I decided to come here so that of all things that may fail, I may at least explore a new place. The frictions of new place are the same as before - understanding a new transportation channel, the eccentricities of new geography, new work culture and so on. Although, after New York, this seems far negotiable. I am slow at taking things, and not guilty of expressing my under-information. I am taking my sweet time to learn California. However, life is much convenient when living with a family member who can guide for everyday things.
I haven't made much observations on California, except that it is seriously hard to get around here. And yes, it is more suburban than any one can every imagine! The public transportation can eat up all your time, leaving you with no time at hand. I live in a suburb 60 miles away from San Francisco meanwhile, in San Jose. So I haven't really seen what the city life is like. I am sure it is better and more vibrant than here. I am eager to understand what 'laid back' really means. And I am certain that it will make more sense to me coming from the competitive north east culture of the US. I am looking forward to experience the vibrancy of SF, a city I will be visiting tomorrow.
Mobility in the city pushes you to think and write, and there is something about the initial navigation within a new city. You are overloaded with new-ness and the comparisons with the cities you have visited in the past are so fresh that you want to record them. Many of these are often documented earlier by various people. Still, a cultural perspective colours these experiences for every individual in unique ways. I am going to try to record them. I have grown out of taking pictures of places. I don't know if it is the complacency of the place itself that has transcended into me, or the highly standardized spatial products that keep me back from really documenting these new places photographically.
For the time being, I can say that California, San Jose is absolutely different from any other place I have visited in the US. It is Mediterranean, gentle weather (which people still find warm these days), lots of light and greenery, and a distinctly spanish feel with the low hanging country-tiled roofs of most houses. Buildings are designed for cars first. Thus everything is far apart, and spread out. Any walk is a minimum of 20 minutes. The reference for space-time is the car, not the pedestrian. Thus, minimum distances to places begin counting in kilometers, not metres. I am still getting to terms with the public transport, and may be I could write my next post on the experience at SF, and the trip I will take tomorrow.
I collected a lot of notes, cards and gifts from all of my friends before leaving. Neelima visited me over a weekend from New York, and we did almost nothing but talked. I met a lot of friends I might perhaps never see again. I realized that I had made far too many friends than I would expect myself to be knowing. These included classmates, senior students, post doctoral fellows, colleagues from work places beyond of course, friends from the desi community. Each person contributed something to my life in one way or the other. I wrote numerous card notes myself. It was a pleasure to be writing notes after a really long time for people.
Apart from packing, there were lots of things I did in the last three weeks at Yale. Every weekend, we explored different places - from hiking to strawberry picking - thanks to Anumeha's newly occupied car! She took us around a lot of places, and I truly realized what an experience living in the US could be with a personal vehicle! My radius of exploration was pretty limited earlier to the extents Yale shuttle covered.
On another note, I had learnt a lot of Yale, and thought of writing a post enlisting tricks to survive in New Haven. However, I soon realized that my way of living over the two years at Yale was something that not many people would like to imitate or follow. Coming from a middle-class financially constrained background, I might be too strict and limited in my overview, and might not make good case for a person who was coming to experience and enjoy the university life. I decided that it must be left to the individual to explore Yale on his/her on terms. But I do think that living with room-mates, especially those who have grown up in the US can fundamentally change your attitude towards being and even exploiting what the place really has to offer. I was slightly unfortunate since I didnot live ever with "roommates"!
I still don't know how to look back at Yale, for I am too absorbed perhaps in making the immediate future work. I have moved to California bay area, to live with my cousin, searching for jobs here. I decided to come here so that of all things that may fail, I may at least explore a new place. The frictions of new place are the same as before - understanding a new transportation channel, the eccentricities of new geography, new work culture and so on. Although, after New York, this seems far negotiable. I am slow at taking things, and not guilty of expressing my under-information. I am taking my sweet time to learn California. However, life is much convenient when living with a family member who can guide for everyday things.
I haven't made much observations on California, except that it is seriously hard to get around here. And yes, it is more suburban than any one can every imagine! The public transportation can eat up all your time, leaving you with no time at hand. I live in a suburb 60 miles away from San Francisco meanwhile, in San Jose. So I haven't really seen what the city life is like. I am sure it is better and more vibrant than here. I am eager to understand what 'laid back' really means. And I am certain that it will make more sense to me coming from the competitive north east culture of the US. I am looking forward to experience the vibrancy of SF, a city I will be visiting tomorrow.
Mobility in the city pushes you to think and write, and there is something about the initial navigation within a new city. You are overloaded with new-ness and the comparisons with the cities you have visited in the past are so fresh that you want to record them. Many of these are often documented earlier by various people. Still, a cultural perspective colours these experiences for every individual in unique ways. I am going to try to record them. I have grown out of taking pictures of places. I don't know if it is the complacency of the place itself that has transcended into me, or the highly standardized spatial products that keep me back from really documenting these new places photographically.
For the time being, I can say that California, San Jose is absolutely different from any other place I have visited in the US. It is Mediterranean, gentle weather (which people still find warm these days), lots of light and greenery, and a distinctly spanish feel with the low hanging country-tiled roofs of most houses. Buildings are designed for cars first. Thus everything is far apart, and spread out. Any walk is a minimum of 20 minutes. The reference for space-time is the car, not the pedestrian. Thus, minimum distances to places begin counting in kilometers, not metres. I am still getting to terms with the public transport, and may be I could write my next post on the experience at SF, and the trip I will take tomorrow.
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