The Humble Beginings!!

Attention: K refers to Kay (http://srkartik.blogspot.com) and V refers to Freeyavedu (http://freeyavedu.blogspot.com)

Naan Vandhu appidye reel reverse le suthi Ill take you guys back to July 27th 2003.

It was a warm sunny (Sun)day in Lexington, KY. At around 7pm United Airways flight from Chicago landed in Lexington. Among all the passengers there was this guy who had just flown into what would be his home for the next 1.5 years. Alone and for the first time in these crazy states, looking odd with a fall jacket in summer he was scanning the Lexington airport looking for an Indian face. He had just then in that flight met an American for the first time in his life.

Athu vera yaarum ille....naane thaan!

The American was talking about some road in Lexington which went round the city and he was telling me how amused he was by that. I had no idea then what he was talking about but thinking about it now I think he was talking about the new circle road!

One lean (Both literal and Figurative) tall guy approached me and asked if i was "Venkatesh Gopalan"...yes I said giving him a formal handshake. He introduced himself as Parthi (the guy who was supposed to pick me up) and so we grabbed my bags and head out. The drive to the apartment was kinda long. It felt good to listen to Ilayaraja hits in the car..something i didnt expect to in the USA. So we reached this apartment
(805 Press Avenue, #1) dumped my bags and went to another apartment. There were around 10 guys in that apartment vetty a chatting and ootifying each other. In that apartment I met (after about 12 hours) a guy from my college, my to be roomie for the next 1.5 years. Soon we just got dropped back to out apartment. Parthi seemed very nice as he was talking to us, advicing us on what and what not to do and also brought us some essential commodities. He said he will come back the next day and take us to Walmart!

The next day we got up at 2pm. Still dazed, confused and jet lagged we quickly brushed and showered (I remember i had to take a cold shower because the heater wasnt working) and went to the nearby Dairy Queen to have brunch. I went there and wasnt sure what to order and everything looked expensive (remember the formula?....Price = $value X 50). Hot dogs were the cheapest and so I had a hot dog and a coffee. It was the only time in my life i had a hot dog (Yuck!!!!!!) the coffee i remember was horrible besides being black. I wasnt sure if i was supposed to drink it like that!

We then went back home and Parthi showed up as promised and took us to Walmart. I was amazed being in Walmart...it was huge and my jaws literally dropped to the floor. I know i sound naive but hey...those were my reactions and I am not ashamed to admit it! we got lotsa stuff groceries, sleeping bag etc etc.

The next few days were spent in a boring and useless way. Me and V (my roomie) basically spent the whole day in Youngs library, listening to Kadhal Kondaen and Boys songs...talking about the good old college days and friends. We were I should say in a way in the low point of out lives..No family nearby, no jobs or assistantships, New ppl all around and no friends and above everything alone. There were are soo many funny cooking incidents that if i start getting into them i can go on forever!

Soon lotsa ppl came and all were living nearby. Our other 2 roomates came along to. I made a trip to St Louis to meet my cousin just before school started. Fall semester went by fast and we were all busy and worked hard because the system was new to us.
I still remember the heated discussions we had about going out to eat and about the amount we had to allocate from our tight budgets for eating out. It was generally a once in a month thing. Our rare visits in Sunday to Kashmere, the Indian restraunt nearby which serves the lousiest Indian food. That was the time when every penny counted and varumai hurt us real bad.
I remember discussing hours and hours about how we were gonna pay tuition for the next semester, about the India trip we dreamed about! Just soo many memories.

There were also times when we had soo much fun. Like the times when me and all my roomies just kept jumping on the spring matress we had picked up from the road. The time when we used to make fun my roomie R's English and his very active love affairs.
(K and V...remember "I think we are in Love!!"). Ofcourse K's activities deserve some mention too...his active presence in any place where there were more then 3 Desi girls togeather. His fall 2003 romances deserve a entire Mills and Boons novel and cant be all covered as a part of a blog.

The first snowfall and our playing and tripping in it. The wasted december break when all we did was to download movies and watch them. Well I can go on writing about soo soo many small incidents and moments I shared with my roommates which was soo much fun but I'll leave some for V and K to write!!!

I left Lexington in January 2005 to start my internship here in Fort Wayne. Both my roomies are graduating in May. V is leaving Lexington on the 28th of April to Madison to start his job. K is joining Lexmark in the first week of May. Thinking about it now, we all have come such a long way from where we once were. No matter where I go I know i will always remember the humble beginings and fun I had. I think i will remember them because I had the best roommates anybody can ever have and they are also my best friends. I think its because of them and other friends i have that i miss Lexington soo much and go back there everytime I get a chance!

Thanks K and V! You guys are the best!!