How he's grown

There was a time when I was a FOB. Well, in some ways, I still think I am; plus I've never really thought of FOB (or ABCD, for that matter) to be insulting; but I'm not as FOB-by as I used to be. Which is something I realized while going through some old mails today - from roughly 10 days in August - September 2002 (right after I had gotten off the boat plane) - yes, I have some of those mails still saved. Yes, I'm actually quite sentimental, as, I'm sure, if obvious from reading my posts!

And here is what I had written back then ...

Khair, once on the plane, I was quite happy to see the cool tv screens and all
This was probably because while I have been flying since I was a kid, this was my first international flight - unless you count Nepal, but then, that flight didn't have screens in front of every seat. Kuwait Air did.

The blankets that they gave us were amazing, just the right size and majorly warm
The same blankets now seem small and coarse. Frikkin spoilt I am.

The trip was all the more amazing because of this air hostess called Tsvetanka Piedelieva ..... definitely one of the prettiest women I have ever seen ... and extremely sweet
Tsvetanka, if you read this, drop me a line. I still think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

Finally, I decided to call and was lookin around for a 1 dollar coin
This was still at JFK, not at the airport in Cincinnati ...

The bath was AMAZING. Totally firang waala - with a glass door to the tub and shower and everything
Yes, I was being the wide eyed desi boy at my chacha's place.

They have this super speed net connection and a bahut cool comp.with laser printer and all. Bade hi amreekan type ke log hain
I still had dial up at the time. Which is what I used to do all my research and stuff when I was applying to universities in the US. And today, I get pissed if Gmail takes more than a second to load.

So I was telling my sis over chat as to how my chacha's kids (10 and 5 years old at the time) had waited to have dinner with me ...

and the day I came, we reached home at about 9:30 and had dinner at 10 but they both waited for me and had dinner with us only. quite sweet.

And my sis goes ...

sooo sweet ... how well mannered ... hum bhi aise nahi hain

I don't think it needs to be pointed out that the sis is given to being highly dramatic at times!

And the FOB-biness continued with ...

tu fridge dekhti to faint ho jaati ..... stocked with evrything imaginable yaar
I sound like one of those really starved kids.

then we walked to dominoes for lunch ... bada accha pizza tha ... much better than india vaala
Errr ...

And I had this new thing called smirnoff ice ... badi hi tasty thi
I guess breezers weren't as popular in India then. Or were they ? Dammit ... was I uncool even then ??!!??

New York is divided into 6 parts -- queens, brooklyn, manhattan, long island ... where I am, Bronkx and New York city). Manhattan is the major cool hang out type of joint
I don't know how accurate my Geography is, but I soooo maintain that Manhattan is still what I thought it was all those years ago. N ... I'm coming around soon, btw.

I continued to tell the sis about some long lost cousin aunt I had met ...

Also, she said that when she was in India she had come to our place and had seen my snap and then she says "maine tumhari mummy se kaha ki Gaurav ko dekhe hue bahut time ho gaya ... bada chhota and cute hua karta THA !!!" .... I did not know whether that was an insult or a compliment.
Again, Errr ...

It was good, but you're supposed to have it with this green coloured paste kinda thing which hits you so badly ... its like eating a spoonful of mustard sauce rookha !!!
*Braces self* This was me describing eating sushi with wasabi. Dammnn … what village did I come from ?!?!

Now for -insert annoying young cousin's name- .... he is this obese kid, who might be sweet, but lacks all respect .... maybe because he's american or something ..... but hes the kind of kid whose face i feel like slapping on sight.
Clearly, my love for kids has always been there.

I think I will call up chacha and say namaste today ...
Apparently I was showing off my Hindu sabhyata.

Aunty wanted to meet me. I dunno why, but I always remembered her as a bit of a chudail .... but she was very sweet.
I'm actually a really nice person. Honest.

I'm mailing everything so that I don't spend too much time answering questions over the phone :)
Which reminds me – I really need to start saving some!!!

And there were many more mails, but I’m sure the point is clear :)