Here comes the most awaited blog..."My Niagara Tour"..Uploaded the pics on facebook and for the two most special friends of mine,who do not have an fb account...ufff!! kaise ho aap log sacchi..wait till I reach India....Here it goes....
Back in 1996 when I was in the 8th standard, i remember Sister Margarita giving us assignments of "map marking" in geography. "Niagara" had been one of her favorites. Never in the wildest of my dreams had I thought that I will be visiting the Niagara falls..To be true,I had dreamed of Venice and then later about the Golden gate bridge..but Niagara..no...never!!!Well,after watching it, I have been dreaming about it ;)
So, on January 30th 2011,at 9:00 am.."Aankhon mein sapne liye,ghar se hum chal to diye.." But, I knew "ye raahein humko kahan le k jaengi..". I walked upto the Coach Canada bus terminal, 2-3 minute walk towards the south from my house(here people talk more in terms of north-south rather than left-right).I took a $36.80 return ticket and boarded the 9:30 am bus.a nice comfortable bus..I had forgotten to have Avomine..I had it in my wallet, but water? Here you get milk for $1 and water for $1.25...strange!!! Well, the bus had already left, so no water..no medicine and the giddiness...but i was too enthusiastic to close my eyes..I constantly kept clicking..click..click..click went my camera throughout the way..the bus sped down along the lake Ontario..through snow laden paths..We took a 10 minutes hault at St. Catherine's. Most of the public got down there.There were merely 6-7 people in the bus now(thoda sa darr to laga tha frankly speaking..). At 11:21 the bus haulted at the Niagara Bus terminal...which was very very far from the Niagara..When the bus driver told me that its 15 minutes down the road, tabhi main samajh gayi...it is similar to when people say "Bandra Andheri k baaju mein hai" I was prepared for a good 15-20 minutes walk. There was a spanish gentleman, a chinese boy (Zi-Pi) that was his name and myself..and we walked..they were obviously faster than me..I moved on slowly.. i can't walk fast after that stupid accident...It seemed to me that I had come to a no-man's land...snow and snow everywhere..."koi-or-chhor nahi tha". Beautiful cottages along the way..similar to the ones I had seen in Snow White and Cindrella story books...really wished to go inside one of them...After long distances, Zi-Pi would wait for me..naah not for me that way..he wanted someone to click snaps for him...Spanish uncle ko english samajh aati nahi thi..so he walked on..I and Zi-Pi clicked snaps for each other..We walked on...already tired..did around 45 minutes of walking.Then I could see the Rainbow Bridge to USA..and the falls just behind that...wow!!!!!!
A couple was coming down the "hollywood planet" hand in hand, I asked them that I wanted to see the Canadian view of the falls, which way shall I go?I feared landing up to the USA side without visa and then into the jail in a filmy style ;)
They showed me the way..another 15-20 minutes walk...and there it was...the furious Niagara..thawed!!!!!! The Niagara was frozen, and I got frozen too..I actually can't describe the beauty in words...water fell, and it turned into ice...The "Maid of the mist" cruise boats were fixed at the harbour frozen..Ice, Mist,wind..ooooo...beautiful..I clicked from every angle...I could see the US Bridge clear from there..slowly as the sun shone, I literally saw the rainbow develop in front of my eyes..it was worth the painful journey actually!!
I gazed at the Niagara and thought in my heart.."Where am I? so far from my near and dear ones..standing all alone in front of the Niagara..was it that God had bestowed an opportunity on me to see this beautiful creation of his? Was it some kind of a reward for the sorrows that I had faced recently or was it a reward for having ever done some good deed in life? Could I ever bring mom-dad to this place?Could I ever come hand-in-hand with someone I love to this place? am I going to spend the rest of my life alone watching such creations of God? Do I have anyone to share these with?" I felt damn lonely, actually I again carried a mixed bag of emotions..lonely,happy,proud at my bravery,excited...I wish I could freeze there itself like the frozen Niagara..captured Niagara in my eyes and in the camera from every possible angle and then walked down...
Had lunch at a food-court.Had a combination of pizza and KFC..nice lunch...From there itself went to the Niagara Casino..My God!!! the rich people have so many ways and means to spend their money..Believe me..70-80 year old ladies were there at the casino playing games and cards and gambling..Didn't spend much time there. Went to the fun-park.The bird museum was closed.It opens during springs.I went inside the GUiness Book Of World Records museum..saw a lil bit of the Ripley's believe it or not museum..gave a pose with Mr. Ripley's statue..there were many horror houses..mann to bahut tha, but did not dare to go alone there..Mumbai mein bittu da, shipra, riketa k sath to waat lagi thi..yahan ka standard of course high hoga...so no ways!!!!
Walked down towards the bus now...and and and...as expected lost my way...It had beagn to grow dark..Zi-Pi and the spanish uncle were nowhere to be seen.I could get no clue of the road..I literally sat down on a bench and thought.. "beta ab to gaye.."..Cars were sppeding along..all with closed windows..could ask no one..
I closed my eyes and with the innermost voice of my heart I remembered my Saviour..ekdum dil se yaad kia...I had tears in my eyes..just then i could see a church at a distance, and I could make the way out..I had seen that church while coming..I smiled to myself and started walking again...I had wasted almost 20-25 minutes..i was thirsty..legs were refusing to bear more torture...but...I missed my friends a lot..if they had seen me in such a situation naa..sacchi godi hi utha lete shayad se..
Well, i reached the bus terminal..inserted $1.25 into the refrigerator and pressed the 7 UP button..got the can..relished it..and thought "I have grown up..I have really grown up..I am no more a kid now"...flashed back the pics on my camera, the geography classes at school,my friends pampering me,mumma caressing me..Boarded the bus at 5:45 and reached home at 8..
The Niagara had frozen in my eyes..my joints had frozen..they still are.. :) people generally leave the child inside them behind and move ahead, but I have left that grown up Sanchaita somewhere in that no-man's land and I will go to papa as his betu, to ajju as his babu,to ankur as his sanchi and to pankaj as his baccha. I won't kill the kid within my conscience.. I realy really missed these people when I had lost my way..I don't wanna grow up..I want to hold your hand still while crossing the road..I want to explore the beauty of nature with you...
Niagara akele nipta lia..and wow..sach mein akele nipta lia...I deserve a pat on the back....don't I?
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Ups and Downs...
"Gungunati hui ek nadi mil gayi...ajnabi sheher mein dosti mil gayi..." Yes..mujhe ajnabi continent mein dosti mil gayi :) There are many good people around.People here are very friendly.Actually you have to keep the doors of your heart open..you will find good people around..Remember, I told you about Apeakong..yeah..that Thai fresh girl...she is too sweet..you know what, she had especially made corn fried rice for me today.She did not charge me for it..She said "its for my friend who is bored of Chicken Caesar".I bought a chicken steak from her shop..She had made fried rice for her little sister and me..so so so very nice of her.How many strangers would do that for you..Many a times your friends,your room mates or even your family does not take the pain..many a times you must have heard mumma saying "yehi bana hai ab..kha lo..zyada natak nahi" or a friend who knows you since 3-4 years says "oh!! you don't like to have this, I never knew.." Yes, it does happen..I was literally overwhelmed with Apekaong's gesture..I took a longer lunch hour today.I went playong around with her lil sis..her name is "Farzi"...stop giggling and pronounce it as "Faarzi"..I know you must be laughing pronouncing it as "Pharji"..I know...I know you well..So, I and Farzi went cycling today..I cycled after I don't know how many years..Farzi had her own tiny cycle, and Apeakong gave me hers..I had a nice time..
In the morning when I reached office, I realized that there wasn't any balance remaining in my calling card..I got upset..then there was Satyajit's mail "Sanchaita please plan to extend your stay".. I was yearning to see mom,I could not even hear her today..ooper se stay extend..fatafat se I updated my facebook "stay extended.." with two sad smileys..
A few hours later I got an appreciation mail from my supervisor..then the fabulous lunch hour..things were getting better now..I then spoke to a South American lady..Rehana..she is a nice charming lady,I asked her where could I find calling cards..she told me a store..went there, bought it..bought a chocolate for myself, Apeakong,Farzi and Rehana..spoke at home...had coffee in the evening with a friend at Tim Houtons..walked in a light snowfall..came home...not feeling hungry today..a friend of mine disturbed me somehow just now...so not even feeling like writing anymore...
Again feeling "wen will I go home wala feeling"... Miss you maa,pops and amma..no one else..simply no one..............good night...and God bless...
In the morning when I reached office, I realized that there wasn't any balance remaining in my calling card..I got upset..then there was Satyajit's mail "Sanchaita please plan to extend your stay".. I was yearning to see mom,I could not even hear her today..ooper se stay extend..fatafat se I updated my facebook "stay extended.." with two sad smileys..
A few hours later I got an appreciation mail from my supervisor..then the fabulous lunch hour..things were getting better now..I then spoke to a South American lady..Rehana..she is a nice charming lady,I asked her where could I find calling cards..she told me a store..went there, bought it..bought a chocolate for myself, Apeakong,Farzi and Rehana..spoke at home...had coffee in the evening with a friend at Tim Houtons..walked in a light snowfall..came home...not feeling hungry today..a friend of mine disturbed me somehow just now...so not even feeling like writing anymore...
Again feeling "wen will I go home wala feeling"... Miss you maa,pops and amma..no one else..simply no one..............good night...and God bless...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
I am sick of chicken................
Hmm...settled down pretty well here,got very well acquainted with all the streets now,so I don't need to look up at the street arrows any more,can concentrate on the road and enjoy music on my cell while I walk.
Everything is good about this place, but there is something that I have left back there which is making me count like "13 more days.....". I don't know why but I am badly badly missing India...no..it's not that patriotism is oozing out..I am in touch with most of you..ghar pe bhi baat ho jati hai once a day..then?? In India, I hardly meet any of you..right? Other that Shipra,Devika and Ruchi who else do I see regularly...no one? Then why? Am I missing the dirty kitchen of 401-C? Am I missing the mosquitoes at night? Am I missing the daal chawal roti sabji? Probably yes......I am sick of chicken..yeah...people who know me since long will be shocked at this statement...but yes I am actually bored of chicken...I won't have chicken for at least 6 months when I go back. But will I be in India for 6 months at a stretch? Don't really know...depends on Sudhir's and Anil's visa..
I have rusk/biscuit/paratha for breakfast, maggi for dinner and what bout lunch..?? Hmm..there is a thai restaurant at the basement of my office, I have food there. Only Thai food matches the taste of Indians. I specify "matches"..it's not exactly Indian. Don't ever go in for chinese..Remember what you love is Indo-Chinese..Pure chinese is bland...simply bland..so Thai is an option le de ke.. I wonder,whats the plight of indian vegetarians when they come to the West. The other day I ordered veg fried rice (since I was tired of chicken). There was egg,prawns and chicken pieces in the rice..and yes it was veg coz it did not contain beef or pork..huh!!!
The girl at the Thai restaurant.. "Apeakong Zurozy"...that's her name has become a good friend of mine..She calls me "The lady with 'only chicken' restriction to her course". She tried making my Chicken Caesar yummier today by adding some spicy sauces and all..thanks Apeakong..but..well...jaane do :)
I asked her for coffee..she showed me another shop.."Hot Java". In Toronto, you will find strong coffee odour everywhere down the streets..I love that smell..People who know me well, must be knowing that I love strong dark coffee..But har cheez ki hadd hoti hai haan!! Coffee here is bitter...simply bitter...so from the menu i selected "French Caramel Coffee"..naam se thodi meethi lagi :)
I told the lady to put extra sugar to it..She was surprised!! "Extra sugar...but this is sweet". I said ok...fair enough..I sipped..yukkkkkkkks!!!!! I added 3 packs of sugar then I could somehow gulp it..
Well...can't help..so no cribbing..nice coffee..nice chicken caesar.. Just a word of caution to the sweet loving veggie clan of India..bring your grocery along when you come here...
Pops...don't bring chicken for me this time......I will have arhar ki daal,rice and aaloo jeera the day I land to India..
Everything is good about this place, but there is something that I have left back there which is making me count like "13 more days.....". I don't know why but I am badly badly missing India...no..it's not that patriotism is oozing out..I am in touch with most of you..ghar pe bhi baat ho jati hai once a day..then?? In India, I hardly meet any of you..right? Other that Shipra,Devika and Ruchi who else do I see regularly...no one? Then why? Am I missing the dirty kitchen of 401-C? Am I missing the mosquitoes at night? Am I missing the daal chawal roti sabji? Probably yes......I am sick of chicken..yeah...people who know me since long will be shocked at this statement...but yes I am actually bored of chicken...I won't have chicken for at least 6 months when I go back. But will I be in India for 6 months at a stretch? Don't really know...depends on Sudhir's and Anil's visa..
I have rusk/biscuit/paratha for breakfast, maggi for dinner and what bout lunch..?? Hmm..there is a thai restaurant at the basement of my office, I have food there. Only Thai food matches the taste of Indians. I specify "matches"..it's not exactly Indian. Don't ever go in for chinese..Remember what you love is Indo-Chinese..Pure chinese is bland...simply bland..so Thai is an option le de ke.. I wonder,whats the plight of indian vegetarians when they come to the West. The other day I ordered veg fried rice (since I was tired of chicken). There was egg,prawns and chicken pieces in the rice..and yes it was veg coz it did not contain beef or pork..huh!!!
The girl at the Thai restaurant.. "Apeakong Zurozy"...that's her name has become a good friend of mine..She calls me "The lady with 'only chicken' restriction to her course". She tried making my Chicken Caesar yummier today by adding some spicy sauces and all..thanks Apeakong..but..well...jaane do :)
I asked her for coffee..she showed me another shop.."Hot Java". In Toronto, you will find strong coffee odour everywhere down the streets..I love that smell..People who know me well, must be knowing that I love strong dark coffee..But har cheez ki hadd hoti hai haan!! Coffee here is bitter...simply bitter...so from the menu i selected "French Caramel Coffee"..naam se thodi meethi lagi :)
I told the lady to put extra sugar to it..She was surprised!! "Extra sugar...but this is sweet". I said ok...fair enough..I sipped..yukkkkkkkks!!!!! I added 3 packs of sugar then I could somehow gulp it..
Well...can't help..so no cribbing..nice coffee..nice chicken caesar.. Just a word of caution to the sweet loving veggie clan of India..bring your grocery along when you come here...
Pops...don't bring chicken for me this time......I will have arhar ki daal,rice and aaloo jeera the day I land to India..
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
My facewash and body lotion have frozen!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh God.......just like your parachute coconut oil freezes, my himalaya face wash and vaseline body lotion have frozen..got to heat them now to get them to normal...
It's good that i can access blogspot in office too..I left home at around 8 in the morning.Went to the bank,then boarded the train.I am pretty confident about the streets and the subways now. I got down at St. Andrews and on my way to office,saw the St.Andrews church..clicked a snap,looked at my watch...8:30 am...no offshore call today(they are having holiday for 26th jan),so I had ample time, I thought. I dropped into the beautiful edifice.A serene church..My prayers for all my near and dear ones.May God bless you all!!
Reached office at around 9.Spoke at home.."Good morning pops!!!",I guess by now I have made them comfortable that I am fine..Looked at today's agenda..Full,but nice..Reviewing a document as of now,listening to music on my mobile "Chor bazari..." :)
Enjoying work...that's my type of work..Thought to take a break and talk to you guys..back to work again..More updates later..Hope you people enjoyed the pics...and yeah..my stay may be extended till the 19th of Feb (Till now,my return ticket is for 12th Feb)..Will surely get your chocolates..aur kuch dikha nahi laane layak..clothes are same everywhere..glass momentoes are too fragile to bring..Cya later...
It's good that i can access blogspot in office too..I left home at around 8 in the morning.Went to the bank,then boarded the train.I am pretty confident about the streets and the subways now. I got down at St. Andrews and on my way to office,saw the St.Andrews church..clicked a snap,looked at my watch...8:30 am...no offshore call today(they are having holiday for 26th jan),so I had ample time, I thought. I dropped into the beautiful edifice.A serene church..My prayers for all my near and dear ones.May God bless you all!!
Reached office at around 9.Spoke at home.."Good morning pops!!!",I guess by now I have made them comfortable that I am fine..Looked at today's agenda..Full,but nice..Reviewing a document as of now,listening to music on my mobile "Chor bazari..." :)
Enjoying work...that's my type of work..Thought to take a break and talk to you guys..back to work again..More updates later..Hope you people enjoyed the pics...and yeah..my stay may be extended till the 19th of Feb (Till now,my return ticket is for 12th Feb)..Will surely get your chocolates..aur kuch dikha nahi laane layak..clothes are same everywhere..glass momentoes are too fragile to bring..Cya later...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Day 2- Jan 25th 2011
Happy Republic Day to all of you....well, it's still 25th of January here. Today was a cool day. -1 was the temperature, and trust me, it was pretty cozy.. Atleast I could manage to take off my gloves and click snaps..oh yes...uploaded them on facebook...orkut and picassa are taking hell lot of time..so,sorry to my friends who are not added to my facebook...those of you who have account on facebook can add me now :)
Not much of work at office today. I left early..did not loose my way anywhere today..infact explored 3 banks near my place..Got to encash my Traveller's cheques tomorrow at one of the banks...
There was no meeting today...so I went down for a walk in the chilly weather..I enjoyed the lonely walk down the street...plunged in my own thoughts, I had a long walk..on the road as well as down the memory lane...Not much to write today..infact, not feeling like writing much today..the pics will describe today's day better than I can do in words...
enjoy the pics....cya...bbye
Not much of work at office today. I left early..did not loose my way anywhere today..infact explored 3 banks near my place..Got to encash my Traveller's cheques tomorrow at one of the banks...
There was no meeting today...so I went down for a walk in the chilly weather..I enjoyed the lonely walk down the street...plunged in my own thoughts, I had a long walk..on the road as well as down the memory lane...Not much to write today..infact, not feeling like writing much today..the pics will describe today's day better than I can do in words...
enjoy the pics....cya...bbye
Day 1 at Office-Jan 24th 2011
As I told you,yesterday itself I had seen most of the areas of Downtown.Today I had to go to office.My first day at office.I did not want to be late. At offshore,Sandeep had told me,"The office is just in front of the Union Station".......So, I was pretty confident that I would take a southbound train from College Subway(which is just opposite to where I am staying) to Union Subway.I was laden with so many clothes....thermocot,shirt,denim jacket,overcoat,leather jacket,cap,mufler,gloves...I was feeling so stuffed up til I was in the elevator.As I came down from the 24th floor to the Ground floor......oooooops!!!!!!!! It seemed that God had pressed the defrost button of his refrigerator..Flakes of snow all around..I was looking like a santa claus may be..only with a brown jacket instead of red..
Well, I walked upto the College Subway.Boarded a train.It was crowded,but people were very very decent.Even if they happened to touch you to the slightest,they said "I am sorry lady...I apologise!!!!!" I wonder when I am feeling so new and strange here,what do these guys feel when they come over to India..!!!!
So..College,Dundas,Queens,King,Union...These were the subways...Each subway has a big market or may be mall you can say...as big as say...The Oberoi Mall in Mumbai.Each has a foodcourt.People here have the habit of buying a large glass of coffee in the morning and walk around with that,continuously sipping it till mid-day..I came out of the Union Station and started walking towards Front Street.If you carefully follow the indicators at a new place,you will surely reach the right place at the right time without asking people..Thankfully, I had spoken to Nitin in the morning,and he had told me that I was supposed to report at 330 Front Street and not 315..Thank God!!!!! Till now,we all were knowing 315 Front Street..May be Sandeep was in some different office altogether,because here there are so many "Royal bank of Canada" offices..much like apne yahan ka State Bank.So Sandeep's "Canadian State Bank" may have been in front of the Union station,but mine was not!!!!!
I kept walking..it was drizzling(pani nahi baraf).....But,it was not that bad..I was enjoying the walk..just missed a good company..I walked a good 20 minutes in that weather(we don't get auto or taxi here like that),so don't scorn at me saying "ki cab kyun nahi kia". Well, I finally reached 330 Front Street West. A green building with a curved door..I entered straight and called the elevator for the sixth floor.Now...........at sixth floor.....I did not have access,Nitin was not picking up the call,Nilesh did not have a local number..where the hell do I go???????
I saw an Indian..(handsome banda tha)..I asked him to give me access to the door,and he gave..No security,nothing out here..TCS security mein to bola jata hai that if such an incidence occurs,raise a security issue.But here,no guard,no security,no bag checking...nothing at all..I immediately decided that tomorrow onwards I will bring in my camera..
Well,I walked in straight,peeping from bay to bay..Finally, I read a name plate which read "Liviu Petrescue"..He is our single point of contact.I immediately went to him and introduced myself.He gave a warm greeting and took me to where Nilesh was sitting. We had our regular offshore call..I could even access Indyarocks.com from office.I sent few messages here and there.Then later we had a meeting with Gheorge and Marina Zaric..she was soooooo pretty!!!
By now, I had learnt to use the calling card...spoke at home..worked along with Nilesh.Had Chicken Caesar for lunch (kuch nahi..jaisa apna KFC ka chicken wrap hai naa..waisa hi..thoda width mein zyada bas...)
After the end of the day meeting with Liviu, I and Nilesh left from office. I was feeling so damne sleepy...gosh!!!!!!! Well, I had known by now that Not Union,but St.Andrews subway was the one closer to my office. We walked upto the subway..still snowing..My nose had bled a bit by now...
I got down at the College subway..and.......Miss Sanchaita Sarkar lost her way!!!!!
I very confidently came out of the subway..and saw in bold written there "Younge Street" (By the way Younge Street is the longest street of the world),but still I don't know why I headed towards it..Didi had told me yesterday that Younge and Bay are parallel streets..I had to take a 180 degree and walk the other side...but...well!!!! I somehow managed with my sense of direction and came to the Bay Street after wandering here and there for 30 minutes.I had to go to the bank to encash my Traveller's cheques,could not do that..so that's a task pending for tomorrow.And Arham has told me to take a local prepaid sim..that also I will try for tomorrow..I hope I won't get lost anymore..
Di was at home worried about my whereabouts..I had aaloo paratha (ready to eat wala that I had brought from India),changed,checked mails,dropped few sms here and there and good night!!!!!!!
Now........An exciting piece of line that I missed..hold your hearts!!! You know what...when I and Nilesh boarded the train at St. Andrews on our way back,who was siting in front of us.........??????????? Guess!!!!!!!! It was the pretty Bella (twilight fame)..wow!!!!!!!! and she smiled at me..yiipeeeeeeee!!!!!! Nilesh must have gone hmm hmmm hmmm.... She got down at Union..and we said....."Wow!"
Well, I walked upto the College Subway.Boarded a train.It was crowded,but people were very very decent.Even if they happened to touch you to the slightest,they said "I am sorry lady...I apologise!!!!!" I wonder when I am feeling so new and strange here,what do these guys feel when they come over to India..!!!!
So..College,Dundas,Queens,King,Union...These were the subways...Each subway has a big market or may be mall you can say...as big as say...The Oberoi Mall in Mumbai.Each has a foodcourt.People here have the habit of buying a large glass of coffee in the morning and walk around with that,continuously sipping it till mid-day..I came out of the Union Station and started walking towards Front Street.If you carefully follow the indicators at a new place,you will surely reach the right place at the right time without asking people..Thankfully, I had spoken to Nitin in the morning,and he had told me that I was supposed to report at 330 Front Street and not 315..Thank God!!!!! Till now,we all were knowing 315 Front Street..May be Sandeep was in some different office altogether,because here there are so many "Royal bank of Canada" offices..much like apne yahan ka State Bank.So Sandeep's "Canadian State Bank" may have been in front of the Union station,but mine was not!!!!!
I kept walking..it was drizzling(pani nahi baraf).....But,it was not that bad..I was enjoying the walk..just missed a good company..I walked a good 20 minutes in that weather(we don't get auto or taxi here like that),so don't scorn at me saying "ki cab kyun nahi kia". Well, I finally reached 330 Front Street West. A green building with a curved door..I entered straight and called the elevator for the sixth floor.Now...........at sixth floor.....I did not have access,Nitin was not picking up the call,Nilesh did not have a local number..where the hell do I go???????
I saw an Indian..(handsome banda tha)..I asked him to give me access to the door,and he gave..No security,nothing out here..TCS security mein to bola jata hai that if such an incidence occurs,raise a security issue.But here,no guard,no security,no bag checking...nothing at all..I immediately decided that tomorrow onwards I will bring in my camera..
Well,I walked in straight,peeping from bay to bay..Finally, I read a name plate which read "Liviu Petrescue"..He is our single point of contact.I immediately went to him and introduced myself.He gave a warm greeting and took me to where Nilesh was sitting. We had our regular offshore call..I could even access Indyarocks.com from office.I sent few messages here and there.Then later we had a meeting with Gheorge and Marina Zaric..she was soooooo pretty!!!
By now, I had learnt to use the calling card...spoke at home..worked along with Nilesh.Had Chicken Caesar for lunch (kuch nahi..jaisa apna KFC ka chicken wrap hai naa..waisa hi..thoda width mein zyada bas...)
After the end of the day meeting with Liviu, I and Nilesh left from office. I was feeling so damne sleepy...gosh!!!!!!! Well, I had known by now that Not Union,but St.Andrews subway was the one closer to my office. We walked upto the subway..still snowing..My nose had bled a bit by now...
I got down at the College subway..and.......Miss Sanchaita Sarkar lost her way!!!!!
I very confidently came out of the subway..and saw in bold written there "Younge Street" (By the way Younge Street is the longest street of the world),but still I don't know why I headed towards it..Didi had told me yesterday that Younge and Bay are parallel streets..I had to take a 180 degree and walk the other side...but...well!!!! I somehow managed with my sense of direction and came to the Bay Street after wandering here and there for 30 minutes.I had to go to the bank to encash my Traveller's cheques,could not do that..so that's a task pending for tomorrow.And Arham has told me to take a local prepaid sim..that also I will try for tomorrow..I hope I won't get lost anymore..
Di was at home worried about my whereabouts..I had aaloo paratha (ready to eat wala that I had brought from India),changed,checked mails,dropped few sms here and there and good night!!!!!!!
Now........An exciting piece of line that I missed..hold your hearts!!! You know what...when I and Nilesh boarded the train at St. Andrews on our way back,who was siting in front of us.........??????????? Guess!!!!!!!! It was the pretty Bella (twilight fame)..wow!!!!!!!! and she smiled at me..yiipeeeeeeee!!!!!! Nilesh must have gone hmm hmmm hmmm.... She got down at Union..and we said....."Wow!"
The journey to Toronto
Hello....
I am absolutely safe,sound,hale and hearty.... just missing you people...that's it...nothing much... :)
It is 4 pm here in Toronto and 2:30 am out there....You all must be sleeping..hence won't disturb you by missed calls...just read this mail whenever you get time... Lemme start from the very beginning... don't worry... I am not tired...absolutely fresh... you won't believe I slept so much in the flight that my co-passengers and stewards got worried that what's wrong with this girl :) I slept almost 12-13 hours in the 17 hours total journey..so the long 'safar' was not actually a 'suffer' as mentioned by my best buddy.... Lemme start now....
Mumbai: 22nd Jan 2011: 5:40 pm
I entered the Chhatrapati shivaji International Airport. The line for the boarding pass was as long as the one I had seen at shirdi....I thought why the hell are so many people travelling!!!! My turn to collect the boarding pass and checking in my luggage came at 7:25. There was some system error and hence my boarding pass from Delhi to Toronto could not be generated. Only Mumbai-Delhi was generated. i checked in my luggage.. a 20.2 kg suitcase and went to the immigration counter with my trolley,lappy bag and purse... The man there looked at my passport and asked.. "Is it your photo?" I said..."Yes...of course..." He looked weirdly at me and asked me why are you going to Canada..? Just then it was announced "Passengers for flight no. AI 101 please move to Gate No. 8"... I said in my heart..."faltu sawal mat pooch...stamp laga aur jaane de "... but I smiled and said..."It's for business discussions sir". From there I moved to the security check..Thank God there is a separate ladies line everywhere in India... I managed it quickly and walked through a long passage.. I thought that now I would be boarding a bus which would take me to the plane...but no!!!!! I now came to know that for International flights, you walk straight into the plane.. The plane was biiiiiiiiiiiig and nice... I got the very first row in the 3rd section of the plane... There was a TV screen for every seat..Next to me was a person working for syntel and going to Chicago. The flight took off 30 mins late.. They served a lavish dinner and after that I slept. I woke up when the plane was landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport Delhi.
Delhi:22nd Jan 2011 11:10 pm
A beautiful airport....There were luggage conveyor belts (which I had heard of in Dubai). I went to the boarding pass counter,quickly got my boarding pass,underwent the security check once again (again the advantage of ladies line) and went to gate no. 21 and waited for my flight. I charged my cell there,enjoyed the crackle..It was yummmmy...the plane was already late by 30 mins. We got into the plane. Again an Air India flight AI 187. This time I got a seat in the middle row and next to me was a very senior person from Tech Mahindra.. Mr. Hemal Shah.He was a good co-passenger. He taught me how to turn the flash of the digi camera off.. I am sorry ajju..you taught me,but I forgot!!! again they served dinner... I had not expected such a quick meal again so I had already slept. Mr. Shah wole me up when dinner was being served. I woke u half asleep, ate the veg biriyani, raita and gulab jamun and off to doze once again.. I slept and slept and slept... till next morning when it was 11 am IST by my watch. We were served breakfast.. Bread,butter,choco pie with strawberry cream, fruits (which contained 5 pieces of apple, 2 papaya, 2 pineapple and 1 cherry). I don't why there were so many apple pieces (did they know I hate apples!!!!!). What next... I slept again!!!!!!!!!!!! around 3 pm IST, they served lunch. I ate and slept again. Finally woke up at 4 pm IST,had 150 ml 7 up and moong daal wala dalmoth,watched lil bit of Mr. India and lil bit of Taarak Mehta ka ooltah chashma on my TV. The flight was late... At around 5:45 pm IST ( 7:15 am Canada) we were about to land... I could not believe that I had spent 15 and a half hours in plane without feeling bored or giddy or restless....
Toronto:23rd Jan 2011: 7:21 am Canadian Timings:
Landed safely...snow and snow everywhere...on the runway,on the trees...everywhere... I instantly fell in love with the place and wished in my heart "Kaash Satyajit sends me again to Toronto...20 days are too less for this beautiful place.." By now we were a group of 5 Myself, Chakravarti (from my bank), Harshali from bank Of America and Suraj with his wife and baby also from our bank(Chennai). They all had become good friends while I was sleeping. They seemed so tired and I was so fresh and chirpy. Everyone was literally amazed at my capacity of sleeping... hehhehhe... dosto se kuch to seekha...sona hi sahi ;)
We proceeded for the Immigration. Have you seen Mr. India? Usme jo wo character hai naa for whom sridevi had danced "hawa hawai"... ek ganja aadmi with blue eyes...exactly same was the looks of the Immigration Officer... I was literally feeling afraid of him. He trapped me...He said "Mam when your company is Consultancy services, how can you say you are here for business discussion and not for consulting..? Are you sure you are not here for consulting... We won't allow you in otherwise...." Band baji meri to.... I showed him my Invitation letter and deputation letter and then he stamped my passport and i gave a sigh of relax... Again the customs people asked the same ghisa pita question..what are you here for... again the same answer..."business discussion"... and the lady there said...baby are you old enough for business... and I replied with pride.."excuse me... I am 27"
Toronto:23rd Jan 2011: 9:00 am Canadian Timings
Done with all foramlities... yahan pe luggage trolley lene ke liye bhi CAD$ 3 (3 canadian dollars) lagte hain.. Nothing is free here, stop cribbing dear Indians,apne yahan bahut kuch muft mein milta hai hence hum uski qadr nahi karte... Well, I easily dragged my luggage out....Now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The outside temperature was -18 degree celsius. To feel how I felt, just put your face inside the freezer of your refrigerator for 1 minute.. Kehte hain na "biting winds".. yes the winds were actually biting... I had worn my leather jacket. Cap,mufler and gloves were still inside the suitcase!!! Sorry everyone.. I know aap log ye sun k gussa karoge...so very very sorry...but humko zukaam nahi laga...so its fine naaa... my jeans was wet by now...even my acket was almost wet. I had been out just for 3-4 minutes, then i quickly boarded a cab for downtown, 736 Bay street...I said all that so confidently as if I know the place since ages... the taxi wala was a sardar uncle...68 years of age.. Harmilap Singh.. i made friends with him. He did not take tip from me.He dropped me to my destinantion,showed me all important places on way.. CN Towers, Union station a stadium...etc and gave me his card and said that he will be there if I call him up 1 day prior tomy return journey. He would drop me to the airport...I called up Jayati Di (the lady with whom i am supposed to stay). she is a pleasant lady. She took me inside the condominium (kuch nahi...simple flat hain,bas hi-fundoo naam hai condominium). Its a nice 1 BHK clean and beautiful lil flat. By now I had given missed calls to all whom I was supposed to...which indicate my safety.... Had a nice chat with Jayati Di... she explained me all the rules and regualtions...then I took bath,got fresh and at around 2:00 pm we went out... she showed me the College Subway from where I will take a train from tomorrow to office... The stations are College,Dundas,Queens Street,Kings Street,Union Stn... If it was summers, I could have walked to office. We walked around the entire downtown,saw the Eaton Square (which is quite like the Picadilly Square of London), the most famous square here, we had thai food for lunch ($6.14)... All snow and snow around me... I was wearing thermocot, a kurti,a sweater, an overcoat, jacket,socks, cap and gloves....aur abhi ghar k andar just the thermocot and the kurta... The buses,taxis, trains,markets,homes,offices, everything is centrally heated.. I just need to take care till i walk from home to College subway and then from Union subway to office... I need to take care at the snowy edges... gire to seedhe haddi tootegi.. Jayati Di is a doctor and she says that these days there are maximum fracture cases.....
So, finally I am in Toronto, roamed around more than half downtown,seen enough of snow, had lunch, had coffee,had bath, fresh enough, wrote this entire big mail.. Its 5 pm here now.... Its already dark.. Di says, here people have dinner at 5-6 pm....
I am absolutely safe,sound,hale and hearty.... just missing you people...that's it...nothing much... :)
It is 4 pm here in Toronto and 2:30 am out there....You all must be sleeping..hence won't disturb you by missed calls...just read this mail whenever you get time... Lemme start from the very beginning... don't worry... I am not tired...absolutely fresh... you won't believe I slept so much in the flight that my co-passengers and stewards got worried that what's wrong with this girl :) I slept almost 12-13 hours in the 17 hours total journey..so the long 'safar' was not actually a 'suffer' as mentioned by my best buddy.... Lemme start now....
Mumbai: 22nd Jan 2011: 5:40 pm
I entered the Chhatrapati shivaji International Airport. The line for the boarding pass was as long as the one I had seen at shirdi....I thought why the hell are so many people travelling!!!! My turn to collect the boarding pass and checking in my luggage came at 7:25. There was some system error and hence my boarding pass from Delhi to Toronto could not be generated. Only Mumbai-Delhi was generated. i checked in my luggage.. a 20.2 kg suitcase and went to the immigration counter with my trolley,lappy bag and purse... The man there looked at my passport and asked.. "Is it your photo?" I said..."Yes...of course..." He looked weirdly at me and asked me why are you going to Canada..? Just then it was announced "Passengers for flight no. AI 101 please move to Gate No. 8"... I said in my heart..."faltu sawal mat pooch...stamp laga aur jaane de "... but I smiled and said..."It's for business discussions sir". From there I moved to the security check..Thank God there is a separate ladies line everywhere in India... I managed it quickly and walked through a long passage.. I thought that now I would be boarding a bus which would take me to the plane...but no!!!!! I now came to know that for International flights, you walk straight into the plane.. The plane was biiiiiiiiiiiig and nice... I got the very first row in the 3rd section of the plane... There was a TV screen for every seat..Next to me was a person working for syntel and going to Chicago. The flight took off 30 mins late.. They served a lavish dinner and after that I slept. I woke up when the plane was landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport Delhi.
Delhi:22nd Jan 2011 11:10 pm
A beautiful airport....There were luggage conveyor belts (which I had heard of in Dubai). I went to the boarding pass counter,quickly got my boarding pass,underwent the security check once again (again the advantage of ladies line) and went to gate no. 21 and waited for my flight. I charged my cell there,enjoyed the crackle..It was yummmmy...the plane was already late by 30 mins. We got into the plane. Again an Air India flight AI 187. This time I got a seat in the middle row and next to me was a very senior person from Tech Mahindra.. Mr. Hemal Shah.He was a good co-passenger. He taught me how to turn the flash of the digi camera off.. I am sorry ajju..you taught me,but I forgot!!! again they served dinner... I had not expected such a quick meal again so I had already slept. Mr. Shah wole me up when dinner was being served. I woke u half asleep, ate the veg biriyani, raita and gulab jamun and off to doze once again.. I slept and slept and slept... till next morning when it was 11 am IST by my watch. We were served breakfast.. Bread,butter,choco pie with strawberry cream, fruits (which contained 5 pieces of apple, 2 papaya, 2 pineapple and 1 cherry). I don't why there were so many apple pieces (did they know I hate apples!!!!!). What next... I slept again!!!!!!!!!!!! around 3 pm IST, they served lunch. I ate and slept again. Finally woke up at 4 pm IST,had 150 ml 7 up and moong daal wala dalmoth,watched lil bit of Mr. India and lil bit of Taarak Mehta ka ooltah chashma on my TV. The flight was late... At around 5:45 pm IST ( 7:15 am Canada) we were about to land... I could not believe that I had spent 15 and a half hours in plane without feeling bored or giddy or restless....
Toronto:23rd Jan 2011: 7:21 am Canadian Timings:
Landed safely...snow and snow everywhere...on the runway,on the trees...everywhere... I instantly fell in love with the place and wished in my heart "Kaash Satyajit sends me again to Toronto...20 days are too less for this beautiful place.." By now we were a group of 5 Myself, Chakravarti (from my bank), Harshali from bank Of America and Suraj with his wife and baby also from our bank(Chennai). They all had become good friends while I was sleeping. They seemed so tired and I was so fresh and chirpy. Everyone was literally amazed at my capacity of sleeping... hehhehhe... dosto se kuch to seekha...sona hi sahi ;)
We proceeded for the Immigration. Have you seen Mr. India? Usme jo wo character hai naa for whom sridevi had danced "hawa hawai"... ek ganja aadmi with blue eyes...exactly same was the looks of the Immigration Officer... I was literally feeling afraid of him. He trapped me...He said "Mam when your company is Consultancy services, how can you say you are here for business discussion and not for consulting..? Are you sure you are not here for consulting... We won't allow you in otherwise...." Band baji meri to.... I showed him my Invitation letter and deputation letter and then he stamped my passport and i gave a sigh of relax... Again the customs people asked the same ghisa pita question..what are you here for... again the same answer..."business discussion"... and the lady there said...baby are you old enough for business... and I replied with pride.."excuse me... I am 27"
Toronto:23rd Jan 2011: 9:00 am Canadian Timings
Done with all foramlities... yahan pe luggage trolley lene ke liye bhi CAD$ 3 (3 canadian dollars) lagte hain.. Nothing is free here, stop cribbing dear Indians,apne yahan bahut kuch muft mein milta hai hence hum uski qadr nahi karte... Well, I easily dragged my luggage out....Now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The outside temperature was -18 degree celsius. To feel how I felt, just put your face inside the freezer of your refrigerator for 1 minute.. Kehte hain na "biting winds".. yes the winds were actually biting... I had worn my leather jacket. Cap,mufler and gloves were still inside the suitcase!!! Sorry everyone.. I know aap log ye sun k gussa karoge...so very very sorry...but humko zukaam nahi laga...so its fine naaa... my jeans was wet by now...even my acket was almost wet. I had been out just for 3-4 minutes, then i quickly boarded a cab for downtown, 736 Bay street...I said all that so confidently as if I know the place since ages... the taxi wala was a sardar uncle...68 years of age.. Harmilap Singh.. i made friends with him. He did not take tip from me.He dropped me to my destinantion,showed me all important places on way.. CN Towers, Union station a stadium...etc and gave me his card and said that he will be there if I call him up 1 day prior tomy return journey. He would drop me to the airport...I called up Jayati Di (the lady with whom i am supposed to stay). she is a pleasant lady. She took me inside the condominium (kuch nahi...simple flat hain,bas hi-fundoo naam hai condominium). Its a nice 1 BHK clean and beautiful lil flat. By now I had given missed calls to all whom I was supposed to...which indicate my safety.... Had a nice chat with Jayati Di... she explained me all the rules and regualtions...then I took bath,got fresh and at around 2:00 pm we went out... she showed me the College Subway from where I will take a train from tomorrow to office... The stations are College,Dundas,Queens Street,Kings Street,Union Stn... If it was summers, I could have walked to office. We walked around the entire downtown,saw the Eaton Square (which is quite like the Picadilly Square of London), the most famous square here, we had thai food for lunch ($6.14)... All snow and snow around me... I was wearing thermocot, a kurti,a sweater, an overcoat, jacket,socks, cap and gloves....aur abhi ghar k andar just the thermocot and the kurta... The buses,taxis, trains,markets,homes,offices, everything is centrally heated.. I just need to take care till i walk from home to College subway and then from Union subway to office... I need to take care at the snowy edges... gire to seedhe haddi tootegi.. Jayati Di is a doctor and she says that these days there are maximum fracture cases.....
So, finally I am in Toronto, roamed around more than half downtown,seen enough of snow, had lunch, had coffee,had bath, fresh enough, wrote this entire big mail.. Its 5 pm here now.... Its already dark.. Di says, here people have dinner at 5-6 pm....
Reached a new land....absolutely new.......
Not just a new city...nor a state...nor country...I am in a new continent....I simply don't believe it myself that a girl who could not go to the stationary shop or even to the terrace of her house without holding her mother's hand has come so so far from home. I am really missing my people out there in India..It's 5 am in the morning here and I felt like talking to all of you..
I will post a page everyday..I have yet not transferred the few pics that I have taken to my laptop.Once I do that, I will surely upload the pics as well. Till then,just try being with me in words..I will try to be as picturesque as possible.
I will post a page everyday..I have yet not transferred the few pics that I have taken to my laptop.Once I do that, I will surely upload the pics as well. Till then,just try being with me in words..I will try to be as picturesque as possible.
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