Conversations :) :) :)

Finally , the wheels are in motion . Classes have started and UF is in its full splendour. Students everywhere . Loads of them . The probability that you will have a conversation with atleast one non-Indian per day is one.

Lets leave conversations by the side ,for sometime , shall we . You tend to have a lot of monologued style talk when you are in the US . Right from the RTS driver who i wish in the morning to the counter guy at the CiCi's Pizza where i sometimes head out for dinner . And yes , the best place for doing small talk is on those boring RTS rides to and from the university .

One classic example is that of Nathan . He's a sophomore in Psychology at UF . This happened last Thursday ,when i was returning home on Route 12 . Nathan here, had not closed his water bottle properly ,so when he swung his backpack around , its contents were all over my tee . What started as a series of sorry's and no issues , developed into a superb conversation on India , Arlington ( thats where he comes from ) , calamari , broccoli and soccer. Yes ,soccer !!! One of the very few Americans who follow that sport. Great conversations need not happen over coffee ( a dig at some ' cheap and very inexpensive coffee chain back home ' ) , even a bus ride is enough.

There were a few things i learnt from these conversations !!! Americans no more think of India as a country of snake charmers ,and they tend to believe that cricket is the only sport we play. The second can get a bit irritating after some period of time . Slapping imagery on people is not the best idea. Its a bit like , you show a photo of a Chinese and a car accident , and ask "What do you think " (Source : Russell Peters :P ) .

My only non-Tamil speaking roommate came across this guy called Kevin from Texas( again ) , on the day of the University Orientation. He's a freshman in Geology. My roommate and he hit it off brilliantly , and made good conversation . Conversations between people of two different backgrounds can go a long way in exchange of cultural ethos , ideas and at the same time clear up a lot of false imagery and cliched assumptions.

I experienced this personally. Last Wednesday , i was revising a few handouts ,sitting in the Computer Lab of the ECE Department . Happenstance, i was at the same time watching a video of the song " Adiye Kolluthey " from Vaaranam Aayiram. An American undergrad sitting next to me ( I presumed so because , he had been ranting about how Circuits 1 ,an undergrad ECE course was so boring ) . He must have been so bugged with the material he was trying to read, he kind of peeped into my console . He tapped me on my shoulder and was like " Is that a song on UC Berkeley ? " . I was suprised but managed a reply , and said thats a song from a Tamil movie and he was like " Can i listen ? " . So i gave him my earphones . Five minutes later , he quipped " That he could not understand anything , but he loved the music Indians dish out " . He also listens to a lot of Norah Jones, Anoushka Shankar , Jay Sean and adores the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. Not a lot of Indian music out there, u would tend to argue , but you cant miss out on the Indian connection. He also loves MIA , but she is a Srilankan . He had a class to rush to and i forgot to ask his name . But ,again , it was a moment in which i felt something burning inside me . That fire of pride you experience, when you get recognized for something .

Moving on , i also had the chance to meet up with a few expats. The event was a pizza tasting ceremony , organized by the Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship of US . Its an organization , akin to the Pentecostal Mission in India , and encourages Christians and non-Christians ,to take up reading the Bible and other scriptures. I shamelessly accept , that the free food was the main pull :P . But it also turned out to be a chance to meet Sony , Erin and Arun . It was interesting speaking to them . Most of them were born in Kerala and then had moved to USA .We also met a guy from South America who mentioned that his dad had been to India . He was kind enough to text his dad and ask him where he had gone in India. Turned out to be "Manipur " . Not the first place that will come to your mind , i believe .As i said , great conversations can happen anywhere and over anything.You just need a place where you and he/she feels comfortable .

More recently, yesterday , there was this 'accident'al meeting . As i was getting off the 12 at the McCarty , a cyclist did not notice the bus door opening and he almost crashed into me . He braked hard and his bike swerved . Luckily he was not hurt ,except for a few minor scratches . I quickly went to check if he was ok and helped him out and said a sorry. He was like " No issues and it was my bad " . However , his bike's front tire had been torn ,when he had braked hard . So i helped him out ,carry his bike to the cycle shop behind Reitz Union. On the way, we were talking about the university , the balmy Monday weather , the upcoming football weekend and so on. Turns out that Alex was in his senior year in Business Administration. What started off as a screech , turned out to be quite a good chitchat .

There are many more . The one with Ankoor at Bank of America , the ones i have with my professor every Tuesday's and Thursday's . Even the doubts you ask in a way are conversations. Sometimes , the professor might even ask you to come and meet him after the class , if he finds your question good enough . So , keep asking questions :) . Thats the only way you will learn a lot of stuff over here.

Never be afraid to put your foot out first . Extend your hand first wherever and whenever you can , take initiative and ask questions . It will help you in meeting a lot of new people and set up a brilliant network . Networking is a huge way to land interns and jobs . Sometimes , LinkedIn is not the only solution ;) .

Hope i come across more people , who dont close their water bottles and cyclists who dont notice bus doors :P.

Happy Talking :)

PS : Though i have used people's names without their knowledge, i did not mean it in any offensive context .