The Church Bells

The day dawned with a red tinge in the eastern sky. Shining down directly on my face, I was rumpled out of my beauty sleep. Starting the day with the usual phone call  to my mother, I decided, I would go out today for the Sunday Worship Service at a church I found on the net. I rarely miss Church on Sundays. My Daddy was particularly strict that we attend church and that too on time. I remembered the days he used to be mad at me when I wanted to watch 'He-man' or 'The Jungle Book' that was telecast on Sunday at the exact moment we had to start to church. This was during childhood though.

I was not yet familiar with Plainsboro and I did not want to sit at home on a Sunday instead of going to church. Dad helped me develop that habit. And today I am glad that he did.

So I set out, with the map in hand (although I did not know much to make out of that map) to find the church at Plainsboro. I walked, praying in my heart that I would find the church without much trouble, I walked, and walked. It seemed so never ending. The service was supposed to start at 10.30 am, and I was already late, late by an hour.The snow was still piled up after a twelve inch snow storm and it seemed there was not much way to walk down. I crossed the road and walked. Took a turn and walked..... the wrong turn..... Common' you should have guessed, after all, "I" interpreted the map. 

The roads seemed so deserted, a new fear rose inside of me. I retraced my steps, and then it occurred that I had come the wrong way. I rechecked my map and walked a little further.... The cold freezing wind was blowing right at my face, and by now I was exhausted and scared. The little voice inside my head too sensed it, it said "Better return home now, You are alone remember". I stopped; and turned back; to go home, when the bells rang, The Church bells......

I was not alone. I turned and walked towards those ringing bells which said "COME".

Gospel Fellowship Church Plainsboro

Around the world in 100 hours

I had to prepare for the trip to US again on 26 December 2010. The Christmas was a hurried one, and I was getting prepared to catch the flight on the early hours of the Boxing day of 2010. Alwin dropped me off in the airport. With stolen tears,I bid farewell to the dear. Hoping the period of separation would be just for a month, I headed towards the immigration

 Boarding the British Airways with the i-pod glued to my ears, searched for my seat, made myself comfortable and braced for the huge travel for around 18 hours. Turning around, I saw an American smiling at me. Jim did not sound like the Americans in the movies, He was so different, just like the Indian grandfathers filled with lots of love and family values. The conversation between me and Jim probably sped up the travel. London, Heathrow airport was approaching, and we said our good byes and good lucks. Little did we know that we would be seeing so much of each other in the next few days.

 The flight landed in London's Heathrow airport at 9.45 am. Well braced for a six long hours of wait at the transit, I moved on towards the lounge to get myself on the Internet highway back to the arms of my husband. He was waiting for me there. "Your flight is canceled due to the snow storms in the east coast of North America" said a lady in the original British airways uniform. I looked at her with a mixture of disbelief, panic, and confusion.

After a lot of running around, between the BA officers I got myself a hotel voucher for the stay overnight and 24 hour transit visa into London. Hoping  I would be bound towards  US by the next day, I hobbled out of the airport cold, tired and hungry at 5.30 pm, clutching the baggages which the airlines returned back to us as they did not have place to stack them up. It was a typical Chennai travel in the bus bound towards the Holiday Inn in Sipson Way, London. "Things were supposed to be different here" said a little voice inside my head. 

26 Dec 2010

London Streets in the cold weather

Communicating to the near and dear was our major concern. We were completely not prepared for London and we did not have means of informing people back home that we were safe - almost. Things were pretty expensive in London. Somehow squeezed a call home and asked them to call back. My folks were relieved. and also they checked out the flight status and said something that I never wanted to hear. "Tomorrow's flight too is canceled" 
Though no means of communication, It was the best English dinner and breakfast I ever had. It was a royal  and a welcome one after skipping lunch.

27 Dec 2010

My stranded friends

The next day 7.30am , we stood at the bus stop for the bus. That's where I met him. Our angel in the darkness. Uncle Thavamani. A small group joined together to fight our way towards the destination - "The USA". Unknown people started helping one another as a family. We stood in quite a long and a slow moving queue and successfully got a standby  ticket to Washington DC. We had to report to the counter by 2 .00 pm for  flight taking off at 2.50 pm to get our boarding pass. Keeping our fingers crossed that we would get the ticket, we ran back to the counter at the exact time just to return back disappointed. Having learned our lesson on standby tickets, a tired and a hungry group (we) stumbled back into the crowded bus in Chennai ... Opps Sorry!!!,I meant  London . "Everything is premier but the price" was the tag against Premier Inn, the worst hotel in all of London.  Food was horrible and none was worth of even tasting. That ended the next day.We tucked ourselves into bed tired and hungry with no lunch and no dinner.

28 Dec 2010

Will add caption later

London was misty and foggy and showers of rain  poured in. We were at the bus stop at 7.30. Buses were once in half hour and this time we intervened into a  group. The girl wore a heavy make up and her boyfriend, a flowing haired not so appealing fellow was constantly kissing her while waiting in the bus stop. Oh! Would they ever stop!!! The lady and the gentleman in the group were a bit older and seemed to be the well bred types from the classics. They scowled at us and swore on Indians when my inner voice screamed "Meri Bharath Mahan!!!" 
I did not realize that It was too cold and rain was pouring down,  as we were standing there in the bus stop hoping that we would get into the next bus which never happened. We had to go one by one as they did not allow many baggages in the bus. Each in our group had two or more.   I watched sadly as the bus moved when Uncle Thavamani  stood at the bus stop  waiting for the next bus after making me board the bus with my luggages. We regrouped at the airport, got the hotel vouchers for the night at Hotel Renaissance. 

The Hall Way in Hotel Renaissance

 Hotel Renaissance - The place where we breathed relief.

 

My English Lunch

It was here we had our first lunch in London. Lunch was  a welcome break after frustration from  three days of long queues.

The English Pub

We went out for a stroll, visted "The Three Magpies", the english pub (of course from outside and resolved that I would come there some day with Alwin), saw Patni, had the devilish desire to give my resume there, but restrained, and set back to the hotel to have dinner. With the twilight nearing, I fell into a shivering fit, I realised I was down with fever.

29 Dec 2010

Getting into the bus at last

All exited that we were flying out of London that day and  my head spinning with the drowsiness that paracetamol had caused (I had taken some to ease my fever) , I got ready for the travel to the US of America. We boarded the bus in the early hours of Dec 29 2010 and went into the Heathrow airport with all hopes that we were leaving London. With the longest wait of my life for 7 hours,  without lunch or water, we heaved a sigh of relief when we boarded the plane towards Washington DC. Uncle Thavamani was waiting there to pick us up as he had already gone on a earlier flight. A to be wed couple was sitting behind us, they had thier share of fun during the flight. Too drowsy to mind any of that, I fell into a deep sleep. 

Waking up,I cast my first sight on the US of A  as the BA Boeing was hovering above Portland. Wondering what memories would US give me to take home. I was happy that we just had to land.

Friends from Trinidad and Tobago

Looking back, I'm glad I had these days in my miles, as it thought me two important things:

"Panic or hastiness costs. Keep your  cool in all situations - This helps to think".

and the most of all "Lend a helping hand it helps you inturn".

View from my room in USA

With happiness, that I  made friends for life and knowing the strength and courage  that was built inside of me in three days of December 2010, I smiled inward when I knocked on 216, Hampshire Drive, Plainsboro.